In addition to all these limitations, ProjectDesk also does not appear to have a process interlink to quotes, proposals or additional flow-on tasks that the project task list would be used for. Most noticeable when one considers collaboration from a global standpoint, ProjectDesk does not appear to be supporting any other languages but English. Conversely ProjectDesk does have value purely as a collaboration platform where workgroups are primarily interested in tracking their tasks over time. The interface, which is intuitive, makes learning the application very quick and also can lead to higher rates of user adoption in larger groups as it is comparable to other low-end applications. There is also the support of document sharing and automated e-mailing of project document to members of a team. Given the fact this is an entirely Web-based application there is also no hardware investment involved on the part of companies choosing to use this application.

In summary, ProjectDesk does not have the functionality to replace Microsoft Office Project 2007, Primavera or any of the higher-end project management applications a company may rely on. It does however have the functionality and features to be a replacement for low-end...

The lack of support for process management and the flexibility to align processes to the unique requirements of customers however makes this unsuitable for many project management tasks. The lack of support for any other languages also negates its value from a globalization perspective as well.
Relevance to this course

Evaluating ProjectDesk has been a worthwhile exercise as it has provided insights into how collaboration applications hosted over the Web can provide document sharing and task management while at the same time being available on a 24/7 basis through any web browser. The application's lack fo process functionality and relatively flat workflow structure show how project management portals that track tasks are ideal replacements for the more expensive Microsoft SharePoint Server.

Assessment of Exercise - Evaluating ProjectDesk is relevant within this course as it provides a glimpse into how small software companies (notice the address for the makers of ProjectDesk is a P.O. Box) are revolutionizing the project management and collaboration markets through the use of hosted or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications.