Offline vs. Web Based Project Management Software

Today online project management software applications are becoming increasingly popular.

Today online project management software applications are becoming increasingly popular. How are they different from our traditional desktop based project management tools? Are there any special advantages in using online applications as opposed to our traditional desktop applications? Here are some of the key differences between the two approaches to managing your projects.

#1 As the name suggests, one is web based or online and the other is device based and offline.

#2 With offline applications, you are limited or tied to your desktop or business computer. This is not the case with the online application. You will be able to access the project data from any part of the world as long as you are connected with the internet. With mobile internet becoming one of the basic facilities that is available in almost all parts of the world, you need not have to worry about connectivity issues. Moreover, you will be able to access the data from various devices including your desktop, laptop, tablet PCs, as well as through your smartphones.

#3 With the desktop applications, the project manager is overburdened because the project manager has to take care of the updates manually. Keeping track of the progress of the project and keeping the project management application updated regularly becomes a cumbersome task. A lot of time is wasted in acquiring and updating information in to the system leading to delays as well as errors. When the project manager concerned is required to manage multiple projects, the whole process depletes the creative juice out of the project manager resulting in poor performance of not only the manager but also the team managed by him or her over a period of time. Web based solutions ease the pressure off the project manger’s shoulders as they come with many advanced features including task collaboration. The software keeps all the stakeholders up to date with the latest status of the project requiring minimal manual data entry.

#4 Online project management applications make all the relevant documentation on the project easily accessible to all the stakeholders, which is not possible with the traditional desktop based application.

#5 Web based applications pave way for cost effectiveness and better efficiency as most of the rudimentary tasks and updates are automated.

#6 You do not need any special hardware with online tools. There is also no huge initial costs. You could pay as you go, different pricing plans are available to suit your budget and requirements and therefore flexible. Pricing is often rigid with desktop based tools. You will also be required to incur huge initial expense in purchasing the product license.

As you can see, cloud based tools have great flexibility which you cannot possibly expect in the traditional applications. One of the concerns that is raised frequently regarding the cloud based application is the overall security factor. You will not have to worry however because the latest products come equipped with the best security features which make online applications perfect and reliable in every way.

John R Phillips is the author of this article on project management software. Find more information, about web based project management here.

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