We are thrilled to announce our September release for the newest version of ProjectManager.com. In this release, we focused on two big areas: the Calendar and the List, among other improvements. The Calendar is even more useful for managing work, and the view on the List can be further customized.
Our new software was designed to let teams work in a variety of ways: the Gantt, List or Board. Teams can now manage tasks on the Calendar and view their work in four different ways. We have improved the sorting on the List and added the ability to move columns to a preferred location. All current customers will be able to access these new features right way, no matter your edition: Personal, Team, Business or Enterprise.
If you are not a current customer, sign up for our 30-day free trial to try it out.
Introducing an Improved Calendar View
We originally designed the Calendar in the new version of the software to let teams view their tasks on a calendar format. We found teams wanted more flexibility on the Calendar, particularly with filters and managing tasks. And now, the Calendar is just one more powerful view that teams can use for project planning and scheduling.
Our collaborative software lets teams manage their projects using multiple views, and the Calendar works cohesively with those views. For example, if a user has created dependencies in the Gantt or adjusted the working days, that information is reflected in the Calendar. Anyone on your team can view their tasks on the Calendar—as well as add, move and edit tasks. There is no need to navigate to another page, even for more complex features such as adding files or logging hours.
Four Ways to View the Calendar
Our goal was to create a more functional Calendar that was useful for a variety of scenarios, by different team members and types of teams. A manager of a marketing team may use the Calendar to view overdue dates for important client deliverables, while a team member may use it to understand the scope of a project. Your team will now be able to view the Calendar the following ways:
1. Duration and Task Name
This view lets you see each task’s duration, or how the tasks in your project span out across the calendar. You can easily see the tasks that overlap on the Calendar and how long tasks will take throughout the month. You can use this view as a planning tool to see where you may be able to add or move tasks in a project.
2. Due Date and Task Name
This view lets you see your project due dates on a calendar layout. You may use this view to see where your due dates are in a given month to prevent your project from slipping, or to see areas where multiple due dates fall. If multiple due dates fall on the same day, you may want to watch these tasks.
3. Due Date and Assignee
This view option allows you to see task due dates by assignee. You can see if your team has any due dates coming up or if there are tasks overdue. Overdue tasks are indicated in the Calendar by an exclamation point so you can always see if a task is overdue.
4. Duration and Assignee
The last view allows you to see the duration of tasks in the calendar by assignee. You may use this view to see if a team member has too much overlapping work, or if work can be reassigned across the team.
Custom Colors on the Calendar
The Calendar will either display your custom Gantt colors or default colors. If you have selected custom colors on the Gantt, you can select those colors. If you have not selected custom colors on the Gantt, you may prefer to use our default avatar colors to represent each team member. By default, each team member will be assigned their own color on the calendar.
Improved List Sorting
The List allows you to see all tasks in a project in an intuitive view. Filtering the Gantt and Board is easy, but the List allows for added sort functionality. A customer can easily sort by Tags, Assignee, Progress, Priority, Task Name or Due Date. For example, an IT team may want to see all their High Priority bug tickets. In another example, a Construction team may want to see which permits still need approval before they can begin work.
Customers can more easily sort the List view by using the up or down arrows next to the column name. Our smart sorting option tells you when you have the sort turned on and gives you the option to reset. Once reset, you can sort manually. This allows you to prioritize your task list by dragging and dropping the tasks into your preferred priority order.
Moving Columns on the List
In addition to new sorting options, team members can now drag columns to a new location, allowing for more customization. One column can be moved to a new location, or you can even reorder all of the columns to fit your needs. For example, a team that is concerned with completing high priority tasks first may choose to drag the Priority column to the far left.
ProjectManager.com gives you the power to get organized and do amazing things. Start your free 30-day trial if you would like to see how we can help your team work smarter.
