Jared Gaul, Tiffany Huynh, RaeLee Hemenway

Michael Krebs, Thomas Kim

Date: July 11th, 2018

To: Members of Polibull LLC
From: Team 3
Subject: Collaborative Repurposing Project Report

Attached is the report for our collaborative repurposing project, “Project Management Software at
PoliBull LLC”. We have completed the tasks described in the ‘Tasks’ section: researching and
familiarizing ourselves with various types of project management software. We have studied the features
that are offered with each software in addition to pricing, interface, functionality, etc.

To complete these tasks, we conducted primary and secondary research. We researched different types of
project management software, and the benefits of each. We also considered what PoliBull is struggling
with in regards to project management, and as a result were able to determine what the company needs in
a project management software in order to perform most efficiently and productively. After in-depth
research of various software, we then scored each of the options for software on a predetermined scale
with predetermined categories. Then, we collected and analyzed the acquired data and wrote the report.

PoliBull is currently using a mix of email, SMS, Google Docs., Google Sheets, Google Drive, and
Discord. It is difficult for the team to locate documents, old conversations, and to be on the same page in
general. Due to these complications, we have found that PoliBull needs a software that is advanced in the
organization of tasks, discussions, and groups. The system also needs to be easily navigable. In addition,
the project management software needs to excel in collaboration and the application of it.

With this research, we are able to generate a comprehensive guide to project management software which
allows an easy means to view features of each software in order for users to make quick informed
decisions on which software is most suitable according to specific needs.
 Selecting a Project Management Software
for the Staff at PoliBull LLC:
A Collaborative Repurposing Project Report

Prepared for: Staff of PoliBull LLC

Prepared by: Jared Gaul

Tiffany Huynh
RaeLee Hemenway
Michael Krebs
Thomas Kim

July 11th, 2018

Jared Gaul, Tiffany Huynh, RaeLee Hemenway

Michael Krebs, Thomas Kim
 Executive Summary

To determine the best project management software for PoliBull LLC, our team has completed the tasks
of researching and familiarizing ourselves with various types of project management software and scoring
them in order to determine the best option. We have studied the features that are offered with each
software in addition to pricing, interface, functionality, etc.

To complete these tasks, we conducted research on different types of project management software, and
their features. We also considered what PoliBull is struggling with, and as a result were able to determine
what the company needs in a project management software in order to perform most efficiently and
productively. After in-depth research of various software, we then scored each of the options for software
on a predetermined scale with predetermined categories. We then collected and analyzed the acquired
data and wrote the report.

PoliBull is currently using a mix of email, SMS, Google Docs., Google Sheets, Google Drive, and
Discord. It is difficult for the team to locate documents, old conversations, and to be on the same page in
general. Due to these complications, we have found that PoliBull needs a software that is advanced in the
organization of tasks, discussions, and groups. The system also needs to be easily navigable. In addition,
the project management software needs to excel in collaboration and the application of it.

With this research, we are able to generate a comprehensive guide to project management software which
allows an easy means to view features of each software in order for users to make quick informed
decisions on which software is most suitable according to specific needs.

Introduction:

For this project we will be researching various communication platforms to find the best one for a

company to use with other organizations. This software program would need to be able to connect two

companies together for easy communication between the two. The goals in researching various

communication programs would be that we ultimately reach a conclusion as to which program would be
the best to use. If we find a system that would be useful to use then the ultimate goal would be to

implement that system in multiple companies to see how it actually works in the business setting.

Research Methods

We began our research by identifying what software for project management would best assist in

the communication of the company. First, we had to think in terms of the company, which is a

small-scale company just starting up. From that we develop a list of potential candidates for a

good project management software that can accommodate a small company looking to grow. The

priority for our research was to determine the best possible software for the companies use this

was based on four different categories; Price, Functionality, Usability, and Features.

From this basic idea we created four different project management software’s for the team to

research and five tasks in total:

1. Zoho project management research (Jared Gaul)

2. Monday project management research (Tiffany Huynh)

3. Discord(Thomas Kim)

4. Microsoft Teams project management research(Michael Krebs)

5. Compile and Compare the data and ratings.

In the following discussion of how we performed each task, we explain the reasoning that guided

our research.

Task 1. Zoho Project Management Software

A quick search into the top project management software’s in use today brings up an article

written by PCmag a couple of weeks ago and displays Zoho as the top choice. As a very high

rated option we felt it necessary to look into the software and its specs.

· Reviews for the software were the main source for the user feedback and to get a

feel of the vibe the software gives off.

· The spec sheet was also analyzed to see what the software had to offer the

company.

· Finally the software was downloaded and tried by Jared Gaul to verify the reviews

for himself and to determine the viability of the software.

Task 2. Monday Project Management Software

Much like the previous selection Monday ranked number one among users as seen on the

website for the top five project management software. As our research revolves around the users

idea of the software Monday was necessary to research given its prominence among users.

· Reviews for the software gave us the feedback for the function of the system and

how it would work for our purpose.’

· The features Monday has to offer were also looked into to see how they compare to

other services.

Task 3. Discord Project Management

Discord Is a very well-known communication application, most commonly used in video games.

Its prominence in video games is the ability to quickly communicate with others.

Communication being one of the biggest parts in a task oriented project it’s hard to overlook one

of the best communication apps available as a possible solution

 · Reviews for the software gave us the feedback of how users react to the system

· Discord is unique due to its advanced capabilities in communication that other

management websites do not have

Task 4. Microsoft Teams Project Management Research

Microsoft brand has a very high standard to uphold any time they put their name on software so

it is only natural that their project management software should be heavily considered as a top of

the line system. Given the large following and track record of successful software Michael

looked into this software as a viable option.

· The first goal is to find what the users think of this software through reviews.

· Michael also has experience in using this software that he can provide his own

thoughts into the software’s capabilities

Task 5. Compile and Compare the data and ratings

The final responsibility of the team was to compare each software and determine the best fit for

our company. Using the rating scale we developed based on price, interface, usability, and

features we could determine some of the best options available and as we each researched a

separate service we had a chance to petition our own choice based on what we found. Using this

we could come up with a precise recommendation for our team.

Results
In this section the aforementioned research was conducted and we were able to provide a result

for the tasks we looked into.

Task 1. Zoho Project Management Software Results

The research I conducted of comparing reviews of the zoho project management software as well
as conducting my own personal research into the system by downloading the free version.
According to PC mag, zoho project management software ranks at the top of their list in project
management software. In an article by Jill Duffy of PC mag, she rates a plethora of pm software.
Zoho's software receives the highest praise from Duffy who specializes in productivity apps and
software. written just over 2 weeks ago she boasts zoho as the best choice out there. The specs of
each rendition of Zoho’s software can be found at https://www.zoho.com/projects/pricing-
comparison.html, however to go over a few details that zoho offers, for an up and coming
company the lowest paid version is $25 a month, this includes 5GB of storage and 10 yearly
project slots available. This software also has a free version for trial use, it contains a real-time
chat where users can communicate, and also is supported by zapier, a integration software that
automates jobs that would normally be tedious for a human. For a small company i would
recommend either the $25 or $50/month versions as many of the higher expense functions are
useful, but certainly not necessary. Zoho's interface includes document sharing, task
management, google app integration, set reminders, charts and timelines, the syncing of tasks as
well as time tracking, and plenty of other useful operations to aid in project management. Overall
Zoho offers a software that is second to none in project management at this date in time and for
$25-50 a month what you are getting for the price is certainly worth it in the long run. Now in
order to conduct my own review of the software i chose to install the free version which has
many of the tasks as the paid versions but not quite the storage or automated procedure. upon my
use of the software I've found it to be extremely streamlined. From forums for discussion to
document sharing it is all located in the central hub of the project website you set up. This also
includes a status bar where a quick reminder can be seen from all users and a task tab where
employee tasks can be planned out. this initial interface had extreme ease to navigate and i found
it very responsive when i was using it. This is only the base interface the user sees when the open
the website, once you actually enter the projects database, the interface is even more streamlined.
you can easily pull up the feed and see the task status of the project while ensuring that no issues
have occurred. On the left side of the screen you can view each tab associated with the project
and see just how close to completion the project truly is. After reading the reviews for Zoho and
seeing it for myself there is a reason why it receives so much praise. The features offered as well
as streamlined nature of every procedure make it extremely useful to any company, however the
price could be of concern.

I am grading this off a few categories:

(worst)1-5(best)
1. Price: 4 - for the best versions it is pricey however they have many options of
equally as useful software.
2. Functionality: 5 - everything is right where you want it to be with plenty of labels
to indicate what you want to find.
3. Usability: 5 - commands are very responsive as well as chat and document
sharing among users
4. Features: 5 - the features this software provides are second to none this does
depend on version however even the lowest paid version includes all the features you
could want.
avg. score - 4.75

Task 2. Monday Project Management Software Results

Monday.com is the name of a product previously known as dapulse, one of the market’s leading
collaboration and communication apps for teams. It syncs all information in a single, accessible
hub, and enables managers/leaders and team members to collaborate. According to Top 5 Project
Management, Monday ranks first for 2018 and was labeled the user's choice. Monday.com is a
cloud-based project management system that accommodates small to midsize businesses
throughout various industries. Monday.com is able to be integrated with various third-party
systems such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Pipedrive, Google Calendar, etc. The system also
allows users to share certain information with external partners such as clients or freelancers.
Developers can customize monday.com according to specific needs. Services are offered on a
monthly subscription basis (starting at $25/month) that includes support via phone, email and
other online resources. What stood out to me is that monday.com can be utilized with no training
or preparation, yet the company offers many training resources for those who struggle navigating
new programs. I've observed that the advanced scheduling capability is considered to be one of
Monday’s most distinctive advantages compared to other systems, which applies to both task and
project management, and helps companies limit or completely eliminate confidential paperwork.
This feature also helps assure that there will be minimal to no manual entry errors, which makes
this system seem more reliable as a prospective product. Monday.com uses a board concept; it
provides detailed insights on projects, tasks, and even the complete company’s performance if
needed. The main board organizes all projects and tasks together, and connects them to
members. External guests that don’t have accounts for Monday are still able to be granted
authorization to follow the project through alerts and notifications. The software provides
managers/leaders the ability to monitor the performance of teams and individuals efficiently.
Projects and tasks are categorized in custom groups and sections. Monday honors the company’s
specific rules and policies, however, regardless of the number of modifications implemented,
Monday will remain in control and monitor each adjustment, including revised dates, statuses,
re-established mediators, or completely terminated actions. Essentially, there is minimal risk for
errors, and in the event that an error happens, Monday can identify who caused it. This software
excels in collaboration, as all members can discuss or change an action just by clicking on it.
Participants are able to comment on updates, ask questions, generate discussions, and participate
in forum sessions. To share information more efficiently, there are options to upload different
types of files and leave notes; as well as options to follow a live Facebook/Twitter feed that
records activity as it happens. Reporting and analytics are also strong features, as they are able to
accumulate and arithmetically relate associated projects and tasks, and organize them in a
chronological spreadsheet in which users are able to navigate easily. This spreadsheet is also
updated daily, and its data is easily exportable to third-party systems.

(Worst)1- 5 (Best)

1. Price: 4

2. Usability: 5

3. Functionality: 5

4. Features: 5

Avg. score 4.75

Task 3. Managing a project through discord Results

The app that I personally want to input on is discord. While this app was brought up into the
presentation I believe that this app can help it work and help continue the company to grow.

With discord being app. that is continuing to grow, we can see future business being part of it.
With discord it allows little stuff that makes it better than other apps like latency voice chat.
Discord app allows you to download it either on the computer or on your mobile device which
keeps history for what you have with groups.
Overall discord also allows multiple "channels" to be made which can be used to help divide
when it comes to working in groups in a company. With that a main channel and smaller
channels can be made.

I am grading this on a few categories:

1. Price: 5

2. Usability: 5

3. Functionality: 4

4. Features: 3

Avg. score – 4.25

Task 4. Microsoft Teams Project Management Software Results

Microsoft teams is the project management tool that is offered through Microsoft Office 365's
platform. The first major benefit of Teams is that it was created by a major player from the
technology space, Microsoft. This means that is it reputable and reliable. Another benefit of
Teams is that it is integrated with all of the other Microsoft apps such as Word, Excel, and
Powerpoint. This software is not cloud based, but does have a mobile app that provides nearly all
of the same functionality as the web app. Teams allows users to text chat, video chat, share
documents in a private cloud, access company email addresses, and plug in other apps that may
be beneficial. Another benefit of Teams as a PM software is that it is free to college kids, which
is what the company is primarily made up of. A downside of Teams is that it does not integrate
with the GSuite, meaning that all of the documents will need to be organized and copied over
from the previous sources. The UI (user interface) is very easy to use and simple to reorganize
and customize.

I am grading this on a few categories:

1. Price: 5 - since it is primarily free to us, Teams earns a 5 in this category

 2. Usability: 4.5 - There are a few features that could be better, but none that have a
serious effect on our use case.

3. Functionality: 5 - This software has all of the things that we need at the moment,
and has the capability to install more as we grow and scale

4. Features: 5 - There is video chat, real chat, task assignment, and much more.

Avg. score – 4.875

Task 5. Compile and Compare the data and ratings

The four researched project management software all are unique in their own way. In terms of
price Monday and Zoho are certainly expensive, but offer very extensive features and are very
easy to use. Moving on to discord, we found that in terms of communicating it was the simplest
form however it doesn’t quite have the features you’d expect out of a project management
software. Finally Microsoft Teams offers a unique blend of all the categories we based this on
that prove to be a very useful and in a lot of cases fairly inexpensive software.

Conclusion

Zoho Project Management:

Overall Zoho is an expensive yet extremely useful software. It is easy to navigate and has

integrated support for many functions. As a general software for project management it is

fantastic, however the high price for fancier functions won’t grab small market users to the

product given there are other cheaper alternatives that can do the same functions, perhaps not as

smooth.

Monday.com Project Management:

Monday.com is very similar to that of Zoho. The high price for a very consistent and user-

friendly tool. This as well as compatibility and a real-time feed to interact make this one of the
most user-friendly software on the market. The higher echelon businesses would love this

program but also like Zoho smaller establishments don’t necessarily need the flashy software.

Discord:

Discord excels at its main task, and that is communication. In terms of usability and

communication discord provides an extremely good platform for just that. However, branching

off into other features of the software is somewhat negligible as it really hasn’t taken that as a

primary role therefore not being an excellent choice to manage a project. That being said, a

project relies on good communication and this can not be overlooked in Discord.

Microsoft Team:

Microsoft team is free in some instances as well as features that are compatible with any

Microsoft feature. The usability suffers a bit as Microsoft is known for making amazing products

that can occasionally have problems but for an up and coming business this is a very good

solution to a project management problem.

Recommendation

We as a team have decided to go with Microsoft Team as the primary option for Polibull. Given

the inexpensive nature of the software as well as the extensive features and applications

Microsoft provides it appears to be the solid choice. As a smaller company the communication

and tasks are the focus and Microsoft Team allows the company to focus on that rather than bills

for another service. It is also the most familiar of the products to any user given the branding.

This means that a new user can have an easier time to adapt to this product since Microsoft
products are so popular. Microsoft Teams is the preferred option based off our analysis,

however, the other software are also good alternatives. As a whole, we would first recommend

Microsoft Teams to the company and as they grow to branch out into another option likely

Monday or Zoho as they provide some of the best utilities at a price.

 Appendix

Zoho:

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2380448,00.asp

https://www.zoho.com/projects/pricing-comparison.html

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2373566,00.asp

Monday.com:

http://top5projectmanagement.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwqHEl9yX3AIVyIh-
Ch2JmAbdEAAYAyAAEgK7N_D_BwE

https://reviews.financesonline.com/p/monday/

https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/dapulse-profile/

https://monday.com/features/

Discord:

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/what-is-discord,review-5203.html

Microsoft Team

https://www.g2crowd.com/products/microsoft-teams/reviews

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9653-microsoft-teams-vs-slack.html

https://www.capterra.com/p/168668/Microsoft-Teams/