Planning Your Project
In the monthly view, Zoho Projects’ calendar serves as a central hub for easily finding and creating objects like tasks and events. By clicking the Calendar tab, you can view all scheduled meetings, milestones, and assignments according to when they took place. You can filter the view to display only tasks, milestones, or meetings and navigate through the months.
The calendar will display three icons—TD for task, MS for milestone, and ME for meeting—when the mouse pointer moves over a day. You can quickly create one of these items by clicking on it, which will bring up a form in the sidebar for entering your information.
Handling Documents
While working on a project, it’s essential to keep track of various types of documents. Make sure your team has access to all project-related documents, such as letters, price lists, or presentations. In Zoho Projects, you can attach files and share them with other users, utilizing Zoho Docs to upload files from both your local workstation and your online documents.
Uploading and Organizing Documents
- Once on the Documents page, click on “Get started by uploading your first document.” This option appears only once.
- Select a file to upload from your computer or use Zoho Docs to find one in your library.
- Click “Upload File” after selecting the destination folder.
Every file you’ve uploaded is viewable on the Documents page. To organize your documents, click the Add Folder button. You can create new documents directly using Zoho’s tools, eliminating the need for third-party applications.
Associating Documents with Meetings
To link a meeting with documents like statistical data or presentation parts:
- Open the meeting and click the Associate button.
- Choose the folder containing the documents.
- Click “Add Meeting Document(s)” to complete the task.
Advanced Features of Zoho Projects
Customer Billing
The Timesheet module tracks each user’s time on tasks, displaying it as billable or non-billable. It integrates with Zoho Invoice for creating professional invoices to send to clients.
Tracking Time
To track the time spent on project tasks and bill clients:
- Open the Timesheets tab to see the project’s calendar.
- Choose a day and select a task from the Task list.
- Enter the total time spent on the task in the Hours field and specify the billing status.
- Click “Add to Timesheet” to record the time.
The calendar will show cumulative hours spent on tasks, with links to detailed information. Get a quick breakdown of how much time was spent on different activities by clicking the Export button.
Creating Invoices
To create an invoice for billable tasks:
- Select “Create Invoice” from the Timesheet tab.
- Choose Task to create individual task listings and invoices.
- Click “Create Invoice” to proceed.
- Review and finalize the invoice in Zoho Invoice.
Generating Reports
Reports, particularly Gantt charts, are crucial for project management. Zoho Projects offers a user-friendly reporting module with various data views.
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To print reports, use the printer icon in the Reports tab to adjust print parameters and print your reports.
Navigate to the Reports tab to access different reports, such as open tasks, closed milestones, and user task summaries.
Communication Tools
Zoho Projects includes a suite of communication tools to keep you connected with your team and document each project step. The homepage, wiki, chat, and forum allow seamless communication within your project.
Forums
The Forums module provides a space for discussions and sharing knowledge. Start a conversation by posting your first forum post, and respond to threads to engage with teammates. You can add files and manage notifications for responses.
Wiki
There is a wiki for every project so that all the information related to that project may be easily documented. In the wiki, you have the ability to insert pages, files, and remarks.
Chat
The Chat module facilitates real-time collaboration with your team. Initiate new discussions, invite participants, and share files during chats, regardless of users’ locations.
Home Page Overview
The Home page summarizes your outstanding tasks and goals, upcoming meetings, and system-wide activities. It also includes a global RSS feed for the latest system updates and a disk space usage bar to monitor your account quota.
Importing Microsoft Project Files
Zoho Projects allows you to import Microsoft Project files, easing the transition to cloud-based project management. To import:
- Locate the Import MPP option in the Home tab.
- Enter the path to your Microsoft Project file and click Choose File.
- Select the destination project and click Import MPP.
Seeking Assistance
For more details on project management, refer to resources like Suite101’s project management course or CC Pace’s Agile project management document. Zoho also offers comprehensive documentation for Projects, accessible on their help page and forums.
Summary
Project management software is essential for tracking progress and resource allocation. Zoho Projects stands out with its innovative approach, enhancing fundamental tools with social networking capabilities. It’s user-friendly, integrates seamlessly with other Zoho applications, and supports import/export features for enhanced interoperability.
© Image credits to Anni Roenkae