Project Management

Using networks to share schedules, updates, and other critical data between all participants in a project

Project management is similar to building a massive skyscraper. The outside world sees a building rising from the ground, for example. But surrounding that end result is the complex work of guiding and coordinating many separate inputs--architects, structural engineers, concrete and steel companies, electrical and plumbing contractors, and the finance team--into a single, cohesive effort, to meet time and budget targets.

Internet-based project management can simplify this difficult task, enhancing collaboration between the many players involved in any project, wherever they're located. As a standard platform for communication between groups in different organizations, the Internet is becoming increasingly valuable in project management.

A browser-equipped PC with a business- class, high-speed Internet connection can take the place of costly and unwieldy meetings, saving travel costs and streamlining the communications that are critical to the success of any project. This power to unite geographically dispersed workers is especially valuable today, because tight markets for skilled labor are causing companies to cast their nets wider than ever in assembling project teams. A software development firm, for instance, may create a project team that includes managers in California, software engineers in India, test labs in Scotland, and marketers in New York City. Designs, updates, costing data, and rich media such as audio and video can move instantly between team members--wherever they happen to be working--saving time, reducing paperwork, and keeping all project participants in tune with the schedule.

Implementing Project-Management Applications

The success of project management depends on communication, and in network terms, that means access. Everyone involved in a project needs to be able to connect with the central source of project updates and marching orders, whether by e-mail or through dedicated channels to the central project database. Where the project documents shared are graphic-intensive or include audio and video information, high-speed access is also ideal.

One option is an extranet, which provides external members of a project with secure channels into the project organizer's internal network. A virtual private network (VPN) can provide similarly secure access over the Internet, eliminating the need to install dedicated wide-area network connections. This setup can speed deployment to new project participants and lower costs, because VPN users gain access to a partner's internal network by first connecting with their own Internet service provider (usually through a local call).