Introduction
It is widely known that with the development in information technologies came great opportunities for improving company management. However, due to the lack of knowledge and the immense diversity of software solutions that are excellent at some things but so good at others, potential clients usually feel perplexed and unsure which one to choose. Despite all that, with a little bit of research and information, it is easy to find a program that satisfies one’s needs and preferences.
Main text
Even though MS Project and Ace Project would provide good solutions, for my translation agency I would use Basecamp for several reasons. First off, the agency is very often involved in large projects and many translators have to work on the same project which is very difficult to organize. Basecamp can be used for both small and large businesses which make it ideal for this type of company that is constantly switching from large to small projects. Furthermore, the software is based online which is good because the employees are all based in different countries. The fact that no online storage is allowed is not a problem because the translators are using a different program for the translation itself. In addition, Basecamp is one of the simplest tools of this kind that can be found which is immensely important for the company because many of the workers, especially older ones, are not comfortable with very advanced technologies. Finally, it is completely free of charge and the price of the software is certainly one of the significant factors (“Basecamp’s exclusive single-page”).
As far as Microsoft Project is concerned it is a very good tool and definitely one among the most widely used but its price is over $500 which is too expensive for the company that is not making huge profits. Ace Project, on the other hand, is free of charge but only for up to five projects and that is less than what the company needs and it is also more complicated than Basecamp (“Project Tracking in AceProject”).
It seems that in the era of the internet and information technologies any business could benefit from using project management software no matter how simple the work. Certainly, there are other practical obstacles to this claim and these are related to the abilities of the employees to use such technologies and also the price of software, and whether the company is able to afford it. The problem with price can be avoided because there are free project management programs; however, it will certainly take time until workers in all domains of industry are accustomed to dealing with modern technologies in their everyday work.
Conclusion
Finally, the use of project management tools gives managers the opportunity to keep close track of the workload and efficiency of the workers. Therefore, such software can be used by managers to make sure that no worker is getting a greater workload than others and also that no worker is lagging behind with his or her work. This makes the manager able to distribute the work in a better way and create a better atmosphere in the company. Furthermore, the manager can help the subordinates if they want to gain experience in the domain of work different than the one they are currently engaged in by assigning them to work on new projects with colleagues who could then tutor them. All of these new possibilities make it much easier to finish all the planned projects on time but at the same time give the employees who want to learn more a chance to do so.
References
Basecamp’s exclusive single-page projects keep everything organized. (n.d.). Project management software, online collaboration: Basecamp. Web.
Project Tracking in AceProject: Easy Project Management Software. (n.d.). Free Project Management Software & Online Time Tracking & Expense Tool. Web.