@Task (at task) Project Management

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At Task is the 800 LB gorilla of hosted project management systems, in part because, well – it’s not simply a project management system. It’s more of a complete, software as a service based, run-your-business application.

Nearly everything you need to run the core of your business is on @Task. How big is it? Well… here’s a sample of some of their clients:

• Apple
• Adobe
• CBS
• HBO

Unfortunately, @Task has a matching price tag (and feature list). Here’s a list of the major features:

Features:

• Project Management – much like many others in our list of apps, At Task, allows you to manage projects, assign tasks/todos. But, it also includes a nice Gantt Chart for birds-eye views of projects (perfect for larger, multi-step projects).
• Resource Management – What resources do you have available at your company? How can you best utilize them? What resources are under utilized, or who/what department is being stressed to its limits. Not only can managers see this information, but so can executives.
• Help Desk - Again, differentiating At Task, from the herds of other PM software out there is their help desk functionality. Although other software can handle these kinds of requests, At Task specifically targets this group, helping your support team track, manage, fix your customers and clients’ problems.
• Reports & Dashboards – Fancy reports can be found in @task, helping you reveal and uncover actionable information about your business and the way you do business.
• Much More…

I personally researched @task many years ago while heading an Internet marketing department at a national marketing agency. What interested us in particular was the help desk management – we were fielding many calls/questions, etc. and tracking it’s affects on the business was a nightmare. Clearly we were losing money, but it was hard to tell just how much we needed to increase our prices, or charge for service. Unfortunately, I didn’t stay on long enough to see @Task implemented, although I know it was – and it’s use has since spread throughout the organization. It’s now used as a tool for the entire organization.

@Task from what I recall is price prohibitive. Unfortunately, as of this writing, they STILL don’t publish pricing information on their website (a pet-peeve). However, if your business is running okay, making a lot of money, @Task can be a huge resource. But remember… project management system should always be evaluated by time (time to implement, time saved, etc) and not just on price alone.

Why I Hate AtTask

Okay… i don’t REALLY hate At Task (@task), but I do have some major problems with their site, and the way they do business online… although, with offices all over the world, it doesn’t seem to have affected or slowed their business much. Here’s the list:

• no online pricing – It’s about to be 2011, ANY company that doesn’t put pricing on their website rings the caution bell of their potential customers.
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  I'm Roger, I represent Business

  what is the product? – as more than the casual surfer (remember, I design websites as my day job) I’ve looked at this site in depth – for this review, as well as in evaluating the software in the past. My gripe is… what is your product @task. It’s two things: ONLINE SOFTWARE & CONSULTING! They sell subscriptions to their online software, and they consult with your business on it’s use, and ways to better your business. Both valuable, but horribly presented on the site. It seems each is an after thought to 1) getting your contact information 2) showing you pictures of random “business man.”