We announced a while back that we were beginning work on a new kind of project management/group communication app. We’d like to share some of the conclusions we’ve reached about current PM apps over the last several months.

All PM apps seem to suffer from the same recurring problem. They’re designed to manage projects, not people.

With current PM apps

• email is imposed as a communication tool. While aggregating useful emails in the app is nice, not using email at all is better. email sucks for group communication.
• People have low awareness of what work is going on around them. top-down management is on the way out, and new apps need to reflect that transparency.
• Long winded descriptions are the mainstay. People need to be empowered, and encouraged to be concise.
• Chronology is hidden. “Who’s doing what right now” is the question most PM’s constantly are asking themselves.
• Progress is charted along corridors with little awareness what’s going on outside. If you’re like us, many projects, and many tasks happen during a day. The group works together on many projects collaboratively, not separately on their own.
• There are hundreds of screens to wade through. Apps should not spread useful information so thinly.
• Human nature is ignored. Instead of embracing the way people naturally do things, the way is enforced…