Chadrack
Do you have a team spread out across the globe or even just across your city? And do you need a project management tool that will allow you to collaborate with ease and manage projects efficiently? Then, Wrike is just what you need.
Recently, I started a new project with a friend. And for the simple reason that we were separated by several miles, there was a need for us to use a platform that would make our collaboration much easier. Of course, we’d worked on other projects before now but this particular one demanded more frequent sharing of files and more in-depth discussion about each task. We figured email just wouldn’t be enough to track all the various file versions plus all the back-and-forth communication so we set out to look for project management software that could help us.
It was while searching for one that I got to know about Wrike. Having used the platform for some time now and seeing how useful it is to us, I thought it worthwhile to write this review because there may be others out there who are looking for an awesome app to manage their remote work.
So What Is Wrike?
According to their website:
“Wrike is a work management and collaboration platform used by high-performance teams everywhere. Wrike makes day-to-day work easier, more transparent and efficient for thousands of companies.”
While that isn’t too detailed, a careful look however shows that those few words have much to say:
- It is a work (project) management and collaboration platform
- It makes day-to-day work easier
- It makes day-to-day work more transparent
- It makes day-to-day work more efficient
And you know what? This was enough for me to check it out!
Without time at all, I signed up for the trial version and then proceeded to invite my partner. The surprising part was that by the time I called to let him know about this development, he told me he had received an email from Wrike and had already accepted the invitation!
Fascinating, right?
And that was my first introduction to the platform.
Working with Wrike
At first, navigating around the platform was a bit of a challenge. This was because I was eager to get started and didn’t bother to watch the numerous video tutorials on the site. But after going through a few of those videos, working with Wrike became real fun.
As of this day, I have created a few projects (which, in Wrike are folders) and individual tasks. Basically, Wrike organizes all of your work into folders (and sub folders) that house individual tasks. This is because Wrike looks at project collaboration on the task level.
Creating folders, sub-folders and tasks is easy, just as Wrike promised. When you create a folder, you can choose to either share the folder and the tasks therein with your team members or make it private. When you make a folder private, sub-folders and tasks inside that folder will only be viewable by you.
Some of the project management activities you can do right on the platform include: creating tasks, setting schedules, providing feedback and discussing in detail what your task is all about, assigning task to team members and of course, tracking the progress of your work.
What Is My Opinion Of Wrike?
After a few weeks of working with Wrike I can confidently say this online project management tool is an angel to our new agency. It’s just what we needed at a time like this.
Like I mentioned above, we were searching for a collaborative tool that would give us project management functionality but which was also affordable. Something that would provide high value results but not put a hole in our budget. Luckily for us, we found this in Wrike.
Though my business partner and I live several states apart, with Wrike we're able to jointly monitor the progress of clients’ projects and tasks without resorting to emails – the Wrike platform takes care of the email notifications.
We’ve also found that Wrike can be our partner in progress as we plan to expand our team and take on virtual assistants in the near future. This is the scalable structure of Wrike which is something that any wise project manager will love.
Imagine offering a free account that allows you to manage an unlimited number of projects? It will interest you to know that not many project management tools offer free accounts these days. For those that do, there are a whole lot of limitations.
Wrike offers 4 tiers of service. These are:
- Free – 5 users and 2GB of storage space
- Professional ($49 per month) – 5 users and 5GB of storage space
- Professional ($99 per month) – 15 users and 5GB of storage space
- Enterprise – You're required to contact the company to discuss this.
Compared with a few other project management services we tried, you will discover that Wrike's payment structure is truly useful as many of the others charge per user per month instead of a flat monthly rate. If you ask me, paying per user is really not appropriate for small businesses and startups.
What I Love About Wrike
Every day there is something to learn about the platform. For now here are some of the things I truly love about this app:
- Quick and easy setup
- Manage unlimited number of projects
- Easily time and track your progress
- Convenient email notifications
- Integrates easily with other apps and services
- Great pricing structure that is truly scalable
How About What I Don't Like?
Frankly, for now it's very hard to think of anything. Of course, at the initial stage, it was difficult figuring out how the platform worked. But once I discovered that there are numerous video tutorials that challenge was taken out of the way. What I do these days is take a few minutes a day to familiarize myself with the platform using the video tutorials (there are daily webinars as well) before using any feature.
To Whom Will I Recommend Wrike?
Considering the scalability of Wrike, the platform is great for anyone. Whether you're just getting started or you're a large corporation spread across nations, Wrike has a place for you. The company is constantly improving features with the help of users’ feedback. So, who knows by the time you jump in there may just be some new features I haven’t covered in this review. Besides, once you learn to use the platform you will find it to be fun.
So, if you are looking for an innovative project management software, then check out Wrike today. I know you will love it as I now do.
