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The Pros and Cons of Using Workfront Software

Utilizing project management enabled small businesses to be more competitive and give larger companies a run for their money. As a result, enterprises made improvements themselves and try their best to consolidate project management into their strategies and goals. Their projects, however, tend to be more complex and multi-faceted, sometimes crossing over organizational operations. And…

Published: Dec 15, 2019
Updated: Dec 1, 2022
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Utilizing project management enabled small businesses to be more competitive and give larger companies a run for their money. As a result, enterprises made improvements themselves and try their best to consolidate project management into their strategies and goals. Their projects, however, tend to be more complex and multi-faceted, sometimes crossing over organizational operations. And so, they need better methods and better tools to effectively plan, organize, and monitor their projects.

Cloud technology has enabled online project management software providers to offer its users 24/7 accessibility. Enterprise work management software like Workfront goes beyond instant messaging to bring real-time collaboration. These solutions help individuals, teams, and companies to get work done efficiently by providing structure to the movement of information and the execution of processes. Work management software streamlines crucial business processes to improve results and performance.

Workfront Software

Workfront is an online work management software that connects people and works across the enterprise. It was launched in 2001 as AtTask, then became Workfront in 2015. As a single work platform, it increases transparency and encourages collaboration in real-time from anywhere. Users are able to scope, prioritize, and assign work quickly, automate workflows, and view status through reports. Moreover, it integrates with other tools, applications and data, works flexibly with a variety of methods and allows for customization.

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Workfront Software Uses

Workfront is used by a variety of teams to be more efficient and effective in getting their work done.

  1. To streamline processes. Marketing teams use Workfront to balance competing priorities and get more done. They are able to streamline proofing with a digital solution that allows teams to iterate quickly. The approval process is also automated for an easy and fast way to maintain quality work.
  2. To get real-time, accurate information. IT teams are able to prioritize work and set expectations because accurate information is available when needed. They can adjust resources and timelines to see the impact of new projects on the team. Therefore, they can make strategic decisions to address what is important rather than what is urgent only.
  3. To deliver quality work. Agencies use work management software to deliver quality work to satisfied customers. Work gets done faster through a single platform that unifies all their processes. Creative teams are not slowed down because of the use of multiple tools. Instead, a centralized, dependable, and smart solution allows them to focus on producing great work, improving morale and productivity.
  4. To innovate faster. development and management teams use Workfront to prioritize investment, manage project status, and improve customer satisfaction. By using a transparent platform, everyone knows exactly what to work on by when. Real-time information enables them to scope projects, optimize resources, and prioritize high-impact work that delivers results.
  5. To build customer trust. Professional services teams are able to deliver projects successfully to their clients on time and with quality. They are able to move with speed and coordination through consolidated processes and tools in a single solution. Every team member works at his/her best, giving customers exactly what they want.

The Cons or Disadvantages of Workfront

Workfront users are generally satisfied, but it is still not a perfect solution for everybody.

  1. The layout is not intuitive. Some users who have been using the software for more than a year can still get confused on how to do some actions. Learning functionality can take some time. It is not the easiest solution to pick up for brand new users.
  2. Setting up can be time-consuming. It is not straight forward as most users would like it to be. It may have to do with the high level of customization available on the application. Streamlining is more difficult to achieve in organizations that do not have processes in place.
  3. Too many attributes and required fields. Workfront can provide high-level, bird’s eye view of work, but can also go to the smallest detail to the point of micromanagement. This can be too much for a team or does not make sense to every department.
  4. Not the best Gantt charts. Some users find the work management software’s Gantt charts to be very hard to work with and modify. As a result, task progression is not intuitive.
  5. Difficult to find work. It can be challenging at times to find a task without knowing which project it is associated with. Sometimes, pages display current projects differently. Data entry is very lax, and users wish there are more prompts to inform when there is incorrect or missing input.

The Pros or Advantages of Workfront

For its 3000 organization customers, Workfront is just exactly what they need. Here are some of the reasons why they prefer it.

  1. It provides real-time information. Users are able to stay up to speed with their work, and can quickly make changes when changes happen in their organization.
  2. Able to handle complexity in large organizations. The work management software is ideal for mid-sized to large businesses, rather than small companies. It supports enough permission levels necessary in large organizations.
  3. Very customizable. Workfront allows customization in reports that can be sent Adhoc or regularly, allows for custom notifications that are triggered by various events, and customization of charts and graphs on various metrics such as resource usage, product categorization, and more.
  4. Robust management platform. It has enterprise-grade features not usually found in other general PM tools. It also has a powerful timeline, task, and time management tools. It has a great proofing tool and a good number of integrations.
  5. Ultimate transparency. The work management software allows organization leaders to monitor work in real-time, and therefore, are able to plan, manage, and measure works better based on data. Also, transparency removes the need for emails to explain what everyone is busy with, which is preferred by some organizations.

Conclusion

Workfront provides a central place where teams can share ideas, create content, manage processes, complete tasks, and do just about anything. It is customizable to support any type of team and requirement and can connect with other applications as well. Companies such as Comcast, Dole, and Citrix prefer it to empower teams, standardize processes, measure work, and report on success. However, there are other options available no matter what team or company size you are in. It is important to know also if your requirement is strictly for project management, operational management, or something in between like work management.

thumbnail Jose Maria Delos Santos

Jose Santos is a long-time writer for project-management.com. He is a subject matter expert in the field of project management and has many years of experience writing about project management software and tools. He has written hundreds of articles for the project management industry, including numerous software reviews, book reviews, training site reviews, and more.

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