Summary: Hot Project is software for businesses of various sizes. The software is designed for lightweight projects that do not require detailed analysis and forecasting. The tool targets project managers who consider document organization to be the main part of managing their projects.
Project management features: Hot Project offers a specified structure for your projects. For each project, you need to choose a client, fill in the project description and the job ID and upload relevant files. The tool will also define a number of folders to share with project stakeholders. When creating a task, you can set its status, priority and type. Hot Project will probably not be the best solution for overlapping projects, as you won’t be able to include one task in several projects. It’s a little inconvenient not to be able to view the project title when you review your tasks. The same can be said about the project list; you’ll have to click on a project to actually view the tasks associated with it. Gantt chart function is only available for separate projects; you won’t be able to graphically visualize all your projects on one page. Each project has a calendar summary.
The key features include document management, project dashboard, project calendar and milestones, task management, user management and reporting. The most prominent of these seems to be document management. Hot Project allows you to upload several files at once, drag and drop files and organize them in folders. It’s also possible to approve or reject uploaded files and leave comments on each file.
Collaboration: Hot Project promises to help you with “user management.” This means you will be able to give your clients and partners access to your project materials. Each project can be discussed online. The project administrator can regulate users’ access permissions to view projects, meetings and milestones. A client will have limited access to your projects, but he will be able to see your other clients by default, so you should be very careful with access settings. A client will also be able to create a new task for your team.
Usability/Training: You’ll need some time to adjust to the project management pattern offered by Hot Project if the process is organized differently in your company. However, on the whole, the usage of the software is quite simple and doesn’t require training. The software allows you to customize its colors and add your corporate logo.
Pricing: There are several pricing plans depending on company type. There are 4 plans which are managed and hosted for you. For these, you’ll have to pay from $50 to $200 per month. For example, the $50 plan will give you 10 user accounts and 1 G of storage space for 10 projects. If you need to add more user accounts, they will charge you $25 per month for every 10 accounts.
Installation/Upgrades: Hot project is a Web-based service, so no installation will be required if you choose the hosted version. With this version, you’ll also get all the updates automatically. You’ll have to install the software if you would like to run it on your own server. Installation of the updates will be included in the price of support services, which you’ll need to buy separately.
Help/support: Since Hot Project is a Web-based company support is available online at hotproject.com. . There you’ll find explanations for every step of working with the tool. You can also contact the Hot Project team via an online enquiry form on their site. Hot Project’s team also provides 3 levels of professional support, dealing with the application setup, usage and upgrades. For managed systems, support is included in the monthly fee. For hosted systems, 30 days of installation support is included with the purchase price. Additional support will cost you additional $150 for 3 months or $500 for 12 months. This support will be provided via e-mail, phone or Microsoft massager.