I saw this question floating around one of those “so hot right now” Q&A sites and I thought, who better to answer this question than us? Fun fact: LiquidPlanner was one of the first SaaS project management tools to allow users to express uncertainty in their task estimates by using ranges (it says so on Wikipedia, so it must be true). SaaS, or Software as a Service, is software (and all of its associated data) hosted centrally in one location, which is typically in the Internet cloud. We’re obviously huge proponents of this model, and it shows in the tools we use in our day-to-day operations. Some of our favorites include RingCentral, SquareSpace, and SurveyMonkey. But let’s get back to something we know a little bit about: the benefits of SaaS project management tools. Let’s jump right in:

Easy Access. Nowadays, you can get an internet connection just about anywhere, so it makes sense that having your project management software available online would be a huge bonus for your team, especially when those team members could be sitting right next to you at their desk, or swinging in a hammock somewhere in the southern hemisphere. What about your international clients? Their information is available any time, day or night. There’s also nothing to install with SaaS models, so there’s no waiting around for IT to get to your support ticket.

Low Cost. There are no additional hardware costs with SaaS project management tools, since there isn’t any hardware to deal with. License fees? Most SaaS applications are subscription-based so you only pay for exactly what you need. Maintenance? The SaaS provider manages the IT infrastructure, so you don’t have to worry about that either. This all adds up to one thing: more money in your pocket, which is great for growing businesses out there.

Central Source of Project Information. With a web-based project management tool, you can keep everything from large projects to small tasks in one central place. This way, you don’t have to endlessly scroll through your email or get access to another team member’s desktop files. It’s also possible to attach documents, images and comments to each project and task, which leads us to our last benefit…

Encourages Collaboration and Participation. Project management is a social activity, which naturally fits with SaaS tools, which are available to everyone on a project team. Most people are already comfortable using the Internet, so SaaS applications typically have higher user adoption rates. LiquidPlanner makes collaboration even easier with Comment Streams, a roll-up of real-time discussions between team members. These project-related conversations are captured and automatically organized, available for you and your team to view at any time. Goodbye email avalanches, hello inbox zero. You also get timesheets and to-do lists created just for you.

Why do YOU like using online project management tools?