Clarizen - Detailed Review
Collaboration Tools
Clarizen - Product Overview
Overview of Planview AdaptiveWork
Planview AdaptiveWork, formerly known as Clarizen, is a comprehensive cloud-based project management and work collaboration platform. Here’s a brief overview of its primary function, target audience, and key features:
Primary Function
Planview AdaptiveWork is designed to manage any type of work, streamline workflows, and enable real-time collaboration. It helps organizations visualize and manage their entire portfolio of work, ensuring alignment with business priorities and optimizing resource allocation.
Target Audience
This platform is used by project managers, team leaders, and business executives across various sectors. It caters to a wide range of organizations, from small businesses to large enterprises, including those in technology, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, consulting, and government agencies.
Key Features
Resource Allocation and Capacity Planning
Resource Allocation and Capacity Planning: It provides a clear picture of current and future resource demands, allowing users to visualize resource constraints, adjust overallocations, and reassign work. This feature helps in optimizing resource utilization and ensuring teams are working on the right projects at the right time.
Automated Workflow Processes
Automated Workflow Processes: The platform automates various stages of the workflow, including request intake, scoring, prioritization, routing, and approval. This automation streamlines work processes and ensures all relevant details are included in work requests.
Real-Time Visibility and Collaboration
Real-Time Visibility and Collaboration: Planview AdaptiveWork offers real-time visibility across all work, enabling immediate data-driven decisions. It supports centralized communications and collaborative workflow processes, aligning teams and stakeholders across the organization.
Portfolio Management
Portfolio Management: The platform centralizes work across teams, projects, departments, and clients, helping to visualize blockers and potential impacts. It aligns investments with organizational priorities and creates consistent processes and standards.
Financial Management and Reporting
Financial Management and Reporting: It allows for tracking actual costs, progress, utilization, and financial performance. Users can generate reports and dashboards to share data with stakeholders, facilitating smarter and more proactive business decisions.
Configurable Workflow Processes
Configurable Workflow Processes: The platform is highly configurable, supporting unique organizational needs with automated workflows, validation rules, custom fields, and integrations with critical CRM and financial systems.
Adaptability and Flexibility
Adaptability and Flexibility: Planview AdaptiveWork enables organizations to reconfigure or launch new processes quickly without costly customization. It supports diverse teams with different ways of working, ensuring adaptability to changing business needs.
Overall, Planview AdaptiveWork is a versatile tool that enhances project management, collaboration, and resource allocation, making it an essential solution for organizations seeking to optimize their work processes and achieve better business outcomes.
Clarizen - User Interface and Experience
Clarizen Overview
Clarizen, a comprehensive project management and collaboration tool, offers a user interface that is both intuitive and highly customizable, significantly enhancing the user experience.
Modern Theme and Interface Design
Clarizen has introduced a new theme called “Modern,” which gives the platform a fresher and more streamlined look. This update includes new fonts, icons, and colors that make the interface more visually appealing and easier to use. The menus have been redesigned for better accessibility, and a new Settings button has replaced the traditional gear icon, making it simpler to access system settings.
Ease of Use
The interface is designed to be user-friendly, allowing teams to quickly adapt without extensive training. Users have praised Clarizen for its intuitive layout, noting that even basic introductory training sessions are sufficient for most users to start using the system effectively.
Real-Time Collaboration Features
Clarizen enhances team collaboration through several features. It includes integrated discussion boards, real-time alerts for task updates and project milestones, and centralized shared workspaces where teams can manage workflows and share documents collectively. These features ensure that every team member is in sync and well-informed about project developments.
Customization and Flexibility
The platform offers a high degree of customization. Users can personalize their workflows by creating multiple boards to manage projects, teams, customers, or products. Each board can be customized with different stages to match specific workflows. Additionally, the Display Density settings allow users to choose between “Compact” and “Comfortable” layouts to adjust the spacing and grid row heights according to their preferences.
Advanced Reporting and Analytics
Clarizen provides advanced reporting and analytics tools that enable teams to make data-driven decisions. The platform offers customizable dashboards, automated reports, and bidirectional data synchronization, ensuring that data is always current and accurate. These features are particularly useful for resource management, task assignments, and timesheet management.
Resource Management
The resource management capabilities in Clarizen are comprehensive. The platform allows for task assignments based on team members’ skills and availability, resource load balancing to optimize resources across projects, and integrated timesheets for simplified time tracking and cost management.
Integration Capabilities
Clarizen integrates seamlessly with various industry tools, including Salesforce, JIRA, and Microsoft Teams, through native integrations and API access. This ensures that the platform fits well into existing tech ecosystems, enhancing workflow efficiency and data consistency.
Conclusion
Overall, Clarizen’s user interface is designed to be intuitive, customizable, and highly functional, making it an effective tool for team collaboration and project management. Its ease of use and comprehensive features contribute to a positive user experience, helping teams to manage their projects efficiently and make informed decisions.
Clarizen - Key Features and Functionality
Clarizen Overview
Clarizen, now integrated into Planview AdaptiveWork, offers a range of features that enhance collaboration, project management, and workflow automation, with some notable integrations of AI and other advanced technologies.
Collaboration Tools
Clarizen facilitates effortless collaboration by centralizing all work-related activities, documents, and workflows in one platform. Here are some key collaboration features:
- Centralized Work Management: Clarizen stores all your planned and unplanned activities, collaborations with partners and peers, reports, and unique workflows in a single place. This reduces unnecessary communication and provides visibility across all organizational levels, improving efficiency and results.
- In-Context Discussion Panels: The software includes chat and discussion panels where team members can share documents and discuss tasks directly within the platform, fostering continuous communication and collaboration.
AI-Driven Features
Clarizen incorporates AI through its integration with Clarizen Bot, which enhances work management and collaboration:
- Clarizen Bot: This AI-powered bot, accessible through Slack or Microsoft Teams, helps teams take actions in their projects, get status updates, report on timesheets, and more using natural language processing. You can ask questions like “Are any of my projects off track?” or “Show me my projects” to get real-time data without leaving your communication platform.
- Automated Tasks and Updates: Clarizen Bot allows you to mark tasks as complete, log timesheets, and review project status, all through simple commands. This automation streamlines tasks and keeps the team on track.
Project Planning and Management
Clarizen offers advanced project planning features that are both traditional and innovative:
- Traditional and Agile Methodologies: The software supports both waterfall and agile project management methodologies. It includes Gantt charts, work breakdown structures, and Kanban-style workspaces for backlog prioritization and sprint planning, making it versatile for different team needs.
- Resource Management: Clarizen allows you to assign tasks and track workloads to ensure optimal utilization of team members. It provides features for capacity planning, resource planning, and balancing workloads to avoid over- or under-utilization.
- What-if Analysis: The software offers the ability to create ‘what-if’ scenarios to predict potential outcomes of business decisions, helping in better project prioritization based on budget, workloads, resource availability, and ROI.
Automation and Integrations
Clarizen automates several processes and integrates well with other tools:
- Automatic Upgrades and Integrations: The system automatically updates new versions and integrates them seamlessly, preventing project delays and maintaining data security without additional burden on the IT team.
- Workflow Automation: Clarizen provides flexible workflow automation, allowing you to configure and automate various workflows according to your business needs. This includes demand management, client project planning, and request intake processes.
- Third-Party Integrations: The software integrates with a wide range of applications such as Jira, Salesforce, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and more, ensuring that it can be seamlessly integrated into your existing workflow.
Reporting and Analytics
Clarizen offers reporting and analytics tools to help in decision-making:
- Customizable Reports and Dashboards: Users can generate customizable reports and dashboards to gain insights into project performance and risks. This includes dynamic reports, external communication tools, portfolio roadmaps, and goals management.
- Real-Time Data: The software provides real-time data on project status, costs, and revenue reports, enabling teams to make immediate data-driven decisions.
While Clarizen is rich in features, it is worth noting that some users have reported limitations in reporting tools and integrations, though these are being addressed through regular updates.
Clarizen - Performance and Accuracy
Performance
Clarizen is praised for its sophisticated project management capabilities, which include task creation, status reporting, time tracking, and extensive collaboration tools. It centralizes work, activities, reports, documents, and workflows, enhancing efficiency and visibility across organizational levels.
Collaboration
Clarizen facilitates effortless collaboration by integrating communication features, allowing teams to work together seamlessly. It supports both traditional and innovative project management methodologies, enabling teams to prioritize projects based on budget, workloads, resource availability, and ROI.
Real-Time Visibility
The platform provides real-time visibility into project progress, which is crucial for data-driven decision-making and timely risk mitigation.
Automatic Upgrades and Integrations
Clarizen automatically updates new versions and integrates them seamlessly, preventing project delays and maintaining data security without additional burden on the IT team.
Accuracy
Clarizen is generally accurate in its project tracking and reporting, though there are some areas where it could improve:
Reporting Tools
While Clarizen offers customizable reports, dashboards, and analytics, some users have noted limitations in its reporting tools. For example, there are limits to how much data can be presented legibly, and certain custom fields may not be fully supported in version snapshots.
Data Visualization
Users have suggested that more advanced filters and data visualization options would be beneficial for better insights into project data.
Limitations and Areas for Improvement
Despite its strengths, Clarizen has a few limitations:
Speed
Some users have reported that the system can be slow, which can impact productivity.
Integrations
Although Clarizen integrates with several key applications like Salesforce, Jira, and CRM systems, users have noted that there could be more integrations with other cloud apps. However, the vendor is actively addressing this through regular updates.
User Interface
While the interface is generally user-friendly, some users find it simple but not overly sophisticated, which might not meet the needs of all users, especially those accustomed to more advanced UIs.
User Satisfaction
Clarizen has a ‘great’ User Satisfaction Rating of 85% based on over 1,000 user reviews. Users appreciate its effectiveness, collaboration tools, and customer support, despite some minor issues.
In summary, Clarizen performs well in terms of collaboration, real-time visibility, and project management, but it has some areas for improvement, particularly in reporting tools and integrations. Addressing these limitations could further enhance its accuracy and overall user experience.
Clarizen - Pricing and Plans
Pricing Plans
Enterprise Edition
- Cost: $45 per user per month for a 36-month subscription paid in advance.
- Features:
- Unlimited number of projects
- Time tracking
- Social collaboration
- Resource management
- Reports
- Mobile application (iPhone/Android)
- Expense management
- Dashboards
- Budget tracking
- Basic customization
- API access
- Configuration of business rules to meet enterprise requirements.
Unlimited Edition
- Cost: $60 per user per month for a 36-month subscription paid in advance.
- Features:
- All features from the Enterprise Edition
- Unlimited configurations, making it suitable for large enterprises.
Clarizen Salesforce Edition
- Cost: $100 per user per month.
- Features:
- All features from the Unlimited Edition
- Integrations with Salesforce and Gainsight
- Designed for professional services teams.
Common Features Across All Plans
- Unlimited number of projects
- Time tracking
- Social collaboration
- Resource management
- Reports
- Mobile application (iPhone/Android)
- Expense management
- Dashboards
- Budget tracking
- Basic customization
- API access.
Free Trial
Clarizen offers a 30-day unlimited free trial, allowing you to test the software’s features and analyze its potential before committing to a paid plan.
Subscription and Payment
- Subscriptions renew automatically, but you can opt out by notifying Clarizen 30 days before the renewal date.
- Payment options include Visa, MasterCard, American Express, PayPal, and the option to pay by invoice.
This structure ensures that organizations can choose a plan that aligns with their specific needs and budget, while also providing a free trial to test the software’s capabilities.
Clarizen - Integration and Compatibility
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Clarizen Overview
Clarizen, now part of the Planview family and rebranded as AdaptiveWork, is a collaborative work management solution that integrates seamlessly with various third-party applications to enhance its functionality and user experience.
Integration with Other Tools
Clarizen’s integration capabilities are primarily managed through its iHub Integration Platform. This platform allows for the integration of third-party applications, such as Jira, Salesforce, and SharePoint, among others. Here are some key integration features:
- Automatic Out-of-the-Box Integration: Clarizen offers automatic setup for integrations using a Best Practices package, reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and enabling a quick Return on Investment (ROI).
- Multiple System Authentication: The platform supports multiple system authentication methods, ensuring secure and unified access across integrated systems.
- Customizable Sync Processes: Users can define custom field mappings and event triggers to synchronize data between Clarizen and the integrated system. For example, a bug created in Jira can automatically create a bug in Clarizen, or a project in Clarizen can be triggered by a lead lifecycle change in Salesforce.
- Bi-Directional Synchronization: Objects and fields can be set for bi-directional synchronization, with specific fields following a Master-Slave synchronization behavior. This allows for flexible data synchronization based on the needs of the organization.
Salesforce Integration
One of the notable integrations is with Salesforce CRM. The AdaptiveWork Salesforce Edition streamlines the flow from sales opportunities to professional services delivery. Key features include:
- Project Tracking: Projects can be created and tracked directly within Salesforce, allowing for seamless resource allocation and financial estimation.
- Collaboration: Integration with Salesforce Chatter and Gainsight enables real-time collaboration and visibility across sales and services teams.
- Financial Integration: Revenue and billing can be tracked based on timesheets, expense reports, and project milestones.
Compatibility Across Platforms and Devices
Clarizen ensures broad compatibility across various platforms and devices:
- Web Browsers: Clarizen is supported on the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. However, Internet Explorer is not recommended due to performance, stability, and security issues.
- Mobile Devices: Clarizen Mobile apps are available for both iOS and Android, providing complete flexibility to view and update data on the go. The mobile app is an extension of the web app, maintaining the same business rules and requirements. While the iOS app may have more features, there is ongoing interest and feedback from users regarding the timeline for full functionality on the Android app.
Additional Integrations and Features
Clarizen also supports other integrations such as:
- SharePoint Bi-directional Folder Sync: Allows for synchronized folder management between Clarizen and SharePoint.
- Cloud-Based User Provisioning with OneLogin: Facilitates user provisioning and authentication.
- API Integrations: Clarizen offers extensive API support, including Web Service API and REST API, for custom integrations and data extraction.
Overall, Clarizen’s integration and compatibility features make it a versatile and powerful tool for managing collaborative work across different platforms and devices.
Clarizen - Customer Support and Resources
Customer Support Services
Planview offers a range of support services to address various needs:
- Unlimited Calls and Case Submissions: Customers can contact Planview Customer Care via phone, web, email, or chat (limited to certain products) during business hours. This includes case submission and tracking.
- Scheduled Updates: Regular updates to the software and documentation are provided to keep users informed and up-to-date.
- Functional Support: For questions about specific functions or features, support may be directed to Planview Consulting, which may involve billable services.
Support Channels
Customers can submit cases through multiple channels:
- Customer Care Community: Users can log in to the Customer Care website and submit cases 24/7.
- Telephone: Direct phone support is available during specified hours.
- Email: Requests can be sent via email, which are then routed to a Customer Care consultant.
- Chat: Available for certain products like Planview Projectplace and Planview Spigit.
Additional Resources
- Documentation and Guides: Detailed documentation and guides are provided to help users set up and use the software effectively. For example, instructions on setting up SSO with Google Workspace are available.
- Centralized Data and Architecture: The platform centralizes, organizes, and contextualizes all data and activities, ensuring that users have access to the information they need in a single instance with appropriate permission controls.
- Training and Consulting: Planview Consulting offers additional support for custom reports, self-installs, and other functional questions, although these services may be billable.
Community and Knowledge Base
- Customer Care Community: This platform allows users to access a wealth of information, submit cases, and interact with other users and support staff.
- Knowledge Base and Support Articles: Users can find detailed articles and guides on various aspects of the software, including setup, configuration, and troubleshooting.
By leveraging these support options and resources, users of Planview AdaptiveWork can ensure they are making the most out of the product’s features and capabilities.
Clarizen - Pros and Cons
Advantages of Clarizen
Clarizen stands out as a comprehensive project management tool with several key advantages that make it a preferred choice for many organizations.Effortless Collaboration
Clarizen facilitates seamless collaboration by centralizing all work-related activities, documents, and workflows in one platform. This reduces unnecessary communication and provides visibility across all organizational levels, enhancing efficiency and results. Features include real-time collaboration, discussion forums, and shared workspaces where teams can manage workflows collectively.Simple Administration
The software boasts a clean and intuitive interface with a single navigation bar, multiple views, and a range of project templates. This simplicity allows for quick deployment and easy administrative tasks, such as adding and searching notes, and importing data from Microsoft Projects.Mobile Accessibility
Clarizen offers excellent mobile support, enabling users to access the system anytime and anywhere. This feature enhances connectivity among distributed team members and boosts productivity.Automatic Upgrades and Integrations
Clarizen automatically updates new versions and integrates them seamlessly, preventing project delays and maintaining data security without additional burden on the IT team. It also integrates well with other systems, including Salesforce, JIRA, and Microsoft Teams, through API access and native integrations.Advanced Project Planning
The software supports both traditional and innovative project management methodologies, allowing for project prioritization based on budget, workloads, resource availability, and ROI. It also includes a ‘What-if’ analysis feature to predict potential outcomes of business decisions.Comprehensive Resource Management
Clarizen enables effective resource planning and allocation, including task assignments based on team members’ skills and availability, resource load balancing, and timesheet management. This ensures that project goals are met with precision.Customizable Reporting and Analytics
The software provides advanced reporting and analytics tools, including customizable dashboards, automated reports, and bidirectional data synchronization. This allows teams to make data-driven decisions and gain deep insights into their projects.Strong Customer Support
Clarizen is praised for its excellent customer service and community support, with regular training and support webinars, and a public product roadmap that users can contribute to.Disadvantages of Clarizen
While Clarizen offers a wide range of benefits, there are some minor drawbacks to consider:Limited Reporting Tools
Some users have noted that Clarizen has limited reporting tools compared to other project management software, although this is being addressed through regular updates.Fewer Integrations with Cloud Apps
There are fewer integrations with other cloud applications, which can be a limitation, though Clarizen is continually improving this aspect.Licensing Model
The licensing model can be confusing, especially when adding licenses to an existing account. This can sometimes lead to unnecessary complexity.Time Reporting Module
The time reporting module is considered mediocre by some users, and entering dependencies can be repetitive and time-consuming.Security Groups
Creating confidential projects and managing security groups within Clarizen can be cumbersome, as these features are not available out of the box and require custom workflows.Customization Overload
While customization is a strong feature, the sheer number of options available can be overwhelming for new users until they become familiar with the product. By weighing these advantages and disadvantages, organizations can make an informed decision about whether Clarizen aligns with their project management needs. Clarizen - Comparison with Competitors
When comparing Clarizen to other AI-driven collaboration tools in its category
Several key features and alternatives stand out.Unique Features of Clarizen
Comprehensive Project Management
Financial Planning Module
Reporting and Presentation Tools
AI-Driven Bot
Potential Alternatives
Asana
Trello
Microsoft Teams
ClickUp
Planview AdaptiveWork
Key Considerations
When choosing between these tools, consider the following: Clarizen - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about Clarizen
What are the key collaboration features in Clarizen?
Clarizen offers several collaboration features that enhance team communication and productivity. These include real-time collaboration tools such as discussion forums, real-time alerts for task updates and project milestones, and shared workspaces where teams can share documents and manage workflows collectively.How does Clarizen facilitate social collaboration?
Clarizen’s Social feature allows internal and external teams to link their conversations to every project element, such as tasks, milestones, and deadlines. Users can create ad hoc private or public discussion groups, and the social interface enables tagging individuals or groups and linking objects to discussions using common social techniques like hashtags and @mentions.Can I manage multiple projects simultaneously in Clarizen?
Yes, Clarizen allows you to manage multiple projects while viewing them as a single project. This can be achieved using shortcuts that act as a nexus between different projects and teams, enabling each project to influence the other.How do I assign tasks and manage resources in Clarizen?
Clarizen provides comprehensive resource management features. You can assign tasks based on team members’ skills and availability, manage workloads to optimize resources across various projects, and use integrated timesheets for time tracking and cost management.Can I create and customize reports in Clarizen?
Yes, Clarizen offers advanced reporting and analytics tools. You can create customizable dashboards that display key metrics, schedule and distribute automated reports to stakeholders and team members, and ensure bidirectional data synchronization to keep your data current.How does Clarizen integrate with other industry tools?
Clarizen integrates with a variety of industry tools through its API access, native integrations with popular tools like Salesforce, JIRA, and Microsoft Teams, and smooth data import/export capabilities between Clarizen and other enterprise solutions.Can I access Clarizen remotely?
Yes, Clarizen offers excellent mobile support, allowing users to access the system anytime and anywhere. This enhances connectivity among distributed team members and boosts productivity.How do I create milestones or tasks in Clarizen?
You can create milestones or tasks by identifying significant points in your project that should be highlighted. For tasks that occur throughout the project, you can group them under a specific parent task for easier organization. Milestones are created to represent checkpoints or significant points in the project.Can I make changes to a task after it has been marked as complete in Clarizen?
No, once a task is marked as complete, you cannot edit it directly. However, you can activate the task via the toolbar to make edits. If the activate icon is grayed out, you should consult with a project manager or administrator to enable the task for editing.How does Clarizen handle automatic updates and integrations?
Clarizen automatically updates new versions and integrates them seamlessly, preventing project delays and maintaining data security. This process is handled without additional burden on the IT team.Are there any limitations to Clarizen’s reporting and analytics capabilities?
Yes, while Clarizen offers advanced reporting and analytics, its reporting capabilities might not be as advanced as dedicated business intelligence tools for complex data analysis. There is also limited flexibility in customizing reports, which could restrict users’ ability to tailor information to their specific needs. Clarizen - Conclusion and Recommendation
Final Assessment of Clarizen (Planview AdaptiveWork)
Clarizen, now known as Planview AdaptiveWork, is a comprehensive project management and collaboration tool that offers a wide range of features to streamline workflows, enhance team collaboration, and drive business outcomes.
Key Benefits
- Effortless Collaboration: Clarizen centralizes all work-related activities, documents, and workflows in one platform, reducing unnecessary communication and increasing visibility across organizational levels. This facilitates efficient collaboration among team members, whether they are working in the same location or remotely.
- Simple Administration: The software features a clean interface with a single navigation bar, various views, and project templates, making administrative tasks straightforward. It also allows easy import of data from Microsoft Projects and other tools, enabling quick deployment without extensive training.
- Accessibility: With strong mobile support, Clarizen ensures users can access the system anytime and anywhere, enhancing connectivity among distributed team members.
- Advanced Project Planning: Clarizen supports both traditional and innovative project management methodologies. It allows users to prioritize projects based on budget, workloads, resource availability, and ROI, and offers ‘What-if’ analysis to predict potential outcomes of business decisions.
- Resource and Financial Management: The software provides detailed resource planning, capacity management, and financial management tools. It helps in tracking expenses, setting budgets, and ensuring projects stay within budget. It also offers real-time updates on project financials and resource utilization.
- Integration and Automation: Clarizen integrates seamlessly with various business-critical systems such as Jira, Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. It automates complex or repetitive tasks, saving time and improving work consistency. Automatic updates and integrations prevent project delays and maintain data security.
Who Would Benefit Most
Clarizen is particularly beneficial for organizations that need to manage multiple projects simultaneously and require strong collaboration and resource management tools. Here are some key roles and organizations that would benefit:
- Project Managers: They can use Clarizen to centralize project data, manage resources, and track project progress in real-time.
- Product Managers: Clarizen helps in aligning product development with business strategies and managing the entire product lifecycle.
- IT Professionals: They can leverage Clarizen for managing IT projects, tracking time and expenses, and ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.
- Marketing Executives: Clarizen aids in managing marketing campaigns, tracking progress, and ensuring alignment with overall business goals.
- Professional Services Organizations: These organizations can benefit from Clarizen’s ability to manage client projects, track opportunities, and automate the entire opportunity-to-revenue lifecycle.
Overall Recommendation
Clarizen (Planview AdaptiveWork) is a highly recommended tool for any organization seeking to enhance collaboration, streamline workflows, and improve project management efficiency. Its ability to centralize work, provide real-time visibility, and automate various processes makes it an invaluable asset for teams of all sizes. While it has some minor drawbacks such as limited reporting tools and fewer integrations with certain cloud apps, these are being addressed through regular updates.
In summary, Clarizen is an excellent choice for businesses looking to optimize their project management practices, improve team collaboration, and make data-driven decisions to drive better business outcomes.