Projects gain collaboration links

Project management and collaboration technologies are forging tighter links as vendors unite business processes and project tools.

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This week, Documentum will take the wraps off eRoom Version 7, which adds project management capabilities to its Web-based collaboration software. Meanwhile, Groove Networks last week introduced the Project Edition of its Workspace software that features project creation and management tools.

Documentum eRoom 7 adds a structured project management tool that provides Web-based project scheduling, task visibility, and progress tracking, said Jake Sorofman, director of product marketing at Documentum in Pleasanton, Calif. Future synchronization capabilities with Microsoft Project are planned.

Meanwhile, Groove’s Workspace Project Edition bundles project tools from Bellevue, Wash.-based TeamDirection, including project creation tools, status view, role-based permissions, integration with Microsoft Project, and cross-project views.

The Project Edition of Groove Workspace lets project managers create a project workspace and add data manually or through a link to an existing project template or Microsoft Project plan, said Groove officials in Beverly, Mass.

These capabilities are powerful as team members can create, access, and modify project data and management tools, said David Marshak, senior vice president at Patricia Seybold Group in Boston.