Zoho announces Projects Plus

Zoho has launched Projects Plus, a flexible, collaborative new platform providing data and intelligence-driven project management for mid-sized and large organisations. Through native integration of four key Zoho applications—Projects, WorkDrive, Analytics, and Sprints—Projects Plus enables asynchronous collaboration, seamless file management, real-time business intelligence, and agile or waterfall workflows.

Building on Zoho Projects, Projects Plus provides superior value to mid-sized and enterprise organisations by addressing their operational complexity. As 18% of enterprise customers deployed both Zoho Projects and Zoho Analytics, Projects Plus consolidated the two, and more into a singular, efficient solution to meet their needs. Projects Plus, now a platform, expands across four key areas: data democratization, AI, hybrid project management, and collaborative work management.

"The surge in digitalisation across the nation and the hybrid work culture have necessitated project management tools to be well ingrained in the overall software architecture of an organisation. With Projects Plus, which can be easily customised and integrated with other apps, we have brought together key tools like analytics, file management and collaboration, and the option to use blended project management methodologies, creating a value-packed offering not yet available in the market. Furthermore, Projects Plus synthesises the latest AI-driven tools, data-first analytics, and privacy-focused protections into software that anticipates the evolving needs of international enterprise organisations, expanding Zoho's global reach," said Mani Vembu, CEO, Zoho.

Zoho Projects Plus leverages the company's sophisticated business intelligence technology to afford businesses various data analysis capabilities. It uses historical data to predict risks, estimate timelines, and anticipate resource needs, providing predictive analysis for forecasting future project outcomes. Instead of relying on static tools like Gantt charts, project managers can now utilise real-time dashboards that provide dynamic and up-to-date insights into project status for progress tracking and bottleneck analysis. Zoho Analytics can also be used to implement robust quality control measures throughout the project lifecycle. By analysing data related to project deliverables, users can ensure that each component meets predefined standards.

Advanced AI/ML capabilities introduced to Projects Plus via Zia, Zoho's in-house AI engine, will automate complex data analyses and provide predictive insights, reshaping the role of project managers into strategic, data-savvy leaders. By analysing data on project performance, businesses can identify areas where processes can be streamlined and optimised, thereby improving efficiency and productivity. Project managers can determine where resources are being underutilised or overutilised to optimise resource allocation and employ the right people to the right tasks based on their skills. Users can provide more accurate predictions about future project outcomes and adjust plans accordingly to avoid delays and cost overruns, leading to more successful projects overall.

Projects Plus integrates easily across Zoho's extensive software suite as well as third-party software including Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, and popular repository management, collaboration, customer service, and analytics tools.