There are literally thousands of project management and SharePoint-based applications available, and more come out all the time. New ones are usually not that interesting. But Kiiro is a project management tool that uses a SharePoint backend yet looks like nothing like a Microsoft product.
Launched by the Alberta-based nForm, Kiiro is one of the best-looking and easiest-to-use SharePoint tools we’ve seen to date. You currently need to request a demo to get access, but this should be a godsend to all of those enterprises that use SharePoint by default.
Real Usability
There are many strong project management templates and apps that sit on top of SharePoint. The one by EPMLive, which was 2009 Microsoft Partner of the Year, is one example. But few of them match what Kiiro offers in terms of good looks and usability. Having used Basecamp here at ReadWriteWeb, I’d say the features of the two look fairly comparable.
In addition to the usual project-focused task management, Kiiro includes discussions, documents, and an issue tracker. Kiiro also pulls in some social Web aspects, such as Facebook-like status updates aggregated into an activity stream.
In other words, it’s a comprehensive attempt to build a working collaborative software package on top of SharePoint, without all the headaches for IT or business users. It can also import and sync with Microsoft Project if you’ve already built up a knowledge base there.
A Good Compromise
Cloud-based options still scare big enterprises locked into Microsoft, but some of SharePoint’s PM features just plain do not work. A tool like Kiiro, which combines a trusted SharePoint backend with a better user experience, could be a way forward that pleases all.
