Kantata Reviews

Pros

- So many options and ways to customise each feature
- Time tracking tool is very easy to use, our team prefers it over what we have had in the past
- Custom reporting, especially weekly project reports, have upped our client communication game. Our Clients appreciate the extra level of transparency and it has helped us prevent a lot of surprises when the invoice is sent out.
- Resource Allocation and Gantt chart really help when it comes to Project Planning.

Cons

- It's really difficult to see WHO is responsible for a task if multiple people are assigned to it. This is a problem when you are looking at a project and want to see who is responsible for what from 30,000 feet. Instead, you need to go to that specific task and read through the comments to see where it stands. There are a few workarounds for it, but then all involved extra work and monitoring to make sure everyone using the system is doing so correctly.
- There doesn't seem to be a way to edit a comment once you post it
- You can't customise the status options for the different tasks, so something is either in progress, not started, needs information, or completed. It doesn't really let you customise it to follow your workflows.

Pros

Resource planning was made 1000% better by using the Mavenlink product. It is an intuitive modern UI that is feature rich across the board.

Cons

There are some gaps in the product and areas where I wish it had been more configurable. For instance, invoicing could use more flexibility in terms of how you build out an invoice (and how you display things on the invoice). Also, time tracking is easy but notes aren't required nor is there a config to make them required which has been a big pain for us.

Alternatives Considered

ERP Cloud

Reasons for Choosing Kantata

OpenAir is a horribly overly complex product with a very clunky resource planning module. In addition, NetSuite is now owed by Oracle and their responsiveness in terms of improved product features has come to a halt. Mavenlink's product is a breath of fresh air after OpenAir.

Switched From

NetSuite OpenAir

Reasons for Switching to Kantata

Because of it's ease of use and company culture.

Pros

Very robust. And I like that time tracking is integrated into the software.

Cons

For the price, and for what we THOUGHT we could do, very disappointed with the tool to date. Good chance we're moving away from Mavenlink before the next renewal.

Pros

The features I like most about Kantata are the appearance of the interface, the built in training that's available, & how quickly modified information is updated for reporting and invoicing.

Cons

When first introduced to Kantata, I was unfamiliar with the process flow and quickly became confused by the different levels (Opportunity, engagement, scope, element, etc.). There is a bit of a learning curve, but after spending some time using the tool, the process began to make sense to me.

Pros

I am able to view tasks for current projects, track upcoming projects, add notes and tag team members easily in a very organized way that allows me to save time and resources on a regular basis. My coworkers who I interface with closely have had a similar positive experience and I cannot recommend it enough.

Cons

The ability to customize what is viewable and editable in the main menu ( such as projects, tasks, insights) based on user permissions would make it easier tailor the overall product experience to our teams needs.

Alternatives Considered

Basecamp

Reasons for Switching to Kantata

Mavenlink stood out based on how robust and intuitive it is and how its able to track project activities seamlessly without having to switch between different menus, product views and dashboards within the solution.

Pros

Kantata is an excellent resource management solution that helps to keep track of projects and resources effortlessly. The intuitive dashboard and easy-to-use interface make it a great choice for businesses of all sizes. It also offers a variety of features that make managing resources a breeze.

Cons

While Kantata is a great resource management solution, it can be expensive for businesses on a tight budget. Additionally, the setup process can be a bit complicated and may require assistance from the customer support team.

Pros

Robust reporting, integration to NetSuite, hierarchical team management, Activity feed

Cons

Ease of use needs significant improvement. Needs user configurable workflows and fields. User roles and security have no flexibility. Interface and reporting designed by someone who never has to use the application to run their day.

Alternatives Considered

Zoho Projects, Microsoft Project, Adobe Workfront and Smartsheet

Reasons for Choosing Kantata

Integration to NetSuite

Switched From

Adobe Workfront

Reasons for Switching to Kantata

Integration to NetSuite. Easy to use time entry. budget and profitability reporting.

Pros

We are new to having a PSA and PM tool. So it was great to go from each department having their own spreadsheets to one point of truth and full visibility across the project. But as well - all the in built finance management and integrations we setup has streamlined so many additional administrative elements of managing our work. And the real time visibility to project performance (timelines and finances) is great.

Cons

Navigating some of the integrations has been a little longer than I would have hoped for the roll-out. The support to get things implemented was not as timely as we would have hoped.

Alternatives Considered

BigTime

Reasons for Switching to Kantata

It not only met our needs but excelled compared to others. It has additional functionality we can grow into as we evolve and advance.

Pros

Customization of task lists, project fields, etc.

Cons

Gantt Schedule (hard to display), Reporting (albeit powerful, application for creating reports is not user-friendly in the slightest)

Alternatives Considered

Asana

Reasons for Choosing Kantata

More functionality

Switched From

WorkflowMax

Reasons for Switching to Kantata

Program/portfolio management capabilities. Scalability

Pros

- Time Entry
- Management of individual projects
- Integrations w/ Jira
- Forecasting/Planning
- Happy to have approvals, but they could be more flexible.
- Managing budgets against project timelines.

Cons

- Invoicing
- Reporting
- Happy to have approvals, but they could be more flexible.
- Granularity of permissions

Pros

Depth of data analysis and business intelligence, gantt charts, deep task detail options, resource scheduling tools, built-in expense and budget tracking

Cons

There is an intermediate learning curve and may come across as immediately complex to the uninitiated creative. However, 10-15 minutes of poking around and taking advantage of the learning tools and startup tutorials offered by Mavenlink's stellar customer service program will address this minor concern. Mavenlink is a fantastically powerful information source, and with that power comes some proper approach and learning. It's all intuitive, though!

Pros

The product is easy to use, and it provides capabilities that with the right onboarder, can implement the tool strategically into the company, to meet the companies needs.

Cons

With a tool this sophicasticated I think the integration team could provide more support, without a cost attached to it. With the price tag, the team is forced to learn it and integrate it themselves which in turn results in improper use of the tool.

Project management function, it's tedious and doesn't provide the support needed. There is room for improvement here.

Pros

We have only been using Mavenlink for a little over 3 month and have already started to see visibility and transparency across the organisation. Mavenlink Insights and analytics reports provide the company with a holistic view of all projects and accounts. We are now easily able to identity project metrics and figures without all of the manual collation and reconciliation which takes an enormous amount of time.
Mavenlink have been extremely helpful and accommodating to get us to this point with help of the guys from the MavenOps Program. The 3 months of MavenOps has been fantastic as the team who have been working with us are always willing to help and offer suggestions. Mavenlink were very responsive to our requirements and always willing to help and provide alternate solutions or workarounds if system could meet the requirements.
Additionally MavenOps were very quick at turning around reports that we requested. The reports were completely customised to our needs. If a feature could not be achieved the company can submit a "feature request" which means there is a chance that feature can be built later down the track.
Mavenlinks 24/7 chat support has also been fantastic in helping the wider organisation with any questions.
Overall the software is great but the level of support really helps to lift the product and the overall engagement.

Cons

Given we are an Australian based company there are a few things within the software which are set for the US, for example the date is in the wrong sequence and data refreshes happen at awkward times. These are only minor and don't stop us from achieving our main objectives. It would be helpful to have a little more control over these settings.
It would be also good for Super Admin users to have a greater level of visibility. At present even admin need to be invited to a project to view the tasks and approve time etc. It would be helpful for Super Admin users to have this level of visibility with having to rely on a project lead to invite them to a project.

Pros

I like the ease of use and the simple layout of mavenlink

Cons

I wish there was a way to put non-billable time into projects such as accountants time on invoicing, marketing, and finance. These items are the bleed on a project if you don't factor them into the profitability margin.

Alternatives Considered

Smartsheet

Reasons for Switching to Kantata

it integrated into our QuickBooks.

Pros

I believe that the best part of Mavenlink is that it's an all-in-one program. One could use this for the day-to-day management of their projects without having to use outside programs. It combines project management, resource management, budget management, estimating, time-tracking, reporting and so much more.

Cons

I think the learning curve can be pretty steep. I attribute this lack of intuition to the robust nature of the service, but it could do with a revamp of the UI/UX.

I also dislike the format of the resource management. There are currently two ways to manage resources: Master Planning and Resource Planner. The two work together but are also very separate features. The entire reource management system could use an overhaul to reduce confusion and to make resource changes easier.

Pros

The UI is simple to use most of the time. It's easy to see your projects listed out, even though the organization tools are pretty weak.

Cons

The software is slow. Updates happen at a snails pace. Our team worked directly with the development team at Mavenlink and their process is just plain slow. The program is bogged down and sluggish. It lacks sub-tasks beyond 5 layers, the estimating feature is a joke and they only just recently implemented a basic WYSIWYG in the activity section. You also can't undo activity unless you go back to the feed. Talk to PMs who actually use this product!

Pros

The workspace was professional, branding gave the sense of personalization. The file space seemed to be unlimited at the time.

Cons

They don't have an app, the mobile equivalent site is not as user friendly as an app would be. Some of the screens are not responsive on a desktop.

Pros

Easy for resources to book time against multiple different projects - good data contained in time entry exports (granular, gives lots of information that I can pivot off of to provide different views to the end customer)

Cons

Mavenlink rounds time entries billed at an odd number (such as $171.77/hr) that are logged in half-hour or quarter-hour increments differently than Sage IntACCT - this makes reconciliations arduous when it's time to invoice the customer.

Alternatives Considered

ERP Cloud

Pros

Absolute perfect customer support. We have put resource planning somewhere easily accessible for the whole company. Even before Mavenlink, we had Microsoft Project for this, and it was not as easy-to-use as Mavenlink. The support we've gotten from the Mavenlink team is awesome. Whether it's getting questions answered, prioritising potential feature enhancements, or giving feedback on the product road map . I always know that our voice will be heard and considered.

Cons

Everything is fine, it is just we use custom fields on almost all tasks we create, so when created templates with these task lists because we re-use a lot of the same tasks. Unfortunately, templates do not save custom fields so we've had to add these each time we apply a template. It could be improved.

Pros

I can add a project, estimates and budget and track overall progress. It has given us a more robust look at what is happening across all projects.

Cons

Too many features feel incomplete. The invoicing, estimates and user permissions are convoluted and lacking enough that our company cannot use them. Resource Management requires duplicate entry of information between planned and scheduled time. It should be easier to link the two together and plan around exceptions.

Pros

The tool is quite easy to learn and is very intuitive. It was easy to set up and customer support was great (at least in 2016 - we've been clients for almost 5 years). It integrates with a few other platforms like Salesforce and can be customized using API. In addition, it provides client access and we see constant improvements.

Cons

Two biggest concerns:
1. You can't perform mass actions on tasks/milestones/issues. I.e. if you need to update multiple tasks with the same dates or status or assignee - you can't do it. You'll need to edit each task manually.
2. There are issues with email notifications - there were a few outages last year that resulted in delayed notifications which impacted our work.

Pros

It's clear that the platform is designed to fit many different styles of work, and much of it is highly configurable to your preferences. With the integrated APIs to Salesforce and Active Directory, among others, it's worked well to seamlessly stay in sync with the rest of our systems.

Cons

The Insights reporting platform is very powerful, but complex to learn how to implement custom configurations. You'll do well here if you have experience querying relational databases like SQL, but otherwise you will depend heavily on assistance from the support team and documentation to make adjustments to the custom reports.

Pros

simple to you use, assigning tasks, creating templates, mobile friendly, integration with google apps.

Cons

not much we can think of.

Pros

It allows my colleagues in different countries to be kept up to date on different aspects of the various projects.

Cons

No instant messaging. App needs to available on Windows store/Playstore/other popular app stores so we can use Mavenlink on our smartphones.