1. A distributed project management system for managing a project on a network attached to a number of clients, the distributed project management system comprising: a project management folder stored on the computer network, the project management folder containing a number of records each record including: a source file name, a source file location, a first application name, a first application program code, a first application destination file name, and a first application destination file location; a number of management processes, each management process executing on a corresponding client a management process reading a record in the project management folder, the management process directing a resident application corresponding to a first application name within the record to read a source file, to perform operations on the source file in accordance with first application program code within the record, and to store at a destination file location referenced within the record a resultant work product in a file with a destination file name corresponding to the first application destination file name within the record.