We all have been managers of our life tasks in a number of ways. Sometimes, we opted for a notebook or a simple mobile phone app to organise things we wanted to do. However, when it comes to project management, where you need to look into dozens of tasks associated with tens of your employees, each having their own timelines or schedules, the idea of using a notepad or mobile app may fail to prove helpful. With this increasing need for management tasks, many project management software and tools have become available now. These tools not only facilitate the organisation of tasks but also offer a certain degree of automation for repetitive tasks that consume a lot of time.
Where the management problem has been resolved with the introduction of creative project management software, the issue of choosing the appropriate one for your business has become another challenge. In this blog post, we will be exploring the 15 best project management software and tools. Users can go through this guide and decide which software they want to opt for for their teams.
The Essential Project Management Software Features
Prior to going through the prominent features of the most usable project management tools, let us have a bird’s eye view of what features an ideal tool should have.
1. Task Management
With efficient task management options, it is easier to communicate with each member of the team about what to do and when to do it. The tool must offer a framework, where users can assign and track the tasks to their employees.
2. Collaboration
When it comes to collaboration, there are certain activities which are essential, such as communication or messaging, resource sharing, and real-time updates.
3. Reporting and Analytics
Reporting and insights into the project tasks and success is an automation feature that is greatly helpful for managers dealing with large-scale projects. It should be offered with enterprise project management software.
4. Scheduling
Scheduling is a must-have for any project management tool. It helps in managing workloads, forecasting deadlines and in resource allocation.
5. Budgeting and Cost Management
The budgeting feature in a tool makes it a one-stop solution for team leads and managers. They can estimate and execute their payments through this amazing facility.
Overview of 15 Best Project Management Software
In this section, we will touch on the project management tools and get to know their use cases and key features.
1. ClickUp
Who It’s For: Startups and Mis-sized companies, and Enterprises
ClickUp is a versatile tool which can be helpful for smaller and larger teams or groups. It has the capacity to manage multiple tasks and projects at a time. It provides a task-wise arrangement of the action with their due dates, allocated times, and necessary details. Professionals can use this simple and comprehensive software to manage their work more efficiently. It has all the competitive features such as a personal inbox, calendars, document sharing, and tracking.
2. Asana
Who It’s For: Startups and Mid-sized Teams
Asana has a framework that offers customisation and enables users to manage tasks, share documents, and view progress on tasks using lists and calendars. It offers a large set of options which can help in working on larger and complex projects i.e., real-time updates and tracking of progress.
3. Jira
Who It’s For: Developers and IT Teams
Jira is a project management tool that is primarily helpful for software development teams and agile teams. It has features for agile methodologies like SCRUM & Kanban boards, sprints, and user stories. It is a highly effective software tool for streamlining the workflows of development teams. Jira is also known for its issue-tracking capability.
4. Monday.com
Who It’s For: Workflow Building and Project Management
Monday.com is a generalised platform that can manage small projects to highly complex workflows through its catchy workflow management features like boards, timelines and calendars. It offers automation for repetitive tasks such as scheduling and assigning and integration options with other platforms.
5. Trello
Who It’s For: Small business teams and freelancers
Trello is a simple yet customisable platform which utilises boards, lists and cards for managing and organising tasks. Its best feature is its option for integration with third-party applications based on specific requirements. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it easier to use for assigning and tracking tasks.
6. Basecamp
Who It’s For: Small and Mid-sized Companies
Being a pioneer of project management solutions, Basecamp is the name of simplicity, offering a wide range of management, communication, and document-sharing options that are easy to operate for managers and team members.
7. Smartsheet
Who It’s For: Small to Large Enterprises
Smartsheet is the best project management software for small businesses that use spreadsheets frequently as it has an Excel-like interface with modern project management options e.g., automated workflows and reporting. It can be a useful tool for enterprises that deal with data and information on a large scale.
8. Teamwork
Who It’s For: Collaboration-Intensive Projects
Teamwork is a cloud-based project management software that features a complete suite of all the necessary tools for project management. It enables teams to collaborate, track time, and bill all on the same page. It has an efficient communication system which can support teams working on collaboration-intensive projects.
9. Notion
Who It’s For: Content organisers and Creators
Notion is a versatile project management tool that has a variety of tools and options for its users. It is used for maintaining a knowledge base and sharing information, and thus it is suited for content creators. It has all the functionalities of a project management software i.e., task management, tracking, and book-marking.
10. Airtable
Who It’s For: Data-Driven Decision Makers
Airtable is creative agency project management software that combines the ease of a spreadsheet format with the power of a database. It is a powerful tool suitable for enterprise use cases and decision-making based on data values.
11. Bitrix24
Who It’s For: Small Businesses and Remote Teams
Bitrix24 is an easy-to-use software application for project managers that offers a multi-functional platform for remote teams who can work and plan together this free project management software tool. Bitrix24 is a good option for project management software for startups
12. Clarizen
Who It’s For: Mid to Large Enterprise Teams
It would not be wrong to say that Clarizen is truly designed for enterprise teams. It offers a workspace environment that can suit different business tasks and enhance connectivity among different departments. Its functions range from basic task management to the creation of data-driven reports for informed decision-making.
13. Mavenlink
Who It’s For: IT Service Businesses
Mavenlink is a modern software application with features for streamlining the operational workflows of IT and service-based businesses. It is added with extra functions of resource planning and financial management that make it stand out from competitors in this niche.
14. Zoho Projects
Who It’s For: Startups to Large-Scale Business Management
Zoho is a project management tool that is a combination of all features such as Gantt charts, real-time progress reports, time tracking, task organisation, and assignment. It has the capacity to act as a holistic application for business functions management.
15. Wrike
Who It’s For: Marketing teams
Wrike is a specialised platform for teams with no in-depth technical knowledge. It offers services like proofing, digital assets management, and customisable dashboards for multiple campaign management. It is a cloud-based software offering real-time data sharing for extensive collaboration among members.
The Future is Collaborative: The Importance of Modern Tools and Automation
In this era of modern tools and automation, the power of collaboration and the choice of correct tools for this purpose can not be denied. The introduction of AI and automation has started a new race in this domain which enables evolution in these software services every day. So, it is evident that teams and businesses that are beginning to use this project management software will easily thrive in the growing market. However, it is important thing to note that every tool is not suitable for every team and the adoption of a single tool may not be fruitful when it comes to achieving goals. You need to go through a process of hit and trial and sometimes try more than one software solution for your business to reach a perfect choice.
Exploring is the key, in order to get the most out of the software tools, you need to keep exploring for your personalised needs. So, choose the most adaptable project management tool for your business and teams to skyrocket your performance in all aspects. You can also contact our team of experts who can answer your queries based on your requirements.