THE BEST PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Software for project management makes life easier for project managers, Scrum Masters, and business owners. It can help cross-functional teams collaborate, monitor finances and resources, plan, organize, and track tasks, and monitor finances and resources. The problem is, with so many project management software available, how do you pick the right one for your SMB?  Let’s find out. 

WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE 

Software for project management is a tool that helps teams organize, track, and carry out their work. Project management software can be compared to an interactive workspace in which you coordinate your work, collaboration, and communication with others. But the best project management software goes far beyond that—connecting your most advanced workflows across the company and helping you achieve your biggest, boldest goals. 

It is a broad category that includes everything from basic digital checklists to sophisticated work management platforms. The size, requirements, and overarching objectives of your organization will determine the type of project management software you choose and how you use it.

WHY USE IT

Nowadays, everyone manages projects, but not all of them have the tools they need to do so effectively. Teams frequently use a spreadsheet, which is useful for organizing work but does not display updates in real time. Cross-functional collaboration can actually be hampered by spreadsheets’ manual nature. In short, they lack the capabilities of project management software. 

Project management software is so essential to the workplace of today because of this. Among its many benefits, project management software serves as the connector for work, teams, stakeholders, goals, and everything in between.

BENEFITS

• Work focus: You will accomplish more, but more importantly, you will complete the right work. You will be less likely to duplicate work or waste time looking for materials if you use project management software.
• Busywork reduced: With project management software, you can connect every single task to goals that support the company’s biggest, broadest vision—so everyone knows how they’re driving the success of the company with every project.  Employees are even more motivated to produce their best work when they know how their daily responsibilities affect the business.
• Tech stack connected: In today’s workplace, numerous tools are required for businesses to operate. You can connect all of your tools to a single platform with dynamic project management software (think Slack communications, Dropbox files, and Google Drive attachments all in one place).
• Create a system of records: Software for project management acts as a record system for all of your projects and the tasks that go along with them. As a result, you can store information and make it easier for stakeholders and teams to use it simultaneously.
• Increase cross-functional collaboration: Project management software is, at its core, a team collaboration tool.  Project management software assists you in creating an interconnected, thriving cross-functional organization by bringing together work, objectives, and individuals across projects, teams, and departments.
• Store work safely: Have you ever accidentally deleted a cell in your spreadsheet? Or did you misplace your most recent to-do list? Keeping everything cloud-based both helps you stay organized and reduces the chance of you losing work—all while maintaining your privacy. 

BEST PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Asana

Asana provides a comprehensive work management solution that meets the ever-evolving requirements of enterprise businesses and goes beyond conventional project management software. Asana connects all of your company’s activities to your highest-level goals and business strategy, in addition to assisting you with task management (although you can do that as well).

Trello

Atlassian owns the project management software called Trello, which is similar to a Kanban board. In Trello, you nest project tasks under boards labeled with an overarching theme.  For example, you might have a board for “Not started,” “In Progress,” and “Complete.”  When you need a simple tool for small projects, the arrangement makes it simple to track project progress from board to board.

Smartsheet

Think of Smartsheet as a more capable, advanced version of a spreadsheet. This system can be intuitive for companies who traditionally used spreadsheets for project management, such as time tracking with timesheets. 

Jira

Jira is made specifically for software development and is ready to go for teams that work with the Agile methodology. Jira, which is owned by Atlassian, is frequently utilized for Scrum-based projects as well as common development projects like bug tracking.

Monday

Monday offers a broad spectrum of apps that make it easy to implement and get started right away.  This works for small businesses that have never used project management software before. However, as your work increases, your company grows, or your teams work together, you may reach a limit on what is possible.

Airtable

Airtable is a low- and no-code database with a lot of flexibility that you can use to create your own bespoke project management system (or other bespoke application). Airtable gives those who would like to have control over the software’s backend development the option to do so.

Workfront

The project management software Workfront, which is owned by Adobe, was initially designed for marketers. Although they have designed their platform to be a tool for all teams, users may find it difficult to collaborate with teams other than the marketing department due to its narrow focus.

Microsoft

Microsoft Office is frequently referred to as a tool for project management, but this is mostly due to the fact that their products are a necessity for any business. Because we already know and understand how to use them, Microsoft Office products are often the first tool managers turn to when they start experimenting with project management.  However, the fact of the matter is that Excel documents and spreadsheets were not designed for collaboration, so you would be better off utilizing them in conjunction with full-featured project management software.

CONCLUSION

A lot of project management software claims similar features, and at a basic level, many of them are the same.  But when you choose a project management solution, it shouldn’t just be another tool.  It should be a full-fledged project management platform that enables you and your team to get their best work done, with less effort. 

This means you need a platform that continues to grow, expand, and adapt as your company does.