Teams can coordinate projects and tasks with ease thanks to the finest project management software.
Project management software is crucial since a lot of workers are still working from home due to the pandemic, making it easier than ever for remote teams to handle tasks and projects.
Nowadays, project management software is often able to give a number of tools to assist enhance productivity and make the administration of tasks simpler, as opposed to the past when paper or spreadsheets would be used.
The ability to create a team, enable communication among team members, assign specific subtasks with due dates, as well as objectives, interactive calendars, progress reports, and analytics to offer statistics on processes are typical features.
In addition to all of this, a number of project management systems may also link with other software programmes, such as software for customer relations management (CRM), sales reporting software, and cloud document storage.
No of the size of your team, project, or budget, we’ve found the top project management software on the market right now.
1) Trello
Trello, which is based on the kanban card-based management approach, is the perfect tool for individuals and small teams to start using for basic project management because of its straightforward interface and large free tier.
Kanban-based applications like Trello are more free-form and flexible than conventional solutions built for managing resources and monitoring progress toward a specified end date.
Individual projects and continuous processes can both be managed successfully, and the board and card metaphors are simple to comprehend. Cards may feature photos and connected files, hyperlinks, custom dropdown menus, due dates, and many other things, giving them a tonne of power.
A card or board may be archived after you’re done with it to keep it out of the way but still available if necessary in the future.
Unlimited users, cards, and boards are all included in the basic free tier, along with a maximum of 10 boards and only one “Power-Up” (i.e., service integration) per board. It has a 10 MB file size restriction on its limitless storage. Paid options have fewer or no restrictions and start at $10 per month.
Trello has relatively little built-in reporting, and even while third-party extensions provide you additional possibilities, you’ll probably still need to seek elsewhere if thorough reports are a crucial necessity. Trello is an excellent place to start with project management for everyone else, however. It’s accessible through PC, mobile, and the web.
2) Basecamp
Basecamp, a seasoned player in the field of project management, was established in 2004 and now boasts 3.5 million users.
The software emphasises how it may take the place of several other paying monthly services, like Dropbox and Slack. The programme incorporates several of the tools’ functions into a single system, albeit it is not usually a full replacement. Calendaring and scheduling, live chat, private messaging, file storage, and more features are available.
Finding the task, picture, or message you’re looking for is simple thanks to an uncluttered UI, sophisticated search features, and a robust reporting suite that enables you go down as far or shallow as necessary.
With email integration and the ability to share specific assignments and messages with persons outside the company, working with customers is handled smoothly. You may tailor notifications to your needs, including turning them off during business hours.
Larger enterprises may find Basecamp to be a good alternative because of its set $99 monthly price, while small teams could find a better deal elsewhere. Although there is no free plan, the 30-day trial period is longer than others. There are versions for the web, desktop, and mobile.
3) Wrike
Check out Wrike if Trello’s approach seems a little too constrained but you don’t have the time to spend learning and configuring a complicated project management application.
Standard project management tools like Gantt charts, practical dashboards, and an extensive reporting suite are already included, making it simple to get started on a small- to medium-sized project without having to spend a lot of time learning how to use a new, complex system.
There is an integrated time tracking tool that is accessible to both the person working on a specific job and the person overseeing the project as a whole. It’s not a substitute for a specialised time tracking system, like those available in other project management applications, but it can easily meet most fundamental needs.
Although it may need a little cosmetic updating, the interface is usable and enough for the task. Task management, interactive boards and spreadsheets, a tool for creating account-wide work schedules, cloud connectors (Google Drive, OneBox, Box, OneDrive), and two gigabytes of overall storage space for a limitless number of users are all included in the free plan.
Paid subscriptions are slightly more expensive than some of the competition, but they unlock all of the software’s features. The Professional tier, for example, costs $9.80 per month per user, while the Business tier, which costs $24.80 per month per user, adds custom workflows, real-time reports, time tracking, salesforce integration, and five gigabytes of storage per user. There are iOS and Android app versions of Wrike as well as Web and PC versions.
4) LiquidPlanner
One of those pieces of software that strives to be many things to many different individuals is LiquidPlanner, and unlike most others with such lofty goals, it often succeeds.
LiquidPlanner functions well as a standard project management tool with all the features you’d expect, as well as a helpdesk-style problem tracker and all-purpose resource manager.
Strong reporting and integration with leading cloud storage providers are already present. Additionally, Zapier is supported, enabling you to create custom automatic connections with other business tools as required.
Any user or group may be given the responsibility for one-off tasks, and the effect that additional work will have on the individuals conducting it will be automatically considered when calculating project deliverables.
LiquidPlanner does a fair job at outlining some of its difficult features before getting out of the way, but it still takes more effort to set up, understand, and master than many of its rivals. Of course, with more features comes more complexity. It is more suited to bigger teams and organisations than small, ad hoc groups for this reason—not to mention the expense.
Although you may trial several plans for two weeks without paying anything with LiquidPlanner, there is no free tier. For a maximum of 50 projects, plans start at $15 per month per user (with yearly payment) and increase from there.
5) Zoho Projects
Nearly all of the capabilities you’d anticipate from a project management programme are there in Zoho Projects, which is a part of a large suite of productivity tools from the same firm and is quite reasonably priced.
Task dependencies may be established between each task, and tasks can be seen in either kanban or more conventional ways. The programme can manage even somewhat complicated project needs with to features like problem and process management, Gantt charts, and customizable reports. Additionally, there is good interaction with other services, including those from big names like Google and Microsoft as well as Zoho’s own suite of applications.
Although it cannot completely replace a specialist tracking tool, basic time tracking is built-in and has sufficient functionality to be helpful. The built-in chat feature may be used to communicate with other project team members instead of switching to other platforms like email or Slack.
Three users, 10 megabytes of storage, and two projects are the only restrictions on the free tier. However, it’s enough for simple tasks or gaining a feel for the programme, and all of the pricier subscriptions come with a free 10-day trial. Other options start at $5 per user and go up to $10 per user, and you can save 20% if paid yearly. These plans allow for more users, more projects, and more storage. There are mobile and web versions of Zoho Projects.
6) Microsoft Project
Many seasoned project managers still use Microsoft Project, which has been in some form or another since 1984. It is primarily targeted for individuals in charge of very big, complicated projects who have the knowledge, time, and resources to make the most of this all-inclusive tool due to its expensive cost and steep learning curve.
Although MS Project has a similar appearance and feel to other Microsoft Office programmes, there aren’t many tutorials or tips available, making it intimidating for those new to project management. However, trained professionals will value the very precise information provided for each job and resource, whether that resource is a particular person, position, physical item, or anything else.
For those unavoidable management summaries, reporting is equally potent, offering both pre-built and configurable reports that can be rapidly exported to Microsoft PowerPoint. However, there is little integration with non-Microsoft programmes.
With a few various pricing points, MS Project may be added to an existing Office 365 subscription or bought separately and installed on a single machine.
Microsoft replaced Essentials, Professional, and Premium with Project Plan 1, Project Plan 3, and Project Plan 5 in 2021, keeping the bulk of the plan’s features the same. Although features vary across levels, Plan 3 (formerly Professional) membership costs start at $30 per month per person.
