According to Biz Group, 86% of employees cite a lack of proper communication and collaboration as a major factor in workplace failures. In a world of increasing complexity and higher rates of remote work, using a project management tool is now more important than ever.
I can confidently say that project management tools have saved my 100s of wasted hours in production by simply increasing communication capacity.
These nifty software tools offer an impressive suite of solutions that allow your team members to communicate, contribute, and monitor the various stages of a project, irrespective of location.
In this blog post, we will discuss 7 of the best project management tools in the world and how you can use them to take your business to the next level.
What Are the Best Project Management Tools?
Only one-in-four organizations admit to using some form of project management software. However, 77% of high-performing teams make use of these services, showing the distinct advantage they offer.
With the large number of project management services and the vast array of options they offer, it’s easy to get a bit overwhelmed. Therefore, it is important to consider several factors before choosing such a tool.
This includes things like the features and functionalities offered by the service, the size of your team, cost and pricing models, customization, scalability, ease of use, security features, integration with other tools, and so on.
So here’s a list of 7 of the best project management software to catapult your business to the next level.
Monday.com
Overview
Monday.com is a cloud-based project management tool that was launched in 2014. The software offers a highly customizable interface that allows data visualization, project tracking, and group collaboration.
One of the key benefits offered by the platform is flexibility, with customizable building blocks forming the basic structure of the platform.
This work OS allows you to easily integrate other applications into your workflow and summarizes this as an easily navigable central dashboard.
Highlights
- Monday.com offers a set of custom user boards which can be personalized for a variety of projects. These boards offer pre-built templates, color coding, custom columns, task dependencies, and so on.
- The platform offers multiple views such as Kanban, calendar, Gantt, and map view. It can also be accessed through the web app and mobile devices.
- Monday.com makes your workflow easier to summarize with a streamlined dashboard that offers several key pieces of information at a glance.
- The platform offers top-notch communication through dedicated channels for updates, notifications, mentions, and interactive work documents.
- This project management tool is versatile and can be used by several customers ranging from small businesses to freelancers and even large enterprises.
- Monday.com Interfaces with multiple platforms such as Microsoft Outlook, GitHub, Gmail, Trello, OneDrive, Google Drive, Jotform, Slack, LinkedIn for Business, Meta for Business, Asana, Adobe Creative Cloud, Zendesk Suite, Microsoft Excel, and so on.
- The workflow OS also offers a great deal of automation, which is a great way of improving your efficiency and boosting productivity.
Pricing
Here is a breakdown of the Monday.com price options.
- A free plan which offers limited features for up to two seats.
- Basic plan: starting at $10/seat/month billed monthly (or $8/seat/month when billed annually.
- Standard plan: starting at $12/seat/month billed monthly (or $10/seat/month when billed annually)
- Pro plan: starting at $20/seat/month billed monthly (or $16/seat/month when billed annually).
- Enterprise plan: priced according to the specific requirements of the company.
- There is also a 14-day free trial with no credit card needed and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line
Monday.com is a great project management tool for small, medium, and large businesses that emphasize collaboration. Its flexibility, interconnectivity, and generous free trial mean it’s a service you should try out.
Trello
Overview
Trello is a SaaS project management software that can best be described as a collaboration tool. It allows users to arrange tasks into “Trello boards” based on the Kanban board design.
This allows you to break down a project into unique tasks, and monitor what is being worked on under each section and who is working on it. Each card contains checklists, deadlines, and various other types of attachments which increase its functionality.
Highlights
- The platform is designed based on the Kanban board system and divides boards (distinct projects) into subsections made up of lists, cards, and checklists. This makes progress tracking and task allocation easy.
- The progress within each card can be monitored with checklists and deadlines. Trello cards are also color coded for easy visualization.
- The platform supports an activity log which allows all members of the team to track the progress of the project and any individual changes. The activity log also promotes transparency and accountability amongst members of the team.
- Task allocation and tracking are also made easier by the fluid communication features available on the platform such as comments, notifications, board invitations, and mentions.
- Trello also supports integration with several other useful project management tools such as Telegram, Salesforce, GitHub, Slack, IBM Connect, and so on.
- The platform is quite mobile-friendly and offers mobile applications for both Android and iOS devices. This is great because it offers users the option to manage their tasks on the go.
Pricing
Here is how Trello prices its packages.
- A free plan which supports unlimited cards for up to 10 boards per workspace and unlimited storage with an upper limit of 10MB/file.
- Standard plan: $5/month if billed annually or $6 month/billed monthly. This plan offers an even larger storage capacity (250MB/file), more advanced checklists, and custom fields.
- Premium plan: billed at $10/month if billed annually or $12.5/month if billed monthly. The package offers multiple workspace views, advanced admin and security features, as well as simple data export options.
- Enterprise plan: billed according to the number of users and features organization-wide boards and workplaces, with multiple guest boards and more advanced integration options.
- Trello also offers a 14-day free trial of its premium package.
Bottom Line
Trello offers a unique approach to project management with an emphasis on task visualization and progress tracking. Its Kanban board design and simple checklist-based make it the ideal platform for small and medium enterprises looking to efficiently monitor projects.
Asana
Overview
Asana is a full-stack project management software that offers a variety of key task management, security, documentation, and collaborative features.
It is best suited for smaller teams focused on collaboration, though larger enterprises can take advantage of some of its premium features such as various budgeting and reporting options.
The software provides a variety of features including task lists, project boards, calendars, timelines, and integration features with other tools. This allows teams to collaborate effectively in real time.
Highlights
- Asana offers a variety of project management tools such as boards, project timeline views, task lists, a variety of project templates, and various reporting tools.
- The platform promotes real-time collaboration by allowing you to visually track the progress of your project using the project timeline view.
- The user interface design is quite friendly and easy for even novices to pick up over time.
- The software integrates seamlessly with other platforms such as Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams.
- Asana is quite customizable because it was designed based on the Kanban board system. It also offers a series of preset project templates for users to choose from.
- The platform supports a detailed reporting system that can boast of interesting project insights such as task completion rates, budget projections, and the innovative Workload feature which is designed to prevent burnout.
- Asana promotes communication among members through the use of features such as messaging, file sharing, shared team calendars, and so on.
Pricing
Here is an overview of the Asana price plans.
- Basic package: This is free and supports task lists, kanban boards, calendars, and app integrations for up to 15 users.
- Premium package: This costs $10.99/user/month when billed annually. In addition to the above, this plan supports project timelines, advanced searches, project and budget dashboards, priority support, custom field creation, forms, and milestones.
- Business package: This package is priced at $24.99/user per month with annual subscriptions and includes all previous features plus portfolios, Workload, forms, automatic proofing, priority support, and Adobe Creative Cloud integration.
- Enterprise package: This form of pricing is negotiated with the client and has additional features such as user provisioning, data exporting, custom branding, and priority support.
Bottom Line
Asana supports a wide range of features that are ideal for small teams. Even though the pricing is steeper than some of the other project management tools, it makes up for this with its great features and easy interface.
Teamwork
Teamwork is a web-based project management software that is chiefly designed to enable teams to organize, manage, and track their tasks, projects, and workflow.
With an easy-to-use user interface, flexible features, and robust collaboration tools, Teamwork promotes the efficiency of teams of various sizes, industries, and locations.
Teamwork offers a wide range of features from task management, project tracking, time tracking, and budget tracking, to file sharing, tools integration, and mobile app.
Highlights
- Team members can collaborate on projects in real time, share ideas, and stay up-to-date on project progress.
- Tasks can be assigned to team members, deadlines set, and progress tracked easily from a streamlined dashboard. Tasks can be viewed according to project or team members.
- An in-built time tracking feature on Teamwork allows the team members to track the time spent on each task. For example, advanced features like Gantt charts facilitate the time-based management of complex projects.
- Teamwork allows you to allocate resources, track availability, and schedule tasks based on team member capacity. This prevents team members from being over or underutilized.
- Teamwork offers pre-built project templates that can be customized to fit the specific needs of a team. This feature would help you save time and streamline your project management processes.
- The platform provides robust reporting features that allow you to track project progress, analyze team performance, and identify areas for improvement. Reports can be customized to show the information you need and can be exported to various file formats.
- Integrations: Teamwork integrates with a variety of other tools, including Dropbox, Google Drive, and Slack. This feature allows you to work seamlessly with other tools and platforms that you already use.
Pricing
Teamwork’s price plans include:
- Free plan: This offers a maximum of 5 users per plan, key integrations, and all project management essentials.
- Starter plan: $5.99 per month with a 3-user minimum. It allows you to set up user rates and access more detailed dashboards.
- Deliver plan: $9.99 per month and supports 3 user minimum, with automation and advanced reports.
- Grow plan: Advanced budgeting tools, supports 5 users minimum at $19.99/user, and offers powerful reports.
- Scale plan: Offers advanced resource scheduling and flexible payment options.
Bottom line
Teamwork is a cloud-based software that promotes team teamwork and task management. Try out the free plan to enjoy features such as project planning, resource allocation, time tracking, and communication tools to help teams achieve their goals efficiently.
Slack
Overview
Slack is a cloud-based collaboration tool designed to facilitate communication and improve team productivity. It allows teams to create chann