Are you tired of updating project spreadsheets while sitting at the desk for hours? If so, then you are doing nothing but just wasting your time and efforts. Actual project management is much beyond that.
Project management involves planning, organizing, monitoring, staffing, troubleshooting, collaborating and management of resources. This is where the importance of project management software comes in!
According to stats, more than 77% of projects yielding high performance are those that are managed by project management software. Hence, you should leverage project management software to enhance the efficiency and productivity of your projects.
In this post, we’ll discuss the 7 best project management software that may help to take your management skills to an unprecedented scale. But prior to that, let’s find out what project management software exactly does!
What Does Project Management Software Mean?
Project Management Software is a tool that assists project managers to control their budget, manage project quality, and parameters to ensure a successful project. It comes bundled with tools that facilitate effective management of resources and proper project planning.
It is being widely used by a multitude of businesses for resource allocation, project planning, and scheduling. Basically, it gives a comprehensive overview of the project. Furthermore, the software serves as a platform for enhancing collaboration among stakeholders.
Some benefits of Project Management Software are:
- Budget management
- Enhanced scheduling and planning
- Mitigation of risks
- Enhanced collaboration
- Better delegation of task
- Improved project efficiency and productivity
Top 5 Functionalities of the Right Project Management Software Tool
Here’s a list of the top 5 key functional aspects of project management software that will help you make the right decision.
1. Task Lists: A project management tool enables managers to assign and update the status of tasks. Hence, it facilitates easy delegation of tasks, such that everyone in the team knows about their respective jobs.
2. Schedules: There are major project management tools that offer calendars, Gantt charts and milestone tools that help to understand how much time is consumed to complete different project cycles.
3. File sharing: The tool should be able to share and organize key project documents while eliminating the time wasted searching for files.
4. Communication: The project management software facilitates a smooth flow of communication to solve problems quickly. The team members can interact via live chats and even share documents, PDFs, video, audio and images within the software.
5. Reporting: The tool ensures that the tasks are being carried out in a timely manner. It tracks the performance and sends reminders to team members.
7 Best Project Management Software in 2021
Let’s now glance at the 7 best project management software that have a proven track record.
1. Trello
Based around the kanban card-based management system, Trello’s simple interface makes it a suitable place for small teams and individuals with basic project management. With the help of this project management tool, you can manage both individual projects and ongoing workflows. Also, you can include custom dropdowns, hyperlinks, due dates, attached files, and more.
Pricing: The package starts at $9.99 per month with fewer or no limitations.
2. Basecamp
As one of the popular project management software tools, it is being widely used by project management teams. The software tool offers a range of collaboration features such as a dedicated section where users can leave comments.Also, you can use this software if you are unable to find a particular item.
Pricing: The software is available to businesses for $99/month.
3. ProofHub
Ideal for small and growing businesses, ProofHub is an online project management app that primarily focuses on simplicity. It offers custom roles for users to create Gantt charts. Some of the important components of ProofHub include;
- Time tracking
- Custom Roles
- Workflows and Boards
- File management
- In-app notifications
- Chat
- Calendar
Pricing: The software tool starts from $45/month to $99/month.
4. LiquidPlanner
Unlike other project management software tools, LiquidPlanner is infused with a helpdesk-style issue tracker and general resource management tool. With the help of a software tool, its advanced analytics helps users to view project costs and profits, performance, and monitor the efficient utilization of resources, client portfolios, and trends.
Pricing: The package plan starts at $45/month per user.
5. TeamGantt
TeamGantt is a project management software tool that’s very easy to set up and may perfectly cater to smaller businesses. The software allows users to invite colleagues to a Gantt chart, which they can also edit once access has been granted.
Pricing: The package starts from $0/month to $175/month with unlimited users and projects).
6. Wrike
Wrike is a project management software tool that helps users to track day to day operations and ensures that the project must be done within a specific budget. One of the best things about the tool is that it can easily be integrated with popular business tools such as Google Apps, Microsoft Excel, Dropbox and many more.
Pricing: The software tool offers a free version, a version for marketers ($34.60/user/month), a business version ($24.80/user/month).
7. Nifty
When it comes to improving team productivity while minimizing project development cycles, Nifty is a novel project management tool that comes with manifold project management features.
The software tool has a built-in calendar that may easily be integrated with Google and the document sharing option.
Pricing: The pricing of the tool starts from $39 for 10 team members, $79 a month for 25 team members and $124 a month for 50 team members.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who Uses Project Management Software Tools?
Project management software tools are being widely used by:
- Work teams
- Remote workers
- Small business owners
- Sales teams
- Individuals managing multiple projects
- Contractors and construction workers
2. How Much Do Project Management Software Tools Cost?
From basic versions to more complex versions, project management software tools vary with built-in integration and functions. These project management software tools come with free versions and paid versions. It is expected to range from $10 to $99 per month.
3. Are Project Management Software Tools Worth the Cost?
If you’re looking out to try out the software tool, it’s wise to use a free version. However, if you’re a large company or have multiple team members, it is good to pay for a project management software tool and help manage your project without any difficulty.
Final Thoughts
So, that’s a wrap-up to the Best project management software tools that you can use to enhance your project management skills in 2021!
When it comes down to choosing the right management software, it’s incredibly important to consider factors such as the size of your business and team, how many features you need and how many of them matters the most to you.