Best Project Management Tools

The days when professionals used whiteboards and sticky notes to manage projects are long gone. Individuals will find different tasks assigned to them on these notes and keep moving them until those notes are pasted on the ‘done’ section. Back then, this was one of the best project management tools in the world. The process used to work well in the past, but today, it’s nothing less than moot.

Project management dates back to the Second World War; the process was used to plan things, assign tasks, and collaborate on project planning. Whiteboard sticky notes used to be excellent project management. With the evolution of the workplace, the complexity of tasks, and information processing, the project management process has evolved significantly due to the increasing need for complex relationships and team collaboration.

Whiteboard to Cutting-edge Technology

The first digital project management tool was developed in the 50s when people began using computers for business purposes. As for our intensive research, the first of these programs have been based on conventional paper forms, which were used to record information regarding jobs headed by several people throughout an organization. This tech innovation allowed employers and employees to work throughout different locations to collaborate and share data without having to meet each other face-to-face.

With the curation of the first project management software, the vision was to take the paper, as mentioned earlier, forms and put them inside a computer database meant for documentation sharing. Rather than manually filling out forms, a person can type all of the information online, making the document stored in the program seamless. Further, in this way, a project team can access this information at any moment. The best part? Not a single entity will have control over the project.

This further led to looking for project management software, which is in demand in the market to cater to work philosophies and environments. Let’s explore the best tools for project management in the cloud computing era, as gone are the days when only checklists were enough to make projects successful. Now, many of the best project management tools exist for many projects. It is more critical for big and small organizations to choose the right project management tool.

Essential features of best project management software tools

The best project management tools will help make projects successful now and in the future. They will have scalable and advanced features to meet the current market requirements. Before choosing a project management tool, organizations must analyze the pros and cons of tools to find the one that would suffice their needs. Some of the essential features of project management tools include:

• Planning or scheduling that allows managers to plan and delegate work all in one place with many tasks, subtasks, templates, folders, calendars, and workflows
• Collaborating and communicating by assigning tasks, organizing dashboards, adding comments, and proofing and approvals
• Documenting helps to avoid missing files and also helps in editing, versioning, and storing all files in a systematic order for fast retrieval
• Evaluating productivity by tracking and assessing the growth through resource management and reporting

Now that you get an understanding of the history and why project management tools are essential in the agile work culture and methodology, let’s take a look at the project management tools list:

Top 10 Project Management Tools

The following are the top 10 project management tools. Choose the right one according to your requirements, irrespective of your organization's type, industry, or team size. 

1. Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is a cloud-based project management software that many organizations use for project planning, tracking, and collaborating to complete tasks online successfully. Now, it is a browser extension for Google Chrome and the preferred choice for over three million users worldwide. 

Pros:

• The Gantt Charts enable billable hours on multiple projects simultaneously
• It is easy to access all the essential project modules from the browser, like task management, timesheets, updates feed, news, and bug tracker, to take action quickly

Cons:

• Some users want the Gantt charts to be less cumbersome for better use
• There may need to be more than the reporting breakdown for large teams

2. Kanban Tool

• Kanban is one of the best project management tools. It uses a lean management method to help visualize and limit work progress. It is the starting point of Agile development, ensuring a smooth workflow in any organization. 

Pros: 

• The Kanban tool helps analyze and continuously improve processes to increase business efficiency.
• Enables clients and team members to collaborate efficiently in real time by sharing information, comments, and tasks 

Cons:

• It is not suitable for freelancers but offers only two users' free plans to support two project boards.

3. Trello

• Trello is a lightweight task management software that is simple to use. It is a Kanban-style-list-making application, and a subsidiary of Atlassian helps the excellent organization of teams.

Pros:

• It has much built-in collaboration like boards, lists, and cards for working efficiently as a team.
• Users can share files, collaborate within the cards, and leave comments to work more collaboratively and get much work done as a team.
• It is free to use, and can join with over 1,000,000 teams worldwide using Trello. 

Cons:

• It does not have reporting functionality and time-tracking features.

4. Kissflow Project

Kissflow Project is a powerful all-in-one app ideal for new to project management. It has many excellent features, like an easy-to-use Graphic User interface, making it a one-stop solution for all organizations. 

Pros:

• It has a "user swimlane view" to give a holistic view of the entire project and its participants. 
• The custom forms, personalized boards, and rule-based WIP limits meet any industrial project's unique requirement.

Cons:

• There is difficulty in exporting reports to personal email and also slow responses to technical issues. 

5. Airtable

Airtable is the best CRM tool for project management and team collaboration. It is customizable and easy to use in organizations of all sizes. 

Pros:

• It combines the best features of spreadsheets and databases to store and use task management and project planning information.
• Offers great integration with Slack for better communication  

Cons:

• Like many other tools, it also needs reporting features, which is a concern for some users.

6. Clarizen

Clarizen is a scalable project management software that simplifies work and quickly reaches goals. It increases effectiveness and provides autonomy and empowerment by supporting different work styles and hybrid methods across organizations. 

Pros:

• Reduces the time for auditing and compliance of organizations by nearly 75% and saves thousands of hours annually
• Drives focus by creating a line of sight across the organization to share goals and increase accountability.

Cons:

• Since it is only available on the web, the mobile app must limit its use to some teams.

7. Asana

• Asana is a cloud-based software where all users can work in a virtual workplace. The most flexible management tool focuses more on collaboration and productivity. 

Pros:

• Brings all the teams' goals, tasks, plans, and files to one shared place to view all and work anyway to achieve the goals 
• It is not another tool but intuitive, with different task displays to support custom fields and invite unlimited guest users. 

Cons:

• It is not ideal for freelancers, and many users find the core project management handled through integrations unsuitable. 

8. ProofHub

ProofHub is an all-in-one project management software with a centralized workspace. It provides ultimate control of all the teams with tools like Gantt Charts, workflow, task lists, etc.  

Pros:

• Helps to organize and keep track of all the tasks of the team with many tools under one roof
• It is easy to understand and provides on-time delivery and on-point team accountability.

Cons:

• With only a little integration, it offers only limited task management.

9. Monday.com

Monday.com is a work operating system that empowers teams to run projects and workflow in the way they want to do it confidently. It combines a visually appealing interface and useful project visualization tools to offer a transparent way to organize work. 

Pros:

• It enables the shape of workflows, adjusts to changing needs, offers transparency, stops manual work, and clarifies position. 
• It is customizable to build your boards with plenty of display options like calendar and map view.

Cons:

• Some customers complain that it lacks recurring tasks and the mobile app is clunky to use

10. Wrike

Wrike is a cloud-based project management app that tracks teams' work, monitors deadlines, and simplifies project planning. It powers modern, Agile enterprises by collaborating efficiently with all stakeholders.

Pros:

• It enables prioritizing tasks and pushing the crucial tasks ahead to meet the deadlines.
• It has advanced features like Gantt Charts, task management, and a real-time news feed.

Cons:

• The many features are too much for many users, and the intuitive interface needs to be simplified. After careful consideration, the top 10 project management tools listed are in line to keep organizations' requirements of all types and sizes to deliver project success effectively.

We hope this Project management tools list will help you find one of your organization's Top 10 project management tools. If you wish to know about project management certifications to ace your career goals as a project manager, then visit our website: www.simpliaxis.com.

Our globally recognized project management certification will help you understand the complexity of projects. From tracking, planning, reporting, and executing, our certification will help you understand the project manager's role and how these certifications will elevate your role.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the evolution of project management tools from traditional methods like whiteboards to cutting-edge technology has revolutionized how teams collaborate and manage projects. The best project management software offers essential features like planning, collaboration, documentation, and productivity evaluation, empowering organizations to succeed in the agile work culture. With a plethora of options available, choosing the right tool is crucial for project success. Simpliaxis offers globally recognized project management certifications to equip professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in project management roles. Explore our website to elevate your career and achieve project success with our comprehensive certification programs