We select our top picks for IT project management and overall project management software.
When planning to undertake any project, project management (PM) is necessary, absolutely vital even. This necessity is especially true for those who are collaborating or working on multiple projects at once. Smooth running usually involves resource allocation, scheduling, maintained communication lines, information sharing, and much more.
Traditionally, project management is undertaken in 5 steps:
And nothing has changed. PM software incorporates and streamlines these base processes online. By translating the project management online, managers can control costs and guarantee they will hit their deadlines. Why is that? Being able to oversee many projects simultaneously while tracking their progress speeds the project completion process up. It also means that there is less need for constant correspondence between manager and project creator. In turn, top-quality projects can be completed and within due-time.
Here are just some of the convenient features provided by project management software.
Some more modern, cutting-edge project management software can also function through a dedicated mobile app.
Essentially, what makes PM software attractive for business, owners, conference planners, and many others are that all aspects of the project's creative processes are in one place. All collaboration, communication, feedback, reviews, and remuneration are completed on a single project management platform. This single platform means that any employee, partner, client, or colleague that has access to the platform can keep abreast of any updates, tasks, or due dates.
Since a 360 view of the project creation process is highly desirable for most corporations and institutions, the demand for project management software has been steadily growing. There has been an infiltration of many new, attractive, and multi-functional project management software onto the market as a direct reaction to this demand. The sheer variety to pick from can leave potential customers scratching their heads.
The simple question most ask themselves is, "what project management system is right for me?" Usually, the answer lies among the most highly-rated and highly-regarded project management systems (not always the most used!) In short: the best.
There is a list of project software management systems that regularly receive rave reviews listed below for your convenience. Alongside their listing is an overview of the system's functionality and its relative pros & cons.
The beauty of Wrike is its simplicity. Standard project management features like Gantt charts, useful dashboards, and a comprehensive reporting suite are built in an entirely intuitive to use. So, the project management process can begin immediately after installation without requiring in-depth knowledge of the system.
Wrike is generous when it comes to the number of projects it can host, virtually unlimited. However, the number of people who can use the platform and features have limitations. Therefore, Wrike is best suited for a smaller scale yet highly-productive business.
As the name might suggest, Teamwork aims to improve collaboration, visibility, accountability — and, ultimately, results. Avail of their customizable dashboard feature to display project and workload metrics. Teamwork even supplies a bird-eye view of all activity allowing project managers to spot potential bottlenecks and subsequently redelegate tasks. This analytic feature is compounded by checking how much time each user has spent on their duties and what they have turned out. With its multiple timesaving and collaboration-optimizing features/tools, it is easy to see that Teamwork would be more suited to remote or disperse workplaces.
Most user reviews regarding Nifty suggests that it is adept in reducing project management cycles while boosting productivity by introducing progress milestones and timed tasks. Moreover, Nifty promotes team collaboration through project dedicated discussion threads while ensuring punctuality through integration with Google notifications/calendar.
Nifty is one of the more navigable and intuitive project management systems on the market (and on this list.) Despite having the option for deep-dive analysis into workload and activity, Nifty's more laid-back data analysis system may not suit more intense/delicate projects.
In the project management system world, LiquidPlanner is the jack of all trades and a master of all. While excelling in traditional project management tasks, the system also offers a helpdesk-style issue tracker and general resource management tools.
One factor about the LiquidPlanner management app that may stop smaller business owners or institutions in their tracks is its hefty price tag. However, it is worth its price as it continues as a market forerunner.
Celoxis is a comprehensive and web-based all-in-one platform for project portfolio management and work collaboration. Its system is perfect for tackling medium to large products with its many robust tools/features. A significant upside of using Celoxis is its seamless financial management. With its logging of tickets and swift transfers, there is rarely anyone left without their due remuneration. Another upside to using Celoxis is that most actions, such as attaching files, offering feedback, and setting timers, can be completed directly from the dashboard.
Expect to hear a lot more about Monday soon. Its system is unique and visionary in that it cuts out all the unnecessary trimmings of the usual project management software system and focuses on the absolute basics. To compound this straight-forward format, Monday has designed its platform to be visibly intuitive and incredibly easy to use at a glance.
So, while Monday may not offer the expected or complete set of tools for project accounting, it quickly gets the job done. Project managers can still use the platform to track progress, workload, timelines, and invoices. Moreover, communication between team members is simple with Monday's comment feature.
There is a general theme among the project management systems mentioned above, and that is that they all have more in common than not. There is a unity in common core organizational tools and customization features. However, it is clear that every project management system has its edge or is designed more for one company style over another. And it is those two factors that should be the primary influence and perhaps even deciding factor concerning what project management system wins your purchase. Keep a close eye on enterprise technology industry trends and producers implementing them to make sure you get bang for your buck!
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