You’ll soon discover that using email and phone calls to manage your team and multiple tasks no longer work efficiently as you take on complex projects. As a result, project deliverables suffer from poor coordination, teamwork, and sluggish communications.

It’s impossible to see why team members are lagging and correct mistakes as they occur. Also, it becomes challenging to collaborate with your clients and keep them updated.

But there is good news for you….

Project management software can help you fix those problems by empowering project managers to:

• Establish a project schedule and coordinate assignments

• Increase productivity and time management with to-do lists

• Assign deliverables and deadlines to projects

• Reassign tasks that are falling behind schedule using dashboards

• Get real-time updates via cloud-based tools, ensuring that no member of your team misses any important information

• Provide clients with quotes and invoices through the same project management system

• Work on a variety of projects

This post will help you understand project management platforms and their features. You’ll also dive into the best tools for project management for your small business and how to select them.

What is Project Management Software (PMS)?

As a tool, project management software helps project managers (PMs) and teams cooperate on projects, meet deadlines, and manage costs and resources effectively. You can also track time, budgets, and resources, collaborate with clients and distribute tasks better.

Project management platforms provide vital tools to manage your work from start to finish. They enable project leaders to communicate with customers and staff more quickly. As a result, productivity skyrockets.

You can keep your project goals in mind by using work project management tools. You can assess progress and make prompt adjustments. You can also automatically reassign tasks to your co-workers when you cannot meet your deadlines.

4 Types of Project Management Software

Project leaders can use different project management apps to plan and coordinate tasks. Some platforms have advanced features for massive projects, while others are ideal for small-scale activities. 

Here are the various kinds of tools for managing projects for your small business.

Project Collaboration Apps

Software for project collaboration helps you enhance communication with your team members. They provide you with features to chat and share documents. You can use video or voice calls and team-activity dashboards to speed up discussions and tasks.

Agile Management Software

Are you developing software? Agile management apps can help you manage your project and partner with other developers. Also, non-technical work groups with a maximum of ten people can use this type of software.

A Kanban dashboard allows you to view tasks, analyze sprint metrics, and create reports. Kanban boards are digital tools that use cards to help you visualize your projects and improve efficiency.

Project Portfolio Management (PMM) Software

Growing small businesses can use PMM software to assign work to the right staff, rank projects, and determine potential risks. They empower you to control resources and understand your product life cycle.

Task Management Platforms

The more your business grows, the more challenging it is to manage tasks and monitor your staff using spreadsheets. Also, it becomes impossible to automate manual processes. As a result, it’s time-consuming to digest information and make quick decisions.

Instead, project management tools can help you organize staff activities and observe their progress through dashboards. They enable you to schedule assignments and offer you real-time updates — you can stay on top of your game.

Also, team members can use color codes and labels to prioritize their work. Features such as due date reminders and notifications keep them informed so that they can meet deadlines.

Top Project Management Software Features

Standard project management software should have these capabilities.

Work management apps may also have the following crucial features:

Gantt Charts

• They help you plan and schedule tasks.

Mobile Access

• You can use this feature to make calls and get immediate feedback from team members or clients.

Email Integration

• You can integrate your email service providers to improve communication.

Workflow integration

• This feature allows you to connect several apps so that you can share information with your teams at the speed of lightning.

Agile methodology

• You can break up an entire project into several phases with this approach. You execute it in “sprints” so that you can assess each step before you move on to the next one.

• The method encourages constant communication with task teams.

Waterfall methodology

• The waterfall methodology is ideal for engineering projects. Project leaders can plan a task in a series of stages where each activity or phase depends on the completion of the last one.

• You must finish one part of the project before you begin the next task.

What You Need to Consider Before You Buy Project Management Apps

You must consider the following features before you purchase a tool for project management.

1. All-in-one or specific use

What are your specific needs? What projects do you manage? What’s the size of your teams? Answers to these questions help you decide whether you must purchase an all-in-one tool with advanced features. 

Or you should get software for a specific need. For example, some apps are perfect for collaboration and managing tasks, while others are for complex activities like engineering.

2. Complexity vs. ease of use

Project management software varies. Some tools require some training, while others are easy to use. Also, consider software with high usability ratings. Does the app meet the best practice standards in usability?

3. Free trials

Most SaaS companies offer free trials for a particular period so that you can test how the software works and whether it meets your needs. As a result, you can avoid committing yourself before taking on a subscription service.

4. Collaboration with remote teams

Does your company offer remote work or a hybrid work environment? Then you must choose platforms that can help you collaborate with staff in different locations. 

Some of these tools provide you with team chat channels and Kanban dashboards to enable your employees to share documents and see their work.

5. Cloud-based project management app vs. on-premises

With a cloud-based platform, you can subscribe to the service provider. You’re freed from hosting and maintaining the software. But an on-premises app means you purchase the product once and then install it. Because of this, you must manage and maintain the platform.

It would be better to use cloud-based project management software since you don’t need IT specialists to keep it in good condition.

11 Best Project Management Apps

Here’s a list of the 7 best platforms for project management that can triple your productivity.

1. Teamwork

Teamwork is a unique app for project management because it supports German, English, French, and Spanish. Also, it provides users with communication and collaboration features so that they can improve productivity.

The platform promotes flexibility and task independence since each user can have total control over their activities. Dashboards also allow individuals to see and monitor their projects.

Key features

• Editor for documents

• Scheduling projects

• Gantt and viewing timelines

• Kanban boards

• Task discussions, calendars, and live chats

• Dashboards and customizable templates

• Tools for collaboration

• Managing tasks

• Managing campaigns

Users: small businesses, mid-sized businesses, large companies, and freelancers

Available: iPhone/iPad, Web, and Android

Models for Pricing: Free, subscription, free trial

2. Asana

The company claims to have over 100,000 subscribers worldwide that use its application to manage multiple projects simultaneously. Asana provides users with other features, such as dashboards, chat rooms, and file sharing. 

As a result, team members can keep each other in the loop about assignments.

As cloud-based project management software, the platform also empowers users to prioritize and schedule tasks. They can collaborate as they work on their activities.

Key features

• Dashboards

• Task management

• Alerts sent automatically

• Reporting

• Tools for communication and collaboration

• Managing documents

• Portals for customers

• Assigning tasks, including generating updates automatically from the software's inbox

Users: small businesses, mid-size businesses, large companies, and freelancers

Available: Android, Web, and iPhone/iPad

Models of pricing: Free, Free trial, and subscription

3. ClickUp

ClickUp is project management software that helps team members organize and work together on tasks. It can accommodate gigantic teams with over 10,000 people on the same app with no technical challenges. 

The app offers businesses of all sizes features such as communication and collaboration, alerts, a task toolbar, and real-time updates.

Because of its agile dashboards, project teams can see their work. They can also mark their activities to show their progress and direct comments to relevant people on the team.

Key features

• Enhanced security due to access permission and controls

• Dashboards to see activities

• Notifications and alerts on mobile and desktop

• Drag and drop recording

• Agile broad view

• Gantt chart

• Data visualization

• Tracking project deadlines

Users: small businesses, mid-sized businesses, large companies, and freelancers

Available: iPhone/iPad, Web, and Android

Models for pricing: Free, subscription, free trial

4. Trello

Trello is another robust app for managing projects through its Kanban boards. This feature enables users to visualize their work and collaborate with each other. For this reason, the tool is perfect for task management through its to-do list capability.

Teams can organize their work by using boards, cards, and lists. They can also create and customize boards according to their needs and preferences. The software offers integration with Google Drive, Jira, and Slack so that co-workers can share files.

Key features

• Document sharing

• Customizable boards

• Video and photo uploads

• Agile methodologies

• Dashboard to see tasks

• Notifications and alerts

• Add to-do lists and checklists on cards

• Scheduling tasks

• Templates

Users: small businesses, mid-sized businesses, large companies, and freelancers

Available: Android, iPhone/iPad, and Web

Models for pricing: Free, subscription, free trial

5. Monday.com

Monday.com is another popular tool for managing large-scale projects with hundreds of customers worldwide. It’s an open platform that lets users build tools within the system to handle tasks. Project teams can collaborate on activities regardless of their location. 

Also, its code-free features help co-workers manage workflows and assignments as easily as 1, 2, and 3.

Key features

• Customizable workflow templates

• Tracking time capabilities

• Integration with other standard apps and tools

• Dashboards

• Automation

• Managing documents

• Tools for collaboration

• Sharing files

Users: small businesses, mid-sized businesses, large companies, and freelancers

Available: Android, Web, and iPhone/iPad

Models of pricing: Free, subscription, free trial

6. PayMo

Paymo is one of the best project management platforms that freelancers find useful to manage their tasks from start to finish. Also, project leaders can use the software to deploy work to their teams. Because it’s available on mobile devices, co-workers can work anywhere in the world.

Also, the software is ideal for creative development, digital marketing agencies, IT, and software services. Users can track progress through static live reports.

Key features

• Storage for files

• Customizable work environment

• Tracking time

• Assigning tasks to multiple users

• Kanban boards

• Managing tasks

• Managing resources

• Tracking expenses

• Tools for collaboration

Users: small businesses, mid-sized businesses, large companies, and freelancers

Available: Android, Web, and iPhone/iPad

Models for pricing: Free, subscription, and free trial without requesting a credit card

7. Wrike

Wrike is a cloud-based project management and collaboration app with global users. It empowers teams to create common goals and project timelines. 

Also, the app enhances openness and communication and makes every team member accountable for their work. Co-workers can work faster since they can prioritize assignments.

In addition, users can handle several projects on the same platform simultaneously. They can measure their performance through real-time analytics and reporting.

Key features

• Integrates email

• Improves communication, accountability, and openness

• Tools for customization and collaboration

• Workload scheduling and balancing for team members

• Managing resources

• Projections

• Reporting/Analytics

• Managing tasks

• Task prioritization

Users: small businesses, mid-sized businesses, large companies, and freelancers

Available: Android, iPhone/iPad, and Web

Models for pricing: Free, subscription, free trial (No need for a credit card)

8. Zoho Projects

This is one of the best cloud-based project management apps that enable users to plan tasks, collaborate, and measure their progress. Zoho also offers Gantt charts so that teams can create project plans and track every assignment. 

It’s available in 17 languages, including Spanish, German, US English, and Danish. Also, users can build project templates within the platform.

Key Features

• Gantt charts

• Tools for communication and collaboration

• Time-tracking tools

• Automation of tasks

• Customizable workflows, layouts, and statues

Users: Small businesses, mid-sized businesses, and large organizations

Available: Web, Android, and iPhone/iPad

Models of Pricing: Free, subscription, and demo upon request

9. Confluence

Confluence allows teams to build tasks, collaborate, and organize everything on a single platform. Project leaders can have meaningful conversations with their co-workers by using the software’s communication tools.

Also, the tool provides a flexible workplace that promotes the full participation of every staff member. Companies with multiple departments can find the project management platform handy.

Key Features

• Tools for collaboration

• Time tracking

• Task prioritization

• Scheduling projects

• Managing resources

• Managing tasks

Users: Small businesses, mid-sized businesses, and large organizations

Available: Web, Android, and iPhone/iPad

Models for Pricing: Free trial and subscription

10. GanttPro

GanttPro differs from other work management tools because it’s entirely based on Gantt charts. It’s a web-based interactive Gantt chart maker that allows users to plan and handle several projects simultaneously. 

Also, individuals can break up their work into small and manageable tasks. They can schedule and prioritize assignments and set due dates.

Key Features

• Online interactive Gantt chart creator

• Scheduling and organizing tasks

• Calendars

• Managing resources and costs

• Managing tasks

• Team management tools

• Time tracking

Users: Small businesses, beginners, mid-sized businesses, and large organizations

Available: Web

Models for Pricing: Subscription

11. Scoro

This software for work management empowers teams to execute their projects from start to finish. They can also track their time and expenses. Professional service providers, outsourced digital marketing agencies, and consultancies can create and automate price quotes and invoices. 

Also, Scoro enables users to monitor sales, daily assignments, and team productivity.

Key Features

• Tools for collaboration

• Time tracking and expenses

• Task prioritization

• Scheduling projects

• Managing resources

• Managing tasks

Users: Small businesses, mid-sized businesses, and large organizations

Available: Web, Android, and iPhone/iPad

Models for Pricing: Free trial and subscription

Level-up Your Productivity with Project Management Software

Software for project management enables your staff to collaborate and handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Individuals can also use dashboards to see their assignments, track progress, and prepare reports. They can work together on projects anywhere in the world because of mobile and web capabilities.

Also, project management apps come with various features to meet the needs of different businesses. They're part of the arsenal of your small business software.