5 Project Management Systems to Streamline Your Business Processes Looking to work faster, communicate more effectively and manage your business processes with the utmost efficiency? Here are five project management systems to help set your team on a path toward success.
By Joseph Camberato Edited by Chelsea Brown
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Inefficient business processes can hamper your team's productivity and waste time, which adds up to a lot of lost revenue each year. Fortunately, the right project management software can make your entire organization operate more efficiently.
Project management software allows you to organize your project's planning, scheduling, and execution within a single dashboard. If you're not sure where to start, here are five project management tools you can consider:
Related: The Pros and Cons of Project Management Software
1. Basecamp
Best for: Real-time communication
Basecamp is an all-in-one project management solution that stands out for its built-in collaboration tools. When you set up a new project, there are five primary features: a message board, to-do list, schedule, document sharing and the campfire.
The message board is where the entire team can post updates and get feedback on their work, which saves you from having to spend a lot of time on back-and-forth emails. The to-do list section lets you see what work has been completed and is still pending.
You can also schedule important meetings or events, share important documents and files and use the campfire, a chat room where everyone can collaborate and ask questions.
However, Basecamp is more expensive than other project management software, with a $99 flat monthly fee. Additionally, the software doesn't give users an overview of the project at hand, which adds a degree of difficulty to task management.
2. Trello
Best for: Affordability
Trello is one of the most popular project management solutions available, and it's free to use. This software lets you organize your projects across different Kanban boards, giving you a bird's-eye view of your project.
From there, you'll set up individual lists with task cards outlining the details of each project. You can use the task cards to tag team members, assign due dates, share files and include checklists. This allows you to manage every detail of your project directly within the Trello app.
Trello works on iOS and Android devices, and you can use the app on your laptop, smartphone or tablet. And the software integrates with hundreds of popular apps, like Jira, Gmail and Google Drive.
Related: Improve Your Organization's Efficiency by Learning Project Management
3. Wrike
Best for: Marketing teams and professional services
Wrike is designed for marketing teams and professional services, and it's free for small teams just getting started. It has a user-friendly dashboard where you can see an overview of your entire project.
Wrike offers features like interactive Gantt charts, a time-tracking tool and a comprehensive reporting suite. The software allows you to set up custom team workflows, and it integrates with more than 400 third-party apps. The workflow builder uses "if, then" statements, and you can create up to 100 integrations per account.
You can use Wrike to collaborate with your team as well as invite clients, vendors, and third parties to view the progress of your project simultaneously. This ensures everyone is on the same page and keeps all conversations, tasks and focus in one central location.
4. Asana
Best for: Task management
Asana is user-friendly project management software, and it's a good option for managing projects of all sizes. You can use the workflow builder to automate tasks, receive instant feedback and improve your processes.
You can also look at your projects from multiple viewpoints, including Kanban boards, lists, calendars and timelines. This gives each team member the option to view the project in a way that works best for them.
Many people like using Asana for its robust task management features. You can assign tasks and subtasks to other team members and set due dates. If another team member has a question, you can chat back and forth within a single card.
One thing unique to Asana is its goal-setting feature — you can set company goals that everyone in the organization can see. This ensures that every project and task is completed with the company's bigger vision in mind.
5. Monday
Best for: Overall functionality
Monday is cloud-based project management software, and it's a good option for businesses of all sizes. It uses color-coded boards so you can quickly get an overview of your team's progress.
Like Asana, Monday allows you to see your project from multiple viewpoints — there are Gantt charts, Kanban boards, a timeline and a calendar view. You can get a broad overview of your project and get as detailed as you need to.
The software also has built-in time tracking capabilities, so you can see how long each task takes. Additionally, Monday integrates with apps like Slack, Google Calendar and Dropbox. You can also use Monday to set up customized automation, and the feature is simple enough that anyone on your team can learn how to use it. However, you may need to upgrade to one of the higher-priced plans to access the more advanced features.
