Project management tools are hands down, one of the greatest tools in our business owners toolbelt! They help us organise our time, manage resources, track performance and give us a great view of what is and isn’t working in our business. Whether working by yourself or with a team, the right project management tool can make meeting deadlines and expanding your business a breeze.
There are a few things to consider when choosing the right project management tool for your business, such as your personal goals, business needs and how you prefer information to be displayed and categorized. Most project management tools or software will have similar features but no two tools are exactly the same.
Keep in mind:
- The tool you choose should be straightforward to learn and navigate. You don’t want to spend days learning a new program and teaching it to your team
- Your chosen tool should have a wide range of management features including, tracking and updating tasks lists, setting deadlines and attaching resources
- The tool should also offer chat or comment features so you can say goodbye to scrolling through long email threads
To save you the run-around, I’ve reviewed the top three project management tools most popular with small to medium businesses.
Trello
Trello boasts a simple and very visual interface. It’s built around boards which each contain lists and cards. This allows flexibility and ease of use. Lists on each board mean you can easily see information at a glance and add comments, files and due dates. Trello easily integrates with other common programs including, Slack, Evernote, Dropbox, and Google Drive. The downside to Trello is that it isn’t as helpful for more complex projects as it doesn’t provide detailed analytics and metrics.
Asana
Asana is a fantastic tool for teams collaborating on projects as you can track tasks and communicate with your team. You have the choice to view your tasks in calendar view, list view or board view. Similar to Trello, Asana allows for communication, file sharing and the setting of due dates.
Asanas vast array of features, whilst beneficial, is also a drawback. It can be confusing to start a workflow initially, as it requires a lot of steps to create your subtasks.
ClickUp
A highly-rated tool, ClickUp is similar to the previously mentioned tools but with a focus on views, statuses and processes which allows for a better user experience. ClickUp also allows for the customization of workflows, the addition of time estimates for automatic scheduling and control over who sees what.
Finding the right fit for you and your business is very important! I’ve given you a great place to start but, you will need to consider the unique needs of your business and how you’d like a project management tool to be included in your daily workflow. You’ll need to consider the current size of your business and how you predict it will grow over time so you can find a project management solution that fits your needs both now and in the future. You’ll also need to take into account how these systems fit into your business budget. They each offer a free plan however your access to features and the size of your project will be limited.
Looking for support to set up your project management tool and ensure it’s running as efficiently as possible? Reach out today!