My Top 5 Project Management Tools to Deliver a Winning Project

Any brave soul who dives into project management knows it can be very challenging.

Even experienced project managers get surprised by unexpected problems every day. We all could use some help at times.

Just like Iron Man needs his suit to be cool and powerful, project managers need project management software to be effective and "super."?

If you want to be Superman(ager), you’ll need PM software.

Which is the best project management software?

Choosing the best PM software is subjective. There's no "one-size-fits-all" solution.

A more appropriate question to ask would be, "What is the best PM tool for my project?".

Sidenote:

Choose PM software very carefully, it could make or break your project. A popular survey suggests that investing in the wrong tool means you could lose 9.9% of every dollar you spend because of poor project performance.

After trying out different software for various projects, I can claim that certain apps are better for specific needs.

However, there are a few essential features that any good software should have.

Here’s my list of those features so that whenever you look for new software, you can just check these off.

• Requirement tracking
• Task delegation and tracking
• Real-time collaboration capabilities
• Document sharing and management
• Customizable workflows
• Time tracking
• Bug, issue, and defect tracking system
• Reporting and Visualization
• Ease of use

If I were to pick the top 5 that fit the most common types of projects well, I would pick these:

1. Jira

Why use it:

• Specifically designed to support agile development methodologies like Scrum and Kanban
• Flexible issue tracking system allows users to create, prioritize, and assign tasks, track progress, and monitor issue resolution
• Extensive customization options to tailor the tool to specific project management needs
• Integrations with version control systems, continuous integration tools, communication platforms, and project reporting tools

Drawbacks:

• While customization is a strength, Jira's extensive customization options can also be overwhelming
• Less accessible for non-technical users or teams outside the software development realm

Pricing: Starts from $7.75 / user / month

2. Asana

Why use it:

• The ability to create tasks, subtasks, and dependencies allows for granular control over project timelines and deliverables
• The platform empowers teams to work together seamlessly
• It seamlessly integrates with popular tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Jira
• The ability to generate custom reports, track project progress, and analyze team performance

Drawbacks:

• Extensive feature set and customization options can be overwhelming for new users
• While Asana provides basic reporting and analytics features, some users might find the reporting capabilities limited in terms of advanced customization or in-depth data analysis

Pricing: $10.99 / user / month

3. Wrike

Why use it:

• Allows multifunctional groups to centralize and track projects easily
• You get the flexibility of PM regimes –- you can manage projects with the waterfall model, Kanban (boards), or even scrum
• It enables clear visibility into project operations and allows teams to share files quickly and securely, partly because Wrike has a super-intuitive, easy UI

Drawbacks:

• Wrike seems to be designed especially for large companies and large teams managing numerous projects simultaneously
• Setting up Wrike can be quite overwhelming, mainly because the orientation instructions aren't very clear
• Personally, I found it frustrating when alerts kept popping up on the screen frequently, and with Wrike, there seemed to be an unbelievable number of such alerts

Pricing: $9.80 / user / month

4. Trello

Why use it:

• The Kanban-style board layout makes it easy to visualize the entire project at a glance
• The simplicity of moving tasks across lists, which makes it effortless to track progress
• The real-time updates and notifications keep everyone informed
• Ideal for small to medium-sized projects that require a user-friendly and visually appealing project management platform

Drawbacks:

• One area where Trello might benefit from improvement is in advanced project management features
• While it excels in managing smaller projects and simple task tracking, it may not be as suitable for handling complex projects with extensive dependencies, resource management, or detailed reporting

Pricing: $10 / user / month

5. Redbooth

Why use it:

• Redbooth is the happy marriage of usability and affordability. It prioritizes collaboration, speed and offers a wide range of dedicated features for discussions and teamwork
• It has everything a small to medium business would need to manage projects
• Its workload view feature is stunning — visualization like it should be
• The pricing for Redbooth is based on the number of users, meaning that you pay less if you have fewer users. This kind of pricing plan works well for SMEs

Drawbacks:

• The only issue I have with Redbooth is that it doesn’t look as slick as Slack, Asana, or Trello

Pricing: $9.00 / user / month

How to get your team to use and love PM software?

It doesn’t stop there.

Turns out, you can help your team adopt the PM software you carefully selected and bought.

It's not an easy task though.

According to Harvard sociologist Paul Lawrence, employees usually resist not the technical change, but the social change that comes with it – the change in how they work together.

Changing old habits and ways of working takes time. But you can be a good leader and ease your team into it.

Here are some tips:

1. Create a collaborative environment. Don't force sudden changes on your team, gradually get them to love the new software.
2. Do some research. Get demos and make sure there's support available if your team needs help.
3. Talk and get people talking. Discuss the tool with your team, ask questions, and answer them together.
4. Let your team know why it's great and how it’ll make their work easier, not harder.
5. Begin using the tool for simple tasks so that mistakes won't be too costly. Be patient with less tech-savvy teammates.
6. The new software may bring changes in how you work. It might feel overwhelming at first, but things will settle down with time.
7. Even after easing your team into the software, listen to their feedback. If chaos persists, consider if the tool is the right fit or if there's a better one for your team.
8. With time and effort, you'll have a powerful PM tool and a team of enthusiastic users who know it inside out.

Do this, and you'll have an amazing project management tool and a team of skeptics turned into enthusiastic users and now know it inside out.

Wrapping up

Project management is changing, and so are the tools and practices used by project managers.

Every day, there's a new tool that seems promising, and many of them can be worth trying out. It's a good idea to explore these viral tools as many of them offer trial versions.

Give all the tools that catch your eye a test ride and then settle on one that'll accelerate your team’s efforts.

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