Project Management Software

What is Project Management Software?

Teams have to handle several tasks at the same time, so relying on human memory to keep everyone organized is impossible. And trying to organize a group of people over email is only going to lead to disaster. Completing projects by a certain deadline and without blowing the budget, teams need to set deadlines, share documents, and write down information. Members of the team need to stay in communication with each other. When organizations start to get serious about managing their projects, it's time to invest in project management software.

Online project management systems are ideal for individuals working on projects and team collaborative efforts. These online systems create real-time workspaces where outside partners and team members can monitor each detail that brings projects to completion. They provide an overview of every project in progress as well as details about the daily tasks being done to help the projects progress.

The most effective project management apps allow teams to handle common issues, like missed deadlines, by automatically rescheduling tasks affected by the missed deadline. The app will create a report that helps managers access which teams have too little work, and which ones are overburdened. Several project management apps will keep track of the time spent working on projects and integrate this feature with invoice and billing systems.

The most important thing to realize is that project management is for project management, unlike work-management apps that are expressly for projects. It might seem obvious, but it's an important distinction to understand.

Projects are a very precise form of work. They have a start date, end date, and result in some type of deliverable. Coming up with a new look for a web page is an example of a project. However, maintaining the website is considered to be continuous work because it does not have a definitive start or end date. Another example of a project is the publication of a monthly magazine, whereas blogging is ongoing work. Blogging could, in theory, be seen as a project. However, because it involves very few people and the turn-around time is fairly fast, the use of a project management system would not be worth the effort.

Project management apps are the most beneficial for work that requires more than a couple of weeks to complete, and there are many people and a lot of steps involved.

How Does A Project Management App Work?

The responsibility of managing projects is the job of a project manager, even when the project employs the use of project management software. While the project manager may be the person who oversees the entire project and directs resources as necessary, the project manager is not the only person to use the project management app. When looking into a project management app, it's pretty noticeable that people work together to sort complex tasks into different components (milestones, tasks, and subtasks).

In the ideal scenario, each component of a task gets assigned to a specific person and the task has a deadline. Other team members have the ability to see who is responsible for a task. Members of the team can also see if the person is on track to meet their deadline. Having this level of insight is important. It tells people who may be working on a future part of the project that there is going to be a delay before it happens.

Being able to see the to-do list of every team member gives insight as to whether people are missing deadlines because the team's members are overworked. When a team member has six task assignments that are due within a day, the issue becomes obvious. It's probably a good idea to redistribute the work before they miss the deadline. By examining a Gantt chart, a feature available with project management apps, managers are able to see when team members are overwhelmed, or don't have enough to do. It allows managers to assess the workflow and distribute resources effectively.

Projects have assets that can range from detailed descriptions of the various components of the project and the project overall to a visual mock-up. Everyone on the team needs to have access to the assets. By using a project management app, the assets are contained in a centralized location.

Most project management apps will include storage, allowing the team to upload the file directly from the workspace. The files are stored in a place where the entire team can access and discuss them. Project management solutions also give users the option to upload the file to online storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive, letting team members connect or upload files to the data management system that are located in storage systems that are already in use.

Free Project Management Tools

There are free versions of project management software available, but these often have limited capabilities. The main limitation to using this free software is that organizations are limited to managing one or two projects. Also, the free versions of project management software may block certain features, or limit the amount of storage space.

Most project management apps will offer a two-week, at least, free trial. Once the trial ends, there's no longer a free tier of service. However, the services that offer free trials do require paying a fee once the trial is over.

It is useful to try free software while businesses decide whether or not to upgrade the services. However, most businesses will want features and storage capacity that is available with paid accounts. Businesses should try out products for more than a few weeks to determine which software works best for the business and its teams.

Which project management systems have a free version of their software? Teamwork Projects, Zoho Projects, ProofHub, Volerro, and Wrike all offer free versions. As previously stated, the free versions are limited to managing one or two projects. Wrike is the exception. Wrike limits the number of users to five, it does not give users proofing or approval tools, and 2GB of storage space.

Collaborative Software

Even though it seems like project management software and collaborative software may seem like they are the same thing, they are different. Project management apps are used to collaborate. However, project management software tends to be more specific.

Collaborative Software has many different services and apps that have features like video conferencing that lets two people work on a document simultaneously.

Currently, project management services have collaborative tools and roll communication incorporated into the software. These services also let businesses connect collaboration apps that the team may use services like Google Docs and Slack.

Whether the business uses communications tools that are available with the project management application, or an outside one, the idea is for the team to have a centralized workspace. Having one workspace allows the team to get access to necessary assets, notes from other team members, prioritized to-do list, a calendar to list milestones and deadlines, a place to pose questions, and a resource for answers. A few project management apps have features that allow billing and expense tools.

Workflow Management

As stated earlier, project management apps are created to manage projects but don’t really do much else. So, what types of work are not considered to be a project? Any ongoing work is not considered to be a project. Some examples of ongoing work include answering support calls. Ongoing work is also characterized by tasks that are recurring.

People see the need to use workflow management tools for ongoing work, not project management apps. Project management apps and workflow management software do have some intersection in what they do in theory. Both help people document the tasks that need completion and when the tasks need to get done. However, project management apps have more features that help to create a structure for moving work along. This partly because the app does not make any assumptions about the work getting done. The task has a start and end date. There is also a deliverable at the end of the work. Workflow management also does not make as many assumptions as to the nature of the work being managed and the best ways to get it done. So, workflow management tools tend to offer more flexibility. Workflow management allows the user to choose how they want to use the tool. Project management apps usually don't allow this. The usage of project management apps is slightly more rigid.

Workflow management is hard to categorize because it can be handled as a standalone issue and at other times is used in conjunction with other apps. For example, the Asana app can handle workflow management. All-in-one work hubs like Podio and Workfront also have workflow management tools. However, the user will need to add these tools to their account. The interesting thing about these apps is that neither workflow management or project management is not the core of these services. These are apps that can get added to the account.

Another type of workflow management software is Kanban boards. Kanban is a work style. Derived from Japanese culture, it was commonly used in manufacturing to ensure on-time delivery. Today, kanban apps are commonly used in software development teams. The kanban system is centered on visuals and is good for managing how much additional work a team receives before the work currently in progress is completed. The concept is to keep the work flowing, but not in a way where workers become overwhelmed by too many requests. Businesses do use kanban boards to manage projects. However, kanban apps aren't designed to be project management apps.

Some project management apps are designed to also work with workflow management apps. Of course, this depends on how the apps are implemented. Two examples of apps that can do both are Clarizen and Wrike. Volerro gets included in this list because it gives users a kanban-style experience, which is beneficial to managing workflows.

Software for Task Management

Task management software has some differences when compared to project management software. Most project management apps do include task management features. However, if the business only needs task management, they can get the app independently.

Asana is one of the best task management apps. It is also a good example of a workflow management app. By using Asana, tasks can get assigned to individuals. Users can also give the tasks descriptions, assign deadlines, and attach documents. The assigned tasks do not need to be a part of a larger project.

Task-management apps are good for managing ongoing work. Projects can also get managed in Asana. However, it does take more effort to use the app for project management. The following analogy can explain Asana.

If a kanban board or the Asana app is a deck of cards, project management apps are a board game. Board games have rules, and the game is fun when it gets played as it was intended. A deck of cards can be played in any way the user chooses to play with it. There are games designed for decks of cards, but users can also create their own game. It is important to say that before playing a card game, all players are aware of the rules and agree to them. There's no set of written rules to determine gameplay.

Using a task management app works with a similar concept. Users will spend a lot of time deciding how they want to use it. While these apps do offer flexibility, determining how it works for the business can be a matter of trial and error.

This does not mean that project management systems lack flexibility. In a board game, users can still decide to alter the rules or create their own. But board games are purchases with an understanding that they are most effective when they get used for their intended purposes. Businesses that use project management apps know that apps are being used to manage projects. The managing of products will involve assigning tasks and deadlines, monitoring the progress of the work, logging billable hours, and more.

To-Do List Software

To-do list apps often get confused with project management apps. A few of the to-do apps do have collaborative functionality and give users the ability to create projects. While it is possible to assign a person something to do and create a deadline. It also gives the task creator the ability to see if the task got completed. Even with these capabilities, to-do apps and project apps are not the same.

To-do list software has the same issues as task management apps. They don't allow users a full range of tools and features to track complex projects from beginning to end. Collaborative to-do apps are ideal for light work. They are also ideal for households with more than one person and families. However, they won't create a Gantt chart or figure out how much more needs to get accomplished before starting a project's new phase. Todoist Premium and Asana are both good collaborative to-do apps.

Small Business Project Management

Small businesses use project management software to avoid the overwhelming nature of working in email. Selecting the right project management can eliminate email, but this doesn't occur overnight. It will take time for employees to become familiar with the software. It also takes time for organizations to find the best uses for the software.

Enterprises and small businesses will not have the same needs. But, it's important to find the tool that best meets the needs of the business.

Another characteristic used to determine if the project management solution works best for the business is how the vendor charges. A per-month-fee is typically how enterprises get charged to use a project management platform. Project management software vendors that work with small businesses charge a flat monthly fee for a specific number of licenses or unlimited licenses. The issues aren't whether small businesses should not use software that large enterprises use. However, when software designed for large enterprises is used by small businesses, it may be too much for them. Small businesses may end up spending more money on features that they don't need.

A factor that also differentiates project management platforms is the permission levels. Work front has different permission levels. They are different for portfolio managers, team members, and executives. Having these differences amongst the corporate hierarchy ensures that everyone has the correct access levels. In extremely small businesses, each employee plays multiple roles, so establishing permission levels may not be beneficial. There are several other differences that businesses should consider: work style, the structure of the team, and the type of business.