An overview of project management software
Whether you have a defined project management team or not, the right software can help you keep your work organized—and get everyone on the same page. Project management tools are a must-have for any growing team, and make it easy to streamline projects with the help of key features like:
Customizable project planning templates
Project workspaces and roadmaps
Automated task (and subtask) creation
Forms and custom fields
Shared project status dashboards and reports
Timelines and dependency tracking
Document management tools
In-app chats, comments, and messaging
Time tracking tools and timesheets
You can get as complicated as you want with a project management tool. For the simplest projects, a spreadsheet with Gantt charts or a text-based Kanban board will get the job done. When you’re dealing with multiple teams, dependencies, and milestones, a more complex tool with automations and dashboards will help you move progress forward.
Where to start: PM tools for every team
If you're running a small business or startup and working on simple projects with just a few steps, you might not even need a dedicated project management tool. You can stay organized with tools that you probably already have in your tech stack.
Use spreadsheets (like Google Sheets or Airtable) to create Gantt charts and task dependencies
Work together with Google Docs' team collaboration tools
Use a task management or to-do app like Todoist to track project due dates and assignments
Chat with team members about complex projects in Slack or Microsoft Teams
Types of project management tools
As your team grows, or you’re finding that your projects are becoming too complex to efficiently track in standard tools, you’ll need dedicated project management software.
Basic project management solutions
When you first upgrade from a basic docs-and-chats system, look for a lightweight project management app that lets you switch between different project views and streamline your workflows.
We like Hive and Trello for this purpose—they’re both straightforward PM systems that let every user choose whether they want to view tasks in a list, Kanban board, or calendar. You can attach docs, leave notes for colleagues, and connect services like Google Docs, too.
Trello’s unlimited storage and user-friendly power-up are particularly excellent, though, making it our first choice for a small team.
Comprehensive project management platforms
When you’re using tools like Trello, you’ll need to store your project documents in a separate file storage service, like Dropbox or Google Drive. If you’d rather have everything all in one spot, you’ll want to opt for a comprehensive project management tool.
ClickUp bills itself as “the everything tool”—and they aren’t kidding. It offers task lists, Kanban boards, documents, time trackers, forms, whiteboards, and dashboards all in one package. We like that we can work together and asynchronously in ClickUp without having to leave the app for other services.
If most of your projects are based around sales initiatives or development work, Monday.com is a great comprehensive choice. You can use the tool as a project manager similar to Trello and Clickup or turn it into a complete work management tool—complete with spaces for client projects, a sales-specific CRM, development bug tracking tools, sprint management, and more.
Enterprise-grade software solutions
While large organizations can make a tool like Hive work for them, these businesses are going to get the most out of a tool made for enterprise customers. Systems like Wrike, Asana and Smartsheet scale for use with large teams and offer robust user permissions tools so you can tailor every user’s view based on their role, assignments, and seniority. These tools also:
Comply with privacy regulations like HIPAA and GDPR
Allow you to track and audit usage logs
Automate tasks with department-wide project rules
Share select reports and data with stakeholders
Enterprise teams working exclusively in the E.U. can also get enterprise-grade features and GDPR compliance through Zenkit, too.
Specialized project management tools
All of the tools we’ve recommended for small and large teams have some similarities—namely, that they organize information in lists and boards depending on your preferences. There are other options, though.
For creative teams
We like Miro’s whiteboards that allow you to create all kinds of project tracking spaces. While you can add a Kanban board to Miro if you want to, it’s got flexible features that are great for:
Conducting brainstorming sessions with a mix of text and image content, then assigning action items
Turning whiteboards into easy-to-read summaries with AI
Seeing where and how coworkers are working in your project boards with real-time mouse cursor labels
For helpdesks and support teams
If your work is largely dependent on project-related tickets from your colleagues or customers, Jira is worth a closer look. The tool works as a standard project manager but also includes a service management system that lets you receive, log, and track tickets submitted by other people. It's a favorite of software development teams and other groups that work with a high volume of requests and need to avoid a backlog.
Project management software pricing
Small teams (under 10 people) can take advantage of the free versions of many project management tools, including Trello, Hive, and even Wrike. Free plans typically include some storage or feature set limitations, though.
As you grow—or if your team already requires more advanced features and extra user seats—you’ll need to start paying for a project management platform.
Mid-sized businesses can typically get a full-featured project management subscription for between $10 and $25 per user, per month. Many project management software platforms offer a few paid tiers based on available features, so start with the lowest level of functionality that you need. You can always upgrade as your company expands and adds new users.
Large businesses, or those with specific document security and integration needs, will need to get a customized enterprise quote from their project management software company of choice.
Remember, though, the big selling point of nearly all commercially available PM tools is that you can customize them to work the way you want. Pick a few, take them for a test drive, and see which ones work for your team.
