In the world of jobs out there, especially in the IT sector, due to the increasing complexities of projects and the introduction of projects that require multi-disciplinary teamwork. In fact, in large companies, there are separate departments solely for project management. Project Management has become an integral part of the IT industry during the last decade.
There has been an increase in demand for applications that help project managers track each development pipeline involved in their project. As a result, there has been an influx of good software that advertise themselves as the best application with which you can make the life of the Project Manager a lot easier.
What is Project Management?
Project Management is the study of analyzing projects from different disciplines (especially software). It defines the workflow, calculates the feasibility of a project and the estimated time to complete a project along with weighing the pros and cons of taking certain decisions which will affect the product manager at a later date.
There are two phases of project management, they are:
- The Engineering Phase: In this process, the team will first decide on the end goal, the project milestones, the estimated project completion time, the budget for the project, and so on, and create plans based on that.
- The Production Phase: The production phase starts after the planning is made. The project workflow would be according to the plans and drafts made.
What is a Project Management Software?
Applications that track the status and progress of different project activities in a project are defined as project management software. They use cloud storage to store processes and generate insights/progress bars for managers to use and see the project.
There are some ways and models proposed to track and visualize different pipelines in Software project management. Some of the most popular Project Management methods used are the COCOMO model and the Agile model in many software projects. Some of the software can automate the generation of Gantt charts which optimizes the planning phase in project management much more than earlier processes or models.
Top Project Management Software of 2024
Many Project Management software available on the Internet require different skills to operate it. Some of the best Project Management tools that you can use are listed in this article along with their key features.
1. Monday.com
If you want the freedom to construct custom workflows and pipelines into a project and view its metrics, then Monday is the perfect tool for you. Monday gives you several services to optimize your project workflow ranging from Project Management services to creating your custom Project Workflows if none of the existing templates suit your needs.
Key Features
- Free of cost.
- Can create custom workflows for your project.
- Get a clear view of all activities.
- It is known for the smooth execution of features.
2. Smartsheet
If you need little to no code automation of tasks in your project, look no further after Smartsheet. It helps Project Managers with scaling projects, processes and programs. Smartsheet works best when you need to automate tasks. Smartsheet provides its services for free and promises to set up projects about 60 times faster.
Key Features
- Requires little to no coding.
- Free to use.
- Useful for scaling projects.
- Have the ability to automate tasks.
3. ClickUp
If you are looking for project management software that will provide support for teams working remotely, ClickUp is the project management software for you. The software is completely free of cost and will provide you with the necessary tools to create a great project dashboard.
Key Features
- Create dynamic dashboards.
- Free viewing accounts into the project for remote access.
- Workers can contribute to the project remotely.
- Free of cost
4. Kintone
Kintone is a professional project management software that provides you with the right infrastructure to build highly interactive business apps. They provide a cloud-based platform where data related to the project are stored in a common database. This ensures that you don’t need to dig up e-mails to find a PDF that was sent long back.
Key Features
- Can work with professionals for your project.
- You have a 30-day free trial.
- Get a 15-minute call with a business specialist for your project.
- Get a common database for easy storage and access.
5. Visor
Visor works best with collaborations in real-time. You can use Visor, with its bi-directional syncing, can enforce P2P (Peer to Peer) communication much easier and track their progress much more efficiently.
Key Features
- Easier collaborations in real-time.
- P2P communication is encouraged.
- Can track activity progress in real time.
- Has a free trial you can take advantage of.
6. QuickBase
If you are looking for no-code Project Management application software and dynamic workflow, QuickBase is the PM software for you. It provides free services not only for Software Project Management (SPM) but also for projects from other disciplines.
Key Features
- Little to no coding is required.
- Provides dynamic workflow with various customizable pipelines.
- Free services are provided.
- Has resources to handle projects from different disciplines.
7. GanttPro
If you are in need of efficient planning and scheduling, a Gantt chart is used to calculate the resources taken per day in a project. You can make your life easier by constructing online Gantt charts and plans so that you can send them to your teammates who are working remotely.
Key Features
- Used for planning and scheduling.
- Provides its services for free.
- Construct Gantt charts online for free.
- Can make visual representations to explain your strategy.
8. Quire
If you want to seamlessly integrate Kanban boards with a to-do list related to the project, then Quire is the best software for you. You can easily view the progress of various projects in a Kanban chart. It is used by Project Managers to be able to visualize work in real time, decrease the number of activities that are pending, and optimize workflow.
Key Features
- You can create Kanban charts for free.
- Can integrate a to-do list with Kanban charts to be able to focus on critical activities.
- Optimize your project workflows.
- Has a premium option for more dynamic services.
9. FigJam from Figma
For collaborative solutions and a high degree of customizability in workflow visualizations, FigJam provides you with free templates of various charts that you can use and customize workflows in. It is also free of cost.
These templates are extremely malleable and customizable to hold all the requirements for your Project Management software requirements. It also has a very easy-to-understand UI which will be helpful for beginners.
Key Features
- Get various SPM templates.
- Templates are customizable.
- Get more templates for free.
- Have a high degree of freedom.
10. Wrike
If you are an organization attempting to scale your services and need extremely dynamic Project Management software, then Wrike is for you. It is one of the most versatile team management platforms. It has partnered with numerous companies such as Pfizer, Siemens, and so on.
You can have views, and interactive dashboards, and also get automation services from Wrike. This makes it so that scaling your project will not be as tedious since Wrike will be able to manage the workflow.
Key Features
- Have free viewing accounts and interactive dashboards.
- Automate your services for free.
- Provides team versatility.
- Very helpful if you are trying to scale a project.
These are the best 10 project management software recommended by professionals for those trying to digitize their Project Management skills and get support.
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Conclusion
We know that Project Management is one of the most crucial roles out there. They are the glue that binds together the works of different teams and gets a cohesive product out of it. That in turn, also makes it one of the most difficult jobs to hold, especially with increasing complexity in projects. With Project Management software, hopefully, Project Managers will be able to reduce their workload and optimize their work processes by selecting the best software for their requirements.