Best Project Management Software - Pricing and Reviews

Project management software can help prevent endless meetings, complex spreadsheets and your desk from drowning in post-its. This article will look at how you can use it to collaborate in an efficient and effective way, plus some of the best project management software products on the market.

What is the definition of project management?

Project management is the leading of a team (by a project manager) to complete tasks that achieve set objectives within a specific timeframe and budget.

As well as costs and timelines, project management will outline:

Who is responsible for each task
What order the tasks need to be completed in
The current status of tasks
The workload of each member
Key milestones

Project management will allow for the early identification of any constraints in completing the project such as lack of time, resource, budget or skills required. These project risks can then be dealt with at the earliest possible opportunity.

What is a project?

A project can be done by one person or as a collaborative effort with a plan in place to complete a series of tasks in order to reach a particular goal.

Typically, a project will be split into five different process groups.

Project initiation

This will involve creating the project proposal and scope and conducting the relevant research including financial, stakeholder and SWOT analysis.
Project planning and design

Developing the schedule, budget, team, deliverables and the order that tasks should be delivered in.
Project execution

After approval of the project plans, the implementation of the project work begins with the coordination of resources to produce the agreed deliverables.
Project monitoring and control

This involves the management of the project, measuring that tasks are being completed as expected and dealing with any project risks as they arise to keep the project on track.
Project closure

The project is officially complete. At this stage, there will normally be a post-project review to see what went well and what could be improved on for the next project.

Checklist: What are the core project management principles?

Following the principles in the checklist below will help you to utilise project management software to best of its capabilities.

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Agreeing on the objectives

Strategic direction needs to be provided along with the agreed goals that everyone is working towards.

Setting the budget

Budgets should be set and agreed in advance.

Establishing the timeline

Scheduling and estimating the time for each task and therefore the overall project needs to be completed.

Defining team responsibilities

Assign tasks and the scope of each project member to make sure the project is properly resourced from a workforce and skill perspective.

Specifying key milestones

In order to track progress and to see if the project is on target, milestones should be set throughout.

Managing risks and changes

Any changes that occur need to be dealt with and the project altered accordingly so it can still meet the objectives within the project scope or any alterations to the scope need to be addressed and agreed.

Having accountability

There should be complete clarity as to who is responsible for completing each task and how.

Tracking progress

Success should be measured at the end of the project and also throughout.

When should I start using project management software?

If you have been assigned the role of managing a project, or perhaps you have inherited the project from somebody else, consider where the project is currently at and if the use of project management software would be of benefit.

Project management software is useful for:

Getting a team involved and working together
Communication
Assigning and managing tasks including seeing the order that tasks need to be completed in (the critical path or critical path management – CPM)
Checking the status and progress of tasks and the overall project
Monitoring risks

For its use to be successful, everybody on the project team should commit to using the same tool and updating it regularly. If the project is straightforward or there are only a couple of people involved, the setup, cost and use might go to waste and something like a spreadsheet could suffice.

What project management software is recommended?

Here are some of the most popular project management software products on the market and a summary of their main features.

Provider	Main features	Price
Asana	Projects as Kanban or lists Tasks Attachments Forms Proofing Calendar, dates, timelines, milestones Teams and guests	Per user per month: Basic – £0 Premium – £9.49 Business – £20.99 Enterprise – £Bespoke
Trello	Kanban boards (projects) and cards (tasks) easy to arrange (drag and drop) Attachments Checklists Colour coding Email notifications	Per user per month: Free – £0 Business Class – £8.20 Enterprise – £17.08
monday.com	Automate workflows Workload management Timelines Forms Calendar Formulas Time tracking Workspaces File sharing	Basic – £35/mo Standard – £43/mo Pro – £69/mo Enterprise – £Bespoke
Teamwork	Workloads Collaboration Tasks Milestones High level and detailed views Reporting dashboards – metrics and KPIs	Per user per month: Free – £0 Pro – £7.24 Premium – £12.06 Enterprise – £Bespoke
LiquidPlanner	Priority-based scheduling Collaboration Time tracking Analytics and reporting Document storage Workspace Chatter (chat) Access controls and client sharing Checklists	Per user per month: Professional – £36.19 Enterprise – £Bespoke
Basecamp	‘Campfire’ chat Message board To-do lists Schedules Notes and attachments Track work with Hill Charts File storage and complete version history Check-in questions Email forwards Reports Search Client access Dates and times integrate with Google Calendar/iCal/Outlook	£79.59 per/mo
Zoho Projects	Gantt charts Timesheets Project planning Feeds Reporting Collaboration Document management Issue tracker Chat Forums Google and Dropbox integration	5 tiers from free to £4.80 per user per month. Additional £8 per user per month for client users.
Wrike	Resource management Task management File management Time tracking Visual timelines Work intake forms Multiple projects and task views Templates Automated task assignments Custom workflow statues	Per user per month: Free – £0 Professional – £7.88 Business – £19.94 Enterprise – £Bespoke

*Costs for Wrike, Basecamp, LiquidPlanner, Teamwork, and Trello are based on XE.com exchange rate as of 18/05/20.

All of these tools integrate with third parties and are available with apps for use on mobile. Most of these software providers offer a free 14-day or month trial so dip your toe in and find out if the usability suits you and your team before committing to moving a large project on to the system.

End of Article

What are you looking for?

Choosing the best project management software

Jump to:

What is the definition of project management?

What is a project?

Project initiation

Project planning and design

Project execution

Project monitoring and control

Project closure

Checklist: What are the core project management principles?

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When should I start using project management software?

What project management software is recommended?

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What are you looking for?

Choosing the best project management software

Jump to:

What is the definition of project management?

What is a project?

Project initiation

Project planning and design

Project execution

Project monitoring and control

Project closure

Checklist: What are the core project management principles?

You must be logged in to use this checklist

When should I start using project management software?

What project management software is recommended?

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Choosing the best website builder for my business

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Register with Informi today:

I’ve been working through the how to start a business in 20 days ebook and so many of the things I’d done are now nicely tied together and some gaps now filled. I love the simplicity. Thank you.

I love receiving my Informi emails. They’re always well written and engaging.