Written by Nicole O’Connor, our Project Manager:
You are now working from home and so is your team. Before you were forced to work from home, you had your to-do lists and desk calendar filled with notes and activities. You were in the middle of multiple projects, as was your team. Now what? How do you manage to keep the projects and tasks moving forward when you are all in different locations? How do you know the status of what your team is working on when you can’t go stop at their desk and ask?
Project management software and tools have been around for years. And there are so many options available now, it is hard to discern what tool or app might be best. Do you need a full-on project management software? Or will a to-do list type of software suffice? Are there any that help you to communicate with your team and coworkers?
We took some time and did some research on some of the best rated tools out there currently and have included some information on those below. These tools all can provide:
- To do lists with reminders
- Ways to break down a large project into discrete tasks each with their own deadline
- Ways to manage team members and assign them tasks
- Ways for team members to easily see where a project is at any point in time
Most of these are offered as a basic, free plan and then some also have higher tier plans that range in price.
Asana
Asana is a project management platform that can be used both individually and as a team. Our own Project Manager uses it and finds it very useful. It is a very robust platform with plenty of customization available. You can view your tasks in a list, on a board or in Gantt form. You can add team members, communicate with them, assign tasks to them, and also get notifications when those tasks are marked complete. While it does take some time to get set up (as any app/software does), it would be a great tool for keeping your projects and tasks moving forward during these unprecedented times. It is an online platform that also has a mobile app associated with it, so you can get your tasks and to-dos on the go if you would like. Additionally, it also integrates with other apps as well, which might be important in some cases. There is a free version available, as well as paid versions, but the free version should suffice in many common situations.
Trello
Trello is another common platform that is available both online and via mobile. It is card based (Kanban) and works really well in scrum or sprint settings, but can be used by any kind of team or project manager. You can move cards (tasks) through different stages of the completion process, can assign tasks to team members and also set notifications as tasks are completed. This application also can be free, but the free version does have limitations on the number of team boards you can have (10). So, if you need more, you would have to go to one of the higher business plans.
Smartsheet
If you like spreadsheets, you will likely enjoy Smartsheet. Our Project Manager has also used this platform and highly recommends it, but… it does not offer a free version. You can manage projects and tasks using Gantt Charts, Kanban cards and lists. It is fully customizable and has tons of free templates you can use to get started. Pricing is $14/month per individual and collaborators can use it for free so only one of you should need to have the license. If, however, you want more than one person creating new sheets, then you would need a business license which is $25/month per license.
Freedcamp
Another platform that rates well and is team focused, is Freedcamp. It has a free plan as well as paid plans. It also offers all the same features as the others – Kanban cards, Gantt Charts, lists, calendars and also has a live stream/feed option that teams often like. It is chock full of features that your team needs to successfully complete any project.
A couple other platforms that are newer and seem to get great reviews but we don’t personally have any experience with – www.Monday.com and www.Airtable.com.
If you or your team is already using a tool you enjoy for managing your projects and tasks – send them along! We always like to hear input from those who are using these types of platforms and are always looking for ways to improve our own project management! Email your thoughts to nicole@kriegersolutions.com.