- Development
3 Project Management Tools to try today
Written by Alex Curtis
Choosing a project management platform is hard. Project managers will have dozens advertised to them on a daily basis. Let’s do a quick round up of our top three.
The most important aspect of choosing a system is finding the right one for your business needs.
Microsoft Project once led the way, however, more and more cloud platforms are changing the way companies work both internally and externally with clients.
In this article we considered the following:
- Overall features
- Ease of use
- Collaboration
- Integration with productivity tools
- Pricing
Let’s take a look at 3 project management tools examples.
Clickup
Clickup is a relatively new platform, but comes highly recommended.
It boasts features with both simple and complex components which can be completely customisable to every user’s view with adaptable integrations with many other services.
One of the distinct aspects of this platform is the ability to turn your KanBan boards into Gantt charts, which other platforms struggle to accomplish well.
Key Features
- Custom user views
- Turn your list of tasks into a Gantt chart
- Time tracking
- Inbox
- Reminders
- Add Custom fields in tasks
- Mind Map generator
- Built in Chat
Headline Benefits
Clickup employs both a standard KanBan board and a task list view.
However, one particular advantage is the ability to have subtasks which appear as a ‘sub-card’ within a task rather than it being a separate card task altogether.
The subtask cards can be moved into ‘in progress’ without affecting the parent.
The platform is fairly straightforward and easy to use accompanied with a modern UI.
However, with the large number of task updates it can become overwhelming for some.
Costings
Surprisingly, the free version offers a vast range of functions and the premium starts at £3.86 per user.
Inviting clients/guests is easily done whereby you can set reminders for upcoming tasks that depend on them.
Trello
Trello is no doubt one the more popular contenders in the market today with a platform that is extremely user friendly.
This web based tool allows you to create simple KanBan boards which allow for any small to medium sized business to streamline their daily tasks.
With the simple drag & drop functionality, each card can be moved, tagged, prioritized, commented, linked and more.
Key Features
- Detailed & quick overviews of front/back cards
- Easy drag & drop
- Easy organisation with labelling, tagging, comments
- Vast integration availability (e.g Slack)
Headline Benefits
Trello is easily set up, and you will almost need no guidance on how to accomplish actions and settings.
You can see an example of how it works here with various cards that can be opened, edited and moved to the next list.
Costings
While it may be good for smaller sized projects, many of the additional functionalities users want today can only be attained via ‘powerups’ (add-ons).
Adding each can become costly (for the free version) in the long run and does not necessarily work smoothly in our experiences.
The freemium offers unlimited personal boards & 10 team boards which is one of the biggest appeals for many businesses.
The premium package starts at £7.66 offering more storage, unlimited team boards and unlimited addons.
Basecamp
Basecamp is one of the older project management solutions, having been used for over 10 years.
With a big reputation, this is a highly credible tool for businesses working on large projects.
You can create to-do lists, message boards to discuss specific topics, real-time chat and more. One of the distinctive features is the client facing collaboration feature.
Key Features
- Message boards
- Real time chat (include DM)
- Robust Reporting
- To do lists
- File Storage system
- Check-in Questions
- Client Access
Headline Benefits
The great thing about Basecamp is that it aims to keep everything in one place rather than working with various external tools.
It is easy to use and can be implemented in large companies with fewer hurdles.
While it can accomplish most of the standard project management functions, it has some nifty features that make it stand out.
For instance, you can embed YouTube videos and tweets in messages, which replace internal company forums.
Client access allows you to track feedback within the platform and run them through approvals.
The built-in reporting tool ensures there are no discrepancies as it is using direct data from the project.
Costings
Overall, this is a fairly robust all-in-one package with the premium starting at £99/month, which may sound pricier, but it does not add fees per user.
This makes it most cost effective for larger teams and projects.
When compared to other tools aimed at large businesses, Basecamp easily falls on the cheaper end.
There is a free version available, however, it is limited to 3 projects and 20 users.
Conclusion
In conclusion, any of the three above will accomplish most project management related tasks.
However, you need to keep focus on what is lacking in your current structure.
For instance, if you don’t want to invest in a separate Slack Messenger tool, aim for Clickup or Basecamp whereas if you already use most of the additional features of these platforms externally, aim for Trello.
Keep in mind that a line has to be drawn on what features are essential and which aren’t, as the main focus should be which tools align best with the execution of your project.