Top 5 Project Management Software Solutions

Software that aims to enhance the productivity of a project team has to fulfil several criteria. Planners and managers need to have clear oversight and robust control of task milestones, resource assignments and budget constraints. The project team benefits if the package can provide automated task workflow features. And the project manager can save significant time if the software can produce infographics, charts and other reports in order to inform senior executives.

Project management works best when it is implemented in the context of a structured project management methodology, such as PRINCE2 (which is also a globally recognised qualification). When the whole team is working to agreed roles, principles, methods, planning structures and exception criteria, they will transition pretty smoothly to a software management system. The shared understanding of terms and methods helps to simplify the software implementation and improve engagement with it.

So let’s assess some of the most popular packages, and see what they can offer hard-pressed project teams.

1. Trello

Many professionals, including engineers, tend to view processes schematically, through detailed diagrams. They’ll find Trello aligns with this conceptual framework because it uses a visual approach to project communications and work processes. The “Trello card” is an innovative idea that allows project teams to cross-reference their working activities, using index words and phrases. Project tools can be integrated with project activities.

Trello fits well with many established project management methodologies like PRINCE2 and Six Sigma because it brings order to the communications overload that can engulf projects. Key information can get buried in email, causing major problems later in the project. Trello organises emails, phone messages, postings and other communication items on a “Trello board”. The information can then be indexed and cross-referenced. Teams can be set up by establishing a page for the team and simply inviting team members onto it. Anyone who has struggled with the Resource Assignment table in MS Project will appreciate this feature.

For teams where information sharing is key, such as those engaged in cultural change activities, this approach can deliver a controlled project environment

2. Asana

Like many newer software applications, Asana is web-based. While it tracks tasks and resources well, it also provides functionality to improve some of the areas that can be weak in project teams, especially if the team is geographically dispersed, for example in collaborative working. In more complex projects, there can be many proposals, specifications, deliverables and user reports being drafted and developed at any one time. Asana has a range of workflow type features and an especially useful function is the ability to track a review and approval process.

3. Teamwork

Any project using a structured project management methodology will take readily to Teamwork. It’s also a web-based software system, with an emphasis on collaborative working and creativity. However, that doesn’t mean it’s hard to integrate with structured methods such as PRINCE2. In fact, many of its features are a ready fit.

The key roles that you can set up in Teamwork could be PRINCE2 roles and the Project Activity Overview feature adapts readily to a series of planned stages, reflecting phases of the project’s work. PRINCE2 has a strong governance feature in that it lays down tolerance limits, and insists that breaches must trigger exception reports. This is particularly easy to replicate in Teamwork because it has a “notification preferences” feature.

4. Microsoft Project

The old warhorse of project management software. It’s always been a bit of an outrider in the Microsoft stable, particularly when it comes to user-friendly design. This is a shame because it leads to many project administrators and managers avoiding using it. True, some of its features, such as Resource Levelling do have users tearing their hair out. And MS Project has very definite ideas about whether tasks are resource-driven or fixed.

But if you have a large project team with a dedicated planner who knows MS Project, it can provide a powerful database of rates, resources, times, allocations, working patterns and so on. Its programmable fields provide a level of customisation and sophistication not available elsewhere – but it’s really for the specialist planner. If you want to plot Earned Value variables, MS Project can do it.

More recent versions have some very impressive executive reports that combine graphic and numeric information and are highly customisable.

5. Zoho

Zoho uses a Freemium pricing model, so you don’t have to pay unless you upgrade. However, you will probably need the features in the paid-for version, as the free one is very basic. Zoho has a strong time tracking function but is probably better for smaller teams operating in smaller organisations, possibly not using structured methodologies. That said, PC Magazine gave it a five star editor’s rating against some better known names, so it’s worth a look. Zoho promotes itself as a strong contender when used in the CRM context.