When you’re simultaneously managing many tasks across many teams and people, it can be a challenge, nay, a miracle, to hold all those balls up in the air.
Miss a deadline or have a team member get sick, and you’ll find yourself having to rearrange all the pieces, or even start everything over from scratch.
Luckily, the days of using whiteboards and post-it notes to track various tasks, milestones and deadlines are far behind us.
Now, you can find cool pieces of software that can do all the heavy lifting for you — from planning task lists and organizing schedules to team collaboration and project visualization.
To help you consider options, we’ll first look at what a work management tool is used for, key features that make for good management software, and how to choose the best one for your needs.
What is work management software?
Work management software is a useful digital tool that makes it easier for individuals and teams to break down projects and other work into smaller tasks with the aim of improving team collaboration and getting better business results.
The different work management software available today has a range of features and functionality that can help you plan, organize and track tasks and activities, no matter its scale and scope.
A good work management software will cut down the time spent on tedious tasks, improve team communication and have a good automation system to manage your workflow.
What is a work management software used for?
Work management software is usually synonymous with a project management tool, but it needn’t be restricted to the boundaries of project methodologies and frameworks.
For instance, it can be used for a series of tasks that don’t have an allocated budget or resources tied to it. Sending out an invoice or buying new office supplies, for instance.
Work management software can be equally used for non-project based activities that might apply to freelancers or a small team who want to cross small but important tasks off their checklist.
Depending on the kind of functionality required for your team, your software solution can fall under any of the following:
Whether you’re working on multiple projects or looking to keep on top of daily tasks, task management is a core function that is included in many management tools.
It refers to the ability to list, prioritize, and plan tasks from start to finish. Advanced features will include the ability to juggle timelines, budgets, and resources at the same time.
Team management
From keeping track of who’s working on what, to communicating with team members on progress, deadlines, and updates, a work management tool will usually include features that can allow you to easily be in touch with colleagues in place of back-and-forth emails or endless meetings.
Project management
PM software is usually based on a methodology such as Waterfall or Agile. Some PM tools may only support one type of project framework like Scrum, or Kanban. Others (like ours) will include a whole gamut of features such as task management, resource scheduling, time tracking, file storage, document sharing, and more.
Portfolio management is the organization of a company’s projects in compliance with strategic aims. So, this type of work management tool will be geared towards high-level planning and visualization of your portfolio.
From capacity planning to resource management, the work management tool will give you the functionality to manage workflows and collaborate on a deeper level.
What are the features of good work management software?
When you’re looking for good work management software, there are key features to consider.
Here’s what to look for.
Ease of use
Let’s face it. Nobody has spare hours in the day to spend on extensive onboarding sessions or learning how to use the product.
The software should have a simple and easy to understand interface that can let you spend minimal time figuring that out so you can use those hours on actual work instead.
Needless to say, it helps to have a project management solution that’s intuitive and easy to use.
Integration features
When team members use different tools to store and manage their work, it becomes important for project managers to be able to access all the files and documents in one place.
So, crucially, your software should support third-party integrations with popular tools such as Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox, etc. (Did we mention that we integrate with tons of tools you know and love?)
Visualization and reporting
When there are several moving parts involved, it’s easy to lose track of where your project is headed without a way to visualize it.
Strong visualization features such as a Gantt chart, timelines, calendars, and Kanban boards are a must if you want to easily track your projects.
Efficient reporting features that clearly display your key data can help you monitor tasks as well as the success of your project.
Customizations
Diverse teams and diverse projects call for a flexible and convenient way of doing things suited to your unique requirements.
There are many ways to manage a workflow, so it makes good sense to invest in a software that allows for maximum customizations. This is true whether you’re changing the look or view of your workflow, custom reports, branding, or color scheme.
Customer service
When something’s not working the way you want it to, who ya gonna call?
Ghostbusters.
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself there.
But, jokes aside, the true goal of any SaaS platform should be to go above and beyond being a good product.
Do they have a dedicated team to solve all your queries quickly and help you boost productivity? Is there a treasure trove of online resources and tutorials to make all your dreams come true?
Don’t forget to look for software that also offers you fantastic customer support (like we do…).
How to choose the best work management software
From project planning and automated workflows to visualization features that help you see your data and track progress — choosing a project management app or software is a solid way to plan your project and manage your team.
But, how do you choose the right project management app for you?
Consider:
What functionality you need
Start with an honest assessment of how your current solution falls short. Do you find that you spend a lot of time emailing and contacting team members about changes or feedback? Look for a software that allows you to communicate easily via in-app message boards or chat pop-ups.
Or, if you’re finding it a bit of a hassle to analyze and report data, look for strong reporting features that can make it easier for you.
The size of your team and their needs
Maybe you’re managing a small team and need a basic solution that helps you manage your team’s schedule and task lists. Or, you could be a high-level project manager who wants to track progress across several complex projects.
In that case, you’d need additional features such as project visualization and reporting.
Other business-critical projects will need advanced features such as budget management, expense tracking and resource assignment tools.
So, consider the size and skills of your team members and the complexity of the workflow as these will influence the kind of project management tools you require.
Your budget
Of course, pricing is an important consideration when it comes to project management tools. You’ll want the option that can give you the best value.
There are plenty of free tools available, but these usually have limited features. This may work just fine if you are a freelancer or part of a small team.
Other options cost anything from a few dollars a month to hundreds of dollars, depending on the number of users and the size of your team.
It’s helpful to keep in mind that work management software hosted on the cloud have tiered pricing plans that increase in cost based on the features and functionality offered.
So, it’s probably best to be clear about your requirements (the must-have features) and choose a solution which has the flexibility to grow as your team grows
Why is monday.com your best bet?
We’ve looked at what features make a good project management tool, and also looked at some key considerations to keep in mind when you’re looking for work management software.
Now, let’s get to the good, no, the really great part.
We believe that monday.com is the answer to everything you’ve been looking for, no matter the size and scope of your workflow.
Here’s why:
- A highly intuitive and visual interface with minimal onboarding.
- Dozens of integrations available with popular apps such as Zoom, Google Drive, Slack, Excel etc.
- Stunning data visualization options — map, calendar, timeline, and kanban
- Hundreds of automation features and customizable management templates that are an absolute breeze to use
- Personalized customer service from a team that’s there for you 24/7
Conclusion
When you’re deciding on a work management software, you’ll need to consider the size and needs of your team, what features can boost team productivity and how much you’re willing to spend.
No matter how simple or complex your requirements or the size and structure of your team, we’re confident that monday.com offers the best value in terms of features and benefits.Don’t believe us? See how we can help.
