Project management is the key to delivering successful projects. It involves utilizing various resources and techniques to plan, organize, and control the work necessary to meet project goals, within a specified timeframe and budget. From allocating resources and setting schedules, to tracking progress and ensuring quality standards are met, effective project management ensures a project is completed on time, on budget, and to the required standards. The goal of project management is to bring together all the elements necessary to meet project objectives and deliver a successful outcome.
According to some sources, only 58% of organizations fully understand the value of project management. As per Wellingtone’s survey, only 22% of organizations use project management software which is very low. According to some sources, 77% of high-performing projects use project management software and 66% of project managers are willing to use project management software more extensively if they get support from their organizations.
Project management can be a complex and challenging task, especially for large and multi-disciplinary projects. Fortunately, there are a multitude of tools available that can make the process smoother, more organized, and efficient. In this blog, we will be showcasing the best project management tools available in the market, covering their features, pricing, pros and cons. Whether you’re a small start-up or a large corporation, you’re sure to find a tool that can help streamline your project management process.
Features of Project Management Tools:
Some common features of project management tools include:
Task and project tracking: Project management tools allow teams to create and track tasks and milestones, assign deadlines and resources, and monitor progress.
Collaboration: Many project management tools have features that allow teams to communicate and collaborate in real-time, such as chat, file sharing, and task assignment.
Resource management: Some project management tools have features that help teams plan and allocate resources, such as budgeting, time tracking, and resource scheduling.
Reporting and analysis: Many project management tools have built-in reporting and analysis capabilities, allowing teams to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and make data-driven decisions.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Project Management Tool
The right project management software can be a powerful asset for any project team. It brings focus to project goals, increases collaboration and communication, and helps teams stay organized, saving time and money. With so many options available to project teams today, it can be difficult to choose the best project management software. Therefore, you should consider these factors before finalizing a project management tool:
Easy to use is an important factor for selection because all your team members should be well equipped with the PMS to make the processes simpler.
You must consider the size of your team as it will help you in selecting the appropriate plan.
Make sure the PMS has sufficient file storage capacity.
Security is crucial so that your data and ultimately your project is in safe hands.
Clear dashboard view.
Project management tools should have accounting tools.
Ability to share files externally.
Customization abilities should be verified so you can make minor changes and present the same information to your stakeholders.
Integration with other apps.
Scheduling ability is crucial so that your projects can be managed efficiently with the help of Gantt charts.
Task management efficiency.
Real-time reporting helps in saving time and collecting information from all the places and generating reports that reflect the live data.
Best Project Management Tools for Startups
There are many different project management tools available for startups, ranging from simple task management tools to more comprehensive project management platforms. The right tool for your team will depend on the size and complexity of your projects, as well as your team’s specific needs and preferences. So, here we’ve listed the best project management software tools:
Kissflow is a cutting-edge project management platform designed to streamline an organization’s operational processes. It offers streamlined automation, simple and user-friendly operations, advanced analytics, and global scalability. With Kissflow, companies have the ability to manage and collaborate on departmental projects easily in real-time. This includes assigning tasks, setting goals, tracking progress and completion of tasks, newsletters or company announcements, tracking project budgets much more. Kissflow also comes with a visual workflow designer for organizing tasks into automated workflows optimized for efficiency. Furthermore, all activity is monitored and accounted for in the built-in audit trail feature that is available on all modules, making changes in process models easier than ever. Overall, Kissflow provides companies with the tools they need to ensure successful operations while harnessing their data within a single system!
Features of Kissflow
The kissflow project management tool features an array of features designed to make multi-team collaboration quick and effortless.
This feature seamlessly integrates with other important business tools such as Slack, G Suite, Microsoft Office, Outlook, and more.
It enables efficient task management, project tracking, team communication, and real-time monitoring of key performance metrics.
Users have the ability to create custom workflows and set milestones for projects with ease.
Pros
Cons
Works for any project size and industry
Project setup can be time-consuming
Drag-and-drop interface for customization
Interface may be complex for non-technical users
Multiple views on a single dashboard
Difficulty exporting reports
Affordable pricing starting at $19/month
Delayed technical support; limited access to older POs
Pricing Packages of Kissflow:
Kissflow has three plans Small Business plan for Smaller teams, a Corporate plan for Growing companies, and Enterprise Plan for large organizations. Pricing details of each package are given below:
Microsoft Project is a powerful yet easy-to-use PMS tool designed to help businesses and individuals track their projects and gain insight into their progress. It is the go-to program for creating detailed task lists, scheduling tasks for completion, tracking resource availability and utilization, assigning budgeting to tasks, and you can even see how much longer your project will take if something changes! Microsoft Project provides an array of features that make it one of the leading project management platforms. You can define milestones and goals, as well as monitor individual tasks. Instantly view reports like critical path analysis to keep you informed about task duration and have a visual representation of the entire project timeline. With all this user-friendly yet detailed data at your fingertips, you’ll never worry about missing any important details like budget or due dates when managing your projects!
Features of Microsoft Project
It features robust task and resource tracking, with features such as grouping tasks and overviews of resources used in task assignments.
It also features a Gantt chart view for visualizing project timelines and dependencies, as well as features for budgeting, forecasting, and cost analysis.
With Microsoft Project’s features, organizations can have better visibility into their project status and make timely adjustments according to cost or timeline pressures.
Pros
Cons
Flexible and user-friendly interface
Overwhelming for beginners
Tracks tasks, progress, and costs
Requires learning project terms
Automates tasks with reminders & alerts
Limited reporting options
Real-time collaboration: tasks, files, comments
Poor third-party integrations
Pricing Packages of Microsoft Project:
Microsoft Project has divided its pricing plans into two categories i.e. Cloud Based Solutions and On-Premise Solutions. Plans and pricing details for each category are given below:
Zoho is the most popular brand to provide different kinds of tools for startups.Their Zoho Projectsstands out as one of the best and simplest project management tools. It helps you plan your projects, track work efficiently, and collaborate with your team, wherever they are. It can be very helpful for streamlining upcoming work with just a few clicks. The best part of Zoho Projects is that it can be integrated with Zoho CRM and another tool to manage all the aspects of the agency in one system.
Features of Zoho Projects
With its range of powerful, customizable tools, it is easy to create websites, store files securely, automate processes, and collaborate with colleagues.
Features such as Message Boards allow users to engage in discussions across multiple channels.
Zoho offers a Price Calculator feature that helps customers easily calculate pricing plans scaled to their needs.
Customers have access to customer support services for any issues or concerns that might arise during their usage.
Beyond these features though, more than 80 intuitively designed third-party apps integrate seamlessly with Zoho’s infrastructure so that all your digital needs can always be met.
Pros
Cons
Works on any platform or device
Limited third-party integrations
24/7 customer support with tutorials
Requires choosing between Zoho or other apps
Multiple data backups for secure storage
Occasional bugs and glitches
Pricing Packages of Zoho Projects:
Zoho Projects has three plans Free, Premium, and Enterprise which are extremely affordable. Pricing details of each package are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Free
INR 0, Up to 3 users
Premium
INR 280, Up to 50 users/billed annually
Enterprise
INR 630, Unlimited Users users/billed annually
ClickUp
Website
Clickup.com
Rating
4.7/5
Free Trial
Free Forever
Platforms supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
ClickUp – project management tool dashboard
ClickUp is a project management platform that aims to help teams organize and manage their work more effectively. It is one of the best project management tools used by a lot of companies and startups. It provides a range of features to help teams plan, track, and collaborate on projects, including task management, project planning and scheduling, real-time communication, and document sharing which makes it a must-have project management tool for teams.
Intro to ClickUp – Project Management Tool
Features of Clickup
With Clickup PMS you can easily create and update tasks.
You can assign or reassign tasks, set due dates and tags, prioritize tasks with checklists, organize projects with boards and lists, and track progress with dashboards.
You can easily log time directly from the task lists, generate automated reports to track the performance of your team, add comments or documents to tasks, delegate responsibility for every task, and much more.
Pros
Cons
Efficient task and workflow tracking
Steep learning curve
Automates reminders, milestones, and tasks
Difficult to navigate
User-friendly interface for all teammates
Limited customization on some plans
Offers templates for workflow customization
Integration issues with other apps
Pricing Packages of ClickUp:
ClickUp has a Free plan which is limited up to 100MB storage. Paid plans include Unlimited – best for small teams, Business – best for mid-sized teams, Business Plus – best for multiple teams, and Enterprise – best for many large teams. Pricing details of each package are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Free
Free Forever
Unlimited
$5, billed annually
Business
$12, billed annually
Business Plus
$19, billed annually
Enterprise
Custom Plans
Scoro
Website
www.scoro.com
Rating
4.5/5
Free Trial
14 days
Platforms supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Scoro – project management tool
Scoro is a project management and productivity software that helps businesses streamline their work processes, track time and expenses, and manage projects and tasks. It also has a time management tool that includes team calendars, shared tasks, timesheets, automated time tracking, and plans and optimizes the team’s time usage for projects. Its other features include projects with sub-tasks and deadlines, detailed reports of progress and finances, real-time KPI dashboard. The tool is designed to help businesses improve their efficiency and productivity, enabling them to complete tasks and projects more quickly and effectively.
Features of Scoro
Scoro is a revolutionary project management and works automation platform that helps you bring structure and order to your processes.
It seamlessly integrates all of your business needs, from lead management and billing to CRM and reporting, into one powerful system.
Its key features include task automation, real-time reporting, full team visibility, online file storage, custom branding settings, and more.
With its intuitive design, you can maximize efficiency while tracking budges and time limits with ease.
Pros
Cons
Flexible for various industries
Occasional downtime and user errors
Customizable workflows
Complicated interface to navigate
Advanced task management, timesheets, reporting
Higher price for freelancers
Smooth user experience tailored to business needs
Outdated design for some users
Pricing Packages of Scoro:
Scoro has four pricing plans, Essential at $26 per user/month, Standard at $37 per user/month, Pro at $63 per user/month, and Ultimate has a custom pricing model. All of these plans come with a free trial period. Pricing details of each package are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Essential
$26 per user/month, billed annually
Standard
$37 per user/month, billed annually
Pro
$63 per user/month, billed annually
Ultimate
Custom Plans
ProofHub
Website
www.proofhub.com
Rating
4.5/5
Free Trial
14 days
Platforms supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
ProofHub – project management system
ProofHub is a versatile project management system used by leading organizations like NASA, Disney, Taco Bell, and many more popular firms. ProofHub has all the features your team can collaborate, plan and organize to deliver a project on time. The features include assigned user roles, online team discussions and chats, task delegating, and assignments. ProofHub has all the right tools under one roof that your team need to work together in the easiest, fastest and smartest way to complete a project.
Features of ProofHub
Proofhub is an efficient, user-friendly program that features such as automated workflow management, document collaboration features, tasks and reminders organization, time tracking features, and a client portal.
With Proofhub you can manage several projects as well as collaborate with remote teams.
This feature-rich program comes with a great user interface which makes it appealing to all users.
You also have the ability to designate permission settings for other team members so everyone can access the information they need quickly and easily.
By adding checklists and custom statuses within tasks, you can be sure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to updates on each project.
As you can see all these features help make Proofhub an invaluable organizational tool for any business organization.
Pros
Cons
All-in-one project management and collaboration
Limited set of features
Assign tasks, deadlines, track progress, comment
Missing team chat or calendar
Customizable tools for workflow
Slow customer support response
Intuitive interface for beginners and managers
Relatively high subscription fee
Pricing Packages of ProofHub:
ProofHub has two pricing plans, Essential at $45 per month and Ultimate Control at $89 per month. The Essential plan is limited up to 40 projects whereas Ultimate Control offers ultimate projects. ProofHub offers flat pricing. No per-user fee in both of its packages. ProofHub has made task management less stressful for teams. It is also available for Android and iOS users. Pricing details of each package are given below:
Basecamp is a web-based project management and collaboration tool, preferred by thousands of project management teams because of its modern social-media-like interface. Basecamp has all the tools that a team needs to boost productivity at work. It provides a variety of tools and features to help teams plan, track, and collaborate on projects, including to-do lists, file storage, message boards, and scheduling tools. Basecamp is designed to be simple and easy to use, with a focus on keeping teams organized and on track.
How Basecamp Works – A Quick Overview
Features of Basecamp
Basecamp is a great tool for project management and collaboration.
It features a versatile platform, allowing users to keep track of tasks, messages, and timelines with ease.
Basecamp also features tools such as To-Do lists, scheduling tools, team collaboration tools, and file sharing capabilities.
It also provides users with secure storage for their data to ensure the contents remain safe from unauthorized access.
It makes team collaboration easier and more efficient which cuts down cost-wise without having to exchange documents through emails or in person.
Pros
Cons
Simple and intuitive interface
Subscription cost based on users/groups
Clear task assignments for all members
Limited customization options
Facilitates team communication
Can be complex for new users
Works across devices for remote collaboration
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Pricing Packages of Basecamp:
Basecamp has 2 pricing plan that is Basecamp and Basecamp Pro. A free trial of Basecamp is also available.
GanttPRO is one of the best project management software that allows teams to plan, schedule, and track projects using Gantt charts. It has been appreciated by 500K+ project managers all across the globe. GanttPRO allows users to create and edit Gantt charts, assign tasks to team members, and track the progress of projects. It is a useful PMS tool for saving time, rise teamwork efficiency, less missed deadlines, and also saving expenses on project management. The best features of the GanttPRO include keeping all resources engaged and balanced, keeping all the comments, attachments, and notifications, and also offering project templates for an easy start.
Features of Ganttpro
Ganttpro PMS offers features to help project managers and teams immensely. With Ganttpro, you can map out projects from start to finish with a visually appealing Gantt chart that shows each task and its place in the overall timeline.
It’s incredibly easy to add tasks, create dependencies between them, or adjust the duration of any task.
Ganttpro also features resource management capabilities for accurate tracking of people assigned to tasks and an impressive array of customizable export options for collaboration purposes.
By using these features, project leads can save time managing their team and maximize efficiency in executing the project.
Pros
Cons
Tracks progress, tasks, and resources
Can be buggy with task conflicts or missing files
Easy drag-and-drop interface
Troubleshooting can be time-consuming
Customizable reporting and analytics
High monthly fee for some features
Real-time team collaboration
Limited customization of project style
Pricing Packages of GnattPRO:
GnattPRO has four pricing packages Basic, Pro, Business, and Enterprise. The basic plan is for small teams looking for basic project management features. The Pro plan is for teams who are looking to streamline their teamwork and automate the project planning process. The business plan is for companies who are working on comprehensive projects and need to optimize resource workloads. The Enterprise plan is for organizations that are looking for advanced security, control, and support options. Pricing details of each package are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Basic
$7.99 per user per month, when billed annually
Pro
$12.99 per user per month, when billed annually
Business
$19.99 per user per month, when billed annually
Enterprise
Custom Plans
Redbooth
Website
Redbooth.com
Rating
4.4/5
Free Trial
14 Days
Platforms supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Redbooth Project Management Tool
Redbooth is an easy-to-use project management software that allows managing projects the way one wants including kanban boards or lists to organize tasks and time tracking to see how the time spends. Redbooth also has a library of project templates to start the projects out with a click. The features include project and task planning, share virtual team workplaces, and HD video conferencing for collaboration.Redbooth is also available for iOS and Android users.In addition, it offers detailed productivity reports, direct messaging, visual project timelines, and business chats to keep all the work on schedule.
Features of Redbooth
Redbooth is an online collaboration platform designed to help teams work better together and get more done.
It features a powerful task management system for creating tasks and organizing them into projects.
Task creation features include the ability to assign specific tasks to team members, attach files from Dropbox or other shared folders, and categorize tasks within projects.
It sets due dates with notifications and reminders, assigns workflow rules based on features, labels, or assignees, tracks time against project tasks, and much more.
Redbooth also features great communication tools with options such as real-time messaging between team members in individual rooms or open chats with all project members at once.
With Redbooth integrations available like Zapier, IFTTT, and Bitium users can further increase the efficiency of their projects by automating processes across multiple services.
Pros
Cons
Improves communication and task visibility
Interface can feel clunky
Intuitive task assignment and due dates
Basic features require premium plan
Centralized project file storage
SMS notifications need extra add-on
Keeps teams coordinated and organized
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Pricing Packages of Redbooth:
Redbooth has three pricing plans which are Pro at $9 per month and Business at $15 per month per user when billed annually. The Enterprise plan offers custom pricing.
Plan
Pricing
Pro
$9 per month, billed annually
Business
$15 per month, billed annually
Enterprise
Custom Plans
nTask
Website
www.ntaskmanager.com
Rating
4.4/5
Free Trial
7 Days
Platforms supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
nTask – project management software
nTask is a popular project management software that is specially designed for smart teams. It is an online collaboration platform and has all the tools a team needs to complete a specific project. nTask is one of the best project management tools as it has many features which include tasks and project management, time tracking, and more.nTask can also be used as an online meeting software for productive team meetings.
Features of nTask
nTask is a great project management tool that features loads of features to help you work smarter.
It includes features such as an activity log with a time tracker to monitor your progress, multilingual support, and task categories to categorize tasks and easily keep track of them.
nTask PMS also features collaboration features so you can share files, assign tasks right from the app, sync other task-related applications, and see changes or updates in real time.
It has powerful customizable reports with crucial data on a project timeline, cost, resource availability and utilization, and much more. With nTask’s features, you have complete control over your projects without any hiccups!
Pros
Cons
Comprehensive project and task management
Full features require paid subscription
Organize tasks, assign members, set deadlines, track progress
May be too complex for small teams
Smooth, intuitive, and responsive UX
Some templates are hard to modify
Central dashboard with real-time collaboration
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Pricing Packages of nTask:
nTask offers one of the most affordable pricing plans in the industry. It has three pricing plans, a Premium plan for startups who just getting started with project management, a Business plan for teams who are looking to create projects and plans with confidence, and a third plan Enterprise for teams who are looking for customizations, enterprise-grade security, and advanced features. Pricing details of each plan are given below:
Celoxis is an award-winning all-in-one project management tool that combines classic project management methodologies with modern agile approaches and workflow automation. Many organizations use Celoxis to plan and track their projects. It is also used for resource management, project accounting, and portfolio management. The features include all-in-one management tools, easy collaborations, easy customization, an advanced reporting engine, and more. Celoxis easily allocates resources to tasks based on availability, demand, and skills. It is known for its flexibility and customization options, allowing users to tailor the software to their specific needs and workflows.
Getting started with Celoxis
Features of Celoxis
Celoxis PMS features a comprehensive suite of project management features for businesses of any size.
Its features allow businesses to manage activities such as resource allocation, project scheduling, budgeting, reporting, collaboration, and more.
By having features tailored to each organization’s specific needs, Celoxis helps teams effectively plan projects from start to finish.
With features like dashboards and activity feeds, Celoxis provides real-time visibility into every aspect of project progress and provides useful insight into different parts of both a single project and multiple projects.
Celoxis offers two pricing packages i.e. Cloud and On-Premise. The pricing is $22.50 per month for Cloud and on-premise is a custom plan. You will get the best-unmatched features, at a fraction of the cost.
Plan
Pricing
Cloud
$22.50 per month, billed yearly
On-Premise
Custom Plans
Cage
Website
Cageapp.com
Rating
3.5/5
Free Trial
Free Forever
Platforms supported
Web
Cage – project management tool
Cage is a project management tool that is all about improving the way creative teams collaborate and work. It helps the team to manage the project and have active discussions. The top features include managing and creating projects, making notes and comments under tasks, keeping track of all revisions, getting approval from clients, having video conversations, and also having password protection for the projects. It also helps in saving time, facilitating design feedback, managing deliverables, organizing projects, and also track the progress of the work to check what’s going on.
Features of Cage
Cage is a powerful tool that offers features to help developers quickly build and deploy applications.
It features a runtime environment with the ability to detect and correct misconfigurations, memory leaks, misuse of system resources, potential attacks, and other coding errors.
The tool also features an intelligent editor that can detect coding errors before they become a problem in production.
Cage app features an integrated web console that provides administrative features and analytics that are easy to use and understand.
The tool also features a robust API which allows developers to easily integrate it into their existing development pipelines.
Pros
Cons
Simplifies development for complex projects
Complex and time-consuming for beginners
Detailed insights into architecture and functionality
Cage combines project management and efficient collaboration. It offers one Free plan, perfect for anyone just wanting to try Cage, and two paid plans one of which is the Standard plan, perfect for freelancers and small teams, and the Professional plan, ideal for teams or agencies looking to consolidate their media collaboration and project management in one place.
Asana is an innovative tool for project management and task tracking. It is one of the most popular web-based applications available today. Asana’s key features include collaboration among team members, time and productivity tracking, email integration, cost management, and task assignment capabilities. With Asana, managers can easily assign tasks to their respective teams as well as receive updates on progress made. In addition, they can also set deadlines and set priority levels for individual projects or tasks. This user-friendly platform ensures that everyone is accountable and on track with their tasks while enabling collaboration between team members. Asana offers a great way to stay organized and take control of projects in a structured manner – making it an ideal tool for both businesses and teams alike!
Features of Asana
Asana features offer unlimited potential for collaboration. With features such as project plans, tasks, notifications, comments, and conversations – Asana provides individuals and teams with all the tools they need to plan and manage projects of any complexity or scale.
Asana’s flexibility also makes it a great resource for tracking all kinds of critical day-to-day operations as well.
Team members can attach files, integrate with other popular apps, create custom workflows, collaborate in real-time, and view their work in a visually appealing layout.
Pros
Cons
Track project progress with dependencies and deadlines
Free version limited to small teams
Collaboration tools: threads and calendars
Can become unorganized for large teams
Integrated analytics for team performance
Status-based restrictions limit some actions
Clear task overview and versatile collaboration
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Pricing Packages of Asana:
It offers one Basic Free plan, perfect for individuals or teams just getting started with project management, and two paid plans one of which is the Premium plan, perfect for teams that need to create project plans with confidence, and the Business plan, ideal for teams and companies that need to manage work across initiatives.
Plan
Pricing
Basic
US$0, Free Forever
Premium
US$10.99 Per user, per month, billed annually
Business
US$24.99 Per user, per month, billed annually
Wrike
Website
www.wrike.com
Rating
4.2/5
Free Trial
15 Days
Platforms supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Wrike – Best Project Management Software
Wrike is an online collaboration and project management software. It makes it easy to organize and manage tasks and projects, with its powerful dashboard that enables users to view assigned responsibilities, access project timelines, log comments and reviews, and submit progress reports. It also helps teams to collaborate better with powerful communication tools such as private/public chat threads, group video/voice calls, live document editing, and more. Wrike is perfect for teams of any size that value efficient communication and task delegation for the on-time completion of projects.
Features of Wrike
Wrike is a popular project management software, and it offers features that help make project coordination simpler.
With Wrike’s task assignments, users can keep tabs on who’s been assigned what tasks.
Users can also share files amongst team members and view documents collaboratively.
Integrating with third-party applications such as Dropbox and Google Drive makes it easy to monitor progress across a variety of platforms and stay up to date on deliverables.
Pros
Cons
Easy task creation, assignment, and tracking
Steep learning curve
Real-time calendars for team members
Mastering all features can be difficult
Integrated commenting for instant feedback
Unique conventions may overwhelm new users
Pricing Packages of Wrike:
It offers a Free plan, best for teams getting started, and four paid plans i.e. a Team plan, best for growing teams, Business plan, best for all teams across an organization, an Enterprise plan, best for large teams, and the Pinnacle plan, ideal for teams with complex work needs. Pricing details of each plan are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Free
$0 user/ month
Team
$9.80 user/ month
Business
$24.80 user/ month
Enterprise
Custom Plan
Pinnacle
Custom Plan
Trello
Website
Trello.com
Rating
4.4/5
Free Trial
14 Days
Platforms supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Trello PMS
Trello is a fantastic PMS tool to help organize and manage projects of any type. It consists of boards, lists, and cards that allow you to create visuals around the progress of your project. At the top of each board is a description, allowing users to easily understand the scope and goal of that particular project. Underneath that description, there are lists, which can be titled whatever the user wishes – such as “To Do” or “In Progress”. Within each list, there are cards, which basically act as tasks for you or your team members to complete for that list. Each card contains various fields like description, due dates, labels, and comments to efficiently track any progress with each task. Trello allows you to collaborate easily with your team by assigning them cards directly or simply having them check in on their progress in one convenient location.
Features of Trello
It provides features such as boards and lists, cards with checklists and due dates, the addition of members and observers, file attachment capability, ability to add annotations to boards and cards, integration of other applications such as Slack or GitHub, and real-time notifications.
These features make it easy for teams to collaborate efficiently on tasks that need to get done on time.
With Trello, users can create project boards with features such as assigning members to tasks, setting timelines, and receiving progress emails.
Trello provides users with an effective platform for organizing their projects in order to reach their goals in a professional manner.
Difficult for larger teams without grouping options
Collaboration: boards, calendar, comments
Free version lacks key features
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Task clutter can reduce visibility of priorities
Pricing Packages of Trello:
Trello offers a Free plan, best for individuals or teams looking to organize any project, and three paid plans i.e. a Standard plan, best for small teams that need to manage work and scale collaboration, a Premium plan, best for teams that need to track and visualize multiple projects, and the Enterprise plan, ideal for organizations that need to connect work across teams with more security and controls. Pricing details of each plan are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Free
$0
Standard
$5 per month when billed annually/ $6 when billed monthly
Premium
$10 per month when billed annually/ $12.50 when billed monthly
Enterprise
$17.50 when billed annually for 50 users (Custom plan depending on no. of users)
MeisterTask is a web-based project management software that enables teams to track and organize their tasks. The intuitive interface makes it easy to set up projects with customized categories and labels, while the drag-and-drop feature allows users to quickly assign tasks and deadlines on the main task board. With integrated calendar views and other collaboration tools, MeisterTask promotes an efficient workflow perfect for both individual freelancers and teams working together. Moreover, its robust integration with many popular applications lets users extend its features as much as needed. In short, MeisterTask stands out as one of the most flexible and capable project management solutions in today’s market.
Features of Meistertask
Meistertask offers features that make it easier for businesses of all sizes to work collaboratively and efficiently.
One of the features it provides is real-time task tracking, which enables team members to keep tabs on progress and deadlines in one place, quickly and easily.
Project boards can be customized for each project or team, giving users even more insight into how their projects are progressing.
Pros
Cons
Assign, track, and prioritize tasks collaboratively
Subscription-based service
Visual task boards with assignees and due dates
Limited customization and integrations
Activity reports for quick updates
Counterintuitive user interface at times
Drag-and-drop task organization
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Pricing Packages of MeisterTask:
MeisterTask offers a Basic Plan which is a free plan for a single user, and three paid plans i.e. a Pro plan for small teams, a Business plan best for large teams, and the Enterprise plan for large companies with specific requirements. Pricing details of each plan are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Basic
$0
Pro
$4.19 per month
Business
$10.39 per month
Enterprise
Custom Plan
Teamwork
Website
www.teamwork.com
Rating
4.5/5
Free Trial
30 Days (upto 5 users per plan)
Platforms supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Teamwork PMS Tool – Free Project Management Tools for Startups
Teamwork PMS software is an invaluable resource for organizations looking to achieve efficient and successful teamwork. It provides an innovative management tool that allows teams to collaborate, centralize data, assign tasks, prioritize goals, and track progress in real-time. By giving team members the ability to quickly access and update project progress on a platform, it makes it much easier for everyone to stay organized and on top of the workload without any manual overhead or added complexity. Additionally, with features like analytics monitoring and customized reporting insights added into the mix, users have at their disposal the ability to better understand the efficacy of their team’s efforts. Teamwork project management software is an invaluable resource that can help businesses maximize their productivity and keep groups from becoming disorganized.
Features of Teamwork
The TeamWork project management tool is incredibly powerful and allows teams to collaborate more effectively than ever before.
With features such as task tracking and assignment, budgeting and time tracking, team chat, and document management, this type of software allows teams to increase efficiency in all areas of their project.
It also features a visually engaging dashboard which allows you to easily check progress and assign tasks with ease.
One of the main features is the ability for multiple users to access the same documents at once, allowing for greater collaboration between members of a team.
Pros
Cons
Clear communication, organization, and structure
Requires reliable internet
Internal messaging and task lists
Limited progress without access to files
Assign and track tasks in real-time
Data vulnerability with cloud storage
Collaborative document sharing
Compatibility issues between systems
Promotes accountability and efficient workflow
—
Pricing Packages of TeamWork :
TeamWork offers a Free Forever Plan which is a free plan for Up to 5 users, and three paid plans i.e. a Deliver, Grow, and Scale plan. Pricing details of each plan are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Free Forever
$0, Up to 5 users
Deliver
$9.99 per user per month billed annually, 3 users minimum
Grow
$17.99 per user per month when billed annually, 5 users minimum
Scale
Custom Plan
Airtable
Website
www.airtable.com
Rating
4.6/5
Free Trial
Free for forever
Platforms supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Airtable – new project management tool
Airtable is a relatively new project management tool for collaboration and organization. It’s a cloud-based platform for entering and storing data, organizing information, automating workflows, and building apps. Airtable has become incredibly popular as people have realized its potential to automate processes and make them easier to manage. It also boasts an impressive array of customizable features that offer users the opportunity to tailor their experience to meet their particular needs – whether they’re tracking large projects, small tasks, or anything in between. Airtable differs from other productivity tools since it works more like a spreadsheet but with the added benefit of being collaborative – allowing multiple users to easily access, view, and edit information from different computers. It serves as a powerful solution for those looking for an efficient way to manage workflows or keep track of information.
Features of Airtable
Airtable is a flexible and powerful tool for organizing data.
It features an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, enabling users to quickly set up databases with structured tables of text, images, videos, and more.
Its features are built around flexibility and collaboration – its powerful sorting capabilities allow users to find exactly what they’re looking for quickly and easily, while its collaborative features enable teams of any size to work together seamlessly on any project.
Pros
Cons
Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
Free plan limits premium features
Powerful search, automation, collaboration tools
Some integrations require paid subscription
Custom views with filtering, sorting, grouping
Mobile app has limited features
Advanced scripting for productivity
Updates cannot be opted out of
Pricing Packages of Airtable :
Airtable offers a Free Plan for individuals or very small teams just getting started with Airtable, and three paid plans i.e. a Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plan. Pricing details of each plan are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Free
$0
Plus
$10 per seat per month when billed annually
Pro
$ 20 per seat per month when billed monthly
Enterprise
Custom Plan
Paymo
Website
www.paymoapp.com
Rating
4.7/5
Free Trial
15 Days
Platforms supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Paymo – online project management system
Paymo is a popular online project management system that helps teams plan, track, and invoice their work. With Paymo, users can create projects and break them down into tasks, assign them to team members, set deadlines, and track progress. The time tracking feature allows users to record the time they spend on each task, which can then be used to generate invoices for clients. The team collaboration feature allows users to communicate with each other, share files, and collaborate on tasks in real time.
Features of Paymo
Task management
Time tracking
Planning & scheduling
Resource management
File management
Financial management
Client & team collaboration
Customization
Mobile solutions
Analytics & reporting
Invoicing & online payments
Profitability tracking
Pros
Cons
Customizable interface with fields and reports
Wide range of features can overwhelm beginners
Mobile apps for iOS and Android
Customization options may be limited
Integrates with Google Calendar, Trello
Fewer integrations compared to other tools
Pricing Packages of Paymo:
Paymo offers a Free Plan for personal use, and three paid plans i.e. a Starter Plan – A complete suite for freelancers, Small Office Plan – For small teams & departments, and a Business plan – For medium & large teams. Pricing details of each plan are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Free
$0 / user / month
Starter
$4.95 / user / month when billed annually
Small Office
$9.95 / user / month when billed monthly
Business
$20.79 / user / month when billed monthly
Monday.com
Website
Monday.com
Rating
4.6/5
Free Trial
14 Days
Platforms supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Monday.com – Best Startup Project Management Tool
Organize your enterprise assets with ease using Monday.com which is a is a cloud-based Work OS – a customizable project management platform. With monday.com, you can manage not only your physical assets but also streamline workflows and increase productivity through features such as no-code automations and integrations. Visual boards ensure teamwork alignment and effective collaboration, while dashboards provide a clear overview of progress and outcomes. It has a user interface resembling an Excel spreadsheet and provides robust capabilities for organizing and monitoring daily work processes.
Features of Monday.com
A monday.com board is a digital table used to organize tasks.
Monday’s checklists break down larger tasks into manageable sub-tasks.
Monday offers automation for tasks, including recurring tasks, and improves work processes.
Monday integrates with various external apps to improve data sharing and teamwork within your workplace software.
Monitor and visualize key data and KPIs with Monday’s graphics and tracking features.
Project Management, a quick tutorial | monday.com tutorials
Pros
Cons
Forever free plan available
Difficulty in tracking project goals
Built-in time tracking feature
No option to assign comments to team members
Various board views
Insufficient task dependency capabilities
Monitor progress with Gantt charts
Restricted activity log
Mobile app for remote management
No idea management tools
Pricing Packages of Monday.com:
Monday.com offers a Free Plan, and four paid plans i.e. Basic, Standard, Pro and Enterprise. Pricing details of each plan are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Individual
$0 Free Forever
Basic
$8 / seat / month when billed annually
Standard
$10 / seat / month when billed annually
Pro
$16 / seat / month when billed annually
Enterprise
Custom Price
Jira
Website
Jira
Rating
4.5/5
Free Trial
7 Days
Platforms Supported
Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Jira – Best Startup Management Software
Jira, part of Atlassian, is a top project and issue-tracking tool for development and technical teams. It helps users plan, track, and complete tasks efficiently, including recurring tasks.
The free plan supports up to 10 users, while paid plans offer AI features to simplify tracking and collaboration. Jira provides multiple views—lists, boards, timelines, and calendars—and includes drag-and-drop forms, automation rules, and many integrations for flexibility.
With mobile apps, you can manage tasks, create issues, track progress, and collaborate from anywhere, with the same features as the web version.
Features of Jira:
Task and project management with support for recurring tasks
Multiple workflow views: lists, boards, timelines, and calendars
AI-powered automation for task tracking and collaboration
Drag-and-drop form builder for custom workflows
Extensive library of integrations with other tools
AI-powered automation for tracking and collaboration
Can feel overwhelming for small teams
Drag-and-drop form builder for custom workflows
Pricing can be high for larger teams
Extensive integrations with other tools
Some features require paid plans
Mobile apps for on-the-go project management
—
Customizable dashboards and reporting
—
Pricing Packages of Jira:
Plan
Pricing
Free
$0 for up to 10 users
Standard
$7 / user / month when billed annually
Premium
$14 / user / month when billed annually
Enterprise
Custom pricing
Conclusion
Whether you are a new startup or a freelancer you must need a project management tool to accomplish your short-term goals. There are many different project management tools available, and the right one for your team will depend on the size and complexity of your projects, as well as your team’s specific needs and preferences. Ultimately, the right project management tool can help teams work more efficiently, stay organized, and deliver projects on time and within budget.
FAQ’s
What are project management techniques?
Project management techniques refer to the specific approaches and methods that project managers use to plan, organize, and control projects.
Why project management is important?
Effective project management is essential for the success of any project, large or small. It helps ensure that projects are completed efficiently and effectively and that teams are able to deliver high-quality results that meet the needs of stakeholders.
What are the three main types of project management software?
Three types of project management software include standalone project management software, integrated project management software, and collaboration software.
What are some top project management software tools to use in 2024?
Some popular project management software tools options to use in 2024 include:
Zoho
ClickUp
Scoro
ProofHub
Basecamp
GanttPRO
Redbooth
nTask
Celoxis
Cage
Is project management software secure?
In general, project management software is designed to be secure and protect the confidentiality and integrity of your data. However, it is important to follow best practices such as using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, and using encrypted connections to ensure that your data is secure.
What is project management software for?
Project management software is designed to help businesses and individuals track projects, tasks, and schedules.
At times when the internet is flooded with chaos both inside and outside the organisation, project managers face numerous challenges, from meeting deadlines to coordinating teams and ensuring effective resource allocation. However, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has paved the way for innovative solutions that can enhance project management efficiency and productivity. By integrating AI-powered project management tools into their workflows, project managers can streamline their processes, improve decision-making, and optimize resource allocation. Today, we shall hover upon the top AI-powered project management tools available and how they can revolutionise project management practices.
AI-powered project management tools offer a wide range of benefits that can greatly enhance project management practices. These benefits include:
Efficient Recruitment Process: AI tools can match the skills of potential candidates with the requirements of a project, streamlining the recruitment process and ensuring the right talent is onboarded.
Automated Resource Allocation: AI-powered tools can automate the allocation of resources, ensuring optimal utilization and distribution of team members based on their skills and availability.
Real-time Performance Monitoring: AI tools provide real-time monitoring of project progress, enabling project managers to make data-driven decisions and take immediate action when necessary.
Improved Decision-making: AI-powered project management tools provide valuable insights and recommendations, helping project managers make informed decisions and mitigate risks effectively.
Now, let’s delve into the details of some of the top AI-powered project management tools available in the market:
ClickUp
Website
www.clickup.com
Rating
4.7
Free Trial
Yes
Platforms Supported
Web, IOS/Android
ClickUp – Top AI-Powered Project Management Tools
ClickUp is a comprehensive project management software that offers an array of AI-powered features to enhance project planning, collaboration, and efficiency. With ClickUp’s AI capabilities, you can summarize texts, write and edit documents, generate action items, and more. The AI-powered Strategy power-up allows you to brainstorm ideas, plan marketing campaigns, and optimize workflows. ClickUp’s intuitive interface and customizable project views make it a popular choice among project managers.
Key Features of ClickUp:
AI Summarization: Summarize lengthy texts and documents in seconds.
Writing and Editing Assistance: Generate well-written documents and edit drafts effectively.
Action Item Generation: Automatically generate action items from discussions and meetings.
Strategy Planning: Brainstorm ideas, plan campaigns, and optimize workflows.
Plan
Pricing
Free
$0/Month
Unlimited
$5/Month
Business
$12/Month
Business Plus
$19/Month
Enterprise
Custom
Hive
Website
www.hive.com
Rating
4.6
Free Trial
Yes
Platforms Supported
Web, IOS/Android
Hive – Top AI-Powered Project Management Tools
Hive is a project management platform designed for seamless collaboration and productivity. Hive’s AI-powered feature, HiveMind, suggests subtasks, creates logos, writes reports, and provides presentation overviews. It integrates smoothly with popular tools like GitHub, Jira, and Slack, making it an ideal choice for technical project managers.
Key Features of Hive:
Subtask Suggestions: AI-powered suggestions for breaking down tasks into subtasks.
Content Generation: Generate logos, reports, and presentation overviews.
Integration with Popular Tools: Seamless integration with GitHub, Jira, Slack, and more.
Forecast – Top AI-Powered Project Management Tools
Forecast is an AI-powered project management platform that offers predictive capabilities and resource optimization. With Forecast’s AI, you can predict project risks, receive cost-cutting insights, and optimize resource allocation. It also provides advanced financial management features for better ROI analysis.
Key Features of Forecast:
Risk Prediction: AI-powered risk analysis and prediction.
Cost-cutting Insights: Receive valuable insights to optimize project costs.
Resource Optimization: Optimize resource allocation based on AI recommendations.
Financial Management: Advanced financial management features for better ROI analysis.
Plan
Pricing
Lite
$29/Month
Pro
$49/Month
Plus
$69/Month
Notion
Website
www.notion.so
Rating
4.7
Free Trial
Yes
Platforms Supported
Web, IOS/Android
Notion – Top AI-Powered Project Management Tools
Notion is an all-in-one workspace that combines note-taking, project management, and collaboration tools. Notion’s AI capabilities can identify action items, generate notes and takeaways from meeting minutes, and even brainstorm creative ideas. It offers seamless integration with popular tools like Slack and GitHub.
Key Features of Notion:
Action Item Identification: AI-powered identification of action items from meeting minutes.
Note Generation: Generate notes and takeaways from discussions and meetings.
Idea Brainstorming: AI-powered idea generation for creative projects.
Integration with Popular Tools: Integration with Slack, GitHub, and other popular tools.
Plan
Pricing
Free
$0/Month
Plus
$10/Month
Business
$18/Month
Enterprise
Custom
Asana
Website
www.asana.com
Rating
4.4
Free Trial
Yes
Platforms Supported
Web, IOS/Android
Asana – Top AI-Powered Project Management Tools
Asana is a widely used project management tool that offers AI-powered features to optimize resource management and workflow efficiency. Asana’s AI capabilities provide insights for resource allocation, workflow optimization, and answer questions about ongoing projects. It can also generate compelling responses to improve communication and collaboration.
Key Features of Asana:
Resource Management Insights: AI-powered insights for efficient resource allocation.
Workflow Optimization: Recommendations for optimizing workflow efficiency.
Project Q&A: AI-powered answers to questions about ongoing projects.
Communication Enhancement: AI-generated responses for effective communication.
Trello is a popular project management tool known for its intuitive Kanban boards. It offers several AI-powered power-ups, such as Strategy AI and Notes & Docs, for strategic planning, content generation, and brainstorming. These power-ups can help project managers optimize their processes and generate high-quality content.
Key Features of Trello:
Strategy AI Power-up: AI-powered strategic planning and campaign optimization.
Notes & Docs Power-up: AI assistance for generating drafts and brainstorming ideas.
Kanban Boards: Intuitive Kanban boards for visual task management.
Plan
Pricing
Free
$0/Month
Standard
$6/Month
Premium
$12.50/Month
Enterprise
Custom
Monday
Website
www.monday.com
Rating
4.7
Free Trial
Yes
Platforms Supported
Web, IOS/Android
Monday – Top AI-Powered Project Management Tools
Monday is an all-in-one project management platform that offers AI-powered features to automate tasks and generate insights. Monday’s AI can automatically generate tasks, summarize complex topics, extract action items, and build formulas for metric calculations. It simplifies project management processes and saves valuable time for project managers.
Key Features of Monday:
Task Generation: AI-powered task generation based on project requirements.
Topic Summarization: Summarize complex topics for better understanding.
Action Item Extraction: Extract action items from discussions and meetings.
Formula Building: Create formulas for metric calculations and data analysis.
Plan
Pricing
Free
$0/Month
Basic
$8/Month
Standard
$10/Month
Pro
$16/Month
Wrike
Website
www.wrike.com
Rating
4.2
Free Trial
Yes
Platforms Supported
Web, IOS/Android
Wrike – Top AI-Powered Project Management Tools
Wrike is a comprehensive project management tool that offers AI-powered features for task prioritization and resource optimization. Wrike’s AI provides recommendations for task prioritization, analyzes historical data to provide insights on delays and resource optimization, and can even generate subtasks based on your ideas.
Key Features of Wrike:
Task Prioritization Recommendations: AI-powered recommendations for task prioritization.
Resource Optimization Insights: Advanced insights on resource utilization and optimization.
Delay Analysis: Analyze historical data to identify potential delays.
Subtask Generation: Generate subtasks based on your ideas and project requirements.
Plan
Pricing
Free
$0/Month
Team
$9.80/Month
Business
$24.80/Month
In conclusion, AI-powered project management tools offer a host of benefits to project managers, including improved efficiency, optimized resource allocation, and enhanced decision-making. Whether you’re looking for AI capabilities to automate tasks, generate insights, or streamline collaboration, there’s a tool available to meet your specific needs. Evaluate the features, pricing, and integrations of each tool to determine the best fit for your organization, and unlock the full potential of AI in project management.
Remember, the key to successful project management lies in leveraging the power of AI to streamline your processes, optimize efficiency, and achieve better outcomes. Embrace the future of project management with AI-powered tools and take your projects to new heights of success.
FAQ
Which AI tool is best for project management?
Best AI tools for project management include:
ClickUp
Hive
Forecast
Notion
Asana
Trello
Monday
Wrike
How do I use AI for project management?
AI can streamline project management by automating task tracking, providing insights through data analysis, and improving resource allocation. It helps optimize workflows and enhance decision-making.
What is an example of artificial intelligence in project management?
An example of AI in project management is using AI tools like Wrike or Asana to automate task prioritization and resource allocation, improving efficiency and decision-making.
Project management uses specialized knowledge, skills, procedures, and strategies to accomplish specific and measurable project goals. Project managers assume responsibility for the entire project lifespan, from beginning to end. They play an important role in supervising and directing the process of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling. It is their duty to guarantee that the project is finished on time and within the specified budget.
Project management also includes quality control measures to verify that project deliverables match specified standards. This emphasis on quality improves client happiness and the organization’s reputation. Depending on the nature of the project and the preferences of the business, many techniques, such as Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, and others, give frameworks and approaches for effective project management.
Reading project management books can be beneficial to both beginners and seasoned experts. You can improve your skill set and effectiveness by picking up strategies from experienced authors. Reading books on the various techniques can help you become acquainted with their frameworks, allowing you to select the best approach for your specific needs.
In this article, we dive into some thoughtfully chosen picks from an enormous library of knowledge that will provide you with the blueprint to reach all your objectives.
The fundamental idea is that the Scrum methodology is a new way of project management and team collaboration that can assist teams in achieving productivity gains of up to 1200%. It is based on the authors’ experiences as Scrum co-creators as well as their work with various sectors and organizations. They go into the roots of Scrum, its evolution, and the essential ideas that make it effective. One of the key subjects discussed in the book is the implementation of Scrum, not only in your business but also in both personal and life planning to achieve your objectives.
Making Things Happen
BOOK
Making Things Happen
Author
Scott Berkun
Goodreads Rating
4 out of 5
Project Management Book – Making Things Happen
Making Things Happen by Scott Berkun is a best-selling collection of writings on project management and team leadership. Using his Microsoft project manager background, Berkun offers guidance and views on project management’s complex issues and challenges. He emphasizes that successful project management entails more than simply tools and methods; it also includes understanding people and effective communication. It stands out for its blend of practical guidance, real-world examples, and the author’s entertaining writing style, which provides a holistic vision.
Project Management Book – HBR Guide to Project Management
The Harvard Business Review’s HBR Guide to Project Management is a comprehensive resource that offers assurance and tools for setting and achieving wise objectives. The book provides ways for breaking down large undertakings into smaller, more achievable tasks. It even gives practical suggestions on developing a schedule that accounts for all parts of a project. The article discusses ways to finish a project, evaluate its success, and capture lessons acquired for future proposals.
Risk Up Front
BOOK
Risk Up Front
Author
Adam Josephs and Brad Rubenstein
Goodreads Rating
3.6 out of 5
Project Management Book – Risk Up Front
Risk Up Front facilitates reengineering how technology programs are run to prioritize finding and mitigating risk until the cross-functional team is confident and can “commit” to a schedule. The book focuses on the principles of project management in a complicated context. It underlines how costly it is to make modifications as projects progress, emphasizing how crucial early risk identification and mitigation are.
Project Management JumpStart
BOOK
Project Management JumpStart
Author
Kim Heldman
Goodreads Rating
3.6 out of 5
Project Management Book – Project Management JumpStart
Kim Heldman is a well-known author and project management expert. Her book seeks to provide a complete introduction to fundamental project management principles and methods. To guarantee a project’s success, the book highlights how important it is to manage logistics, including finances, schedules, and resources. It has been completely rewritten to coincide with the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide).
The ONE Thing
BOOK
The ONE Thing
Author
Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Goodreads Rating
4.1 out of 5
Project Management Book – The ONE Thing
The book, released in 2012, centers on prioritization and the notion that people can accomplish remarkable things if they pick and concentrate on the most crucial activity. Individuals can obtain more significant results in less time by focusing on the most critical training, resulting in higher productivity, revenue, and overall success. The notion is that you should only focus on one item at any given moment. As a result, devote uninterrupted time to the most essential tasks. The book also debunks the misconception of multitasking as well as its harmful influence on time.
What the Heck is EOS?
BOOK
What the Heck is EOS?
Author
Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer
Goodreads Rating
Nil
Project Management Book – What the Heck is EOS?
What the Heck is EOS? is a book aimed to get employees interested in the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) approach and technologies. The book is written in clear, straightforward language and includes questions about each tool managers and employees can use. It goes over the foundational tools of EOS and how they affect workers, such as the People Analyzer, the Weekly Meeting Pulse, the Accountability Chart, the Vision/Traction Organizer, Rocks, and Scorecard and Measurables. The book is intended to assist employees in having a better understanding of EOS and using it effectively to achieve goals.
The Lazy Project Manager
BOOK
The Lazy Project Manager
Author
Peter Taylor
Goodreads Rating
3.5 out of 5
Project Management Book – The Lazy Project Manager
The Lazy Project Manager illustrates how we can do more with less effort and time. It disputes the widely held belief that project managers must continuously engage by highlighting productive laziness. The book is intended to assist project leaders in working smarter, not harder, by reducing their burden and focusing on the most important duties. Explore the art of delegation and how it can improve the effectiveness of your project management. Taylor claims empowering team members and believing in their abilities could result in better project outcomes.
Conclusion
The sphere of project management is broad, dynamic, and constantly changing. Each book on this list adds a unique jigsaw piece to the puzzle of successful project execution. As professionals turn to these publications for direction, they acquire theoretical knowledge and the instruments and strategies required to address the intricate problems surrounding project management.
Project management involves specialized knowledge, skills, and strategies to achieve specific project goals within budget and on time.
Why should I read project management books?
Reading project management books helps both beginners and seasoned professionals enhance their skills and effectiveness by learning from experienced authors and gaining insights into different methodologies.
What are some recommended project management books?
Scrum by Jeff Sutherland and J.J. Sutherland
Making Things Happen by Scott Berkun
HBR Guide to Project Management by Harvard Business Review
Risk Up Front by Adam Josephs and Brad Rubenstein
Project Management JumpStart by Kim Heldman
The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
What the Heck is EOS? by Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer
Taskade is an all-in-one task management tool that is developed to help you keep track of your to-do list. It is available as a mobile app as well as a browser extension to assist you in organizing your tasks.
It is designed to manage your daily tasks, write notes, organize projects, and collaborate with your team. It was founded by John Xie, Dionis Loire, and Stan Chang in 2017. They believe that the future of work is remote, asynchronous, and real-time.
The app stores the tasks online and thus, allows the user to access them from anywhere across the globe. Further, it allows you to track your progress in real-time.
The idea behind Taskade is to bring all the tasks and notes of a team into a unified workspace. This will allow the teams to get the work done together, faster and smarter.
Taskade was built to help the teams stay competitive in the modern workplace. This app aims to cut down unnecessary friction in planning, organizing, and decision-making.
The app has received a 4.5-star rating on Capterra, G2, Producthunt, and a few other similar authentic app reviewing websites.
In this blog, we will discuss in detail the various features of this app and also its pros and cons.
As per their website, Taskade is designed to serve a number of purposes for different works and professions. The different features of this app are:
Taskade Website
1. To-do list: Whether it is a daily task list, your weekly goals, or a long-term project Taskade helps you keep track of everything. Not just this, you can list your work in the order of priority and also share the information with your team in real-time.
This helps you to keep everyone in the team updated about the changed priorities and remind them of their current tasks.
You can also make to-do lists for your personal tasks to make the most out of your day by always knowing what to do next.
2. Mind mapping: Mind mapping helps you retain information better by visually connecting concepts to help your brain remember ideas through association. It aids in understanding complex concepts by breaking them into small pieces.
The mind-mapping feature of Taskade will note down your ideas as soon as they arrive giving you an opportunity to capitalize on inspiration.
Taskade lets you switch between multiple project views. It lists down your thoughts via list view and toggles to your mind map view to visualize your ideas in a mind map.
3. Multi-tasking: Taskade helps you to organize and manage your tasks and project from start to end. It maintains multiple tasks together and breaks down complex tasks into smaller segments so they can be finished on time.
It lets you manage your limited resources to juggle multiple tasks in terms of their priority and complexity. It uses advanced task management features alongside a basic to-do list to track and check the completed tasks.
Taskade’s customizable board views include a list view, board view, mind map view, action view, and an organized chart view.
4. Collaboration: Taskade puts everything online you can access and manage your task from any corner of the earth. Moreover, Taskade helps you collaborate with your team on different projects and set due dates for your projects.
It helps you maintain a firm relationship with your team irrespective of where you are. It has free unlimited video conferencing and video chat features available on it. Moreover, setting meetings through Taskade is easy, so you would not need an IT expert. It works across the devices and thus, saves your time and energy.
Uses of Taskade
Although this app can be used by anyone looking to organize their work with the features mentioned above a few specific professions can draw more benefit out of this app in comparison to others. These include:
1. Remote work: Taskade allows the team members working remotely to work in collaboration in real-time. It brings the projects on one platform and allows the teams to Sync up, hold meetings, meet clients, share projects, assign tasks, track progress, etc.
The design of the dashboard is simple that allows the user to manage all the tasks with ease. It enables the user to organize tasks, write notes, and collaborate together from any location.
2. Startups: Startups can use Taskade for free by simply logging in through your Google account. It allows the team to stay onboard as all the team members are able to see the tasks assigned to other team members and also participate in the management of tasks.
3. Non-profit: Taskade offers free project management and collaboration software for non-profit organizations.
Like any other organization, NPOs also face issues in managing teams and projects. Taskade helps them with multiple aspects such as event planning, managing volunteers and fundraising activities.
It is designed to work efficiently to enhance the productivity of the teams without raising the costs as the tool is free for non-profit organizations.
It helps in managing the projects and task lists by using customizable board views. Further, free and unlimited chat and video conferencing are available on the app that allows the teams to collaborate in real-time without any trouble.
4. Education: Taskade for education is a simple tool to keep up with the schedule. It helps the students in staying organized and keeping track of their assignments, projects, and homework, all in one place.
It is a completely free application without any in-app purchases or hidden fees. The app also allows you to create beautiful structures and timelines for your assignments. It provides you with an option to add links, photos, and even voice-overs to your assignments.
Students can also collaborate with their classmates making projects less tedious and lonely. The app allows the students to assign due dates and comments to their assignments so they can stay organized and on track.
5. Designers: Taskade helps the designers to map out design roadmaps and visualize their workflow. With its collaborative features and multiple project views Taskade also helps to collaborate, discuss, and craft the design idea.
The app lets you visualize your next idea before you actually start building it. This allows you to explain the whole process to your team without any confusion or mistakes, letting you stay focused.
The multi-user collaboration feature lets you work on group projects with ease.
6. Developers: Mapping your workflow from ideas to action can be difficult. It is built to help with agile development by letting you complete all the requirements in a timely fashion.
When all the activities listed in the plan of software development i.e. coding, testing, and feature polishing are complete, the product is ready for release.
7. Marketers: As a marketer, there is a multitude of things to plan before you begin. You will have to identify your target audience, determine your marketing concept, get the right creative team, and accomplish several other tasks.
Taskade helps you to plan and organize your campaign by staying in collaboration with your team and tracking the progress. Taskade also allows you to develop a budget calendar and save the campaign from the financial crisis.
Taskade provides you with the productivity and collaboration tools for marketing campaign planning, to create, plan, automate, and run them efficiently.
8. Writers: Taskade helps the writers to organize their writing by helping them in drawing outline ideas, notes, and tasks. This helps you to plan strategically and overcome issues such as writer’s block.
It also helps you to store notes that might be helpful in later stages of writing such as editing and proofreading. The outliner feature helps you to organize your text better.
9. Thinkers: Taskade helps you to structure your ideas. This tool lets you map out your ideas and thoughts to enhance your creativity. You can jot down the ideas quickly and empty your head making space for more ideas.
It gives you more time for brainstorming so you can create your own new ideas. It also makes you more productive by reducing distractions.
Pros of Taskade
Important pros of Taskade project management tools are:
Taskade is a team tool that helps manage work and internal as well as external projects in collaboration
It has the built-in video call feature which is missing in most project management tools.
The user interface of Taskade is simple, easy to use, and intuitive.
The tool is well structured for multiple workspaces to help different teams/ team members to work together.
The app is equally stable on mobile as well as on the laptop. Further, it supports all major platforms like Windows, macOS, iOs, and Android.
It allows you to separately organize the personal and business space. You can have separate to-do lists.
The app is quite flexible and allows multi-tasking while giving you a variety of perspectives for a task.
There are no extra functionalities that make it simple and less confusing.
Cons of Taskade
Here are a few cons associated with this app:
The billing system is slightly complicated.
The 2-way calendar sync provided works only with Google.
It doesn’t allow you to create recurring tasks/task dependencies.
There is no option to move a task to another list.
Conclusion
The best part about Taskade is its simple and easy-to-use UI. Features such as video calls and chats make it rather easier to collaborate with your team in real-time. Moreover, the application is flexible and works well on different systems.
Still, there are certain drawbacks that need to be taken care of by the company such as a complex billing system.
Overall, the app is good and allows you to take care of your personal as well as professional works and projects. We recommend Taskade to anyone who is struggling with multi-tasking, collaborating with their team, and looking for a simple solution to their complex tasks.
FAQs
Is Taskade Free?
Taskade has free and paid versions both. The free version has all the essential features that a team needs.
What is Taskade used for?
Taksakde is used by remote teams to organize and manage tasks effectively.
Is Taskade available for Android?
Yes, Taskade is available for both Android and iOS.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Notion.
With the evolution of time, our way of creating and storing records and managing our work-life has changed. Our day-to-day work was made easy by various modern tools, where one tool creates files, other stores and another reminds us about the work and time it should be done, etc., There is a tool for every activity we do as a part of our work life.
Now, this extended tools list has made our life difficult. Jumping between them for every activity consumes time and creates chances for missing out on some tasks. So, what if we get software that merges the activities of all those tools together? What if it further provides various work management services all in one place? It’ll definitely be a boon.
Notion is one such tool that puts together all our work-related activities right from file management, scheduling tasks to project management. It is an all-in-one workspace that helps to collaborate and customize our entire work. It was developed by Notion Labs Inc., in 2013. They’ve shown huge growth in the past five years in terms of valuation and customer base. This was evident when the company became a Unicornin 2020.
Notion is a software that combines all the apps and tools that we use as a part of work and serves as an all-in-one workspace. Performing management works like task management, project management, and knowledge management can also be integrated into Notion. It offers customization of all the functions and activities as per our needs.
In other words, Notion is a Collaborative Tool that blends documents, projects, teams, other work apps, and various other work-related functions, that we use as a part of daily work, in one place. With thousands of templates offered to design our workspace and with a simplified way to create and edit wikis, Notion proves to be a worthy choice for both personal and professional use.
Notion was created in 2013 by Ivan Zhao and Simon Last. After a terrible failure in 2015, the company rose back strong with the founder’s perseverance and investor’s funding. Today, Notion is valued at$10 Billion with over 4 Million users worldwide.
About Notion Productivity Tool
Notion – Latest News
October 8, 2021 – Notion raised huge funding of $275 Million, since its inception in 2013. This was raised in the Series C round and the lead investors were Coatue and Sequoia Capital.
September 28, 2021 – A new startup program was launched by Notion to give access to their tools for new companies. The early companies can customize and use Notion’s tools for up to a credit of $500.
September 28, 2021 – Notion initiated a new partnership between Amazon Web Services and Stripe to expand their researches. This partnership also encourages new users of Notion by offering them discounts up to $1000.
Notion – Founders
Ivan Zhao – Notion’s Founder and CEO
Ivan Zhao and Simon Last are the co-founders of Notion. Ivan Zhao is also currently the CEO of the company. Ivan’s interest in coding and programming started during his childhood. He graduated in cognitive science and fine arts and worked at a software company named Inkling, before establishing Notion.
Simon is a designer and engineer residing in SanFrancisco. Simon earlier worked as a software engineer at Space Telescope Science Institute and Nebula Inc. He graduated in Computer Science from the University of Maryland. Ivan and Simon together started Notion in 2013 with an aim to make it different and more customizable for users.
Notion – Startup Story
Ivan Zhao and Simon Last started Notion in early 2013. They were keen on creating a collaborative tool, during a time where most of the tools were for a single purpose and specialized ones. Ivan and Simon wanted to build LEGO-style software that makes their tool different from others and customizable for workers. With some personal investments and many sleepless nights, the model for notion got designed and was brought into shape.
Notion – Mission and Vision
Notion’s mission is to bring in the advancements in Computer Science and make them available to all users. Their aim is to make the work easy for everyone, without a need for coding. The company put its mission simply in this way, “To make it possible for everyone to shape the tools that shape their lives”. Notion’s vision is to be the “Foremost factor that pioneers the latest technological breakthroughs”.
Notion – Business and Revenue Model
Notion provides you with a workspace that helps to collaborate all our work-related activities. It collaborates with work teams and performs various management-related functions. Notion generates revenue by charging customers through their Priced Plans. There is a Free Trial offered with a limit of 1,000 blocks limit.
Personal – Free Personal Pro – $4/month billed annually or $5/month Team – $8/ month billed annually or $10/month Enterprise – Customized price as per needs
There is no exact figure for the number of employees working at Notion but it is estimated to be between 200 and 300. Notion started its operation with just 4 employees in 2013. Until December 2019, they scaled their operations with just 27 employees. Notion’s employee count has increased multifold only in the past couple of years.
Notion had 1 Million users as of September 2019. After reaching a valuation of $2 Billion in April 2020, Notion announced that it has secured a customer base of 4 Million users. Notion has gained the trust of companies like are Spotify, Pixar, Cornershop, TravelPerk, and headspace.
Notion – Challenges Faced
Notion faced a terrible downfall in 2015. The software was almost dead when it started crashing continuously and the founders ran out of funds. Ivan and Simon fired their four employees and shifted their office to a cheaper place. Ivan Zhao even borrowed $150,000 from his mother to prevent the company from sinking. After months of hard work and sleepless nights, they rooted the company strong enough to enter the market and released Notion 1.0 in 2016.
Another issue faced by Notion was in February 2021. The company went offline due to an issue caused by a DNS (Domain Name Servers) outage. Then the service provider Name.com jumped in to resolve the issue. A lot of users were unable to access the site during that period. After the issue got resolved many users’ data went missing and Notion faced severe criticisms for that.
Notion – Funding and Investors
Notion has secured a fund of $343.2 Million through Five rounds. With the fund raised in April 2020, Notion became a Unicorn Company.
Date
Round
Amount
Investors Name
October 8, 2021
Series C
$275 Million
Sequoia Capital, Coatue, Shine Capital
April 2, 2020
Venture Round
$50 Million
Index Ventures, Assiya Capital Partners
July 19, 2019
Venture Round
$18.2 Million
A. Capital Ventures, Next Play Ventures, Josh Kopelman, Elad Gil, Aydin Senkut, Ram Shriram, Daniel Gross, and Lachy Groom
January 1, 2017
Angel Round
–
SV Angel, Sequoia Capital, First Round Capital, Felicis Ventures, Thibaud Elziere, Matt Maclnnis, Sherpalo, Elad Gil, Naval Ravikant, A.Capital Ventures, Draft Ventures, Third Kind Venture Capital, and Terrence Rohan
January 1, 2015
Seed Round
–
SV Angel
Notion – Acquisitions
Two organizations have been acquired by Notion so far. They made their first acquisition outside the US in September 2021 in India.
Date of Acquisition
Company Name
Amount
September 8, 2021
Automate.io
Undisclosed
January 1, 2014
Sugarbox.io
Undisclosed
Notion – Growth
Starting with 4 employees, the two co-founders Ivan Zhao and Simon Last commenced the operations of Notion in 2013. With a little investment that was slowly burning out, they suffered a huge setback in the year 2015. The Notion app that was built on a sub-optimal tech stack started crashing continuously. The lack of funds left them in turmoil. The company was almost dead.
Zhao and Last reduced their expenses in every possible way, used the borrowed money from Zhao’s mother and kept the company afloat. Keeping their primary motive in mind, they worked hard to rebuild the company and as a result, the first version of Notion was released in 2016. The company grew steadily through the years and in July 2019, Notion raised a fund of $18.2 Million in a Venture round, thus raising its Market Valuation to $800 Million. Notion became a Unicornin April 2020 with the fund of $50 Million raised in another Venture round.
Despite the Covid-19 Pandemic, Notion kept rising in terms of employee count and customer base. They acquired a fund of $275 Million in October 2021, after which, Notion reached a $10 Billion Market Valuation.
Notion surprised and inspired many through their growth. A startup, from the stage of death to being valued at $10 Billion in a period of 6 years showcases their hard work behind this achievement.
Notion – Competitors
Notion has got competitors who outperform them in a few areas. Here are some of the top competitors of Notion:
Notion is planning to expand its operation in Asian and European countries. Most of the customers of Notion are outside the US. So the company wants to set its feet beyond geographical limits to offer a seamless service to its users. The company is considering countries like Brazil, France, Japan, and Russia to open its office in the near future.
As the company enters the global market, there is a demand for them to provide their services in a country’s native languages. Also, there arises a demand for integrating various local apps of respective countries into Notion. Notion is currently working on these activities, to attract wider audiences. As a first step, the Korean version of Notion app was launched in 2020 in South Korea. More of such regional launches are planned for the future.
Notion – FAQs
What is Notion?
Notion is a Collaborative Tool that blends docs, projects, teams, other work apps, and various other work-related functions, that we use as a part of daily work, in one place.
Who are the founders of Notion?
Ivan Zhao and Simon Last are the founders of Notion. Ivan Zhao is also the CEO of the company.
Is the Notion app free to use?
Yes, there is a free version of Notion available to users. In addition to it, there’re two priced plans with a free trial and an enterprise plan that can be customized.
Simplilearn is one of the leading certification training providers whichprovides online professional courses in disciplines such as Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Project Management, Digital Marketing, Data Science, AI, and Machine Learning, and many more.
Simplilearn won the 2021 Stevie Silver Award for Customer Service Success for the fourth year in a row and fifth time overall.
Let’s see how it caters to the training needs of professionals and earns money. The article covers:
Highest Paying Certification Course of Simplilearn
About Simplilearn
Simplilearn was founded by Krishna Kumar in 2009 with the purpose tohelp professionals and enterprises to succeed in the fast-changing digital economy. The company provides outcome-based online training across digital technologies and applications such as Big data, Machine learning, AI, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Digital Marketing, and other emerging technologies.
About Simplilearn Founder – Krishna Kumar
Krishna Kumar | Simplilearn | CEO
Krishna Kumar completed his Bachelor of Engineering degree from NIT, Suratkal, India. Before Simplilearn, Krishna was the Co-founder and COO at Tech United, a software product company which he exited successfully in 2007 after selling it to a publicly held company. Initially, Simplilearn was started as a technology blog. Later, it became a professional learning startup for project management-related topics.
Simplilearn – Area of Operation
Simplilearn is based in San Francisco, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Bangalore, India Simplilearn has helped more than two million professionals and 2000 companies across 150+ countries to get trained, acquire a certificate, and reach their business and career goals.
Simplilearn – Key Products and Services
Simplilearn, an online learning platform, began with a project management certificate called Project Management Professional Certification.
After 4-5 years, it manages to get big and enter into different sectors like IT, management, business analysis, banking, and data analytics.
In 2011, Simplilearn started to offer additional courses across categories like cybersecurity, cloud computing, project management, digital marketing, and data science. Simplilearn now offers online training, blended classroom training, and exam practice tests in over 400+ courses across 11 major categories.
Its most popular courses are Artificial Intelligence (AI), data science, digital marketing, project management, cloud, and DevOps.
The companies’ high engagement curriculum includes self-paced online learning, instructor-led live virtual classrooms, hands-on projects, student collaboration, and 24/7 global teaching assistants.
Simplilearn has seen a 200% growth in demand for Programming Courses and with that, it has launched a three-pronged approach to take on the goal of training and placing 10 lakh programmers in India by 2023.
Simplilearn – Target Consumers
Simplilearn focuses on students and working professionals. It has a paying customer base of over 3 lakhs.
Krishna Kumar says “We help in providing a learning machine and help you identify if that’s the right fit for you. Maybe there’s something else that is most relevant for you and once you’ve decided, our instructors will teach you. And while you’re learning that topic, you can interact with fellow students and the instructor, and do a lot of practice. Our teaching assistants are available 24/7.”
Business Model of Simplilearn
It bridges the gap between the educational institutions and the candidates to gain the best knowledge and proficiency. The courses that are offered by Simplilearn, are certified by Purdue University and IBM. It offers both free and paid courses.
The candidates who are interested in the desired course need to register first by creating an account on Simplilearn. Then, to avail paid courses they have to pay the fee.
It’s70% of domestic business comes from cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. In 2019, Simplilearn signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to upgrade their digital skills.
33 courses available in Simplilearn are accredited by NSDC making it a key contributor to the government skill program. The company’s main focus is to get deeper into categories that are going to dominate the tech space which includes cloud, data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Simplilearn derives 30% of its business from reskilling and upskilling different enterprises.
What’s unique about Simplilearn?
The thing that makes Simplilearn different from its competitors are:
Good structure program and excellent lesson plans.
Availability of exclusive hackathons and Ask Me Anything sessions by IBM.
Capstone from three domains and 25+ projects with industry datasets from Amazon, Uber, Comcast, etc.
Job Placement Assistance.
How does Simplilearn make money?
Simplilearn claims around 60% of its revenue come from overseas markets. Revenue is collected from the candidates after the completion of the program for their certificates. It also earns by charging instructors a fee for every course sale made on its platform.
For the enterprise business deals, Simplilearn receives money from the early-stage startups like Myntra, Swiggy, and Flipkartwho use the platform to train their employees. Simplilearn works as B2B(Business to Business), as well as It, operates on a B2C(Business to Consumes) basis.
Simplilearn Social Media (06 Nov 2021)
Facebook – 3,63,323 people like this
Instagram – 58,068 Followers
Twitter – 28,991 Followers
LinkedIn – 2,77,984 Followers
Youtube – 1,480,000 Subscribers
Conclusion
During the pandemic, the demand for online education has already increased, thereby, increasing the demand for edtech companies. Taking this as an opportunity, Simplilearn comes forward to widen the scope for students and professionals by adding more courses that match the need of its target audience. It carries a strong and effective business model that helps individuals to acquire the skills they need to thrive in the digital economy by providing certification courses.
FAQs
What is Simplilearn?
Simplilearn is an online platform that provides professional certification courses on topics like Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Project Management, Digital Marketing, and Data Science.
Product management is an umbrella term that includes activities ranging from conceiving an idea for a product to one day introducing that product in the market. It includes market analysis, developing, positioning, marketing and communication.
The goal of product management is not just developing products that fulfill people’s needs but also analyzing and communicating with the customer to exceed their expectations.
The product manager defines the vision for a product, prioritizes facilities and product features, researches and gathers input about the market, organizes execution of the product strategy and carefully examines the product cycle.
“The job of a product manager is to discover a product that is valuable, usable, and feasible.” – Marty Cagan
Some of the myths related to Product Management are:
1. “You need a technical degree like Computer Science to get into Product Management”.
While having a technical degree can certainly give you a push forward, it doesn’t necessarily entail that you won’t be able to get into product management without a deep understanding of technology.
One of the most common and untrue myths of all! After the launch of a product, it is the job of the product management to gather and analyse the feedback and customer response to the product in order to gain insight about what the customer actually want and need.
Project management involves the timeline of a project, the planning, scheming and execution of it all. Unlike product management, where even after the development and launch of a product you have to keep track of it in order to continually reinvent it to fit the customer’s demands.
4. “Product manager is the boss”.
Product managers are the people who are first hand involved in the development and related strategy of the product, they have information about everything surrounding the life cycle of the product. But this does not, to any extent, ensure the product manager’s authority over the product.
Product Management – Roles and Responsibilities
Product Management Overview
Customer Analysis: Detailed and extensive customer research is essential for the strategic planning of the product. It is also necessary for analysing the competitor’s strategy for their product and bettering your product and services to fit the consumer’s needs.
Product Strategy: Relevant information and knowledge is essential for the conceptualisation of a highly efficient strategic plan. It includes the conception, development process, launching, product goals and objectives and a rough overview of the product. It is important even after the launch of the product.
Communication: It means cross-functional leadership. The key stakeholders like executives, developers, investors, project managers and departments of marketing, sales and development have to be made aware about the product strategy. This increases the internal confidence of the company in the product.
Feedback and Data Analysis: After the development, testing and launching of the product in the market has been done, the product management studies and analyses customer feedback by conducting interviews, surveys and other data. It tells the team what should or shouldn’t have been done and what the changes to keep in mind for future.
Product improvement: The product management, after the launch of the product, is consistently involved in improving the product, fine tuning the defects, analysing customer response and testing the results. This role of the product management is the key to ensure maximum satisfaction for the customer and thus, better reception for the company.
Product Management – Skills Required
Product Management skills
Interpersonal skills: A product manager should have a good interpersonal skillset which includes having problem solving skills, being decisive, having an insight into the minds of their clientele and being a good communicator.
Strategic Thinking: Product Managers should be able to think strategically and devise plans with a proper understanding of the product life cycle, sales, customer segmentation, goal orientation and, marketing and development process knowledge.
Active listening: Listening more than speaking and having patience are core qualities required for a product manager. Listening to what your customers want, what your stakeholders want, more often than not, results in the success of your product management.
Presentation skills: Product managers have to give a lot of presentations. They have to present their strategy to the executive team, to the stakeholders, sales team, marketing team etc. they may also have to hold webinars and conferences to promote their product.
Leadership skills: For a product to become successful, it has to be backed by a team of professionals, coordinating and working together. And as a product manager, leading that team, having skills like cooperation, compassion and diplomacy are essential.
Oratory skills: A product manager should have a way with words. They have to converse and deal with both internal and external stakeholders. They also have to understand the needs of the clientele which may or may not be culturally and linguistically diverse and adapt with the language accordingly.
Negotiation skills: Since the Product Manager has to manage and work with different departments and teams of professionals along the life cycle of the product, they should know how to and when to negotiate and get things done the best and the fastest way with minimum wastage of resources.
Product Management – FAQs
Do product managers need to code?
No, product managers do not necessarily need to code but having some basic knowledge can help with the work.
Do product managers need to have an MBA?
Having an MBA in the field of product management can help tremendously but it is not a prerequisite to the job.
Do product managers work long hours?
Yes, it is usually common for product managers to work long hours as there are a lot of responsibilities attached with the job.
Do product managers get paid well?
Yes, as it is a managerial position, the salary of a product manager is a highly sufficient one.
Virtual Teams are becoming a part of life slowly and steadily. This concept has picked up the pace in the past 5 to 6 years. It is becoming a trend now and a good alternative for traditional management systems. With the inclusion of technologies in our life virtual teams have become an essential part for organizations. Although there also come certain challenges. Here we will discuss certain Virtual Team Management Challenges. What can be the measures an organization can take up to tackle these challenges?
When people from different areas or locations come together with the help of technologies like telephone, video call, voice call, e-mail or fax and work together forming a team for a specific cause being at where they are can be termed as Virtual Teams.
So, here people are assigned different tasks on the basis of their hierarchy. So they can perform them virtually through different locations. Nowadays, video calls are the best alternative as it helps people to interact in a better way. It also helps in creating a better environment as compared to phone calls. It creates a more interactive session.
Virtual Team meetings are also an efficient and effective way to conduct meetings. It helps a person to save cost of traveling and setting up an office.
Under this people from different expertise and knowledge comes together to solve a particular issue.
Parallel Teams
It is formed for a short span and is usually formed among the people in the same organisation regarding any specific issue.
Product Development Teams
Teams takes part from different countries and contribute their ideas towards a new product development
Production Teams
In this every individual does his own work and at the end all indiviiduals works are combined for the end product
Service Teams
Under this the work is done in different countries according to their time zone. Suppose one country’s work is done then the other country will take it from that position according to their time zone
Management Teams
These teams are formed at different geographical area. Managers forms this and takes the decision under the same organisation. Big decisions of the organisations are taken under this.
Action Teams
These teams are formed for a quick solution to a problem and when the problem is solved these teams are put off
5 Virtual Team Challenges
Growth of Successful Virtual Teams
1. Focusing On Tasks
First of all, while developing a team proper instructions should be provided. What task to perform, time management, and about the resources that will help them to reach a certain goal. But the main emphasis should be on how should the process takes place. They should be taught how tasks can be tackled. Focusing on the goal is important but should not be given primary importance. Also, as a team leader, you have to simplify the processes and tasks to your team members. Each individual should be clear about the task assigned to them.
2. Developing Rhythmic Communication
While managing a team virtually good communication is a must. When people are located at different places it is easy to get distracted. And as a manager of the meeting you have to take care that the focus of the people does not get away. Try to make the other people feel comfortable and create a healthy decorum. Also, if you are doing it on a regular basis try to fix a certain time. They will try to clear out their minds from other daily routine tasks which will help them to focus on the meeting.
3. Start Off With An Informal Communication
Whenever you are starting off a virtual meeting do not directly jump in into the formal part. Start with a healthy gesture and ask people that what were they doing before this or how are they holding up. It will help the other person feel more involved and comfortable. First few minutes you can ask them what is going on around them. This will make them feel important and will provide a better output during work.
4. Allowing Flexible Work Hours
When a virtual meet is conducted it is important to provide them with flexible work hours. Asking them to submit the task assigned within flexible hours will help you create a good bond. It will also help them provide better work with less amount of stress. Although try not to let them lose too much. Give them flexible hours but in a preferred amount of time. The time provided should be beneficial to both you and your workers.
5. Ask Your Team Members To Share Their Opinion
Whenever a virtual meet is conducted make sure all your co-workers feel involved. When a task comes under you and your team tries to listen out to everyone’s opinion. Ask them how they can do it better. If anyone comes up with a great solution try to reward that worker and praise him. This will help in creating an involved environment and also will help them to boost their morale.
So, Managing a virtual team can become a great alternative if you and your teammates become used to it. More and more organizations are shifting to this type of team management.
What are the challenges of managing virtual teams?
5 Challenges of Virtual Teams
Focusing On Tasks
Developing Rhythmic Communication
Start Off With An Informal Communication
Allowing Flexible Work Hours
Ask Your Team Members To Share Their Opinion
What is the meaning of virtual team?
When people from different areas or locations come together with the help of technologies like telephone, video call, voice call, e-mail or fax and work together forming a team for a specific cause being at where they are can be termed as Virtual Teams.
What is an example of a virtual team?
Example of a Virtual Team:
Company A, a plane manufacturer, is facing heavy pressure from competitors. To address the issue, Company A connects experts from the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe to collaborate and create a new innovative plane design.
“Automation is cost-cutting by tightening the corners and not cutting them” – Haresh Sippy.
For most businesses, automation seems like a want – tucked away in their long-term plan. For becoming a strategic enabler of market control, moving automation up the ladder by a few years and reprioritizing it as a need could be the difference between success and failure.
There’s a strong reason why 40% of large companies automate at least one of their processes. When we speak of automation, we refer to a system capable of performing repetitive tasks with no errors. As companies worldwide strive hard to adjust to the pandemic-related changes, automation usage is growing at an accelerating rate.
From customer service, project planning to usability testing, and marketing, you can automate your business processes. Apart from mitigating human errors, automation helps satisfy client needs, minimize operational costs, and optimize business workflow. As you seek out processes to automate, you will understand that everything cannot be automated, and you shouldn’t automate everything – things like personal touch are irreplaceable even by automation. With $9.6 billion being the likely spending on automation in 2020 alone, NOW is the right time to embrace process automation for a flourishing business.
4 Processes You Can Automate in Your Business in 2021
Companies with highly automated processes are six times more likely to witness 15% and above revenue growth. Make hay while the sun shines and focus on ensuring you automate these four processes in your business in 2021.
1. Compliance process
With data compliance laws like CCPA being stringent and stakes incredibly high, it becomes a daunting task for companies to eliminate everything which comes in their way of conformity.
Though companies use a complete CCPA guide to maintain compliance and avoid lawsuits, their efforts are often jeopardized by inaccurate reporting and failure to comply with the updated regulation – resulting in financial losses and tarnishing of brand image.
That’s where you need compliance automation.
Through compliance automation, you eliminate as much human intervention as possible from a workflow. Such an enhancement delivers accurate results, increases performance efficiency, reduces cost, and eliminates severe data breaching penalties.
Advantages of automating the compliance process:
Enhances risk management decisions as you get real-time data.
Consolidates all data in a single control center.
Automates the auditing and reporting process.
Efficient management of your company’s potential risk.
Verifies compliance requirements and manages all third-party risks.
Statistics: 90% of companies plan to increase their compliance automation funding in the coming years.
Irrespective of the industry, you require the desired level of user experience for ensuring commercial success. It’s the user experience that ensures your design or product performs in the market as expected.
Without user testing, your user experience (UX) design is incomplete. With technological advancement, UX testing has become more critical than ever, and it exists at every level of design and software development. But, there’s no point performing the same UX testing procedure repeatedly as it’s a mundane and time-consuming process.
That’s where user testing automation comes into the picture.
User testing process
User testing software, along with meaningful user testing questions, empowers you to automate research processes, especially when working with remote participants. It helps you connect with participants, automatically collect data, understand design areas where customers struggle and areas where they hit their goals. This helps in building a better product and enhances the overall customer experience.
Advantages of automating the user testing process:
Manual testing requires more software testers and time; automation reduces both the resources. Unlike manual tests, you can leave automated tests unattended.
Though the initial investment is on a higher side, it drastically cuts down long-term business operating costs.
Reduces the number of errors that need fixing after product release.
Ensures a higher rate of investment in design.
Stimulateshundreds of virtual participants, thereby ensuring performance and stress testing.
Statistics: 70% of enterprise CEO’s see UX as a competitive differentiator. User testing automation will only elevate these figures.
3. Project planning process
In the project planning phase, nothing can be more irritating than spending hours on time-consuming manual tasks.
Let’s understand it using a project plan example. You have assigned tasks to your employees at the starting of the week. But, mid-week, you come up with an unavoidable work, which you should assign to the work overloaded staff. One way is to check each employee’s progress manually; the other is through project planning automation. Such automation software helps you monitor resource load and send out a signal every time an employee is overloaded with work.
project planning process
Automating a project planning process reduces manual intervention when managing resources, reporting, tracking, and quality control.
Advantages of automating project planning process:
Reduces the repetitive routine tasks.
Helps in providing technical scalability.
Lets the project manager focus on priority tasks.
Fosters a culture of effective communication as it centralizes the work status report of each team member.
Identifies and creates an opportunity for efficiency gains.
Alerts project managers when a workflow is going off-budget or off the timeline
Enhances risk assessment and reduces the scope for errors.
In the technological world, your customers hate waiting to speak to a customer service representative. When wait time is too long, customers usually disconnect the call and probably switch to other brands or leave a negative review wherever possible.
Automating the customer service process helps mitigate the chances of losing a customer due to higher wait times.
customer service automation
You can take customer service to the next level by using a chatbot that allows a customer to self-manage and submit tickets without speaking to a human representative. You can even use a live chat with artificial intelligence (AI) to answer customer’s questions.
Both chatbots and live chats pass on the complex calls to human workers, thereby keeping the wait time as little as possible.
Advantages of automating customer service process:
Reduces human errors
Minimizes the wait time for customers
Ensures a consistent workflow
Increases customer retention
Reduces cost as employees save 600 hours each week when using an automated system.
Statistics: More than 60% of US customers prefer automated self-service for simple customer service tasks.
Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day, you cannot automate your business processes in a single day. When running a business, it’s easy to get carried away by the daily tasks making automation seem like an uphill challenge.
Never wait for the processes to cost more than the revenue they generate to automate. The sooner you embrace automation for some or all your process, the faster you will reap substantial benefits.
Having an explicit knowledge of what you want to achieve through business process automation lets you remain on-goal. It’s a powerful technology that enables efficiency, increases productivity, reduces cost, and above all, results in efficiency gains – a must-have for maintaining competitive advantage.
Automation empowers you to extract the maximum from your operational processes.
Ans- Business processes are the collection of tasks that an organization performs for operations and management, including order processing, customer acquisition, budgeting, expense management, customer support, and marketing campaigns.
4. Why we need to automate the process?
Ans- Automation leads to faster processing of voluminous tasks and reduced turnaround timelines. A reduction in enterprise costs and the time involved in executing operational activities leads to improved workflow efficiencies.
5. Is Automation good for the economy?
Ans- Automation leads to significant economies of scale – important in industries which require high capital investment. Automation enables firms to reduce number of workers, and this limits the power of trades unions and potentially disruptive strikes. Automation also enables a greater economy of scope.
Marketing is the key to get the popularity a business requires. It is the way of getting the business to where it needs to be taken. Hence, the marketing game needs to be very strong and every major company has its strategy of marketing which they change quite often. According to some reports, 17% of failed startups in the world agree that they had a poor marketing plan and that it was one of the reasons of their failure.
But how to start marketing with limited resources? Now, there are many ways to get marketing done for the business. You can either hire someone especially a content marketer to get the job done or you can do it on yourself. No matter whatever you choose, after some time you will need an online marketing tool.
Are you ready to grow your business through online marketing? Then let’s begin. Below we’ve listed the best online marketing tool/software to choose from.
ContentStudio
ContentStudio Homepage
ContentStudio is a social media and blog management tool which helps you to manage all the social media handles in one place. Additionally, you can manage multiple blog websites with the help of ContentStudio. It gives you an option to either post something on social media right away or schedule it for the future and to repeat the post in the future if you want to.
This is the most important marketing tool if you are serious about the social media of your company. If you don’t want to go for Buzzsumo, Content Studio is the best alternative. It is the best marketing tool for social media.
Pricing plans for ContentStudio are:
| Plan | Price |
|— |— |—
| Pro | $49/month |
| Small | $99/month |
| Medium | $199/month |
| Large | $299/month |
Zoho Social
Zoho Dashboard
Zoho Social is another amazing social media management tool that helps you to manage everything with a clean interface. It has many other features that will help you grow like its analytics feature is one of the best and it even makes Instagram posting easier. It is really worth buying the Zoho service as it is considered best. And its marketing tool for social media is one of the best you can get in this budget.
Pricing plans for Zoho Social are:
| Plan | Price |
|— |— |—
| Standard | ₹600/month |
| Professional | ₹1,500/month |
| Agency | ₹12,000/month |
| Agency Plus | ₹18,000/month |
HubSpot
Hubspot Social Media Software
HubSpot is one of the best platforms for marketing, sales, and CRM software which has always been on the top of the players. HubSpot also provides blueprints, resources, and support to growing businesses.
The sales team of your business can get started quickly with HubSpot CRM without making many changes in the workflow. HubSpot is built for inbound marketing and sales which focuses on developer and marketer of software products. It is also considered as one of the best-integrated CRM platforms as it has many more additional features which can organize the communication with your customers.
By tracking every move and analyzing it, one can increase the return on investment of the company. Kissmetrics can help with that work and one can see what’s working and what’s not, in the campaigns. It is a powerful business intelligence platform.
As it is a web-based tool, it is supported by all the devices and operating systems. Kissmetrics can be used for any type of business such as small businesses, medium business, and even freelancers can use this to grow their clients business.
Mailchimp is one of the best tools for Email Marketing which is used by almost 12 million users. You can design email newsletters and share them on social networks with the help of Mailchimp. It can also be integrated with other services you are already using.
Mailchimp can also help you to track your results. It is a privately owned company and was launched in 2001 by Ben Chestnut and Mark Armstrong. It started as a paid model lately converted to a freemium model.
Despite being a free tool, Ubsuggest is a very powerful SEO tool that gives you insights on your own website or your competitor’s website. The site is enabled with a lot of tools that let you find keywords, content ideas, backlinks, traffic, etc. Anyone can easily use Ubsuggest by just logging on the site even without signing up.
Originally founded as a tool that scraped Google Suggest terms, Ubersuggest was recently acquired by entrepreneur Neil Patel, who has since expanded the feature set significantly.
Ahref
Ahref is the most popular brand when it comes to a suite of SEO tools. It has all kinds of tools which a marketer needs. Also, the data Ahref provide is the most reliable and you can trust it to plan your campaign.
Pricing Plans of Ahref are:
| Plan | Price |
|— |— |—
| Lite | $99/month |
| Standard | $179/month |
| Advanced | $399/month |
| Agency | $999/month |
Trello was initially released on September 13, 2011, and then again the revised version for iOS was released on October 2, 2019. After that, it was released for Android on October 10, 2019. Trello is a tool that helps to manage projects and see what’s working, who is working on it, and what is in progress.
It takes a few minutes to set the board and all the online marketing strategies can be shared in one place. Also, the entire team can jump in after getting a quick invitation. Trello is one of the hard tools to beat when it comes to collaborating with all tasks and the team.
Pricing Plans of Trello are:
| Plan | Price |
|— |— |—
| Free | $0/month |
| Business Class | $12.50/user/month |
| Enterprise | $17.50/user/month for 250 users |
BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo Homepage
BuzzSumo is an online marketing tool that allows users to find popular content. The process of finding content from different social media sites will be tedious especially for the growing businesses. This is where BuzzSumo comes for rescue, it can gather information from various social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, etc about the topics getting the most attention.
BuzzSumo can also filter content type, i.e, an infographic, interview, video, or guest post. BuzzSumo helps the content marketers to find the most popular posts which can be relative to the business. You can also analyze your competitors using BuzzSumo which can help you to know what your competitors are doing. Four subscription plans are starting from $99/month however with each plan you get a free trial. This is one of the most user rated marketing tools which makes it valuable and trustworthy to use.
Pricing plans of BuzzSumo are:
| Plan | Price |
|— |— |—
| Pro | $99/month |
| Plus | $179/month |
| Large | $299/month |
| Enterprise | $499+/month |
Hootsuite is a social media management system that was created by Ryan Home in 2008. It allows the user to schedule social media posts in advance that saves a lot of time. Hootsuite also gives you in-depth analytical data of your social media marketing strategy which helps to lead the sales team. The key feature of Hootsuite is that it listens to the audience, it tracks and identifies key terms or phrases of your expertise in other user’s posts. Also, it helps with the advantage of schedule posts in advance across different social media platforms.
Pricing Plans of Hootsuite are:
| Plan | Price |
|— |— |—
| Professional | Rs. 1260/month |
| Team | Rs. 6600/month |
| Business | Rs. 45000/month |
| Enterprise | Custom |
ClearVoice
ClearVoice Logo
A complete content marketing ecosystem app is ClearVoice. It is a combination of flexible and portable software with a built-in marketplace. It is an app that combines content creation, branding, publisher communities, etc. ClearVoice is a subscription-based content marketing platform and was founded in 2014 by Jay Swansson and Joe Griffen.
Through the collaborative software, ClearVoice will help you to combine all the marketing needs you have. ClearVoice is specially designed for content marketing but it can also be used as a project management software to manage your to-do task list.
Grammarly helps to get the grammar right in the articles which helps the content writers to take less time to check the grammar. Grammarly is a web-based software that uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing. It was released in July 2009 by Grammarly, Inc. which has its headquarters in San Francisco and has offices in Kyiv and New York City.
Grammarly also has a free browser extension version which is automatically capable of scanning and checking the content’s grammar, spellings through machine learning and deep learning algorithms. It is considered as one of the best tools to enhance articles. The products Grammarly offers are grammar checking, spell checking, and plagiarism detection services. It is a crucial tool for marketing as we all know that a good written and well-optimized article is the most essential part of a content marketing strategy.
What’s better than infographics to promote the brand? It’s interesting and keeps the attention of the users to the bay. It is also a great way of marketing. For the purpose, Piktochart is the best tool to use for. It is a web-based infographic application and allows users to create infographics without being too professional graphic designer. It has free as well as paid subscription plans. Piktochart has over 600 templates that one can edit and can also use the more advanced version by customizing it, according to their preferences.
Pricing Plans of Piktochart are:
| Plan | Price |
|— |— |—
| Free | $0/month |
| Pro | $24.17/month |
| Pro Team | $82.50/month |
Yoast is a very popular WordPress plug-in that works to help optimize the content for search engines. It helps to choose cornerstone content, focuses on keywords that can help in ranking, individual content URLs, etc.
The Yoast SEO is free for WordPress and the paid version has plans range based on the number of sites one needs to monitor. It is a great way to optimize the content for SEO of a website. Pricing for yoast is $89 for 1 website.
Buffer
Buffer logo
You may have already heard about this one. The Buffer is an application that will help you to manage your social media handles. You can schedule, analyze, reply, and do so many things in just one place. In the free version, you can handle 3 accounts at once. Also, you can schedule 10 posts at once in the free version and the features increase with the paid versions.
But the twist is, those 10 posts are not weekly or monthly. Once you scheduled 10 posts, you cannot add more to the list. But as soon as one of those 10 posts get posted, you can add more in the queue. I would suggest you go for a free version unless you are handling the whole company through social media only.
Pricing plans of Buffer are:
| Plan | Price |
|— |— |—
| Pro | $15/month |
| Premium | $65/month |
| Business | $99/month |
Want to know what people think of your product? Conduct a free survey on Typeform. Typeform is a freemium website. You can conduct surveys for free, but only 10 questions per survey and only 100 responses each. The numbers turn into unlimited in the premium plans. An online survey website conducts surveys on many websites and lets their users earn some points through them. Why they do it for free?
Maybe because they know it will definitely impress you and you will buy the premium version. Try this service out if you are on your initial stage of entrepreneurship. You can also go for other websites like Survey Monkey or ZOHO, etc.
This is the best and free marketing tool in the whole list. HARO stands for “Help A Reporter Out”. Although it is a service for reporters to get the best content from people themselves, it’s a great opportunity for entrepreneurs. The basic subscription is free. Once you subscribed, you will receive 3 emails a day. If you think you can answer any of the asked queries, then reach out to journalists.
Once they liked your answer, they will ask you about your company. It will definitely help you to go to the next level. In the paid versions there are, of course, many advantages like you can filter the topic, get extra time by getting alerts when their editorial team approves a media opportunity, etc. It worth giving a try, but try the free version first.
I think this is the most underrated yet second best and free marketing tool for entrepreneurs. Google Trends is the best tool to check what’s up with the world. You can check which is the most trending topic on the internet. This may help you to create your advertisement keeping in mind the trending topic. Or if you are a blogger, then you know how important this tool is. You just have to learn to use it. It will feel so boring and useless at first, but it is probably the most important marketing tool for every entrepreneur out there.
Canva
Canva logo
It is a simplified graphic-design tool website. Founded by Melanie Perkins in 2012, it uses a drag-and-drop format and provides access to photographs, vector images, graphics, and fonts. It can be used for both web and print media design and graphics. It uses a freemium model. For the basic features, you can opt for free versions and upgrade them for the advanced versions. It has three monthly pricing options depending on the use of it. The user can get a 23% discount if the user pays annually.
Hotjar is a marketing tool that reveals the online behavior and voice of the users. It works by combining both analysis and feedback tools and then gives the reason for how to improve the site’s experience and performance. It allows easy access to instant feedback from the users. It comes with a free trial. The basic version is free of cost. The plus version is $29 per month and the business starts at $89 per month.
Pricing Plans of Hotjar are:
| Plan | Price |
|— |— |—
| Personal | $0 to $29/month |
| Business | $89 to $989 /month |
| Agency | Custom |
Simply Measured
Simply Measured logo
Simply Measured is a social media analytics platform. It simplifies end-to-end analysis of all social network activities of its users, whether it’s paid, owned, or earned. It is used in small businesses, large corporations, and every company between them. Examples of companies that used it are Adidas, Microsoft, and Samsung. It provides companies with social media analytics to measure their social media performance, online campaigns, etc. It is supported by Windows, MAC, and Web-based.
Conclusion
We’ve listed the top marketing tools that can help any business to grow and enhance the brand experience. If you are using any other tool then let us know in the comment below.
Ashwini
Niku Mandal
