Choosing a new project management software is one of the most significant and impactful management decisions you can make. The right choice can amplify your efforts, help you achieve and exceed your goals, plus give you what you need to work more efficiently, effectively, and fruitfully.
If you’re close to making a decision, or you’re just getting started on your research, here is a quick inventory of five popular project management software systems, with some of their pros and cons. This may help you stay focused on choosing the right project management solution for your particular team and case.
Basecamp was one of the first all-in-one project management solutions to gain wide popularity, and it remains widely used and loved. Created by the team formerly known as 37signals, it’s designed with a deep appreciation for the culture of business.
Pros: Simple, intuitive, easy to use and to master.
Cons: Lacks some of the slicker capabilities associated with newer entries into the market.
Based on a system of boards, lists, and cards, Trello has quickly become a favorite of designers and visual thinkers and is now a serious contender in the field of user-friendly project management software.
Pros: Fun to use, aesthetically pleasing, popular with visually inclined users.
Cons: Potentially challenging for users more accustomed to more plain and traditional methods of organization.
Sleek, colorful, and user-friendly Asana is currently a pace-setter in the realm of project management software. Designed for detailed tracking, its organization encourages collaboration. It has been gaining wider adoption over the last several years.
Pros: Excellent mobile app, well suited for more fluid communication, collaboration, and goal-setting.
Cons: Requires some training and practice to master, which demands participation from the whole team.
Smartsheet functions as a sort of enhanced version of Excel. Its spreadsheet-based interface is useful for planning and tracking elaborate projects and breaking them down into specific initiatives, tasks, and goals.
Pros: Highly recommended to those who are experienced with spreadsheets and fond of that organizational format.
Cons: Not as colorful or user-friendly as the modern-minded alternatives.
Relatively new on the scene, Airtable is popular with publishers and is gaining steam and broader acceptance thanks to its versatility.
Pros: Highly flexible, easy to use and customize, well geared towards communication, file-sharing, and more.
Cons: Still fairly new, complex, requires some patience to understand and to master.
When choosing a project management system for your team, choose mindfully. This decision will fundamentally affect the culture that you work so hard to develop.
You need a system that works with the quirks, practices, and objectives of your team, as individuals and as a group. The right software should empower you, play to your strengths, be geared toward your goals, and bring you closer together.
As you choose, we recommend further research on collaboration tools and apps, project management software, and the broader thought behind project management systems.
At Artisan Creative, we pool our workplace wisdom and dedicate ourselves every day to finding the best creative talent available and to helping your team be as effective as it can be. Contact us today to learn more and explore your full potential.
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