Best Project Management Collaboration Software
Which collaboration project management software is that? Read on to find out about the great options available when it comes to project management and collaboration tools.
1. Airtable
Anyone who has used a spreadsheet as a project management tool knows that there is a certain point at which it becomes unsuited for the job. Spreadsheets are great when you’re trying to enter values and crunch numbers. But if you want to powerfully compare data in a spreadsheet format -- with the same rows and columns, but considerably more functionality -- you want to switch over to a database tool that’s specifically designed for the job.
Airtable is an SQL scripting-free, approachably intuitive, online platform that lets you create and share relational databases. It’s a game-changing piece of project management collaboration software, allowing you to create and edit databases with a group of people. Airtable is perfect for everything from customer-relationship management (CRM) and project planning through task management and inventory tracking. It’s used by the top Silicon Valley tech giants, international media companies, and everyone in between.
- Intuitive and user-friendly. You’ve never used a database tool this straightforward.
- Highly customizable depending on what you need it for.
- Good third-party integration with everything from Dropbox and Slack to Google Calendar.
- While it’s straightforward to use, there’s a learning curve if you want to get the best out of all its features.
Price: Free option available. Paid options start at $10 per user/per month, tiered according to needs.
Available for: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS
2. Asana
Group collaboration task board Asana is a great means of visualizing the workflow of different projects. You can easily shuttle projects through a virtual production line, according to your own workflow requirements, so that it’s immediately clear where a project is at any given point.
Tasks can be assigned to different people, while bringing someone on-board is as easy as tagging them. There’s also plenty of opportunity to add detailed descriptions, file attachments, create subtasks, and more. It’s a fantastic way of keeping on top of projects to make sure that you’re on target. As an online project management collaboration tool, it’s hard to beat.
- Highly visual approach to project management makes it immediately evident how far a project has progressed, and who is currently responsible.
- Customizable depending on the specific workflow of your team.
- Progress reports and status updates offer a forecasting tool for letting you know if projects are currently on schedule for completion.
- At its best when you are dealing with smaller projects. Boards with lots of cards and very complex workflows can be unwieldy.
Price: Free option available. Paid options start at $10.99 per user/per month, depending on business size and administrative needs.
Available for: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS
3. Trello
The most noteworthy competitor for Asana as an online project management collaboration tool, Trello offers a similar drag-and-drop interface, allowing you to shuttle different project cards between columns to represent different phases of a project.
It is based on the Kanban productivity system, developed by the Japanese industrial engineer Taiichi Ohno as a means by which to streamline the manufacturing processes at Toyota. While it’s a slightly simpler tool next to Asana, that is no bad thing depending on what you’ve got planned. If you have a smaller team with a smaller number of projects, Trello is an excellent project management tool.
- Lets you easily see how far a project has progressed, along with identifying any roadblocks stopping its completion.
- Cards can be used to contain information such as descriptions, due dates, “to do” lists, and more.
- You can customize it according to your team’s workflow requirements.
- Boards with large numbers of cards in play can get difficult to manage.
Price: Free option available. Paid options start at $9.99 per user/per month, depending on business size and administrative needs.
Available for: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS
4. Forecast.app
A useful collaborative project management software tool for managing your team’s schedule, Forecast turns project schedules into color-coded visual layouts so that you can easily see project duration, the names of those that are working on it, and whether any team members are overbooked.
If a team member is overbooked (indicated through a red bar), Forecast also shows you who has capacity to take on the project, and the amount of time they can dedicate to it. A financial forecasting aspect to Forecast makes it straightforward to determine when a project is due to potentially go over budget. Works with time-tracking app Harvest.
- Feature-rich, including project planning, budgeting, scheduling, reporting, and forecasting on how long everything will take (and how much it’s costing).
- Harvest integration means that project management and invoicing/expensing for time are connected. This streamlines the scheduling process.
- Intuitive user interface makes good use of color-coding to show team members’ capacity to take on work.
- Could benefit from additional third-party integrations to make it even more functional.
Price: Lite plan costs $29/seat/month, billed annually. Other options depend on business requirements.
Available for: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS
5. Echo
When it comes to staying on top of the projects under your charge, communication is crucial. Echo is a messaging app built around the idea of voice communication, allowing you to send voice messages to colleagues and groups of employees. These can either be listened to in voice format or, using built-in speech recognition, transcribed and read. It’s an invaluable resource for quickly checking in on the status of certain projects, discussing issues with colleagues, and more. After all, communication is the ultimate collaboration tool.
- Saves on the constant typing required for other communication apps and tools.
- Voice-based chat format can help ditch unnecessary meetings, streamlining the process of completing projects.
- Asynchronous messaging allows for easier voice communication even when colleagues may be working across different time zones.
- Currently available on Mac only. (Although that could change in the future.)
Price: Free option available. Standard version for teams of all sizes and with added functionality is $5 per user/per month.
Learn more about the best collaboration tools for business and the best design collaboration tools in our other posts.
Conclusion: Embrace the Best Project Management Collaboration Tools
By checking out some of the above collaborative project management tools, you can make project management less of a chore, and more of a joy. Good luck!
Project Management Collaboration Tools - FAQs
Why collaboration is important in project management?
Big projects frequently include multiple people. The best project management collaboration tools will make sure everyone is operating on the same page.
How does online collaboration tools help in project management?
Web based project management collaboration tools allow multiple people to view an up-to-date, synchronized version of projects as they currently stand. It ensures all are working together effectively.
What is project collaboration software?
Any software that allows multiple people to work together collaboratively to complete a project. In an age of remote working, this is only becoming more important.
What are some examples of project management collaboration tools?
We’ve included multiple on this page. Check them out, and change the way you carry out project management today.
