Interested in managing projects from the cloud and phone? There’s tons of stuff out there. Do you know all your options?
Project management is not an activity limited to mega-scale activities and large corporations. It’s a simplified process for organizing a set of activities and tasks to achieve your desired results, whether you’re working with a large team or by yourself. Gone are the days when you had to shell out hundreds of dollars for a project management tool like Microsoft Project. Competitive tools are available today as subscription services for a fraction of the price, and in some cases, for free. Here are few tips for selecting the best tool for managing your projects.
Your Business Matters
You can use virtually any standardized project management tool, but if you want the maximum benefit, it’s best to look for a category-specific feature that will enable you achieve your goals with ease.
Our choice for an all-around project management tool would be either Trello or Basecamp. If your projects are heavy on collaboration and discussion, we would recommend something like Asana.
If you’re in the software development business, we would definitely recommend JIRA, a web-based application that adopts Agile project management principles to develop highly efficient applications and computer software. JIRA can also be used in a non-IT development environment, but it may be difficult to comprehend the geeky jargon embedded in the solution. Plans start from $10 per month for 10 users.
If you’re a visual person, you may want to look at Trello first. This service arranges tasks in a simplified interface on a neat board with columns holding a series of cards together. Each card can be color-coded and moved around easily, and can hold more than just text and lists. You can also add deadlines, attachments, and checklists to each card. Trello helps you conceptualize the big picture in a way that anyone can understand. The free version is great.
Basecamp is another great tool, but it may not be as appealing as Trello, since it focuses upon the tasks (and sub-tasks) themselves, providing a greater number of details in an extremely straightforward manner. Basecamp pricing starts at $20 per month. It is our choice for more complex and detailed projects.
Teamwork
Some projects, especially those involving a high level of creative input, require heavier interaction and communication between team members. If your project requires a lot of collaboration, you may want to look at Twoodo. This service brings a greater number of social media concepts to the table, with pre-defined # and @ symbols that enable you to create checklists and tasks while assigning team members in one basic sentence. This may require some training at first, but you’ll see yourself mastering this within a few days of use. In any case, it’s free!
Another collaboration-centric tool can be found in Asana. This service utilizes a large, clean task list that you can create simply by typing sentences and pressing enter. Asana may be suitable for larger projects with many team members and tasks. It is free for teams with less than 15 members.
Most of the tools available allow you to utilize your smartphone to track and monitor activities assigned to you and your team. These apps will enable team members to receive instant updates and remain involved with the overall project, wherever they happen to be.
Test Drive
Before you commit yourself to a specific platform, spend some time checking out the features available, along with the look and feel of each tool. Sign up for a free trial period, or just sign up and use the free services to get a feeling for how they actually work and react with one of your projects. You’ll want to involve your team in this process, as they may discover nasty issues that could hinder their work buried deep in the details.
If you find yourself spending most of your time manipulating the tool instead of the project, it’s time to move on to something less complex. The last thing you need is to become a tool manager instead of a project manager.
Deploy
Now that you know what you want and what works best for you, start adding more projects to your new project management solution. Be sure to keep an open mind about special projects that may require a fresh approach.
