Guide To Choose The Right Project Management Software For Your Team

Project management is easier said than done; why is it so? It is because every project is different; so are the functions and capabilities of every team member. Said this, we just can’t sit idle and wind up the project, right? One way to manage your project successfully is by choosing the correct project management software. This article will focus on this -selecting the suitable project management tool.  

Look into these below points before picking one for your project. 

Requirements & Features: 

What is your requirement, and what features does a project management software have? Assess your needs–your projects’ size, number of people in the project, your project methodology, and others. There are tools for every degree of demand in the market, from complicated velocity charts to simple to-do checklists. See what your project needs. 

If you are a project manager who needs work breakdown setup, budgeting, etc., then prefer heavyweight software tools.  

However, if you are looking for a Kanban board that aids you in assigning tasks, handling due dates, and keeping you organized, a project management software such as Projects from Flowz is ideal. 

Methodology:

Companies that follow a proactive strategy like the waterfall model ask for documentation, record-keeping, and a well-defined workflow. This method aims at prioritization and establishing dependencies. It will help if you have a tool that supports this.

Nonetheless, if you use a reactive method such as Lean or Agile, it needs plenty of elasticity. The software should be flexible and adaptive enough to house this type of iterative work.

Budget:

The next thing you need to consider is – the quantity of capital you wish to expend on your project management software. There are open-source tools and ones that cost thousands of dollars with different levels of functionality.

A simple and free PMS will assist you in creating checklists and crossing out finished tasks. However, if you are searching for high-end features, you may have to go for a few expensive ones.

Ease of use:

Any project management isn’t an hour or one-day task. Yours is no different, so the need for project management software is daily. Keeping this in mind, it is always better to choose one that is easy to use. Be very careful before finalizing it. Ensure it is not complicated and needs several days of training to know it. Of course, a few of your projects may need software with many features and values. However, this doesn’t mean you will prefer a complicated one for all other projects. It should have an easy interface and a customizable aspect. 

Remember that all reasonable project management solutions are flexible, customizable, and scalable.  

We think you know the tips for choosing a project management software. Knowing this, we shall now know the essential features of project management software. Knowing this will help you select the best management tool available. 

Essential features of project management software:

Project management tools are many and varied. They range from Ultra-lite to Structured based on their price, features, and usage value. However, let us ignore this fact for now and focus on some of the essential qualities a PMS should have to get an idea of what to look for. 

Kanban board:

You need this feature to quickly visualize your work and maintain track of progress with ease. With a Kanban board, you get a clear view of tasks to do and also know the held-up tasks.

Task management:

This aids users in keeping track of works and sub-works. For instance, the task “write a blog” can again be divided into writing the copy, editing, and optimizing for SEO. Since different team members are involved in these sub-works, tasks management becomes more manageable with this tool. You can prioritize duties, fix deadlines, and enhance collaboration.

Scheduling:

Projects are temporary, making scheduling one of the software’s main features. The liberty to customize deadlines, buffers, dependable tasks, and so on is vital to keeping reliable coordination over your projects.

Collaboration:

If you have to communicate with your team constantly, a collaboration attribute will allow keeping communication flowing so that everyone is up to date. Besides, look for a PMS that provides task management and chat platform among the project crew and a version tracking system. With these, you get an immediate notification regarding nearing deadlines, work completion. It also allows you to know when something requires your action. Smartphone notifications will enable you to stay interconnected irrespective of your location.

Integration:

Projects consist of many moving parts. You ought to know the effect of one thing over the others when something switches. Saying it another way, look out for features that assist in investigating trade-offs and how resources allocation affects your project’s entire schedule. Your project management software should allow you to store every file in one centralized database for quick access and easy sharing. It is helpful when you are working with dispersed teams or with a customer who can deliver instant feedback.

Dashboard and Reporting:

Dashboards and Reports are most needed to have a strategic synopsis of the projects’ position. These are key since you ought to know how things are going by the end of every week or month. A project management software that gathers all the data linked to cost, team performance, resources usability, and schedule in a structured document is something that you should search for. The project overview’s graphs and visual metrics give you a high-level picture of the different projects.

You can immediately know the standing of each project, catch the number of completed projects, and the money and time spent on different projects. Building reports assist you in identifying where your team is falling short and where improvement is needed. You can even make better, data-driven decisions to estimate expenses and budgets and assign resources.

Final notes: 

The above points should go into your thoughts and actions before picking the best project management software for your teams. 

A better project management software will aid you in collaborating effectively and guarantee that all your projects are meeting a success. If you are hunting for an intuitive and simple project management tool, take Flowz Project for a trail. It has everything you will require to pull off projects effectively. You can begin using it for free.