{"id":31887,"date":"2020-07-08T14:55:57","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T21:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bamf.com\/?p=31887"},"modified":"2022-01-11T03:43:54","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T10:43:54","slug":"project-management-tools-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bamf.com\/project-management-tools-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Project Management Tools Compared (Top 5, Remote Work)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Covid-19 has very nearly brought the entire world on the backfoot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Economies are stumbling, businesses are collapsing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Organizations that, with strict \u201cwork-from-office\u201d policies, would fret upon the idea of \u201cworking from home\u201d are left with no other option than working from home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s true that most of the work today requires just the internet and laptop – so there\u2019s no reason why it can\u2019t be efficiently tackled from one\u2019s home. When in the office, project managers can check up on their team members frequently and without any hassle. Simply because it is easy to communicate in person. When working remotely, this becomes a bottleneck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frequently emailing or calling makes little sense, and without transparency in terms of the tasks assigned, there can\u2019t be smooth project management. Managing remote employees is thus creating problems for most organizations and project managers. Project management and collaboration tools help you with a complete overview of your projects at a glance. It\u2019s true that there are far too many project management tools, and it\u2019s only fair that you\u2019ll get confused – especially if you\u2019re managing a remote team for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And we\u2019re here to help you to curb your confusion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But before we get in-depth into project management tools, let\u2019s talk a bit about what exactly they are, and what features you should definitely look for in your tool. Knowing that will help you pick the right tool for your needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As the name suggests, project management tools are tools for the efficient management of projects. These come in especially handy for remote project management, resource allocation, and scheduling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These platforms support file sharing, chatting, calling, and even third-party integrations so as to make your work as seamless as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you want to track down deliverables? Or manage resources? Or manage your company finances? There is a lot that these tools can help you do – at the end of the day, it comes down to your requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, there are some things you should definitely look for while picking the tool for yourself: <\/p>\n\n\n\n All in all, once you migrate your entire team to the project management tool that you deem fit, you\u2019ll notice the following clear advantages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While there are several open-source tools out there, you should know that most of them are paid – though a few free tools are also available. Picking the right tool requires introspection. You should be clear of your goals and expectations from the tool. Since price is also a major motivator, if you\u2019re just starting out, maybe you should explore some of the free tools mentioned in the list below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you know the exact purpose for which you\u2019re using the tool, everything becomes easier. After all, different departments in your organization follow different work methodologies. In this post, we\u2019ll be talking about the 5 most used project management tools, namely:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll take an in-depth look into all of these tools, discuss their pros and cons, salient features, and pricing models. This will be a long, instructional post, so sit back!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for a tl;dr, here\u2019s a comparison table that gives a brief overview of all the tools – broadly in terms of the key features that one should look for in a project management tool. (We\u2019d still strongly recommend you go ahead and check the entire article. We\u2019ve talked about the tools in-depth, and you\u2019ll find yourself much more informed by the end of the article(<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there is another ingredient in addition to the laptop and internet that is necessary for successful remote (or non-remote, for that matter)<\/em> work – communication, and trust. <\/p>\n\n\n
They can ask for updates any time they want, know the status of tasks assigned to team members, and even escalate the matter if important.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because if you still opt for repeatedly updating spreadsheets, drowning in post-its, and participating in weekly update meetings, you\u2019re honestly wasting time and effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is a project management tool?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What should you look for in a good project management tool? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Basically any indicators for knowing where a particular task fits in the project as a whole – and the timeframe required to complete it.
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Any hassles with document arrangement can lead to a lot of time being wasted.
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This can be in the form of text, video, or audio calls. It should also have the facility of creating various communication channels, and adding multiple people to one conversation.
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It is also a huge plus for project managers who want to ensure that tasks are being carried out in a timely manner.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Despite this, keep in mind that chances are that no one particular tool can offer you a complete solution. Therefore, companies tend to mix-and-match a couple of tools, again, depending on their needs – you can do the same if needed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To keep everyone on the same page, it is important to take all of them in consideration before picking the tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n