America’s busiest airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, manages nearly two flights per minute, with an 87% on-time rate. Some 58 air traffic controllers and purpose-built ATC software systems make this improbable feat a concrete reality each and every day.
Think of your company’s project managers as your organization’s air traffic controllers. They maximize efficiency by preventing backlogs from building up, optimizing resource use, and supporting collaboration. They make sure every project and initiative takes off and lands right when it needs to.
But air traffic controls have plenty of technological help to keep things running smoothly—and your project managers deserve that too. Tools can extend their capacity and deliver valuable performance insights. Let’s talk about what project management software is, how to tell which software is right for your organization, and eight of the best project management software systems for business owners.
What are project management tools?
Project management tools are software that help businesses plan, execute, and deliver projects efficiently. They streamline the process of managing team workloads, allocating resources, and tracking project statuses, enabling project managers to effectively manage multiple projects at once.
Key features of project management tools
- Project planning
- Progress tracking
- Reporting
- Access options
- Plans and pricing
- Team collaboration tools
- Resource management tools
- Methodologies
- Automations
- Integrations
- Usability
- Storage
The right project management tool for your company depends on your budget, team size, and specific needs. Here are some important project management features to consider as you research options that will fit your organization like a glove:
Project planning
Project planning is perhaps the most essential element of the project management process. Your project managers (PMs) need to create a project schedule, decide who will complete each task, estimate the time required in each phase, and schedule milestones and tasks—and repeat this for every project you do.
It goes without saying that your team needs the right project planning features to maximize efficiency. Workflow and project templates, calendar views, advanced task management features like subtasks and task dependencies, and project visualizations all streamline that process for your PMs—so they can streamline everything for everyone else.
Progress tracking
Project tracking tools like notifications, dashboards, and status reports help businesses monitor project progress, spot roadblocks, and avoid bottlenecks. PMs can also use them to identify off-track projects and course-correct to avoid late delivery. Without progress tracking, all you have is a plan with no way to keep an eye on execution—with it, you can ensure every initiative stays on track.
Reporting
Reporting tools can help business owners plan upcoming projects and evaluate the status of works in progress. PMs can also use them to analyze project performance, identify areas for improvement, and improve planning and forecasting abilities for your business as a whole. Common types include team availability, status, and time-tracking reports.
Access options
It’s no secret all sorts of software is either on its way to the cloud or already comfortably there. Project management tools make use of cloud technologies to ensure everyone can access them from anywhere at any time. Team members can log in from any internet-connected device.
Some companies also offer mobile or desktop project management apps. Flexible access options are especially helpful if your employees work flexible hours or travel during the work day. As more and more businesses go hybrid or remote, easy access to project management tools is all the more essential.
Plans and pricing
Evaluate software plan options, costs, and pricing structures to see what works for your company. Most tools charge per user, which means that costs will go up as you scale up your business. If your budget is tight, look for tools that offer free trials (or even free versions). Some will allow business owners to add advanced features à la carte or scale up to paid versions later on.
Team collaboration tools
Help your people work together better with tools that encourage and ease communication. Collaborative editing, in-platform messaging, meeting tools, file sharing, and comment threads can help remote or distributed employees efficiently work together on team projects.
Many applications sort conversations by project or task. Good project management tools allow for communication, but great project management tools encourage and actively facilitate it.
Resource management tools
Some tools can estimate project costs and monitor both team and individual employee capacities. They can also calculate actual costs for completed projects and calculate profits when applicable.
Resource management features like these help you manage workloads, optimize employee utilization, provide insights into return on investment, and improve your ability to plan. Those are all surefire ways to make your company more profitable and productive.
Methodologies
If your team relies on a certain form of project planning method, there are plenty of tools to take advantage of. For instance, if you use Kanban and Agile project management methodologies, you can utilize this approach most effectively in software tailored to those approaches. Some tools also offer specific workflow templates for these popular methodologies.
Automations
Free up your PMs to focus on what really matters—and allow for automation to take over the minutiae. Workflow automation features save project managers time by automatically triggering status updates or reports, assigning tasks based on previous task status, or even adjusting assignments or deadlines based on team member utilization data.
Integrations
Most project management tools offer native or third-party integrations with other tools. Look for a platform that offers seamless integrations with key players in your tech stack, including your online store, email provider, file storage system, and calendaring application. Just as you’d want your employees to all work together as one cohesive unit, you can achieve the same effect with a well-oiled and effectively integrated software ecosystem.
Usability
Managing projects is a lot easier for both PMs and the rest of your team when everyone can intuitively make sense of the system. Your employees will spend a lot of time on your project management platform, so choose a tool with a user-friendly interface and easy-to-understand feature design. Avoiding tools with steep learning curves can also make it easy to onboard new users and streamline any transitions in project management roles.
Storage
A lot of work will end up living on your project management tools. Integrating your file storage system with your project management tool can increase efficiency and support collaboration, simplifying version control and eliminating the need for team members to email documents back and forth or locate assets in separate systems.
Top project management tools
A good project management tool can increase efficiency, improve internal collaboration, boost work quality, and help you consistently deliver complex projects on time. Jumpstart your research with this overview of eight of the best project management tools for business owners.
Monday.com
Monday.com is a project management solution that can help business owners streamline workflows, manage tasks, and track progress. It offers customizable workflow automation templates, a collaborative whiteboard function, and a user-friendly color-coded interface with a customizable dashboard. You’ll also have access to multiple project views, including timelines, calendars, and Gantt charts (a scheduling tool; see an example here).
Features
- Customizable workflows
- Multiple project views
- More than 200 customizable templates
- Automated workflows
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Customizable dashboard
- Collaborative whiteboards
- 24/7 customer support on paid plans
- More than 200 apps and integrations
- Free plan offered
Pricing
- Free version available
- Basic: $9 per user monthly
- Standard: $12 per user monthly
- Pro: $19 per user monthly
- Enterprise: Contact sales
ClickUp
ClickUp is a flexible productivity platform that helps businesses manage projects, knowledge, resources, operations, product development, and client relationships—all in one sleek package.
Automate workflows and facilitate easy communication with multiple collaboration features. Client relationship management (CRM) features include shareable files and folders, status updates, and approval workflows. A time tracking function, a generative AI assistant, and a portfolio management tool make this offering stand out too.
Features
- Multiple project views
- User groups
- ClickUp Brain AI assistant
- More than 1,000 tools and integrations
- More than 1,000 workflow, design, and content templates
- CRM
- In-platform video recording
- 24/7 customer support
- Collaborative docs
- In-platform chat
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Free plan offered
Pricing
- Free version available
- Unlimited: $7 per user monthly
- Business: $12 per user monthly
- Enterprise: Contact sales
Miro
Miro is a collaborative visual workspace with project management functionality. Take advantage of 1,000 pre-built templates—including Kanban boards, mind maps, Gantt charts, and flowcharts.
Users can edit boards, generate diagrams, summaries, and briefs with Miro AI, and use developer tools to customize the platform. You can also use this tool for its meeting-focused features like breakout sessions, voting, a timer, and an agenda-management tool.
Features
- More than 100 apps and integrations
- Version history
- Miro AI
- Interactive video walkthroughs
- Project folders
- Developer tools
- Meeting timer
- More than 1,000 templates
- Custom branding options
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Permissions management
- Free plan available
Pricing
- Free version available
- Starter: $8 per user monthly
- Business: $16 per user monthly
- Enterprise: Contact sales
Asana
Project management platform Asana offers multiple project views—including task lists, calendars, project timelines, Gantt charts, and boards—and allows team members to switch between views and customize personal task inbox displays.
Asana’s AI tool can create tasks, summarize content, suggest process improvements and answer questions, helping teams streamline workflows and accelerate planning processes. Unlike many other project management software systems, Asana also offers unlimited file storage on all plans.
Features
- Multiple project views
- Customizable workflow templates
- Customizable task inbox
- Unlimited file storage
- Workflow automation
- Asana AI
- Customizable notification settings
- More than 450 apps and integrations
- Progress, spending, and revenue reports
- Free plan available
Pricing
- Free version available
- Starter: $10.99 per user monthly
- Advanced: $24.99 per user monthly
Basecamp
Basecamp simplifies project management processes for small teams.
Its less-is-more approach focuses on essential project management features and minimizes distraction with notification protections and unique single-page project displays. Still, it has all the essentials, like document storage, in-app messaging, scheduling and tracking functions, and billing and onboarding support.
Features
- In-platform messaging
- To-do lists
- One-page user dashboard
- Scheduling tool
- Group chat
- File storage
- Progress visualization
- Centralized notification menu
- Notification protections
- Billing and onboarding tools
- Third-party integrations library
- Mobile and desktop apps
- 24/7 customer support with Pro plan
- 30-day free trial
Pricing
- Basecamp: $15 per user monthly
- Basecamp Pro: $299 for unlimited users monthly
Airtable
Airtable is a no-code application-building platform that helps teams create custom solutions for critical business processes, including product development and workflow, project, finance, operations, and human resources management. It supports calendar views, Kanban boards, galleries, and grids and offers an AI assistant that can summarize notes, categorize feedback, route tasks, and create content.
Features
- Multiple project views
- File storage
- Interface designer
- No-code app development
- Flexible reporting
- Airtable AI add-on
- Workflow automations
- Free plan available
Pricing
- Free version available
- Team: $20 per user monthly
- Business: $45 per user monthly
- Enterprise: Contact sales
- Airtable AI add-on: or $6 per user monthly
Wrike
Wrike is a user-friendly project management software solution that uses a spreadsheet-style interface and includes project planning, tracking, resource management, and reporting features. It offers multiple project views and supports Kanban and Agile methodologies.
Features
- Workflow automations
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Multiple project views
- Project dashboard
- Generative AI tool
- File storage
- Customer request tool
- Mobile and desktop apps
- In-platform approval and editing
- Resource planning tools
- Integrations library
- Free plan offered
Pricing
- Free version available
- Business: $9.80 per user monthly
- Team: $24.80 per user monthly
- Enterprise: Contact sales
- Pinnacle: Contact sales
Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects is the project management platform from multinational business software company Zoho. It integrates with Zoho’s full suite of workplace technologies (including its CRM, sales system, analytics tool, and file storage platform) and offers third-party integrations for Google and Microsoft apps and a range of other popular workplace technologies.
Zoho offers a Gantt chart creator, automated project reporting, in-platform timesheets, and automated invoicing through the Zoho Invoice integration. It’s also more affordable than many other project management tools, offering a free plan and enterprise pricing at $9 per team member, per month, billed annually.
Features
- Multiple project views
- Timesheets
- Forums
- Automated invoicing with Zoho Invoice
- Integrations library
- File storage
- In-platform chat
- Project templates
- Approval notifications
- Time tracking on paid plans
- Project reporting
- Mobile and desktop application
- Free plan offered
Pricing
- Free version available
- Premium: $4 per user monthly
- Enterprise: $9 per user monthly
Project management tools FAQ
How do you choose the right project management tool?
Evaluate your budget, goals, and project management needs and create a list of must-have functionalities and features. Then research project management solutions and select a best-fit platform. If you can't find one that fits your budget and includes all the tools you need, consider choosing a low-cost or free project management tool and adding features with integrations.
What is the most popular project management tool?
Asana, Zoho Projects, and Monday.com are all popular project management systems.
Does Google have a project management tool?
Google doesn’t have a unified project management tool, but many businesses use apps like Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Tasks, and Google Drive to support the project management process.
