Project management tools allow agencies to dedicate resources, track tasks, and deliver projects on time and within budget. The key features of project management tools include making it easier for teams within an agency to plan, communicate and collaborate on various projects to meet deadlines.
Project management tools make it easier for everyone to participate in a project’s journey from start to finish. Hence, agencies and small teams can work more collaboratively and productively, even remotely.
Today more agencies are using project management software to improve their business workflow. While there are many tools that can cover the needs of an agency, there are various options for agencies to collaborate on projects quickly.
Why use Project Management Software?
A project management tool will not only help you manage your projects, but it will also help you improve your team's productivity and allow you to conduct better meetings with them. Here are some of the essential project dashboard functions you can perform using project management tools: -
A project dashboard also has time tracking that helps to keep an eye on what tasks are completed within the deadline or which are already beyond due dates.
What are the benefits of Project Management Software?
The benefit of using project management tools is bringing all client project data into one place. This enables you to create an organized system of information that promotes transparency and lets you collaborate with your team. No need to go through email threads or look inside multiple folders to find specific data about that one client. Project management tools also help with task tracking that can help you reach out to those employees who need to catch up or consistently delay submitting their work.
Team communication:
Project management tools and software will help you easily communicate with the team leader or external stakeholders about your concerns. Plus, these same project management apps and tools will store all the communication trails for your conveinence.
Share documents:
With the rise of companies allowing their employees to work remotely, project management software comes in handy to share files and collaborate with other team members. Your entire team can track project progress, refer to due dates, get onboarded to a new project, and work from anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection.
Set Better Processes
As your team grows, your processes should become more sophisticated. Anyone who wasn't there as the project developed may need help catching up. With an agile project management tool being used, there will be no such issue. Everything a new employee or team member needs should be available within the system.
What to look for in a project management tool?
When it comes to project management tools it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. To make the right decision for your business, carefully exploring your organization's needs is essential. Consider these ten factors:
A scalable model
When your company reaches a milestone, switching from one free project management software tool to another can be confusing and time-consuming. You'll need a good project management software that can manage the increasing number of projects, clients, and contractors you will handle if your agency is growing fast. You are working to achieve even more significant growth.
The user-friendliness of the application is also important
You should check in with your staff to find out if they are happy with the project management tool's interface before you decide on the best online project management tools, for your agency. It should be simple for your team to stay up-to-date on projects, track their time, and schedule projects efficiently.
Human resources and their flexibility
You also have take into consideration the features you use now like create tasks, to do lists, track your time, marketing campaigns, manage customer relationships, and handle billing processes, you may also require other features to handle these tasks. If you are looking for a project management tool, keep these features in mind and consider how these features will integrate with your agency's software before you make a choice.
Customization
After taking a look at all the features and customization options available for each project tool, you have to ask youself if the best project management tool you are choosing for your agency allows you to set all the features and the reports you want to see? What kind of experience can you provide according to what you seek?
You need to choose a tool that will allow you to collaborate with your clients if you want to do that. The device that you choose should enable you to create an interface that gives your agency's branding a prominent place in your client's view if you want to do that.
Necessary Features
The top project management tools and systems offered today come loaded with all the tools and advanced features that you could ever need if you need them. Furthermore, some or even most project management software and tools focus on doing one thing well rather than doing many things at once. To make managing projects easier for your agency, consider the basic features for your agency i.e. to create tasks, track progress, etc.
Client Friendliness
Using a project management tool with your clients, however, may be different from using it with yourself and your team. Your clients should be able to navigate through the right project management software or system with ease.
The tool should be able to be customized to your needs. Ensure that there are options which can be used to separate some of the communication from being public and private. Choosing the right tool will help you to communicate effectively with clients and let them know what they need from you.
Email Integration
The tool you choose for your business must integrate with email platforms like Gmail and Outlook, etc so that your clients can communicate easily via email.
Mobility Limitations
If some (or all) of your team work remotely, select a project management tool that will allow them to work from anywhere. The right project management tool should also have remote working features that will make it easier for remote workers or teams in different offices to use the tool. In addition, it would be better if the product offered an Android or iOS app for users to download.
Customer Support and Training
The setup, training, and ongoing support of an online project management tool, may be required for complex projects. Before choosing a project management tool, you must ensure that training and support are available. To reach the company's customer service team, make sure you know the hours and days of the week they are available. Test it as much as possible before investing in it if possible.
One pro tip you should note is whether or not they offer customer service. Is their customer service available through email, phone, live chat, or chatbot?
Your goals
If you use a project management software, what other goals in your to-do lists do you hope to accomplish from using it? Would you like to streamline your processes to make them more efficient? Is it possible to improve efficiency and profitability at the same time? Do you want to understand better what kind of clients and projects you want to pursue? How can we deliver a better quality product to our customers?
There can be no harm in investing in a project management tool, but you need to pick one that will help you achieve your goals and track the return on your investment (ROI).
We have compared the most popular and effective project management tools and software that can help you keep track of your projects and ensure the best results.
So let's have a look at the top project management softwares:
Basecamp is a favorable option for agencies looking at simple, easy-to-use project planning and task management tools that work well.
Top features:
Assign a to-do list of tasks to one or more people
Message boards to discuss projects and ideas
Chat portal for easy team communication
Reports to analyze and study the team’s capacity and project metrics
Separate portal for project management with clients
By automating strenuous processes and streamlining the workflow, agencies can optimize their project management tool with Basecamp.
Pricing
Their plans are available at $15/month per user with all necessary features for freelancers and smaller teams. For larger businesses, they have a plan starting at $299 per month billed annually which can be used by unlimited users.
2. Asana
A lot of people are now using Asana as a very effective, project tool because of how effective and convenient it is. You are able to plan projects, assign tasks, set priorities, and set deadlines with the help of this aesthetically pleasing platform. Communication with the members of your team is also easy and convenient.
Asana helps you keep track of tasks and projects from start to the finish so that you can prioritize them accordingly. As a team leader, you can be aware of what is happening at every stage and you can keep all team members aligned on what needs to be done.
Top features:
Calendars and views that can be customized
Workspaces with multiple users
Kanban boards
Gantt charts
Updates in real-time
Notifications and reminders can be sent by email and phone
Team members can work on the go with a mobile app and mobile site available on their iPhones
In order to stay aligned while working on multiple projects, Monday.com provides teams and project managers with a top-notch project management platform that streamlines their workflows.
With the help of this tool, you will be able to sync all of your project information in a single location, displaying it in a visually appealing manner. It is very easy for team members to track progress, and project status and to know which task they are responsible for at any moment thanks to Monday.com.
Top features:
Having a quick look at all the work your team has done
In order to keep all team members aligned with automation, there must be automation
In order to measure the progress of your team and document its achievements, you need to have the ability to do so
Certain data can be protected from unauthorized access by granting permissions
Integrating Gmail with Outlook and Gmail
Slack, Pipedrive, Dropbox, and other third-party apps can all be integrated into the platform
Pricing
Individual - free
Basic plan - $8 per month.
Standard plan - $10 per month.
Pro plan - $16 per month.
Enterprise - you can contact them for a custom quote.
4. Wrike
Wrike aims to provide companies and teams with an affordable and effective way to collaborate, create, and exceed every day.
In order to create a central hub in which all projects and resources related to a client can be viewed in a single place, user workflows can be improved, and progress can be tracked, Wrike's solution is targeted at agencies.
Real-time collaboration, time tracking, cross-tagging for full transparency, proofing and approvals, resource management, insights, and analytics are some of the key features you will find in this tool.
The ultimate goal of Wrike is to delight clients by completing more projects in less time in a way they expect and appreciate.
Top features:
Having a real-time collaboration system
The use of cross-tagging will ensure that your work is seen by everyone
A proofreading and approval process should be followed
Managing resources, gaining insights, and implementing analytics are the keys to success
Pricing
Wrike offers a free plan
Team - $9.80 user/ month
Business - $24.80 user/ month
Enterprise and pinnacle plan - you can contact them for a custom quote
Workamajig is another powerful project management tool that helps you manage your projects, manage clients, accounting, creative media, new business, traffic, and production functions where all tasks are synced into a collaborative platform.
Top features:
SmartPlus and STRATA integration for media billing.
Agency project pipeline using widgets.
Aging reports and accounts analytics.
Templates for accuracy and precise estimation.
Resource planning tool with team availability.
Project tracking and allocation.
Pricing
Their plans start at $41, you can also contact them for custom pricing.
6. ProofHub
With ProofHub, you can manage your projects, collaborate with your team, and review documents all in one place. There is no doubt that this tool is designed to assist teams of all sizes in managing complex tasks and in working collaboratively.
Using this tool, project managers will be able to efficiently manage all phases of a project, from the project planning, and assigning stage to managing the progress of the project and submitting all deliverables on time.
It allows clients, teams, and contractors to collaborate effectively with each other through the sharing of notes and discussions powered by this software. This tool will help in project planning and management.
Top features:
Workflows and Kanban boards that can be customized
The Gantt chart and the project calendar are two examples of this
Chat and discussions can be held in real-time via the in-built chat feature
Keeping track of every detail of a product is made easy with a robust table view
Keeping track of your team's productivity with time-tracking tools that are automatic and manual
Rapports on projects that have been completed
It is a tool designed to streamline the process of reviewing and approving documents
Managing files and folders
Notes and sticky notes
Pricing
You can get a 14-day free trial of their paid plans.
nTask is another innovative platform for project management to maximize productivity with a variety of tools that top creative agencies can make optimum use of with high customizability. It includes project management tools like recurring tasks, time tracking, reminders, notifications, and collaboration.
Top features:
Time tracking, timesheets, and time log.
Calendar management tool.
Recurring tasks per day, week, month, or specific time frame.
Admin approval control panel.
Resource and budget management features.
Team management and collaborative communication.
How much project and management tools and software cost is one of the key factors small agencies consider when choosing a good project management software tool. That's where nTask wins over competitors;
Pricing
Premium - $3/month billed yearly.
Business - $8/month billed yearly.
Enterprise - you can contact them for a quote.
8. ClickUp
In addition to managing their campaigns, clients, standard operating procedures, and more, many marketing agencies use ClickUp as an integrated marketing tool. Using Guest Permissions, you'll have the ability to collaborate with your team, work with contractors and clients, and connect all your data in one place.
Moreover, ClickUp offers a wide range of templates that can be adapted to a variety of marketing work and favorite project management tools and platforms, if you need help getting started.
Top features:
Communication with clients and stakeholders can be done through dashboards and chat views
An overview of campaigns and the relationships between tasks can be visualized using a Gantt chart or timeline
Getting feedback directly on your files is made easier with the proofing and annotation features
This is a tool for creating content, outlining processes, and saving internal wiki pages as documents
Automating repetitive tasks by using recurring tasks and reminders
This software allows you to sync your tasks, events, and reminders with your calendar in one place in order to view them all in one location.
A wide range of marketing apps can be integrated with more than 1000 integrations.
FunctionPoint is a robust project management software with integrated functions like specific tools for multiple departments, including accounting, new business, client services, traffic, and media.
Top features:
File sharing and workflow approval console
Scheduled and assigned task management with individual workloads
Financial reporting, invoicing, and accounting
Project task management dashboard
Timeline and profitability analysis of projects
The optimum features of FunctionPoint make for a wonderful project management tool that streamlines organizational workflow, it offers several paid plans that can be paid monthly or annually.
Pricing
Boutique 5-9 users - $54 per user per month.
Studio 10-49 users - $49 per user per month.
Agency 50+ users - you can contact them for a personal quote.
10. PSOhub
Using PSOhub, you will be able to manage all your project management needs in one place, tailored to all types of professional services agencies. Furthermore, it has been designed with the needs of HubSpot users in mind.
In addition to providing everything businesses need to manage projects in a digitalized manner, PSOhub also offers robust integrations to keep contracts, time tracking, team collaboration, and much more under one digital roof.
Top features:
The goal is to eliminate manual entry of time and promote productivity through self-driving time tracking.
With dashboards and reporting as well as smart contract generation, you can manage contracts for retainers, time and materials, fixed-price, recurring, and installment projects.
Assigning tasks and sharing information is part of task management and collaboration.
Pricing
Base - $8.50 per user, per month billed annually.
Starter - $12.50 per user, per month billed annually.
Rise - $16.50 per user, per month billed annually.
Growth - $20.50 per user, per month billed annually.
11. Smartsheet
With an interface that is both intuitive and interactive, Smartsheet is a powerful project management and planning tool that runs on the web. This tool can be accessed from any device and combines the ease of use of a spreadsheet with the capability of managing a collaborative project, sharing files, and automating work flow management.
It was created with the intention of facilitating teamwork without unnecessary hiccups when working on projects.
Top features:
An easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface for managing timelines and projects in accordance with changing requirements based on a drag-and-drop interface.
A dashboard which enables managers to keep track of the status of each project in terms of time, fees, and expenses.
It is possible to view how teams, clients, and projects are doing against their goals with the help of visual reporting.
Documents and information can be exported and sent to clients' email addresses in a secure manner.
Clients can see custom branding in their view of the application.
Pricing
Pro - $7 per user, per month billed annually.
Business - $25 per user, per month billed annually.
Customizable boards and templates for projects and tasks
Track tasks and set deadlines
Project timelines and visual milestones
Real-time updates on the status of projects and deliverables
Integrated communication like chats, messages, file sharing, and notebooks
Pricing
Starter - $5.99 per user, per month billed annually.
Deliver - $9.99 per user, per month billed annually.
Grow - $19.99 per user, per month billed annually.
13. ProProfs Project
As a flexible, all-in-one project management solution, ProProfs Project provides an easy-to-use platform for managing project tasks, resources, and deadlines in a single place. In addition, the Gantt chart, Kanban, List, and Calendar views are included in the software, which allows you to set up project workflows and track project progress, on multiple projects in real-time. With the help of this tool, you will be able to quickly adjust workflows according to the ongoing project requirements, as well as those of the team.
Using ProProfs' data-driven project reports, you'll never have to worry about second-guessing the performance of key features of your project once you've started. In the reports, you will find comprehensive insights into key project metrics that will help you to efficiently manage the projects of your agency.
Top features:
Managing projects on the go is now easier than ever with mobile access
Feedback can be provided via task comments and received via email
Files relevant to your business can be shared from anywhere, at any time
Keeping track of employee productivity is easy with time-tracking software.
Pricing
ProProfs Project has their plan starting at $39.97 per month.
14. iMeet Central
As an online-based team collaboration tool (formerly known as Central Desktop), iMeet Central is a great way for the entire agency to stay organized, efficient, and informed when it comes to a project's progress.
By using this tool, you will be able to create online workspaces which will allow members of your team to share files, exchange ideas, and collaborate on client projects in real-time.
Top features:
Creatives can share their inspiration with each other using online mood boards.
Tasks can be automatically assigned to users according to customizable workflows.
A feature for scheduling meetings, uploading notes, and sharing documents is available in the Meetings section.
It is possible to restrict access to certain files and folders to only those who are employed by the agency.
It aims to provide a centralized feedback system that organizes comments and shows who has reviewed, approved, or ignored the notice based on who has reviewed it.
Pricing
Enterprise plan - $25 per user per month.
Marketers and agencies - $45 per user, per month.
15. Zoho Projects
It is easy and convenient to manage a wide variety of business functions with Zoho, including finance, human resources, sales, marketing, and project management, to name a few.
The Zoho Projects tool allows agency teams to manage communication and track project progress in an easy manner by providing them with an easy-to-use agile project management tool together.
Top features:
Keeping track of employee hours that are billable and non-billable.
This tool allows users to compare projected timelines with actual timelines for achieving specific milestones, allowing them to compare the two.
The integration of Google Apps for more efficient collaboration can be found here.
A project chat room can be made public or private depending on the needs of the project.
Members of the team are able to communicate through forums.
The use of Kanban boards to manage tasks is becoming increasingly popular.
A custom widget, a custom view, and a custom field can be created.
Pricing
Premium plan - Rs 350 per user per month.
Enterprise plan - Rs 700 per user per month.
16. WorkflowMax
A full-featured project management system, WorkflowMax, provides agencies with all the tools necessary to manage projects, their finances, billing, leads, sales, and productivity in order to maximize efficiency.
It is important to note that WorkflowMax is an integration partner of HubSpot.
Top features:
To uncover inefficiencies and the agency's most profitable clients and projects through reporting
To make it easier to understand profitability, we developed a job costs system that keeps track of all expenses for a given project as well as actual costs versus predicted costs.
In order to better meet the needs of each agency, you have the option to create customized fields.
It is a tool that allows you to send accurate quotes to prospects in a timely manner.
Reports that are powerful, customizable, and easy to use.
Integrations with third-party apps.
Support is available via email every day of the week.
Online webinars and video tutorials are available for free.
Pricing
WorkflowMax has their plans starting at
$20 per month for one user
$45 per month for 3 users,
$55 per month for 5 users
$120 per month for 10 users
$190 per month for 20 users
$275 per month for 50 users
$350 per month for 100 users
you can choose your plan depending on the number of users.
17. Brightpod
In Brightpod, users are able to track their ideas, task lists, and projects through a board interface similar to that of TrelloTop features:
Workflows that are tailored to the needs of different types of projects
The purpose of this editorial calendar is to keep track of the plans for social media and content creation by managers.
The dashboards can be customized per team member so that they are able to track the items that are of high priority every day.
Logging the amount of time each team member has devoted to each task and creating recurring tasks are two useful features.
By using an email address, you are able to add tasks, messages, and files to your account.
Toggl Plan is simply one of the best creative and agile project management software for agencies, B2B service and software development teams, and small businesses. It helps project managers and teams deliver high-quality, successful projects on time, maximize billable hours, and ensure that the project team is doing ok.
Top features:
Plan and execute projects with simple, drag-and-drop Plan timelines.
Visualize availability, capacity, and workloads using the Team timelines.
Deliver on time with color-coded milestones.
Collaborate on tasks with file attachments and comments.
Drag-and-drop Kanban boards with customizable workflows for task management.
Toggl Plan brings complete visibility and clarity so your entire team knows who’s doing what and when. It ensures that you stay on top of all work and get work done without overwhelming your team.
Product managers have a lot on their plate. They have to juggle multiple tasks, deadlines, and team members. Chisel is a project management application that is specifically designed for product managers.
This product will help with work flow management It helps to organize and streamline your process so that you can produce superior products. Chisel's distinguishing characteristic is that it prioritizes collaboration features. This allows team members to communicate and cooperate effectively on projects. It is one of the best project management tools out there.
Top Features:
Chisel is the perfect tool for collaboration. It enables teams inside and outside your firm to work together in real-time.
Chisel's drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to use.
You can customize your workflows to fit the way you operate.
Chisel provides milestone tracking with the help of Timeline View to help you stay on track.
You can consolidate your data into one location to enable centralized decision-making.
Chisel is constantly releasing new features based on consumer input.
Chisel software features foster creativity and innovation.
Pricing
Chisel has its premium plan starting at $49 per month billed annually.
Wrapping Up
So we have finally compared the best project management tools for you. For different project manager functions and agency requirements, you can invest in a project management tool that matches the requirements of your clients and your team.
While selecting a project management tool for your agency keep in mind the cost, scalability, and user-friendliness, and then decide to invest in the very best project management tool for your agency.
We hope this information helps you in making the right choice for your agency. Do let us know your pick.
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About Author
Yash Shah
Co-founder & Chief Executive
Yash owned and ran a Tech Agency that grew to 55 people team offering SaaS, FinTech and E-Commerce Web & Mobile app Development before founding Clientjoy. He currently serves as Chief Executive at Clientjoy - a platform that helps 16K+ Agencies & Freelancers in 90+ Countries grow their business and manage their clients.
About the Editor & Reviewer
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