Spoiled for choice? Here’s the best project management software for 2019

Project management tech is booming – there has never been more choice in the software available to project managers, all offering the potential to streamline your processes, keep everyone on the same page and make managing a project so much easier. With cloud-based platforms, you have the advantage of constant improvements and new features without you having to do any updates.

But with so much choice, how do you find the right project management software for your needs, and how do you keep up with trends? We’ve selected five of the best project management tools doing the rounds in 2019:

1. The old guard: Microsoft Project

When it comes to project management software, Microsoft Project is still king, even if it seems a bit less exciting than some of the newer systems on the market. Microsoft have made some great little tweaks that make the whole thing run a little smoother now that it’s all cloud-friendly. Office 365 features such as Sharepoint and Microsoft Flow helps you to collaborate effectively and automate tasks and processes effectively. Sharepoint can still be a little bit buggy, but moving to the cloud has definitely kept Microsoft on the map.

Pros: Intuitive, familiar to both, integrates a lot of functions.

Cons: A little workmanlike, some wrinkles in its cloud system.

2. The slow burner: Nozbe

Polish company Nozbe has been around for more than a decade, but it’s gradually been carving a place for itself in the hearts of project managers – particularly those with more than one project on the go at once. It’s been ‘inspired by’ the ‘Getting Things Done’ productivity method conceived and championed by David Allen. The idea is to make your projects more manageable by organising your to do list and schedule in the right way. You can organise tasks by project or category, giving you plenty of options to help you keep on top of things. Like most of the cloud platforms, it also syncs with Microsoft Office, Google Drive, Dropbox and Evernote, among others. If your team and workload is small, there’s a free version of the app, though it’s a little limited compared to its nearest rivals. Price wise, it’s very competitive – the unlimited package for businesses costs £59 a month.

Pros: Great for managing lots of projects.

Cons: Cheaper tiers are limited.

3. The unicorn: Asana

Launched by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, Asana is now valued at $1.5bn. Its fans cite the ease of use and the reporting tools as their reasons for taking it on – you can get a team up and running on it very quickly. It integrates with over 100 other programs, from Office to Adobe Creative Cloud, Slack and Litmus. Like Nozbo, there’s a free version with limited features, but for small projects and teams (15 people or less), it might be all you need. Premium and business options are £7.99 and £16.25 per user per month respectively, with custom prices for larger companies. Its mobile version can be a little hard to handle, but otherwise it’s very accessible.

Pros: Easy to use, good training materials.

Cons: Mobile version could work better.

4. The collaboration whiz: Wrike

Wrike’s biggest strength is its communication functions, allowing teams to collaborate easily and stay on the same page. It features specific tools for project managers, including Gantt charts, dashboards and custom workflows (at the upper tiers). Wrike syncs with Office of course, but also richer sources of data, such as Salesforce and business intelligence platform Tableau. Its business tier is $24.80 per user per month (around £19). Lower tiers are suitable for smaller teams of 15 people or fewer. Some users complain of synchronisation issues between devices, but it still wins on collaboration.

Pros: Great for collaborative teams and projects.

Cons: It can take time to sync between devices.

5. The mobile master: Monday

Monday is great if you work from mobile devices a lot of the time. Its smartphone app has been praised by its users, some of which have used its push notifications to keep everyone on the team on the same page. The design of the app is also very appealing; simple, intuitive and customisable. Monday integrates well with Office, Trello and Google apps, among others. It’s biggest downside is the cost, with the basic tier starting at £22 a month.

Pros: Great mobile integration and design.

Cons: Costly.

Brought to you by Project journal.

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