Best project management software tools

Team leaders have been managing their calendars, to-do lists, and employees since long before project management software existed. But digital tools have made these processes a lot easier.

Project management tools simplify planning, organization, delegation, and task-tracking to help teams stay on top of their projects from start to finish. Whether you’re coordinating sales teams, managing content production, or preparing products for launch, businesses of all types and sizes can benefit from good project planning software.

Here’s how to pick the right project management tool for your team.

What is a project management tool?

A project management tool is a digital solution dedicated to preparing, executing, and tracking tasks. The best project management software tools clearly display every project’s lifecycle and the status of each task through intuitive, easy-to-read graphics and visual tools.

When you create a task in your project management app, you can assign it to yourself or someone else on your team and give it a deadline. From there, your app should enable you to keep track of the task’s progress from “to do” to “done.”

Streamlined project task management

Project management software streamlines task management by preventing missed deadlines and misunderstood responsibilities. Your chosen platform should make it easy to visualize your team’s project management tasks both individually and in the big picture. The interface should let you zoom out to review all the tasks you have in progress, including each one’s owner and status, ensuring that nothing gets lost and all your work is completed on time.

Collaboration and communication

A good project and task management software does more than just task-tracking; it also lets you collaborate with your teammates. You might be able to add co-assignees to tasks, link task items together or create comment threads for easy collaboration, all right in your project management tool.

Plus, many of the top project management software options integrate with Slack, letting you create, discuss, and edit tasks without having to leave the Slack platform.

Types of project management software tools

Project management software isn’t one-size-fits-all. The right solution depends on your team’s size, structure, and workflow. Here are a few common types of project management tools to help you identify what might work best:

1. Task management tools
   Designed to help individuals and teams organize tasks, task management software enables you to create to-do lists, assign deadlines, and monitor task progress from start to finish. They’re ideal for smaller teams or simpler workflows that need help staying organized without added complexity.
2. Collaboration-focused platforms
   These tools prioritize communication and real-time collaboration. Collaboration tools often include features like shared dashboards, comment threads, file attachments, and integration with project management tools. If your project team thrives on collaboration, Slack helps keep conversations and tasks in one place.
3. Project planning software
   For teams that need to map out timelines and dependencies, project planning software includes tools like Gantt charts, roadmaps, and calendar views. These platforms are especially useful for long-term planning or managing multiple project phases.
4. Agile project management tools
   Built around agile frameworks, these project tools offer features like Kanban boards, sprint tracking, and backlog management. They’re designed for iterative work cycles and help teams follow core agile principles while adapting to change.
5. All-in-one project management platforms
   These project management platforms combine task management, resource planning, time tracking, and reporting into a single interface. Ideal for growing teams or larger organizations, they provide everything you need to keep projects on track and stakeholders in the loop.
6. Specialized project software
   Some project tools are built with specific industries or workflows in mind—like creative production, construction, or software development. These often include niche features tailored to sector-specific needs, such as bug tracking or visual proofing tools.

 

Key features of project management software

Options for project management tools can be overwhelming. Navigate your choices more effectively by looking for the following features.

• Customizable project workflows

Your team is unique, and your project management platform should reflect that. The best project management software adapts to you, not the other way around. You should be able to customize workflows within your project software so the interface fits your team’s processes.

• Automation capabilities

Top-notch project management solutions let you automate certain workflows to save your team from repeating the same mundane tasks over and over. For example, you might program a workflow so that when a user updates the status of a ticket to “In Progress,” the system automatically assigns it to the relevant team member and sets a due date based on project timelines.

• Tap into an intuitive user interface

Your project management platform should have an easy-to-use interface that makes it simple to create tasks as tickets, sticky notes, cards, or tiles. If you find yourself hunting for hidden menus or buttons or struggling to figure out basic concepts like task creation and assigning tickets, it might be time to consider a different project management tool.

• Gantt charts

A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that illustrates a project’s current completion status and compares it to the project’s planned due date. Gantt charts are common in project schedule software tools because they provide a quick, clear visual to communicate a project’s status and whether it’s on track. The best project management tools feature built-in Gantt charts for the tasks on your board.

• Allocate resources and track tasks

Here’s how project tracking tools can streamline the process of assigning and overseeing tasks.

• Data visualization: With an intuitive interface, project management tools provide broad visibility across projects so you can easily see who is working on what.
• Filter settings: Many project management software tools let you filter tasks by assignee so you can easily balance workloads and allocate resources accordingly.
• Task tracking: Because project tracker apps list all your tasks in one place, it’s easy to check on each task’s progress.
• Teamwide visibility: Giving all relevant teammates access to the same board in your project management software keeps everyone in the loop on each project’s progress.
• Task linking: Your project tool should enable you to link tasks to each other so you can view the dependencies, meaning fewer tasks get lost in the shuffle.
• Notifications: With real-time updates of task status changes and user comments, you can easily monitor roadblocks and track project progress.

How project management tools supports agile methodology

Though it’s typically used in software development, agile methodology can apply to any type of project. Let’s explore how to implement the agile framework using project management software.

What is agile?

Agile is a flexible, team-based project management approach that breaks work into short cycles called sprints. Guided by core agile principles, it emphasizes collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer feedback. Teams stay aligned through regular agile ceremonies like daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives.

For example, a software team might begin a sprint focused on improving the app’s login experience. They’ll prioritize the most valuable updates, like reducing load time or fixing a common bug and then develop and test those changes over one to two weeks. At the end of the sprint, the team reviews feedback, reflects on what could be improved, and uses those insights to guide the next sprint.

Kanban boards and agile project management

Kanban boards originate from the agile methodology and are popular tools among project management software. Using various statuses, such as “in progress” and “in review,” kanban boards let you visualize project progress and boost efficiency. Most project management tools use kanban boards as visual aids.

Backlog management and sprint planning

Strong project management software makes it easy to address a work backlog while also pushing forward with new sprints. Choose a project tool that supports a virtual backlog of incomplete tasks for you to prioritize and assign on an ongoing basis. At the same time, you can use kanban boards and other tools to manage in-progress tasks from sprint to sprint until they’re complete.

Burndown charts and velocity tracking

While a kanban board illustrates zoomed-out project progress, a burndown chart shows the progress of each sprint within a project. Use a burndown chart to understand how many tasks have been completed within a specific project phase and which tasks you still need to tackle. That helps you track velocity so you can determine and adjust timelines and resource allocation for each sprint.

Top 10 best project management software

Your team deserves the best, and the best project management tools integrate with Slack. Check out the most popular platforms for task and project management.

1. Trello

Similar to a virtual bulletin board, Trello is a simplified task management software that revolves around boards, lists and cards. You can create, adjust, assign, and discuss tasks right in the Trello platform. Plus, with Trello’s Slack integration, you can add new Trello cards and make changes to existing ones right in Slack.

Best for: Simple task tracking and visual project boards, especially for small teams and personal use.

2. Jira Cloud

Jira is one of the best-known project management tools, allowing users to create workflows and track projects on a full-feature platform. Jira’s Slack integration lets you create tasks directly from Slack messages. Slack can also notify you of status updates and flagged issues in Jira.

Best for: Agile software development teams requiring detailed issue tracking and sprint planning.

3. Miro

Build a robust remote collaboration strategy with Miro, the agile-inspired visual project platform. Get organized with brainstorms and digital sticky notes, and invite members of all teams at your company to work with you in Miro. With the Miro integration for Slack, track notifications and activity seamlessly, keeping your workflow uninterrupted and productivity high.

Best for: Collaborative brainstorming and visual project planning.

4. Notion

Notion offers features beyond just project management, providing a centralized space for note-taking, task management, brainstorming, and page customization. Notion supports real-time collaboration. With the Notion integration for Slack, you can receive updates when changes are made, share pages quickly, and streamline collaboration directly from your channels.

Best for: All-in-one workspace combining notes, databases, and task management.

5. Asana

Asana helps teams align on project goals by connecting individual tasks to broader objectives. The app provides a clear picture of how everyone’s work contributes to the project team’s overarching initiatives. Asana offers a robust free plan as well, making it a great project management tool for small businesses. Asana’s Slack integration lets users turn Slack messages into action items and receive notifications about project updates.

Best for: Task and project tracking with a focus on team collaboration.

6. Wrike

Wrike enables project teams to manage complex projects with ease by offering customizable workflows, real-time collaboration, and advanced reporting tools. It gives project managers and stakeholders full visibility into timelines, dependencies, and progress, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. Wrike’s integration with Slack makes it easy to keep all communication and planning in sync.

Best for: Mid to large-size teams needing advanced project planning and reporting.

7. Flow

Flow helps small teams stay focused and organized by simplifying task management into a clean, intuitive interface. With features like project timelines, Kanban boards, and team calendars, Flow supports day-to-day execution while keeping long-term goals visible. Its lightweight design makes it accessible for non-technical teams. Use Flow’s Slack integration to transform discussions into action items.

Best for: Simple task management and team collaboration.

8. Figma and FigJam

Figma’s design-focused project management products help teams maximize efficiency so they can complete design tasks more quickly and effectively. Figma’s Slack app lets you respond to Figma and FigJam comments and view notifications right in Slack.

Best for: Collaborative UI/UX design projects and prototyping with real-time team feedback.

9. ClickUp

ClickUp brings you simple, straightforward project management, allowing your team to track productivity and leverage tools on one collective platform. ClickUp’s Slack app is free for all users, including those on ClickUp’s free plan.

Best for: Teams seeking a highly customizable all-in-one project management solution.

10. Workast

Workast is designed for Slack to assist remote teams with task and project management. It’s a free email-free solution that simplifies teamwork organization, task creation, priority tracking, and delegation. Easily convert Slack messages into tasks and connect Slack channels with Workast projects for seamless project management.

Best for: Teams seeking seamless task and project management integrated directly within Slack.

Add your favorite project management tool to Slack

Take your project management strategies to the next level with collaboration-forward, remote-friendly software. The top project management platforms offer a core set of functional tools to help you track tasks and manage workflows with confidence and ease. With a variety of software options to choose from, there’s a good fit out there for every type of team—and many of these tools integrate with Slack.