no more excuses for missing deadlines.
by beth ziesenis
app of the week
the first thursday in november is international project management day, but isn’t every day a good day to discover new apps to streamline work? 
the project management world is a crowded space, but a few companies stand out and are worthy of celebration. these tools are the most recommended by audience members in my sessions, and those folks are way smarter than i am.
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see all: apps of the week here |
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you’ll find many of the same characteristics in the top contenders.
in general, here are the features these tools contain:
- capability to set up projects with tasks, goals and milestones;
- collaboration tools for teams;
- feeds and dashboards for latest activity and status updates;
- ability to assign tasks to team members;
- shareable file library;
- notification system via email or third-party tools;
- multi-device access to cloud-based data; and
- free or low-cost basic features with upgrades for larger teams and projects.
beyond these common characteristics, you’ll find a variety in the look and feel of the most popular tools. let’s look at the five most popular:
trello
offers an interesting take on project management by organizing your projects into “cards” that lay out like a deck across your screen. you can click on any card to flip it over and see the details, including tasks, collaborators and due dates.
trello organizes all your projects into boards, allowing both personal and shared boards. your account lets you have as many boards as you want, and you can manage the permissions for each for everything from read-only access to full privileges. you create lists and deadlines for each board, and you can assign tasks to others. it’s easy to reprioritize and assign list items with a quick click and drag.
asana and smartsheet are crowd favorites at my sessions. 
many teams report that asana gives small teams everything they need at no cost for up to 15 users. and although smartsheet isn’t free, its users adore the fact that the system has templates for almost any type of project, and the layout is the familiar spreadsheet format.
basecamp was probably the first online project management system, and it’s undoubtedly one of the most popular. 
basecamp also has the most integrations, including social networks, mobile phones and invoicing software. all the systems update each other and keep everyone on track. they have a limited free version, or an all-in flat rate of $99 for unlimited. teachers and students get free accounts.
if you want the basic structure of basecamp without the $99 a month, try freedcamp. unlimited users. unlimited projects. unlimited storage. what’s not to love? freedcamp gives away much more than many of the other top project management systems. they start charging for integrations with google drive, larger file uploads, crms, invoices and issue tracking.
what apps do you use to keep your team in line and what makes them great? share with us in the comments!