Investing in the best task management software can greatly benefit you if you want to have an easier time managing tasks. With this software around, you can manage tasks effortlessly. It will be as quick and simple as clicking a button.
In other words, you no longer have to spend too much time assigning tasks to employees or constantly asking for updates from them.
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Task Management Software Defined
Task management software is now vital for startups since this tool can help keep a business on track and well-organized. It is different from project management software in the sense that the one for task management focuses only on a single task or project. Meanwhile, the software for project management handles several projects and tasks.
You can do many things with the aid of high-quality task management software. It is useful for task management, project management, scheduling and estimation, task dependencies, milestones, and resources. The software also aids in making decisions every time there is a need to change priorities.
You will find it greatly useful in managing your to-do lists and offering your team your help so everyone can work and collaborate better. Note, though, that you have plenty of choices in terms of great task management software.
You just need to understand your specific needs and requirements. That way, you can pick a simple task management tool or project management software guaranteed to boost your productivity instead of creating additional work.
Proven Benefits of Investing in a Task Management Tool
To give you an idea about the positive effects of having this software for task management, especially if you are running a business, here are its key benefits:
Effective in centralizing activities
You need good task management software to integrate all your activities in just a single place. This can result in eliminating the tedious need to use multiple accounts and passwords.
It prevents you from dealing with the risk of deleting information or losing them. This can lead to a vast improvement in your team’s work efficiency, particularly the things they do every day.
Your task management tool is also what you need to keep track of every activity of your clients as they communicate with your team. This can prevent duplicating work while allowing you to assess whether your team deals with client inquiries efficiently and effectively.
Promotes ease in task prioritization
Prioritizing your tasks will always play a major role in meeting deadlines for crucial tasks. If you don’t prioritize tasks, you will have difficulty managing and accomplishing them on time.
With task management software, you can effectively deal with issues related to task prioritization, thereby allowing you to complete all vital tasks on time. One issue that the task management software can handle in terms of prioritization is the tendency to get stuck in tasks of the lowest priority and those that eat a lot of your time.
You can also prevent the poor management of individual tasks, thereby helping you avoid missed deadlines, which may happen if you do not prioritize tasks based on deadlines and importance.
Makes data more accessible
Task management software also has the advantage of making data easily accessible regardless of where you are. Note that if your job requires you to handle a complex task and work out of your office or even during weekends, it is vital that all critical data and information are easily accessible.
This will prevent you from facing problems with continuing your work. With task management tools, you can easily access your database using any device wherever and whenever you want. The only thing you need would be a reliable internet connection.
With the aid of this benefit, you no longer have to go back to your office just to get crucial information. You can simply log in even if you are at home, providing you with a high level of flexibility when it comes to accessing the necessary data comfortably.
Improves productivity
Of course, a good task management tool can also boost your productivity, which contributes a lot to the success of your business. If a team member takes too much time figuring out what they need to do, there is a high risk of spending a lot of time searching instead of executing tasks.
You can prevent such problems as the online task manager provides the ideal solution for easily locating tasks and allowing the viewing of vital tasks linked to the project. You can also deal with each task following due dates while giving you an easier time planning things accordingly.
Improves your ability to collaborate with the team
Working in a team may result in difficulties getting in touch with the progress of everyone. This is especially true if you are running a huge team since you will find it challenging to assess the performance of every member.
With the help of task management tools, you can bridge such a gap as it helps develop the spirit and need to work together. The software will let your whole team see the individual tasks assigned to every member, thereby promoting ease in collaborating. This can also assure you that each member can fulfill their part without delays.
Ideal for those who work from home
If you have a remote job or a work-from-home job, you can also take advantage of the best task management software. It works well for freelancers and professionals who work from home, allowing them to work effortlessly and coordinate with their team and organization remotely.
The software also has several features capable of surpassing the many challenges associated with remote collaboration and communication with a team. You will also find the tool useful in sharing updates and scheduling vital tasks in real time without issues.
Promotes a hassle-free sharing and organization of documents
If you work on long-term projects, there is a high chance for you to acquire numerous documents soon. Some projects require the saving of older document versions until project completion.
You may find managing and organizing documents challenging if you are managing such projects. This is especially true if you are also holding a huge team. You can make sharing and organizing documents hassle-free with task management software.
Often equipped with highly innovative solutions, you will find it useful in accelerating the process of sharing files among colleagues and associations. These features integrated in the task and project management tool will also help you save time in tasks linked to organizing documents and files.
Features to Look for in Task Management Tools
To enjoy the many benefits of the best task management software, it is advisable to look for one with plenty of valuable features. Among the aspects and features, you should focus on during your search should be:
Ease of use and customizability
One vital aspect of task management tools you must look for is the ease of use. You should be able to set it up with ease while giving users a more intuitive experience. It should be customizable, too, so it will fit the structures of your entire team.
Planning and scheduling features
Check whether the task management software has planning and scheduling features before investing in it. Note that task planning is about breaking down the workflow to simplify tasks.
Once the tasks are ready for assignment and delegation, you can start setting deadlines. You can also choose to classify them as recurring tasks. An example would be creating a list composed of three tasks – ex. onboarding an employee who was just newly hired, setting up the desk, and reviewing their performance during the first week.
Assign tasks to various team members. After you assign tasks, you can use the features to accurately assess and track the progress of each member who is working on them.
Collaboration features
You also need task management tools with useful collaboration features. Keep in mind that collaboration will be hard to do if there is no system, especially if you are working remotely.
You can make this easier with robust task management software capable of streamlining the process of team collaboration. The team members can easily exchange information while receiving useful updates regarding ongoing tasks.
Supervisors can also easily provide the team with answers to their queries. It is easy to collaborate on shared tasks and communicate directly using the task management platform.
Unlimited and modifiable tasks
It also helps to use project management or task management software with features that allow the management of unlimited tasks. Ensure the tool also has features that allow you to modify tasks.
This means allowing you to return to tasks that are already existing and making adjustments, like adding comments, attaching documents, and changing due dates.
Task Automation
Ensure that the task management software has automation features capable of simplifying the process of managing even the most complex of tasks. An example would be a task that you need to collaborate on between several project teams. It could also be for tasks that require the approval of a task manager at various stages.
If you are dealing with such complex tasks, manually managing them will produce inefficient results. This makes it necessary to find a task management system with automated features that can help prevent you from wasting time on unnecessary tasks.
Make sure that you avoid limiting yourself to built-in automated solutions. It is also possible to automate tasks and processes with integrations.
Time tracking
As much as possible, pick task management software tools with a time tracking feature. This will help you keep track of the time spent on every task or project, thereby making it possible for you to determine resource hogs and bottlenecks.
Time tracking features are also vital if the company often hires employees based on an hourly basis. This functionality is also useful for companies that accept projects following an hourly billing setup.
This feature makes it possible for contractors or employees to log the data related to the time they spent on their tasks directly on the software. It allows the management to make it a periodic habit of viewing and checking out the timesheet data. The result would be better invoicing, resource management, and audit payroll.
Top 10 Task Management Software
Now that you know what task management software is, its benefits, and the features you should look for, it is time to check out your options. In this case, here are just some of the many choices that you have if you want to invest in the best task management software.
#1 – Monday.com
One task management software that is worthwhile to check out is Monday.com. With the help of this tool, workflow management for all projects will be easier. This tool is what you need if you want to have an easier time assigning tasks and keeping track of them.
Monday.com also allows you to follow and adhere to processes across projects and teams. The tool has several features that make it truly useful for task management – among which are messaging, time tracking, due date reminders, task dependencies, calendar sync, forms, graphs, and insights.
As a cloud-based platform, Monday.com also allows businesses to develop their applications and tools for work management. This tool is ideal for small-sized and mid-sized businesses as it features a visually appealing, intuitive, and user-friendly interface.
This tool also allows adding team members, creating workflows and assigned tasks, and tracking progress based on a central view.
Pros:
- Comes with a modern, visually appealing, and intuitive dashboard
- Over 200 templates are available for use in creating automation and boards
- Highly customizable
- Impressive tracking features that you can use to track tasks, their progress or the status of certain issues
- Powerful communication – The tool can help you a lot when your team has to invite guests to check out and view timelines and boards. This is beneficial in centralizing communication.
Cons:
- Poses limitations on the number of users as the tool follows a per-user pricing scheme
- Limited integration – While Monday.com integrates with Slack, Google Drive, Trello, Google Calendar, Dropbox, and Excel, among many others, those still find these integrations lacking. Many would have liked it better if it can be integrated into other popular third-party apps, like Salesforce and SharePoint.
#2 – Wrike
Another valuable task management software or project management tool that works well for modern businesses or enterprises is Wrike. It specifically works for teams who wish to edit task workflows and customize them in just one task manager.
The ultimate benefit of this software is that it aids in simplifying your workload. It also primarily focuses on customizing workflows and remote team collaboration. You can use this tool to boost your productivity even if you are not with your team as it has certain features, such as streamlined workflows and custom dashboards.
Working in real-time is also possible with Wrike as it has several unique features – live editing, commenting in real-time for certain tasks, sharing information with stakeholders, and powerful reporting.
Another positive thing about Wrike is that it offers a free trial. It also has this freemium plan, which gives you access to vital features, like board view, real-time stream of activity, file sharing, and task management. There are also paid plans with advanced features, such as time tracking and Gantt charts.
Pros:
- Boasts of its multiple views feature, which ensures that your tasks will be fully transparent
- Comes with security measures that give you an assurance that only authorized people can access the tool
- Offers in-depth reports that help in monitoring tasks and accomplishments, thanks to the analysis feature
- Has a free trial, which you can use in figuring out first whether you should push through with using the tool
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Limited options for reporting
- The paid plans are quite expensive.
#3 – ProofHub
There is also what we call ProofHub, which many consider an all-in-one tool for project management and collaborative task management. What’s great about this tool is that it holds features necessary for gaining full control of tasks, communications, teams, and projects.
For instance, you can use the powerful features for team collaboration available in ProofHub that can help keep even the distributed members of your team connected. It is also possible to use this tool to easily share company-wide announcements.
This tool also has plenty of third-party integrations. You can integrate it with apps, such as OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox, giving you a central area that you can use to access all data and files.
ProofHub gives you access to a lot of features that are all useful in effective team and task management. These include to-do lists, Gantt charts, custom workflows, an online proofing tool, and Kanban boards. You will also receive a dedicated space that you can use for real-time collaboration through this collaborative task management tool.
Pros:
- Great features and functionality in just one tool – You can use this tool for task planning, management, collaboration, and probably anything you wish to use to manage team and work.
- Allows unlimited users – It can handle multiple projects, promoting ease in management.
- Promotes fast and easy communication – This is made possible by centralized communication in a single place.
- Provides users, specifically the task manager, complete control in allocating roles
- Has features for managing projects and organizing work, including Kanban boards and a Gantt chart
Cons:
- Lacks budgeting function, which would have been useful for project managers who need assistance in budgeting
- Does not have any option for repetitive or recurring tasks
#4 – TimeCamp
You may also want to check out TimeCamp, a task management tool that mainly focuses on time-tracking tasks and projects. This software is a big help in measuring the level of productivity and performance of your team as it keeps track of the time spent on a task or project.
You can also use this tool to receive proof that they are working and measure the amount of time they spent on various websites and apps. It is also possible to measure your project’s profitability and determine whether each one still falls within your identified budget.
One more thing that makes TimeCamp the best task management software is that it allows the manual adding of time. You may also use activity or graphical timesheets for it. Another great advantage of this tool is that it has a free plan with no limitations regarding the number of projects and users.
However, this free task management software plan also comes with restricted capabilities. One more thing that TimeCamp has done is that it simplifies the process of tracking time in several ways. You can do the tracking through the web, mobile app, integrated apps, or desktop. Moreover, you can record time via timesheet for certain projects or tasks.
Pros:
- Features a well-represented timesheet capable of displaying vital information in just one page
- Has an effective tracking system, which gives users a lot of options for tracking time
- Features a highly advanced reporting system
- Keeps track of attendance and idle time
- Highly intuitive reports that provide clear and detailed information about the most vital paraments of a task or project
Cons:
- Some users find the graphics and visuals lacking.
- Prone to bugs
#5 – Asana
Asana is also one of the most popular task management software you can check out and use right now. The main focus of this tool is managing projects and workflow. Among Asana’s most prominent functionalities and features are comments, task lists, team collaboration, and notifications.
As for the pricing, take note that Asana has an introductory tier available for free. The free version or tier comes with three project views, basic workflows, security, and reporting, as well as community support.
You can also take advantage of its paid monthly plans, which begin at around $10.99 per user. The paid plans offer all the features in the free tier, but the versions for each feature are more advanced.
Another great thing about Asana is that it allows you to organize a list of tasks by project or deadline. It is even possible for you to tag the members of your team or comment on tasks.
With the aid of this tool, you can group and organize tasks for each project together will be a lot easier. You can also easily assign or delegate tasks to each team member. Moreover, Asana can provide you with a more detailed list of the deadlines and assignments of every team member.
Pros:
- Easy to use and has a clean and intuitive interface
- Offers a free plan with features that are already good enough for most users
- Allows the organization of present and recurring tasks based on project or deadline
- Gives users an easier time grouping tasks for each project together
- Provides a clear and detailed list of your team’s deadlines and assignments
Cons:
- Does not provide an option for project managers to make Gantt charts
- Not all of the tool’s features can be supported on each platform.
#6 – Trello
Trello is also a task management tool that is famous for being easy to use on almost all platforms. It is a productivity platform that allows you to collaborate with everyone in your team while allowing everyone to complete tasks within just a short amount of time.
It has cards and boards that give users an easier time prioritizing and organizing tasks. Trello is also the ideal tool and solution for you if you wish to access a user-friendly Kanban board that aids in making project management easier and hassle-free.
Trello also has the advantage of providing users with a straightforward and easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface. This is useful for many things – one of which is to have an easier time dragging and moving cards based on the allotted task from every section.
Trello is also needed if you wish to develop stages or phases for every project. You can use it from the initial phase to completion. It is even possible for you to provide a name for every card, set a deadline or due date, and assign cards to members of your team, among many other tasks and functions.
Moreover, Trello has this workflow automation butler, which can do a lot of tasks for you, including creating custom cards, sending out deadline or due-date alerts, providing calendar commands, and giving out rule-based triggers. It also allows third-party integrations, especially with apps like Dropbox and Slack.
Pros:
- Easy and straightforward to use – The process is so simple that it involves copying templates, customizing them, and starting collaborations.
- Features an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface
- Promotes ease in storing and sharing files
- Allows the use of task progress boards that aid in prioritizing task lists
- Helps organize your daily activities in just a single platform
Cons:
- Limited storage capabilities
- Suitable only for smaller tasks and projects
#7 – Teamwork
There is also what we refer to as Teamwork, which is a task management tool which has now become increasingly popular because, aside from being powerful, it is also easy to use.
Teamwork also boasts of its intuitive user interface, allowing users to manage multiple tasks and projects effortlessly. With this functionality, it is no longer surprising to see this tool being popular among business owners, agencies, professional service providers, and project managers.
The tool is also very good in that it allows you to know in an instance what is on track. This is made possible with the aid of dashboards, board views, as well as updates regarding the health status of your projects.
Teamwork also allows time tracking, making it possible to monitor the length of time spent on certain tasks. With this information, you will have an easier time planning your tasks and projects more effectively.
You can also easily do project visualization using this tool as it allows set-up reporting, marked calendars, and Gantt charts. It also has this workload feature, which makes it possible for you to instantly check and monitor each task’s workload, thereby promoting ease in assigning and redistributing tasks.
Pros:
- Easy to use and flexible software containing most of the features you may need in managing tasks and projects
- Allows you to access time tracking and invoicing for free
- Intuitive user interface that allows managing multiple projects without any hassle
- Promotes ease in time tracking, giving you the chance to keep track of the time spent on every task
- Helps you check and monitor the workload of each task
Cons:
- The many features integrated into the interface make the tool quite complex to learn for beginners.
- Does not have a chat option, which would have been useful for a team
#8 – ClickUp
Another task management software that is worthwhile to invest in is ClickUp. It contributes greatly to a team’s success as this tool makes task planning, organizing, and project collaboration easier.
ClickUp gives users the advantage of customizing and automating tasks. It also allows adding custom field data. It also makes certain tasks, like assigning projects to several team members, breaking down huge tasks into smaller ones, sharing screen recordings, and adding comments hassle-free.
It even allows you to visualize subtasks and tasks in several ways. Aside from the task management functionality, you can also use ClickUp to access important tools and features, including documents, goals, inboxes, reminders, and calendars.
One more reason to love ClickUp is that it offers a free plan that does not limit how many users can take advantage of the tool. Note, though, that ClickUp puts more emphasis on personal use.
ClickUp also boasts of its unique features, including time in status, work-in-progress limits, and granular time estimates. As for its high-end or paid plans, expect to be able to take advantage of robust customer support, comprehensive security features, and plenty of integrations.
Pros:
- Simple and easy to use
- Provides great options for customization
- Offers a free plan without limitations on the number of users
- Has plenty of integrations and time tracking features
- Allows you to customize and automate your tasks
Cons:
- High risk for bugs
- The mobile version is not that user-friendly.
#9 – Basecamp
Basecamp is another of the most valuable platform or tools for project management. This is so good that it is meant for use remotely. It is even possible for in-person and virtual teams to use it easily to streamline workflows and communications in several ways.
This tool for task management also makes use of a single dashboard that all users can see and monitor. You can also divide it into projects and teams, which helps make it quicker and easier to navigate.
It also allows you to utilize a deeper organizational structure, which you can expect to take place within a task or project with the aid of schedules, group chat, file and document storage, message boards, and to-do lists.
You can also take advantage of Basecamp’s unique tracking method for projects known as Hill charts. You can use these charts to monitor a project’s progress timely while sticking to defined goals.
It is also not hard to fall in love with Basecamp as it carries all the basics for organizing tasks and projects. These include task assignments, lists, management, commenting, team collaboration, deadline reminders, and file search and storage.
Another nice feature of Basecamp is that it allows you and your team members to send out vital notifications. It is even useful in creating message boards and storing and sharing relevant files.
Pros:
- Multiple functions and features in just a single platform – You can use it for task and project management, communication, and file sharing and storage.
- Allows real-time communication
- Has what we call Hill charts, a technique used by Basecamp in tracking the progress of each project
- Have all the basics needed to organize and manage tasks and projects
- Useful in storing and sharing relevant files
Cons:
- Lacking in vital visualization tools, including Kanban board and Gantt chart
- Managing chats is not that easy.
#10 – Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a popular online task management tool known for being user-friendly and easy to access regardless of where you are. You can access and use this tool on all possible platforms.
This spreadsheet-based task management app allows you to manage plans and tasks in just a single dashboard. It works like a spreadsheet because it has plenty of advanced features that you can use for efficient task management.
One thing that it can do is store all your present tasks in one spreadsheet. It is even possible for you to open the tasks you have stored in the spreadsheet together using the tabbed view.
Smartsheet also makes it possible for you to use several tools designed to perform a wide range of tasks – breaking down task rows, setting due dates or deadlines, and building task overflow.
The flexibility of Smartsheet is also undeniable. It is flexible enough that you can use it to manage any project, regardless of size, with the aid of multiple resources, such as the Gantt chart.
Another benefit of Smartsheet is that you can integrate it with different tools. These include Dropbox, Salesforce, and Google Apps. You can even use this tool in resolving high-value and mission-critical work processes, including those linked to the efficient management of facilities, offering quality client experience, and streamlined planning and budgeting.
Pros:
- User-friendly and easy to access
- Can be integrated with different tools
- Flexible enough that you will find it useful in managing projects regardless of size
- Helps in collaborating and sharing information
- Can help you manage your projects from the beginning to end
Cons:
- Can be a bit difficult to learn for beginners
- Lacks an integrated method of time tracking
Conclusion
The best task management app or software is indeed what you need to remain on top of the game while ensuring that your entire team delivers the best performance in everything that they do. You can use this tool to ensure everyone in your team carries out their tasks efficiently.
With the help of this tool, you no longer have to keep going back and forth understanding what the team members are working on, the status of their tasks or projects, and whether or not they can reach the deadline. You just have to navigate through projects and tasks with a simple click of a button.
Just make sure that you spend time studying all your options when it comes to task management. That way, you can pick a task management tool guaranteed to be the best fit for you.