Embedded Files
April 2018
There are hundreds of articles about project management tools and instruments. I wasn't going to write anything about them, but I want to save some thoughts about tools I used during the last 7 years.
I started product management using internally developed tools by the company I worked at. The tool was very simple, but it was great for task management. Unfortunately, it allowed only to manage tasks for projects, not projects holistically. For side projects, for some specific projects with some clients and in other companies, I used a few commercial tools: Asana, Basecamp, Jira, and Trello. Some experience was awesome, some - terrible. Here I want to share my experience with additional research done.
According to the Project Management Institute's (PMI) 2017 Pulse of the Profession® report, 75% of organizations use project management tools. The most popular project management tools are Microsoft Project, Jira, and Asana. The average organization uses four project management tools. The most common uses for project management tools are tracking tasks, managing budgets, and communicating with team members.
Asana
Asana is a comprehensive project management tool that offers a range of features including task management, team collaboration, and project tracking. It provides a visually appealing interface and supports Kanban boards, lists, and calendars. Asana excels in its ability to handle complex projects with its powerful customization options, advanced reporting, and integration with various third-party apps. However, some users find it overwhelming due to its extensive feature set.
Pros
Feature-rich
Collaborative
Scalable
Clean UX
Cons
Can be expensive for small teams
Luck of integrations
My Experience
Asana was suggested as a communication tool by some of the clients. I found it pretty good for smaller projects. It helped with both communication with clients and task management and progress tracking by the team. I definitely would use it again for management of mid-size projects and startups.
Company
Founded in 2008 by two of the co-founders of Facebook - Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Asana had over 1 million users in 2017. This number has continued to grow in recent years, and Asana is now one of the most popular project management tools on the market.
Moskovitz and Rosenstein met while they were students at Harvard University. They founded Facebook in 2004 and Moskovitz served as the company's chief operating officer until 2008. Rosenstein left Facebook in 2008 to work on other projects.
Taking into account founders' background one can think that Asana would be good for companies that 'Move fast and break things'.
Jira
Jira, primarily designed for software development teams, is renowned for its robust issue-tracking and bug-management capabilities. It offers advanced project planning and resource management features, along with agile methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban. Jira has a lot of integrations with development tools like Bitbucket and GitHub. However, the learning curve for Jira can be steep for non-technical users, and its user interface may seem complex to some.
Pros
Powerful tracking
Flexible
Collaborative
Scalable
Multiple integrations
Confluence
Cons
Steep learning curve
Can be expensive
Hard to use for non technical users
Require configuration
My Experience
One of the best PM tools I used. It is great for mid-size and big teams and projects, as well as a tool for communication between multiple teams.
But for using Jira team need to spend some time configuring it for their own needs and setting up all required settings and integrations.
Jira would be my choice for big and enterprise projects.
Company
Founded in 2002 by Atlassian - a software company that develops products for software development and project management. The company is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Jira had over 2 million users in 2017. This number has continued to grow in recent years, and Jira is now one of the most popular project management tools on the market.
The company was founded in 2002 by Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar. The pair started the company shortly after graduating from university, funding it with credit cards. They claim to have founded Atlassian with the aim of earning the then-typical graduate starting salary of A$48,000 at the big corporations without having to work for someone else.
I guess they achieved their goal :)
Trello
Trello is a simple and intuitive project management tool that organizes projects using boards, lists, and cards. It is known for its user-friendly interface, making it easy for individuals and small teams to get started quickly. Trello's strength lies in its simplicity and flexibility, allowing users to adapt it to various workflows. However, it may lack the advanced features required for larger and more complex projects.
Pros
Easy to use
Visual
Collaborative
Free for small teams and individuals
Cons
Limited features
Not ideal for large projects
Luck of reporting
My Experience
This is my to-go PM tool for side projects, small startups, and personal tasks management. I love small touches that make it fun to use.
Even though it is limited in features it has very much anything I need for small projects.
Maybe my feelings about Trello are biased because I am a big fan of Joel Spolsky and used his blog and books as guides to becoming a better product manager.
Company
Founded in 2011 by Fog Creek Software and Joel Spolsky - founder of Stack Overflow and former Program Manager on Microsoft Excel. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Trello had over 10 million users in 2017. This number has continued to grow in recent years, and Trello is now one of the most popular project management tools on the market.
Unfortunately, Trello will not give you answers to any technical problem, but it will help to organize the work.
Basecamp
Basecamp is a popular choice for remote teams and small businesses. It provides a centralized platform for communication, task management, file sharing, and scheduling. Basecamp's focus on simplicity and ease of use makes it ideal for teams seeking a straightforward solution without overwhelming features. However, it is designed and built by the company for its own needs and may lack the robust customization options and advanced project management functionalities that your team might need if your way of working is different.
Pros
Easy to use
Affordable
Collaborative
Has integrations with other tools
Designed to share content
Cons
Limited features
No reporting
Can be slow
Could become overwhelming
My Experience
I was excited to use the tool because I am a big fan of Jason Freig and his approaches to business and personal productivity. But every time we used the Basecamp project communication failed and the team fall back to emails and sent documents back and forth.
Maybe the reason was in using it with not well-organized people, or the wrong environment (all the time it was used for communication between separate teams or client and supplier), or maybe the tool was not designed well enough for projects that are managed differently than it is done in 37 Signals.
Anyways, this is a shame that we always failed with basecamp and I can't make myself use it again especially since it was created by one of the people I respect a lot.
Company
According to a report by Capterra, a website that reviews and compares project management software, Basecamp had over 3 million users in 2017. This number has continued to grow in recent years, and Basecamp is now one of the most popular project management tools on the market.
Founded in 2004 by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson company 37 Signals is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company initially provided design services and they built Basecamp as an internal tool. Later they 'allowed' to use it for their clients. Now Basecamp is one of the few tools that the company sells as a SaaS solution.
Choosing the right project management tool depends on your organisations specific needs and preferences.
By considering factors such as project complexity, team size, integration options, and user experience, you can make an informed decision of using one or another tool for your project management processes.
My personal takeovers (notes to remember):
There are so many similar tools for project management and still many of them are successful. There is no need to be the first to market to make money if you do something good.
There is always a bias in product selection based on previous experience, the creator's background and reputation, and many other factors. But it is important to concentrate on goals that you try to achieve using one tool or another.
Google Sites
Report abuse