4 Best Project Management Software Reviews in 2024 | Real-Time Work Updates for the Whole Team

January 22, 2024 | Editorial Team

Best Project Management Software Canada

Working in a team can be rewarding as you get the experience and perspective of many people. That being said, it can also be stressful. You need to try to communicate with a large number of people to ensure you are all on the same page. Unfortunately, things will get lost in translation, or someone may have missed a memo or deadline, then your project will suffer.

Thankfully, project management software exists. This type of software is meant to help companies manage their projects more efficiently. On the platforms, users can assign or pick up tasks, check them off when they’re done, chat with other members, and much more. It is a great way to ensure every employee is constantly aware of what is going on in their project. In addition, there are numerous other software solutions, namely when it comes to scheduling, payroll and accounting.

It can also be used for things like time tracking or budget tracking to ensure the project is always on track. This software is thus good for any business in any industry. It is not specific to one type of job, and anyone that works as a group can benefit from it. And, while at business, check out the top business credit cards in Canada.

There are many great options of software for project management out there. Today, we’re going to discuss four of the best ones: Monday, Jira, Smart Sheet and Wrike. If you want to help your projects run smoothly, keep reading!

Wrike

First on our list of the best options for project management is Wrike. Wrike is one of the best options for project management because it is so versatile and easy to learn. With over 17,000 users worldwide, there is no denying that this is one of the best options for project management. Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of this project management platform to get a better idea of its features and tools.

Pros

  • Wrike is great for general project management. Everyone can see real-time work updates and create automated workflows to help get your project done efficiently.
  • Resource management is also possible on Wrike. Resource management tools are available to balance the resources on your project and track performance.
  • Wrike is also great for any marketing project, product development, business operations or any creative project.
  • There are great time and budget tracking tools. This is the best way to ensure your project is kept on track.
  • You can automatically create projects from templates available on Wrike.
  • Communication and collaboration are easy on Wrike. You can easily chat with certain members or the whole team about your project.
  • There is a report wizard that can create detailed and accurate reports for any project.
  • You can easily integrate third-party apps onto this project management software.

Cons

  • There is no note-taking tool to help take notes on any new or upcoming project.
  • Some third-party integrations don’t provide notifications quickly. Outlook, for example, may send a notification an hour after the email was received.
  • Premium plans can be expensive, especially if there are a lot of users.

Summary

Wrike is one of the best options for project management software due to its many features. With Wrike, users can manage their projects, resources, time, and budget easily. Users can also smoothly integrate any external applications or software.

As there is a free version for small teams, Wrike is one of the best options of project management software. Especially since it is so easy to use and can greatly benefit any project. There is also a 15-day free trial of the premium version of Wrike. This will give you the best chance at testing out the project management platform to see if it will suit your project needs.

Monday

Next on our list of the best project management software is Monday. Monday is used to help teams manage, plan, and track their projects. Team members can be assigned tasks, create workflows, and track each other’s progress. Monday is a very visual software, so teams can see and organize all of their projects in one place.

Let’s take a look at the features Monday offers and what the pros and cons are of using this project management software.

Pros

  • Monday.com can be accessed by people in over 143 countries.
  • Team members can easily communicate directly on Monday through a board. This limits the need for constant emails and phone calls.
  • Task management is easy on Monday as teams can set up an action board for each team member.
  • Monday can be used for a variety of projects, from graphic design to real estate projects and much more.
  • Any department could take advantage of this project management software, whether it’s HR, sales, marketing, etc.
  • You can create three different types of boards: main boards, shareable boards, and private boards.
  • Tasks can also be assigned automatically if they are recurring.
  • Third-party apps, such as Google Drive, can be integrated into Monday.
  • Time tracking for each project can be done on Monday. This is especially helpful when you need to show clients how long you spent on a project.

Cons

  • There is no Gantt charts feature on Monday, though a Gantt chart view is available.
  • You can’t assign comments to specific members.
  • Activity logs showing what your team is doing are limited.
  • No idea management tools are available on Monday.
  • Quite expensive as the base plan alone is $49 a month.

Summary

Monday is one of the best options for project management software, thanks to all the tools and features it offers. Teams can effectively assign, organize, and manage tasks on Monday. Communication is easy on the software as well as team members can talk to each other via a communication board.

As Monday is quite an expensive project management software, you may want to try out the tools and features first to see if it is the best option for your team. Thankfully, Monday offers a free 14-day free trial for you to test it out.

Jira

Next on our list of the best project management software is Jira. Jira is not only a project management software, it can also be used for bug tracking. It has been around since 2002, created by a big name in software, Atlassian. As Atlassian has built such a big name for themselves in software, you know Jira is one of the best.

Jira can be used to organize project tasks, capture and record software bugs, and better manage Agile and Scrum teams. The Jira software is available in three different versions. Jira Core, Jira Software, and Jira Service Desk.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of using the Jira project management software.

Pros

  • The best software for Agile and Scrum management.
  • Can easily find, track, and record any bugs in software.
  • Jira can be used to create scrum boards and Kanban boards. Both are great tools for organizing and assigning projects.
  • You can also create custom workflows on Jira. This will help teams keep track of how projects are progressing.
  • Roadmaps that show a timetable, list of tasks, and goals can also be created. This can then be shared with your team or any stakeholders in the project.
  • Jira offers detailed reports. You can create reports such as user workload reports, spring reports, and version reports.
  • A variety of users can benefit from the tools and features of Jira. Developers, engineers, project managers, managers, and many others can also use Jira.
  • More than 3000 third-party apps can be integrated into Jira.

Cons

  • The mobile app lacks a lot of the tools and features available on the web version.
  • There is a file size upload of 10MB.
  • Jira’s user interface is a bit complicated and hard to set up.
  • There are no collaboration features to communicate with team members.

Summary

Jira is a great project management software, but it tends to be the best option, mainly for engineering and software development teams. Jira has bug tracking software and management tools for Agile and Scrum, which is why it’s the bests option for engineering and software development teams.

Other departments can also benefit from any project management tool available on Jira. But, they are quite basic features compared to other project management software. That being said, Jira is an affordable software. It is free for teams with less than ten users. This is a great way to test out the software’s tools and features to see if it is the best option for your team.

Smart Sheet

Another one of the best project management software options is Smart Sheet. Smart sheet is a great project management tool for collaborating on projects. It is also great for task management, but it focuses on being able to collaborate with your team.

Smart sheet is web-based, so you won’t need to download any software on your computer to enjoy its features and tools. This means employees can use it anywhere, the best options for those who work from home.

Here are some of the pros and cons of Smart Sheet’s tools and software.

Pros

  • Smart Sheet has an easy to use interface. The design is sleek, and the tools are easy to learn.
  • There is a thirty-day free trial of Smart Sheet to see if the tools will work for your projects or not.
  • Smart Sheet is also available as a mobile app. The mobile app has great functionality, and you can access all the same tools as you can on the web version.
  • Gantt charts are available on Smart Sheet. Gantt charts are visual charts that can be used to display who is working on various aspects of the project. This is great for task management.
  • You can easily attach files directly to your project on Smart Sheet.
  • Team members can also comment on various aspects of the project.
  • Reminders can be created and sent out to relevant members of the team.
  • Smart Sheet has an excellent card view.

Cons

  • There are no time tracking tools on Smart Sheet.
  • Smart Sheet also does not have an activity stream to follow any new comments, additions, or edits on projects.
  • The calendar view Smart Sheet has is limited. It will only show a certain number of tasks or projects at a time.

Summary

Smart Sheet has a lot of great tools and features that can help any team with their project management. It is one of the best options of project management software for those new to the tools. This is because Smart Sheet’s project management software is so easy to learn and operate. Having an easy to use interface is a real time saver as you don’t need to worry about extensive training for every employee.

The Smart Sheet project management software is available for a 30-day free trial. This is the best way to see if the project management software is a good fit for your team and the projects you do.

The Bottom Line

Now that we’ve discussed four of the best options for project management, you probably can’t wait to get started. These project management tools and many others are the best way to ensure your employees are all on the same page, no matter what type of project you are working on.

Project management tools are great for any industry. Graphic designers, writers, engineers, those in sales or marketing. Regardless of your title, your teams could benefit from project management. It will simply help your teams become more organized and operate together in a much smoother way.

As most project management platforms also have communication tools, they can be used for all aspects of your project.

The four platforms we discussed are some of the best. But, you don’t have to take our word for it. Try them out for yourself! Each software has a free trial from 14 days to 30 days. Some of the platforms, like Wrike and Jira, also have completely free plans.

Free trials and plans are great ways of testing out the software to ensure it meets all of your needs. Head over to their respective websites now to get your hands on a free trial!