Best Online Project Management Tools For 2017

We live in a global village. This particular village, thanks to the power of the internet is a world full of possibilities. You can stay put in your home in Alaska and still get work done from Malaysia. Such possibilities didn’t exist a few years ago.

Freelancers, entrepreneurs, small-scale businesses, webpreneurs, and regular working professionals can now work from anywhere with their teams located anywhere. Online project management tools have made it easy to know the progress of the project at a macro level and the status of each task at a micro-level.

Project management apps and tools have become handy and can be accessed via a smartphone and a good internet plan from anywhere. At the same time, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking the aptest online project management system for your needs.

Let’s look at the best online project management tools for this year. Some of these are free and some others paid. Most of these tools come with a trial period. Read up on the features of the following tools, do a mental check of its viability for your project, take up the trial version, use it thoroughly before you sign up for the paid version.

Asana

Asana is the most popular and highly appreciated online project management tool. It has all the features of an ideal project management system. It is Android and IoS friendly. Of course, there is the web version too. The best feature of this tool is the communication system. Full marks on it! Asana allows you to tag, comment on tasks, mark project assignments, allot due dates, and so on. The only flip side to this near-perfect project management tool is that it is free only for the 15 members. In case you fall in the category of a team above 15 members, then you need to sign up for a paid version. This particular tool is full value for money spent.

Google Docs

Google Docs is the unspoken numero uno when it comes to online project management systems. I guess the whole working world has used Google Docs at least once. It is easy to use, super affordable, and pairs up smoothly with all Google apps. Honestly, according to me, any project management tool can not get simpler than Google Docs.

Trello

Trello wins hands down when it comes to the visual appeal of a project management tool. You have everything you want to see on one screen. You also get to know who is doing what and the status of a particular task vis a vis the project life cycle. Each activity is known as a card. You can assign different kinds of ownership and work relationships for each card. These cards can also be conversations, lists, or even a checklist. They are all placed on a team board. Anyone and everyone who has been given access to a Trello project can move and update the cards. This awesome project management tool is free. It also has a business version with a minimal charge. The difference is to do with larger file sizes and saved searches.

Thought box

The thought box is literally that! It’s a box (online) where you can keep all the thoughts that do their dance in your brain. Many times, when working on a project, you get those spontaneous fit-of-the-moment ideas that get lost if you don’t note them down somewhere. The thought box allows you to keep these ideas safe. Further, you can share them with your team, together you can brainstorm, discuss or collaborate on these thoughts. Though not the routine project management tool, Thoughtbox is a highly useful project management app.

Producteev

Producteev is a smart activity management system. One of the best features of this project management tool, according to me is the real-time overview of project status. There are activity feeds, timelines, and alerts that keep everyone concerned in the loop. There is an extremely good support community. The Producteev Academy combines fun and project management with fun competitions to check who gets the most done. The product comes in two versions – free and pro. Both versions offer unlimited users, tasks, sub-tasks, and projects. There are more features that are all common for both versions except personalized response and customization of network logo and colors.

Work

Work is a great project management tool for small businesses. It provided web-based CRM, project management, and cloud-based collaboration. It combines all essential functions of a business – projects, billing, help desk, sales, and reporting. The automation options of Worketc free up your time and focus from repetitive and mandatory activities of business like monthly bills or collections. You can set up tasks that will follow through these activities to completion.

Solo

Solo is the perfect project management tool for freelancers. As a freelancer you anyways have the task of managing your clients – get new ones and retain old ones. Solo helps you manage your work in the most hassle-free manner. It gives you dashboards on the status of various activities, helps you keep track of your billings, and alerts you to project completions. It keeps a diary of all your activities and even sends electronic invoices to your clients. It is as good as a personal office assistant in your journey as a freelancer.

There are many more project management tools and apps today. Even more, will come as the needs of the global worker get more refined and fine-tuned. It is important not to get lost in the sea of project management tools and identify one that really makes a big difference to your project.