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Exceptional project management skills are fundamentally critical to the success of every business regardless of background, size or industry. However, the truth of the matter is that a great majority of companies struggle significantly with this very thing. Did you know that according to 4PM, most organizations have a project failure rate of a whopping 70%? In fact, recent research from Harvard Business Review found that the average project goes over budget by a whopping 27%. However, the truth of the matter is that projects fail for several reasons including everything from poor planning, to weak goal statistics and projections as well as improper management and organization. Fortunately, there are numerous project management platforms on the market which can aid you in your efforts to stay on track. If you're interested in learning about the top four project management platforms on the market to use in 2020, then this article is just for you.
1. Asana
Summary
Asana is an immensely popular project management platform -- and for good reason. It's interface is straightforward, simple, user-friendly and it does a great job when it comes to facilitating collaboration and teamwork. It also really assists with accountability and gives users plenty of options when it comes to breaking down projects into tasks and keeping track of them with due dates and calendars. However, it struggles when it comes to exporting features and has very limited functions in the mobile application. Email notifications can also get a little insane so you're definitely going to want to customize the frequency from the get-go. It also could do a better job at highlighting things such as notes, attachments and discussions in the subtasks as these can be hard to notice if you prefer working from the main board. All-in-all it's a great platform with excellent ratings.
Pricing
Asana offers four pricing plans and gives users the option to choose from both monthly and annual pricing. Their Basic option is intended for individuals and teams just getting started with project management and is completely free of charge. The second option is their Premium plan ($10.99/month billed annually or $13.49/month billed monthly). This is intended for teams that are more established and interested in creating project plans “with confidence”. Their Business plan comes complete with additional features such as the ability to create portfolios, advanced integrations a custom rule builder and more. The plan costs $24.99/month billed annually or $30.49/month billed monthly. Finally, their Enterprise plan is geared towards large-scale businesses and includes numerous upgraded features in addition to those provided in the business plan. Companies interested must contact their sales department in order to receive a quote.
2. Trello
Summary
Trello is a great project management platform mostly in part because it's super easy to use and get started with. It offers extensive customization when it comes to creating workflows and additionally offers impeccably fast real-time updates. Creating and assigning tasks is super simple and straightforward and it additionally offers integrations with numerous apps including Google Docs, which can be extremely helpful. It could however use some work when it comes to email integrations and keyboard shortcuts are relatively limited. Perhaps the most significant con is the fact that cards/tasks are limited to just one board/project. However, all-in-all it's a wonderful project management platform which consistently receives solid reviews and is perfect for those just starting out.
Pricing
Trello offers a convenient three-tiered pricing plan which has the option of being billed on a monthly or annual basis for companies interested in making the switch. Similar to Asana, they too offer a basic Free plan intended for individuals and small businesses in order to help them get started with the basics. Their Business Class plan offers an expanded set of features catered to more established SMBs and will run you $12.50/month if billed monthly and $9.99/month when billed annually. They also offer an Enterprise plan which can accommodate as many as 5,000 users depending on which option you choose. It also offers an expanded set of features such as organization wide permissions, public board management, attachment restrictions, power-up administration and more.
3. Bitrix24
Summary
Bitrix24 is a robust, all-inclusive project management platform that really just so happens to ironically be the underdog of the list in terms of general public awareness of the brand. The platform is great at breaking down projects and makes creating various tasks, subtasks, checklists and deadlines super simple and straightforward. The interface is also quite intuitive and user-friendly so it's relatively easy to get started regardless of whether or not you've worked with it before.
The streamlined CRM is extremely rich in features offering things like a high degree of customization, high-quality video conferencing, the ability to segment customers and leads based on location, activities or needs, an excellent mobile application and numerous integrations. Furthermore, the pricing is extremely competitive when compared to other comparable platforms on the market. Perhaps one of the most noticeable cons is the fact that it is so chock-full of features and tools that it can clutter the workspace and make navigation a bit complicated. However, this can be customized to an extent. All-in-all it's a solid, simple to use, robust platform that is unfortunately quite underrated.
Pricing
Bitrix24 also offers a three-tiered pricing plan, but unlike it's competitors, it gives individuals and organizations the ability to customize a bit within each tier. Their Free plan is ideal for businesses just starting out and offers all of the basic essentials as well as 5GB of online storage. They also have a group of Special Plans, which range anywhere from $19.00/month t0 $55/month. These plans offer an expanded set of features, anywhere from 10GB to 50GB of online storage and can accommodate as many as 24 users. Their third tier is comprised of their Business Plans. These of course are catered towards more estabilshed SMBs and offer advanced business tools, the option to have unlimited users, online storage space and more. These plans range from $79.00/month to $159/month depending on your particular needs.
4. Pipedrive
Summary
Pipedrive is an excellent, lightweight project management platform, especially when it comes to managing leads and improving sales. It's also super easy to use and has quite a small learning curve when it comes to getting started. Users will be happy to see that it visually displays pipelines and is great at reporting sales efficiency, especially when it comes to moving leads through various stages of a pipeline. They also offer amazing support and numerous customization options. However, the platform has fairly limited reporting capabilities, could do better when it comes to automation and is lacking when it comes to API integrations in comparison to other comparable platforms on the market. It's also known for being a "beginner"CRM -- something that may not be an issue with individuals or small businesses but can quickly become problematic as companies and needs start to grow.
Pricing
Pipedrive offers a four-tiered pricing plan with the ability to be billed either monthly or annually. Their Essential plan starts at $12.50/month and is intended to help individuals and small businesses organize activities and pipelines more efficiently. Their Advanced plan includes an expanded set of features including the ability to track and automate tasks and comes in at $24.90/month. Pipedrive's Professional plan is intended to help more businesses become more effective at organizing and automating tasks, collaborating, communicating and growing revenue. This plan costs $49.90/month. Finally, they offer an Enterprise plan catered to large, established organizations which offers all of the previous sets of features a well as the ability to get custom onboarding and CRM support. This plan costs $99.00/month.
Conclusion
Solid project management skills are essential when it comes to ensuring that your business thrives and attains long-term success. Fortunately, project management platforms help make this easy. In the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sweeping the world, we find that more and more companies are beginning to have to rely on remote operations in order to stay in the game. If you're interested in stepping it up when it comes to project management, then use this article as a guide to help set you off with proper footing. The right project management platforms can make all of the difference.
What are some project management platforms you've used in the past? Are there any you're a fan of that aren't included on the list? Let us know in the comments below, we'd love to hear from you!
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Sources:
- https://hbr.org/2011/09/why-your-it-project-may-be-riskier-than-you-think
- https://4pm.com/2019/05/26/project-failure/
- https://www.asana.comhttps://www.trello.com
- https://www.bitrix24.comhttps://www.pipedrive.com
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