If you are running a development and design agency, then you know how important it is to streamline your processes and promote teamwork. Utilizing an online project management tool will help you do that. It enables you to simplify your processes, manage risk and improve collaboration. As a project manager, it will also provide you with valuable insights about your projects and your team. You will always know exactly what progress has been made on projects, what your team members have contributed, and if there are any issues or concerns that need addressing. When you use project management tools along with an online time tracker, productivity and efficiency become completely transparent, and you are able to better understand the profitability of your projects.

Using a project management tool is fairly easy. Most don’t require any kind of formal training, and they are available via any browser, are always up-to-date, and are configurable to your needs and specifications. They typically offer discussion boards, mobile tools, automated features, and they easily integrate with systems you already use like, Outlook, Google Docs, and accounting software.

A project management software solution is great for increasing your efficiency – when you choose the right one for your agency. Finding the one that is going to work best for you and your team can be overwhelming, there are many to choose from. So, we have put together a list of the top 7 project management software solutions to help you make a more informed decision.

#1 – Basecamp

Basecamp is known as one of the leading project management tools available to businesses. It provides users with an easy to navigate interface that allows collaboration with both your team and your clients. Basecamp has all the features that you need to stay on top of projects and workflow. You are able to enter multiple projects along with to-do lists, set up discussion areas for quick communication, create and share documents relevant to the project, and organize dates for scheduling meetings and appointments. It is also fully responsive, which means that your team is able to view and manage projects on their mobile devices.

Basecamp starts at $20 per month for its basic plan.

#2 – BamBam!

BamBam! is another highly-ranked project management solutions. It allows users to manage tasks and resources, create budgets, track project progress, and collaborate with other team members. This tool is fully customizable and is designed with small to medium businesses in mind. BamBam! provides companies with project templates which can significantly cut down on planning time for projects that have similar scopes. The issue tracking feature is important for some businesses. It allows team members to resolve project issues through various workflows.

BamBam! starts at $10 per month.

#3 – Teamwork Projects

Teamwork Projects allows you to manage all your projects, tasks, and files in one easy to use place. You are able to collaborate with your team using a marked calendar that allows you to visualize your whole project at a glance. This tool also provides gantt charting and reporting options. Teamwork Projects is designed to integrate seamlessly with the tools you are already using, including Google Drive, Dropbox, Box.com, and many others. And everything is in the cloud, making it available to you anywhere, anytime.

Plans for Teamwork Projects start at $12 per month with unlimited users.

#4 – Trello

Trello is an at-a-glance project management tool that allows you to see the whole project in a single view. You are able to place cards that contain whatever relevant information you want to be available to your team – thoughts, discussions, checklists, tasks, and anything else you can think of – on a board for everyone to view, add to, and collaborate on.

Trello is free! But it does offer an upgraded gold package for $45 per year.

#5 – Asana

Asana is a leader in task tracking and project management for teams of any size. It quickly and easily lets everyone on the team know what everyone else is working on. There are areas for tasks, projects, discussions and dashboards. Asana is completely mobile, with apps for both iOS and Android systems, making it convenient for you and your team.

You can use Asana totally free for up to 15 users. Upgraded plans, Premium and Enterprise, are available if you have more team members or need top features.

#6 – ActiveCollab

ActiveCollab has released its latest version 5.0 and is now more powerful and attentive than ever. This solution is highly ranked and recommended. It allows for task and project management, time tracking, and importing expenses.

One of the most attractive features of ActiveCollab is its invoicing capabilities. You are able to track accounts payable and receivable and have invoices paid to your company directly through various payment gateways. You can use ActiveCollab cloud version or a self-hosted version if you want to use your own bare metal server.

ActiveCollab plans start at $25 per month.

#7 – Zoho Projects

With Zoho Projects, you can plan, coordinate, delegate, and manage your projects easily from inception until completion. Zoho Projects offers traditional project management tools, as well as some advanced features including reporting, bug tracking, setup for Wiki pages, discussion forums and allows for integration with various other systems like Dropbox and Google Apps. Additionally,
Zoho offers a variety of other business software besides its Projects tool.

Zoho Projects starts with a free plan and you can upgrade to a paid account for $20 per month.

Final Thoughts on Project Management Solutions

As you consider your options for project management software, be careful not to only look at the features of each one. You have to also consider the ease of use, integration with your other systems, and the cost. Remember, your project management system is something that you will be using every day. You don’t want to choose something that is confusing or difficult to navigate. The whole idea of this type of solution is to make you and your team more efficient, not add frustration.

Read reviews, ask your colleagues at other companies what they use, and always take advantage of the free trial offers that most project management tools offer. That way, you and your team can test drive before you buy.