Timely management of responsibilities is much like an ongoing battle, especially when it comes to multi-faceted projects with much-needed deadlines. Project managers need to manage such obstacles with tools that provide alignment, organization, and productivity without compounding issues further.
There are systems made to address these needs and systems like these are done with the help of task management software. These systems not only allow you to focus on the important tasks but also provide a way for you to track the progress and help mitigate mistakes. However, sometimes the option paralysis induced by choice itself can be a problem.
In this post, I will share my thoughts about the most effective task management systems for various types of users and how each system stood out from the other so you can identify which tool will be the most helpful for your needs.
What is task management software?
Task management software is a type of program that lets the user (either an individual or a team) organize, prioritize, and automate workflows towards a particular goal or set of project objectives.
It helps streamline the various phases of a task’s lifecycle, be it planning, scheduling, execution, or tracking progress. Each personal assignment constitutes a task that can be simple or complex, based on the amount of effort a team manager and employee need to put in.
The workload and relationships of these tasks are based on managing the activities of team members, assigning some level of priorities, and controlling the level of completion of tasks for interactivity and workflow purposes and the outcome of the project.
What you must check with a Task Management Software?
For my cross-functional teams, task management software serves the primary purpose of enabling work to be organized, monitored, and managed and goes way beyond simple to-do lists and includes features to facilitate collaboration on complex workflows.
The best task management software allows my team to set and meet deadlines, prioritize work, track progress, and make calendar changes, all of which improve their decision-making. Other features that are equally important to us include:
- Automation features: The task support automation software is essential for the sustainable growth of your company. The best automation task management application software allows us to delegate repetitive administrative tasks to a machine instead of a human, allowing a greater number of people to engage in advanced-level work.
- Communication: Because I manage a busy remote team, I find value in tools that allow for efficient task-related communication, quick file sharing, and instant communication.
- Reporting and analytics: We have also become aware that high-quality automated task management application software enables the user to capture and process data such as clocking in/out, absences, overtime, and others for analysis and reporting purposes, invoices, and payrolls.
12 Best Task Management Software For Productivity
Not all task management software is created equally. Some are flexible while others tend to focus on perfecting specific features such as task dependency.
We have put together a list of the twelve best applications that can help you manage your tasks. We have picked these based on their features and price, so you will be able to find something that suits your needs.
1. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is best known as a task management tool that uses a spreadsheet as its interface. It won accolades for being the most loved business app in record time. In my opinion, Smartsheet works perfectly when users are familiar with Excel and need a break from complicated formulas of Excel. For your ease, all the calculations like sums, averages, etc. on different sheets are done for you automatically. Further, you have the option of adding personalized brand logos, and individual color themes can be set for specific projects too.
2. ClickUp
We might be a little biased, but ClickUp has shown time and again that it is the best tool for task management for individuals, professionals, or teams. As per G2, it is the number one software for task management and for team task management because it has won first place in more than 15 different competitions.
Thanks to its AI features for automatic task and priority management, progress monitoring, and productivity nurturing, ClickUp has been able to maintain its lead against competitors.
3. To-do Lists
One of the task management software that is most widely utilized is the to-do lists. The completion of tasks is maintained on a daily basis with the use of these lists. The main advantage is that to-do lists are easily created; you simply need a pen and a paper. Nothing else is quite so satisfying as checking off items. For more complex tasks and lists, a to-do list suffices; however for sophisticated work items requiring the cooperation of numerous people and systems, it does not work.
4. Monday Work Management
Monday Work Management is a complete system that manages work built on the monday.com Work OS. Monday Work Management is that solution of work management that the market has been waiting for. It consolidates all the best for business processes, project and resource planning, task work tracking, and post-work evaluation. Therefore, it is integrated with strong configurable features and flexible functionality for a wide variety of business enterprises. Its user-friendliness is designed and functions superbly for teams that want to manage, organize, and automate their work effectively.
5. Asana
Let’s just say Asana is impeccable for remote task management. First of all, we can set structure templates for our remote projects and also preplan collaboration updates and tasks with the handy Inbox feature.
When we started to use the tool, we found it so simple to get additional collaboration tasks done across several projects. As a rule, I can ensure that the same task from different departments is impossible to get done, which seems to be the never-ending trouble of remote teams.
6. Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets is also another software that is used as a task management tool because it is user-friendly and accessible. Much like other software, they can be used to pull together a list of things that need to get done. It also makes the process of sharing and managing data simple and straightforward. And yet, the simplest of all. The absence of sophisticated tools such as time tracking or progress tracking, workflow automation, and resource allocation is the major drawback.
7. Confluence
Like other tools, Atlassian’s Confluence serves as team workspace software and allows users to capture, create, or collaborate on ideas or projects. It has pages for content, dynamic pages, and organizational features referred to as spaces that work well for structuring and sharing work. This makes it ideal for teams of different sizes and types. Confluence also functions as a knowledge system because the user is able to host it on their cloud or local infrastructure. Overall, the tool is intended to eliminate silos and foster collaboration as the one source of truth for all teams, with user-level access control to protect sensitive information.
8. Trello
For my part, one of the most stunning tools I really like is Trello. This is primarily due to the fact that I am an avid fan of Kanban boards, but it is also because I can enjoy something new all the time. One of the key aspects that I have regarded and appreciated to be the best in our list is ease of use—unlike other project management tools, it is simple to navigate and understand, which also helps in managing less complex projects seamlessly.
This task management tool lets users track their progress by moving tasks like sticky notes on a drag-and-drop Kanban board. Individuals will appreciate the ease at which they can create personalized task lists, while advanced team members can create checklists with context, due dates, and assignees.
9. Quickbase
With no coding experience, Quickbase comes with a set of business applications for users to build custom ones. With this, you can build process automations, integrations, and workflows around your task management system. By standardizing and automating certain processes, the amount of work that your team has to do manually is reduced, while key processes and compliance standards are still met. This will also minimize human error.
10. Hive
When I began my testing for Hive, I had no prior knowledge of the application. The platform serves as a comprehensive project management tool, enabling users to manage resources, projects, and even clients. During my testing, I focused on the task management functionality and the software is amazing in regard to team collaboration.
Hybrid teams can use Hive for their task management needs and:
- Track real-time progress on tasks from anywhere in the world.
- Manage interservice tasks within a team and cross-departmental deadlines.
- Use forms to integrate input task data.
- Use Hive Text, Voice Chat, or Hive Notes for real-time and asynchronous collaboration.
11. Agency Software Bonsai
Bonsai is a single software that merges multiple business functionalities. It handles project management, time management, invoicing, and even communicating with clients. It is ideal for an agency because it is an all-in-one business solution software.
12. ZenHub
ZenHub is designed for software development teams as a project management tool. It offers integrated accounts with GitHub to be used via Chrome or Firefox extensions, making it easier to integrate project work without losing focus because it links tasks with the code on GitHub.
Also, there is provided information on the Zenhub account about the task achieved in the same way the user is notified about finishing the issue in GitHub. This eliminates the need for using a checklist of task control to report which tasks are done. One other possibility is posting the changes automatically to all other joined workspaces.
This online task management system, combined with a software development system, provides the means to arrange tasks using intuitive drag-and-drop Kanban boards, enabling all users to check what is being worked on and the progress of each task.
What are the benefits of task management software?
Task management features benefit both an individual and a team collectively, so let’s explore the benefits of effective task management.
1. Enhanced Accountability and Visibility
With task management software, team members are provided with basic requirements such as tasks, timelines, statuses, and responsibilities. This makes it easy to track how the team is attempting to meet certain objectives. It also aids in finding obstacles to ensure that accountability can be strengthened.
2. Enhanced Communication and Collaboration
Team members can provide real-time updates and share documents and comments thanks to consolidated communication in task management tools. Notification and comment features eliminate lengthy screw emails, therefore enhancing discussions and decision making.
3. More Productive Use of Time
With task management software, users can easily prioritize their work as well as set deadlines and even track the time spent on each task. An organized approach to tackling responsibilities helps both individuals and teams meet objectives in a specified time period.
4. Power of Automation
Most modern task and project management applications offer automation for repetitive functions like sending reminders for updates or status changes. This reduces the amount of work and saves time.
5. Enhanced Prioritization and Scheduling of Activities
It is now possible for a user to delegate certain tasks to team members, together with deadlines that are aimed at enabling individuals to work towards goals. This degree of organization allows users to avoid missing certain requirements and enables projects to be executed smoothly.
Final Thoughts
Selecting appropriate task management software gives OnCall v3 enhanced productivity, improves operational workflows, and addresses issues of inefficiency. The twelve software programs above cater to different users, irrespective of whether you are an individual looking to take control of a few tasks or a larger team that has many projects to juggle simultaneously.
There is none backward; in all, sophisticated collaboration features are built-in and complex interfaces with simple and intuitive software automate processes for the user. Always remember, while conducting your research, to consider the criteria of tasks and relations with the group for better precision. You have the opportunity to start your effective journey today with one of the most powerful task management software systems.
