5 Things to Look for in Your Next Project Management Tool

A quick search on Product Hunt will show you that there are hundreds of project management tools being built and marketed everyday. It can take hours, days, or weeks even to decide on the right tool for you and your team.

We believe that the right project management tool meets your project management needs. Not the other way around. It should provide you with the tools you need to communicate and work with your team members without getting in the way.

If it’s not 100% clear what these needs are, that’s okay too. Below are five things your next PM tool should have to ensure you and your team are in sync and productive everyday:

1. Good and simple design

Your PM tool should be built with a solid structure masked by good design. It should sustain focus and never get in the way of your work.

Scheduling a project, editing a task, or attaching a file shouldn’t be rocket science for you or anyone else on your team. It should be intuitive enough that you know just how to perform these actions at first glance.

2. Easy and clear communication

Your next project management tool should provide clear and easy communication channels for you and your team. It should enable you to leave the inbox and create a dedicated space for team-wide conversations and discussions.

At best, your next PM tool should support in-app notifications, comments and notes, file attachments, and the ability to manage notifications when needed.

3. The ability to visualize and track progress

Your next PM tool should tell you exactly how the project is progressing. It shouldn’t waste your time by leaving you to guess if the project is on track or if something is missing/delayed.

Features that track progress include time tracking, hourly estimation, baselines, project status, and progress dashboards.

When you can track progress and plug the holes before the project gets out of hand, you save your clients, stakeholders, and your team hundreds of hours and dollars.

4. Security

A lack of security can be a huge nightmare in the long run. You’re at risk of losing all of your project data, or exposing that data to the wrong people.

On TeamGantt, we assure all of our customers that their data is secure through our Security page. Passwords are encrypted and all project data is transferred through SSL. We also perform automatic backups 24/7 365 days/year in case of emergencies.

5. Premium support

A good PM tool is backed by good support. This is especially important if there are technical or billing issues that need to be addressed right away. It assures you that your account is well taken care of, and you can focus on your most important work.

Premium support should at least include email and live chat. They should also provide phone support for when you happen to be away from the computer.

The next step: Reach out and ask

The best way to determine if your next PM tool meets all five of these requirements is to reach out to the brand behind the tool.

• Use the available support channels to ask all of your questions.
• Hop on their next available webinar to learn how to use the tool.
• Book a product demo where a representative can walk you and your team through all of the tool’s features and benefits.