Given the agile nature of startups, efficient project management is critical. So is the need for reliable project management tools. Here we’ll discuss the top 5 project management tools considered to be favorites of the startup world.

We are the #1 place to start your software research

List of Top project management software 

Introduction

Whether it’s day-to-day tasks or monthly projects, some level of project management is required for the timely execution of deliverables. That is why 97% of companies believe project management is vital for their organization. However, managing repetitive tasks, remote teams, deadlines, and blockers can get overwhelmingly challenging. This is where project management software come in. They enable entire teams to coordinate, organize and manage their tasks at a fraction of the effort. Although it’s considered that project management software is only beneficial for large-scale teams, where hundreds of members are working on a common goal. But that is not the case. Even teams with as less as 2 individuals need a bit of project management to execute tasks in a timely manner.

Startups and Project Management

 Startups are small and compact organizations, represented with high growth potential, higher risk, and less rigidity. Startups are agile because they figure things out as they go. The idea is simple, make mistakes fast and learn Therefore, Project management is a critical role for such companies as it assists them in optimizing execution times, organizing different departments, organizing tasks, and managing deadlines. Various project management software can easily fulfill these requirements, however, there are 5 top project management software picks that our experts recommend for startups and small-scale businesses. In this whitepaper, we will be discussing the range of features and functionalities that they have to offer, comparing prices along with listing down the pros and cons of each of these project management software.

5 Project Management software, widely used by startups

1 Trello

Acquired by Atlassian in 2017 for a massive $425 Million Dollar, Trello is an intuitive project management tool. It’s based on the Kanban system containing various boards where tasks are listed. One can have multiple boards representing teams or different processes. Its intuitive and easy-to-learn user interface has made it really popular among startups.

Pros

• Simple and straightforward UI and intuitive design
• Beginner friendly

Cons

• The boards can get clunky if many tasks are listed at once.

Companies Using It

Google, PayPal, Facebook, Uber, Yelp, Airbnb, National Geographic, The New York Times, NASA, Spotify, Vodafone, Red Bull, USAID

2 Asana

Asana is an easy-to-use project management tool created by the co-founder of Facebook. Its simple and comprehensive designs have earned Asana the top title among its peers. The interface includes a dashboard that contains everything that a user needs. They can create or choose from different projects, people, conversations, or calendars. The projects tab reflects the current projects that need to be completed. Tasks are then listed within each project. Deadlines can be created for each task and can be assigned to different team members as well.

Pros

• Simple to use
• Ease of tracking tasks

Cons

• Complicated hierarchy of projects, tasks, and subtasks at once.
• Not intuitive for smaller and more repetitive tasks

Companies Using It

Google, PayPal, Facebook, Uber, Yelp, Airbnb, National Geographic, The New York Times, NASA, Spotify, Vodafone, Red Bull, USAID

3 Jira

It’s one of the most notable Project management tools used by agile software development teams. Owned by Atlassian, Jira helps teams in creating, managing, and releasing software while tracking and reporting on all the progress. It enables its users to create workflows for each task, subtask, and issue as well.

Pros

• Customizable workflows
• Its flexible dashboards enable a complete personalization

Cons

• It can easily get cluttered. When you add a lot of sub-tasks
• Not very beginner friendly

Companies Using It

Spotify, CISCO, eBay, Square, and more

4 ProofHub

ProofHub is a cloud-based project management software that unifies all users' communications and brings internal teams together. The solution includes project management, project collaboration, resource management, task management, and other applications. ProofHub users can plan their projects like a pro by using tasks, Gantt charts, calendars, custom roles, and other features.

Pros

• Reliable customer support
• Mobile-optimized
• Syncs ProofHub calendar with external calendar apps  

Cons

• Doesn’t allow integration with Zapier.

Companies Using It

Spotify, CISCO, eBay, Square, and more

5 Wrike

Wrike is a cloud-based platform that you can deploy for small, medium, or large businesses. The tool is best for remote teams because it is accessible to authorized personnel anywhere. It includes calendars, Gantt charts, custom dashboards, workload views, and resource management features. Users can structure their projects according to folders and tasks and auto-assign them to the relevant person.

Pros

• Enables great collaboration
• Seamless email integration

Cons

• Complex user interface

Companies Using It

Google, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mars, L’oreal, and others.