Jeanne Grunert

Review: 3 Project Management Software Programs

Project management software programs help managers and their teams stay organized, and multi-phased projects stay on track. This review takes a look at three top project management software programs: Trello, Asana, and Monday. You’ll find out their advantages and disadvantages, along with the pricing packages offered.

Popular Project Management Software Reviews

Trello

Advantages

Trello is an excellent choice when looking for a simple project management software solution. It is user-friendly, and you can have it up and running for your team in minutes. This project management software option is straightforward enough that even new team members can use it quickly. 

Automation Tools

Trello comes with an automation bot called Butler, making setting up your desired actions within a project easy. Butler asks a few questions and, based on your answers, configures the steps for you. These include setting up due dates, notifying your team members, and moving cards to the appropriate column. 

Butler also looks after administrative tasks like moving a card from one list to another and automatically assigns it to a new team member when an action is marked complete. You don't have to worry about a task "falling through the cracks" because a team member forgot to tag the next person. 

Collaboration Features

Trello gives you several collaboration tools, including document sharing, notifications, and @mentions to teammates. Users can comment on cards, tag each other, and keep their conversations about tasks in one location. Each user can configure Trello to receive notifications by e-mail or desktop. 

Disadvantages

The disadvantage of choosing Trello is that it may not be the right option for running large projects. It doesn't allow users to attach tasks to subtasks or see how a delayed job will affect others down the line in a project. 

Trello doesn't provide reporting and analytics to managers right out of the box. This feature is available with a Trello Power-Up. It is not the same as buying project management software with reports built-in.

Pricing

Trello is affordable. The company offers a US $0 plan with unlimited cards and up to 10 boards per workspace with unlimited storage (10MB/file). Some businesses find this plan meets their needs and never upgrade to the Standard plan.

The Standard plan costs US $5 per month per user. You get 1,000 Workspace command runs per month, single-board guests, and saved searches with this option. It includes unlimited boards, custom fields, and unlimited storage (250MB/file). 

The Premium plan at US $10 per month per user is a good choice for teams of up to 100 users. It has all the features included in the Standard option. You also receive Timeline view, Calendar view, Map view, priority support, and more.

The Enterprise plan costs US $17.50 per month per user. It includes everything in the Premium plan, plus unlimited workspaces, public board management, organization visible boards, multi-board guests, and more.

Asana

Asana is an excellent project management software plan. It is easy to use, has multiple features, and takes very little time to get the software running. This software option is reasonably priced and offers a lot of flexibility.

Advantages

Automation Tools

Asana sets up repetitive tasks, processes, and workflows that impact other business tools. Its graphical workflow builder makes organizing customized rules and actions an easy process. 

Use it to set up the following types of basic automation:

• Alerting the team in Slack when a task is completed
• Assigning a task to the next team member on the project
• Cascading due dates
• Checking a box

Asana can handle these automated tasks even with large teams using multiple tools and projects. Automating processes means team members get repetitive tasks accomplished more efficiently. Team members have more time to spend on more interesting and rewarding activities. 

Collaboration Features

Asana really hits the mark with its collaboration features. This project management software allows users to share Google Docs, along with PDF and JPG files. 

Users can:

• Assign specific tasks to team members (including priorities)
• Set specific due dates
• Adjust due dates
• Send messages to each other

These features can take place within one card to keep communications organized in one place. 

In Asana's Calendar view, team members can plan due dates and other events around each other's availability. This feature allows the team to update each other on changes and the project's progress without relying on sending e-mail messages to the group. Project discussions and task lists can easily be managed directly in the software. 

Disadvantages

This software doesn't allow for tasks to be assigned to multiple team members. To add more than one team member to a particular job, you would have to add a task collaborator or create subtasks. Another option would be to make copies of tasks for the other team members. This is a lot of extra work to track on a large project.

Asana offers a free app (Android and iOS) for each plan level. It can be challenging to use, and the software is much easier to use on a desktop computer screen. You can use the app to check something quickly. It is not meant for doing productive work, though.

Pricing

The Basic plan is free. It comes with three project views, basic workflows, and basic reporting for 15 users. This plan has a limit of 1,000 tasks per team. Customers who choose this option get unlimited essentials (projects, tasks, activity log, storage, and comments). It's possible to stay with the Basic option indefinitely.

The Premium plan costs $10.99 per user, per month. New customers can try it for free. It includes unlimited essentials (see above), four project views, automated workflows, and reporting. Timeline view is one of the Premium plan's most impressive tools. You can use it to see how specific tasks and deadlines are connected. Project managers can tell at a glance where potential problems are likely to come up and find solutions before they happen. 

The Business plan is available for $24.99 per user per month. New users can also check it out for free. This option includes unlimited essentials, along with project and portfolio views, advanced workflows, and advanced reporting. This package comes with a workload management tool. It allows managers to determine which team members may be overwhelmed with work and have extra bandwidth to help. 

The Enterprise option is available to customers who need more capacity. The company asks that customers contact the Sales Department to request a quote. Customers receive unlimited essentials, project and portfolio views, advanced workflows, and advanced reporting at this price point.

If you aren't sure which Asana plan is right for your business, you can sign up for the Basic plan and run it at no cost. This is a risk-free choice. You may never need to upgrade to a paid option if you have a small team. You also have the choice to sign up for a paid plan immediately; Asana offers a free, 30-day trial. This option gives you the chance to make sure the software is right for your team before you have to start paying. 

Teams with 15 users or more will need to sign up for Asana Premium, Asana Business, or Enterprise. Suppose you have fewer than 15 users on your team. In that case, you may want to take advantage of the extra features and benefits you get with the Asana Premium plan. The Enterprise plan was developed for large companies requiring scalable project management software. 

Monday

Monday.com comes equipped with several well-designed features. It is a flexible project management software option suitable for independent freelance contractors, large enterprise companies, and every type of business in between. 

It's easy for your team to learn and use without investing in professional training sessions. You and your team can access hundreds of video tutorials to learn the software and troubleshoot any issues you may experience. Additionally, a support team is available 24/7 via chat.  

Advantages

Automation Tools

Many businesses choose project management software to automate repetitive tasks and increase efficiency. Monday.com delivers in that respect and takes automation even further by allowing you to customize automation. 

Here's one example:

• You move a task from the first step to the next one.
• Assign the job to the next team member.
• The next team member receives a notification by e-mail or through Slack.

These steps can be performed automatically without a team member manually performing them. The automation builder within the software is quite intuitive. This feature makes it user-friendly, even if this feature is new for you and your team.

Monday.com also comes with built-in time tracking. Users have the option of turning the time-tracking feature on or off with a simple click depending on whether they want to use it. They can keep track of their time using the mobile app as well. 

Collaboration Features

This project management software option gives you several customizable templates, which saves you from setting them up personally. They save you time and the headaches that come from determining the content of a template for the following:

• Campaign planning
• Contact management
• Customer onboarding
• Event planning
• Help desk tickets
• Portfolio tracking
• Product roadmaps
• Project planning
• Team tasks

Monday.com's numerous free templates are available to meet your needs, no matter what type of project you want to launch. 

This project management software also has customizable dashboards that allow managers to view essential data, such as budgets and project statuses. There are several pre-built widgets to build dashboards, such as managing workloads and capacity planning. Users can also create public and private dashboards. 

Disadvantages

Monday.com requires that all tasks include dates, and this dependency limits the software's functionality somewhat. A dependent task won't start until the first task is finished, and this feature ensures that tasks are completed correctly. Still, it doesn't leave any room for customization within a project. Dependencies are not available to customers who choose one of the lower-priced options.

To take advantage of features such as calendar views and Gantt charts, customers have to commit to one of the more expensive packages. These are not available until a customer upgrades to the third-level price point. 

Pricing

The Basic plan is for small teams that may not be familiar with project management software. Pricing starts at US $8 per user per month (billed annually). Users can create a dashboard based on one board, embedded documents, whiteboard collaboration, custom notifications, and shareable forms at this price point. Customers get unlimited boards, unlimited free viewers, and more than 200 templates. 

The Standard plan is the most popular option. You can create a dashboard with the data pulled from five boards with this option. The Standard plan supports guest (Read-Only) access. Four guests are billed as a single seat, which allows you to bring users from outside your company on board to manage projects. This option costs US $10 per user per month (billed annually). 

For larger teams that want to access all the features and benefits of Monday.com, the 250 actions per month available with the Standard plan may not be enough. 

The Pro plan is the right option for large teams and those that need to manage complex projects. It gives you 25,000 actions per month, which most organizations won't need. The Pro plan also gives you a chart view, team workload with real-time data about your team's bandwidth, private boards, and unlimited guests. This option costs US $16 per user per month (billed annually). 

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by Jeanne Grunert

Project Managers Responsibilities

5 Things Successful Project Managers Do Differently

Project managers' responsibilities include communication, deadline management, and more. Successful ones do several things to effectively manage their teams and keep projects on track. 

Project Managers' responsibilities - what successful project managers do differently

1. They communicate clearly.

Good project managers are comfortable speaking with their team members and clients about difficult topics. Project managers understand that it’s essential to keep lines of communication open constantly but that not all team members prefer to communicate the same way. Some people like to send text or e-mail messages, while others prefer to use the phone. The manager needs to be honest, clear, and concise when dealing with all team members.

2. They manage the project’s deadlines.

A successful project manager holds regular status meetings to keep track of the project’s progress over time. These meetings help the manager understand the next steps, action items, and project risks.

The client will also appreciate regular reports about the project details. These reports can be in writing or by phone to reassure the client that the project is progressing as agreed. It’s also an excellent way to build a relationship with the client. 

3. They schedule enough time for tasks.

Every project should have a well-defined scope of work. If the guidelines are clear, the team has guidelines and expectations about what it needs to deliver. 

The project manager should sit down with the team and the client at the start of the project to review its scope. During this meeting, the manager will review the time required for the different tasks to ensure enough time is devoted to each scheduled task. If necessary, deadlines can be adjusted to reflect the time required to complete the tasks. 

4. They know when to contact an expert.

There will be times when the team has questions, and the project manager should check whether the answer is in the project brief. If it is not covered there, it’s time to pull in a subject matter expert to get some guidance. 

Good managers ask their team members to clarify their questions. They take detailed notes and find someone with the right expertise to help.

5. They support their team members.

To be successful, a team needs someone who supports their efforts and encourages them to keep working toward completing the project. The manager keeps everyone in sync and motivated. They are responsible for meeting deadlines while inspiring the team members to give each task their best effort throughout the process. 

A successful project manager offers praise for good work when appropriate. They are not afraid to ask a team member whether they have considered something that the employee should have included in their work. When requesting additions or revisions, a good project manager focuses on the task and never attacks the team member’s dignity. 

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by Jeanne Grunert

An Introduction to Marketing Project Management

Marketing project management encompasses the tasks required to organize, develop, and administer a marketing campaign. It increases productivity in your business by ensuring each team member can focus on their specific tasks. The team meets the requirements for a successful marketing campaign as it finishes the tasks correctly and on schedule. 

1. What Is a Marketing Project Manager?

The marketing project manager is the person who ensures that all the people and elements involved with completing a project are working in sync. They are part juggler, part coach, and part diplomat in their work. A marketing project manager ensures that all tasks are completed on time, under budget, and by the appropriate people, often coordinating multiple timelines to ensure that deliverables are met.

These managers often work with various departments to complete projects. This can be challenging as each team has different, sometimes competing, demands on their time. The marketing project manager may need to be very diplomatic as they negotiate for other departments’ time to work on a project. 

An example of this could be a customer relationship management (CRM) software to be selected, chosen, installed, and set up at a company. While marketing may lead the project, the IT department has to be intimately involved in the selection and installation portion of the project. This may lead to competing demands on the implementation team’s time. A marketing PM may need to work with an IT PM or others to ensure sufficient time is allocated and schedules are reasonable. 

2. What is the marketing project manager's role in the company?

It is not always easy to define the marketing project manager's role. In basic terms, it involves managing projects involving customer experience. The marketing project manager works with the business owner and technical experts to understand the requirements for success in a campaign. 

Marketing project managers may work on specific marketing campaigns involving a company's product or service offered to customers. They may also ensure that the company's customer service department is communicating with callers effectively. Marketing project managers may also work with outside agencies as required to promote the company's products and services. 

Anyone working as a marketing project manager needs to have specific skills to succeed in this role. The following list includes the most important ones.

3. What skills do marketing project managers need?

Time Management

This skill is arguably the most important since the projects they are working on have deadlines. The team must complete several tasks on a specific schedule. A project manager in marketing must see the big picture and track the smaller tasks that make up the marketing campaign. 

Organizational Skills

A marketing campaign comprises many tasks, and team members can work on them simultaneously. Other jobs depend on task completion before they start, much like you can't start painting the interior of a house before wall construction. In a marketing project, the manager would be responsible for tracking deadlines, managing schedules, and ensuring the project stays on budget. 

Outstanding Communication Ability

Communication is not just about sharing information with others. It’s also (and possibly more importantly) about listening effectively. The marketing project manager will need to lead a meeting with their team. They need to keep the marketing director updated on the project's status. 

Part of the marketing project manager's duties may include being the contact point for the client on the project. In this role, they need to understand the client's needs and then convey them to the team transparently. Suppose a team member is having difficulty with part of the project. In that case, the manager must listen empathetically and then work with the team member to find a solution. 

Goal Management Skills

When talking about goal management skills, we refer to several abilities connected to goals. These include:

• Setting goals
• Identifying objectives that can help in meeting goals 
• Developing plans for meeting goals

Goal management skills are valuable to someone working as a marketing project manager. There will be several opportunities to set goals during the project to ensure the campaign is successful. 

For example, a marketing campaign goal might be to attract a certain number of new customers to sign up for the company's e-mailing list during a set period. 

Task Delegation

Task delegation is when tasks are defined and divided among team members. The project manager must give the team clear deadlines and a delivery method.

The marketing project manager will need to choose the best team member for each task. Their decision will affect the project's outcome.

Problem Solving Abilities

Unfortunately, no project ever runs smoothly. There are always some bumps in the road, which means the manager should have good problem-solving abilities. 

When these issues arise, the project manager in charge of marketing stays calm. They need to focus on understanding the problem thoroughly and then deciding on a solution. 

4. Responsibilities and Talents

What types of responsibilities does a marketing project manager take on in their career? What talents would they draw on in their work? Continue reading to learn more.

Negotiation Skills

All marketing project managers deal with deadlines and work with their teams. The project manager also needs to be mindful of deadlines when communicating with the client and external vendors. If the scope of the project changes, deadlines are adjusted accordingly and communicated to the team members. 

Relationship Building

The marketing project manager works with people from many different backgrounds. They act as the client lead and the advocate for the internal team. It takes special relationship-building skills to work with creative and talented team members and clients who want to see their vision translated into a successful marketing campaign. 

Familiarity with marketing Project Management Software

Marketing project management software is a valuable tool to manage projects through their entire lifecycle. Each project is unique in its exact needs and complexity. A software package like Trello or Basecamp helps all team members keep track of their tasks and deadlines. 

The software tracks the tasks assigned to each team member and their deadlines, and the software also registers task completion. The software also allows the team members to communicate with each other and the project manager if they have questions or need help. 

Positive Outlook

The marketing project manager plays a crucial role in their successful marketing campaigns. They are the person in charge of keeping everything on track, after all. 

When things go well, the project manager can share the accolades for a job well done with the rest of their team. If a campaign does not go as expected, it is their job to analyze how to do things better next time. 

Give Your Team Members Clear Objectives

When giving your team members instructions, be clear about how they need to perform the task. If another team member's work depends on the first task's completion, let the first person know so that the work continues to flow smoothly.  

Make Materials Accessible to Your Team

Create a folder with photos, videos, and other documents your team can access readily. Mark the folder and upload it to your project management software.

Set Up Automated Notifications

Program your project management software to let team members know when someone completes a task. This option keeps the entire team in the loop about the project's status.

5. Marketing Project Manager Success Tips

Consider the following tips to help you be successful as a project manager for marketing.

When giving your team members instructions, be clear about how they need to perform the task. If another team member's work depends on the first task's completion, let the first person know so that the work continues to flow smoothly.  

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Your business may not have a full-time marketing project manager, or your project managers may have their hands full already. That’s where Seven Oaks Consulting comes in. 

When you work with the team from Seven Oaks Consulting, you are hiring experts in content marketing management. We will prepare a customized plan for your business that fits your vision, your voice, and works with your budget. Our content is designed to attract your audience’s attention and encourage them to take action. 

Contact us today to learn more about our marketing project management services or to request a detailed quote. 

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by Jeanne Grunert