The best project management tools for your business.

Nowadays, businesses are increasingly focusing on completing different types of projects. These projects, which are becoming more and more complex, involve many stakeholders. As a result, project managers and their teams must juggle numerous parameters while ensuring project success and timeliness. To help them with this task, a lot of project management software has been developed. They are devices designed to facilitate the implementation of actions aimed at achieving the objectives of a project and improving performance. This is why this type of tool is both strategic and operational.

There are various software programs, such as Wimi management software, specifically designed for different types of projects, whether small or complex. To organize tasks, some of these programs even offer virtual post-it features on their dashboards, allowing you to visualize the actions to be performed in order to facilitate the understanding of the progress of projects. By focusing on collaborative project management, these software programs promote better productivity and greater project success. The good news is that the bulk of project management software have a free version which is sufficient because it provides access to all the necessary functionalities.

Here is a ranking of the best management software with a free version that are essential to ensure effective collaborative project management:

Asana

Asana makes team coordination easy with its work management software. It allows teams to manage their tasks and projects effectively, saving businesses a real amount of time. Everyone on the team is aware of the plan, process, and deadlines, resulting in significant productivity improvements. Asana offers an ultra-user-friendly interface that's perfect for teams of all sizes.

Asana features include daily, weekly, or monthly to-do lists, providing a clear picture of the progress of projects. The software also offers numerous integrations with other applications such as Zapier, Jira, or Google, as well as the ability to manage simple or complex projects. Based on an agile method, Asana offers Tableau Kanban or sprint views for simplified work organization.

Note that the free version of Asana is available for up to 15 users, with excellent value for money. The ergonomics of the platform is very pleasant and customizable according to the needs of each team. Plus, rewards are awarded as soon as a task is completed, adding a motivating touch to project management with Asana.

Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects offers a 360° view of your projects by centralizing all your project management on a practical and collaborative platform. The interface is completely customizable, allowing you to add modules according to your needs to create a free custom project monitoring software.

This software is mainly intended for small businesses, SMEs and large companies. Zoho Projects' free features include billing time tracking, allowing you to create invoices from timesheets. You can also add, share, and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, or videos directly on the platform.

Zoho Projects also offers a Bug Tracker to track incidents on your projects, report bugs, and track fixes and status changes. Chat designed for team collaboration allows you to create chat rooms in real time from your browser, recording and archiving your exchanges, and facilitating communication during whiteboard sessions or brainstorming sessions.

Note that the free version of Zoho Projects consists of 4 basic modules. Among the appreciated advantages of this platform, we find its adaptability to the specific needs of each user, calendar sharing with automatic reminders, as well as the easy import and management of documents. With Zoho Projects, you get comprehensive and customizable software to manage your projects efficiently and easily.

Trello

Trello is the perfect tool for project management beginners. This free and collaborative application simplifies team collaboration. With its ever-evolving workflow automation features, Trello allows users to work effectively remotely as well as in-person.

It is particularly suitable for small and medium-sized structures such as start-ups, VSEs, SMEs and associations. Trello's free features include an offline version of the app that allows users to manage tasks and communicate information asynchronously without an internet connection. Real-time push updates on mobile greatly increase team productivity.

Trello offers chronological views such as cards, timelines, and dashboards, as well as calendar views to anticipate possible delays in roadmaps.

Among the appreciated benefits of Trello is its highly effective file sharing, which greatly reduces the problems of organizing files and internal drives. The Gantt chart provides a time-based view of project progress, while process automation allows for the automatic scheduling of repetitive tasks without having to go through code.

With Trello, beginners can quickly master project management and collaborate seamlessly and productively with their team.

Freedcamp

Freedcamp is a project management software that offers unlimited freedom in terms of users and projects. If you are looking for traditional project management features, Freedcamp is a very comprehensive solution. You can easily assign and customize tasks and subtasks, create to-do lists, manage deadlines, and set up important milestones. In addition, Freedcamp synchronizes with your Google calendar, making it easy to organize and plan projects.

All businesses can benefit from Freedcamp to improve their project management. Freedcamp's free features include effective tracking of time spent on each task, making it possible to better manage resources and optimize productivity. In addition, this platform offers very affordable prices for paid versions, allowing you to benefit from additional functionalities according to the specific needs of your business.

One of the main advantages of Freedcamp is its flexibility and its ability to evolve with your business. You can extend its functionalities by opting for additional modules such as CRM or invoicing for a fee. Thus, Freedcamp adapts to the growth of your business and remains a scalable solution for the management of your long-term projects. With Freedcamp, you benefit from a versatile and flexible platform to successfully carry out your projects.

Wrike

Wrike is a comprehensive and powerful project management tool that simplifies team collaboration. With Wrike, you can organize tasks, set clear deadlines, and track project progress in real time. Wrike's intuitive interface makes it easy to get started, while Kanban boards and Gantt charts allow you to visualize your projects from a variety of perspectives. You can also share files, communicate with colleagues, and track the time spent on each task. With Wrike, your team will be more productive and your projects will be delivered on time.

Teamwork

Teamwork is a collaborative project management tool designed for teams of all sizes. With Teamwork, you can create projects, assign tasks to colleagues, and monitor the progress of each project in real time. Teamwork's user-friendly interface makes it easy for team members to communicate and collaborate. You can also use Kanban boards to organize your tasks and Gantt charts to visualize deadlines. Teamwork also offers time tracking, file management, and resource management features, making it a comprehensive software to effectively manage your projects.

ClickUp

ClickUp is an all-in-one project management tool that offers a comprehensive range of features to organize, track, and manage your projects. With ClickUp, you can create tasks, set deadlines, assign managers, and track the progress of each project. Kanban boards and task lists allow you to visualize your projects in a variety of formats. ClickUp also offers time tracking, document management, and real-time communication with your team. Whether you're a small team or a big business with big projects, ClickUp will help you stay organized and productive.

Jira

Jira is a project management software that stands out for its orientation towards Agile management. Designed to provide maximum flexibility in project management, Jira offers two key project methods: Kanban and Scrum. This diversity allows teams to choose the methodology that best fits their specific needs. Its intuitive interface simplifies the configuration of the project, making it easier for users to get started. Jira offers effective problem management through the creation of dedicated tickets, which simplifies the resolution of bugs and problems encountered during the project. Monitoring the progress of the project over time is a breeze with Jira, which allows you to generate detailed reports to keep a clear overview. Communication within the team is promoted thanks to integrated collaboration features. It's important to note that Jira is more suited to IT projects and may be less appropriate for other areas. Its advanced customization may require some expertise for maximum exploitation. Its technical support is mainly in English, which can be an inconvenience for some teams.

Are there free open-source project management tools?

Definition of open source software

Open-source software offers various freedoms to users, which are usually specified in their license. They are accessible free of charge, allowing everyone to use, inspect and modify them according to their needs. This promotes evolution, optimization, transparency, and collaboration leading to innovation.

Open source software provides unrestricted freedom of use, as well as the freedom to study to access the code, understand it, and modify it if necessary.

Flexibility and freedom of distribution make it possible to adapt, customize or correct bugs to redistribute the software for free or in exchange for financial compensation.

Collaboration within a collaborative community is essential for the improvement and sustainability of software through the contribution of developers and international contributors.

Active participation in the community is essential to report problems, share experiences, and contribute to the continuous improvement of the software in terms of security and performance.

However, each open source software may be governed by a specific license with conditions and restrictions.

To optimize the use of open source software, you must understand the specific needs of your company, evaluate the software according to its reputation and its suitability for the project, have IT skills and check its compatibility with the existing infrastructure.

An open source project management tool offers a wide range of features for tracking tasks, managing resources, planning timelines, and collaborating with a team.

The best free open-source project management tools?

Check out some open source management tools:

Redmine

An online project management software that is fully configurable and remains free in all circumstances. It's the best open source alternative to Jira. It offers comprehensive project and task management features, allowing you to track issues reported by the team and collaborate to resolve them effectively. It also makes it easy to manage time and calendar thanks to a Gantt chart and the ability to log the time spent on tasks. In addition, thanks to the accessibility of the source code, Redmine is highly customizable with the ability to add plugins and modify its appearance and functionalities according to the specific needs of the project.

• Mobile application available
• Free version only

GanttProject

A free project management tool for the office that offers a planning and scheduling dashboard based on Gantt charts. Since the tool is completely free, it may be a perfect fit for a small business.

• Desktop Deployment
• No mobile application available
• Free version only

Choosing the right software out of all project management software depends on the size of your team, the nature of the tasks, your infrastructure, and the need to integrate other applications.

What is the tool most often used to monitor the progress of a project?

The tools most often used to monitor the progress of a project are Gantt charts or more generally planning software with advanced functionalities.

A Gantt chart is effective for the various characteristics it presents. Displaying the project tasks, by specifically indicating the start and end dates for each of them, and therefore specifying their durations, allows you to have a provisional closing date with which you can compare the actual progress of the projects. A Gantt chart also makes it possible to indicate dependencies between tasks, thus making it possible to understand the interdependencies of each stage of a project. Important milestones are also clearly identified and highlighted in the diagram, which shows the critical stages of the project and structures the key audit controls. Anticipation and agility being the 2 pillars of project management, keeping an eye on the key stages and the progress of projects allows managers to check and decide on the progress of these milestones in advance in order to make adjustments or allocate more resources if necessary. In order to facilitate the identification of possible delays.

The importance of planning in project management

The creation of a schedule in collaborative project management is crucial because it clarifies the deadlines for each stage, thus promoting concentration on daily tasks and meeting deadlines. For project managers, it also makes it easy to allocate resources efficiently and adjust them as the project progresses. A well-developed schedule makes it possible to anticipate risks by identifying key steps and implementing appropriate mitigation measures.

By providing an overview of the project, the schedule facilitates coordination between team members and improves communication by clarifying everyone's roles and responsibilities. Without a project management schedule, the risks of team failure and disorganization increase considerably, making decision-making more complex and causing delays and overburdening of resources. Planning makes it possible to anticipate needs, act accordingly and reduce uncertainty, thus contributing to effective and successful project management.

How to do your schedule with Excel?

The easiest way to create a schedule in Excel is to use a pre-existing template. All you need to do is enter information and dates in a table. Then the Excel schedule will be automatically updated.

• Adjust the date spacing in the Gantt chart by clicking on a date and changing the scale in the axis formatting option.
• Create your schedule by adding tasks and customizing the template.
• Use an Excel schedule template to schedule a conference. It can include milestones or project phases.

• Find an Excel schedule template in Microsoft Excel or customize it to suit your needs.
• Enter the information in the template, starting with the conference name and start date.
• Add tasks and due dates to the schedule chart.
• Complete the rest of the diagram by repeating the previous steps.