What’s a Project Management System? (12 Tools to Try Out)

The quest for a perfect project management system can feel like navigating a labyrinth with endless turns and dead ends. Every team and every business harbors its own unique set of requirements, making the task of selecting an ideal solution seem like an insurmountable challenge.

And while perfection is unattainable, finding the system that works well for your projects is definitely possible.

In this blog post, we will unravel the complex web of factors you need to consider before committing to a single project management system and guide you toward making an informed decision.

Let’s get started!

Project Management Systems Unveiled

At its core, a project management system is a finely tuned set of tools, techniques, and processes that work in harmony to guide your team’s work – from the very start of a project to its end.

A well-established project management system turns the chaos of task coordination and progress tracking into a streamlined process, provides a clear roadmap for the team to follow, and ensures that every employee knows their part.

This system doesn’t just track efficiency but amplifies it multifold, allowing for prompt adjustments to change and fostering a culture of true collaboration and accountability.

Project Management Systems: Old vs. New

The project management landscape has undergone a substantial shift to greater efficiency with the advent of modern software – a leap from old-fashioned systems based on manual tracking and static plans.

Traditional methods, often laden with paperwork and in-person meetings, are now giving way to flexible, cloud-based solutions with features for real-time collaboration and in-depth performance analysis.

These solutions not only help you adapt to the evolving project dynamics but also allow for much more accurate predictive insights, informed decision-making, and simpler risk mitigation. Thus, they dramatically enhance the effectiveness and the quality of project delivery.

Main Functions of a Project Management System

• Work scope planning: A work scope is a blueprint for success in any project, laying out what needs to be done and how to do it. In a nutshell, it’s like plotting a road trip – knowing your route and destinations in advance, you prepare yourself for a smoother, more enjoyable journey.
• Resource allocation: Work resource allocation is like piecing together a puzzle where each piece represents time, people, and materials. It’s all about fitting these pieces together and aligning them with your overall goals perfectly to ensure the project starts on time and finishes with a flourish.
• Budgeting and cost tracking: A sound budget and real-time expense monitoring serve as the financial compass for your projects, guiding every step of the way toward fiscal responsibility and efficiency. It’s the secret sauce that helps you predict the financial future and make every penny count.
• Time and progress tracking: These features let you see at a glance how much you’ve accomplished and how your productivity levels are stacking up. They are vital for managing project timelines and ensuring deliverables are met on schedule.
• Team collaboration: This functionality allows employees to exchange messages, share documents, and stay updated on progress in real time. This keeps everyone on the same page and fosters better work outcomes.
• Data analysis: Data is the currency of decision-making. A project management system provides analytical tools that process complex data into intelligible reports, KPIs, and dashboards, thereby empowering managers to make informed decisions.
• Quality control: Maintaining high standards is non-negotiable, and a project management system offers oversight to ensure that project outputs meet predefined quality benchmarks. It provides tools for tracking compliance with these standards and helps in instituting a continuous improvement ethos.
• Risk management: Predicting and mitigating potential stumbling blocks is key to preventing serious cost overruns and work delays. Risk management functionality allows teams to identify, analyze, and prepare for risks, enabling proactive rather than reactive project management.

4 Major Types of Project Management Systems

1.    Traditional

Also known as Waterfall, this system offers a linear and sequential approach where project activities flow downwards like a waterfall through distinct phases – from initiation to planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.

Each phase must be completed before the next begins, which makes the traditional system suitable for projects with well-defined scopes and predictable paths.

2.    Agile

Agile is a flexible and iterative approach to project management that emphasizes adaptability to change and customer collaboration. Agile projects are broken down into small, manageable increments.

The focus is placed on short-term planning and continuous improvement at every stage. This system is ideal for software development companies and projects with rapidly changing requirements.

3.    Lean

Inspired by lean manufacturing, this system aims to maximize value while minimizing waste. It focuses on delivering more quality with less work by cutting out non-value-adding activities. It’s commonly applied in industries where efficiency is a much, such as manufacturing and production.

4.    Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a data-driven system with the aim of improving the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects and minimizing variability in operations. It is based on robust quality management methods and requires companies to create a special personnel infrastructure that drives improvement through practical problem-solving.

Examples of Agile Project Management Systems

1.    actiTIME

Key features:

• Automated time tracking
• Mobile app
• Data visualization
• Kanban board
• Jira and GitHub integration

actiTIME is a multifunctional project management system crafted for teams that value efficiency and flexibility. It facilitates the planning and tracking of tasks, granting you the freedom to navigate even the most intricate project workflows with confidence and ease.

For agile teams seeking to streamline their project management processes, actiTIME presents a compelling suite of features:

• Customizable workflow settings allow you to adapt the tool to your unique processes and needs, ensuring a seamless fit and high efficiency.
• The Kanban board allows for a clear depiction of tasks in various progress stages, enables you to better control team workloads, and lets you prioritize tasks effectively.
• Time Management Assistant, actiTIME’s fully automated activity tracker, effortlessly captures the precise time spent on tasks, ensuring accurate time management without distracting your employees from the work at hand.
• Integration with leading agile project management tools like Jira and GitHub bridges the gap between your task tracking and software development workflows, knitting a comprehensive and cohesive ecosystem for agile project management.

Ready to level up your agile project management game?

Explore these and other actiTIME features during a free 30-day trial.

2.    VivifyScrum

Key features:

• Project visualization
• Scrum board
• Kanban board
• Reports and charts
• Time tracking

VivifyScrum is a versatile software platform that lets you visualize and organize tasks with ease. Whether you’re scaling the Scrum framework or embracing Kanban’s flow, it facilitates effective teamwork, turning the challenges of project management into child’s play.

• With features like intuitive Scrum and Kanban boards, you can visualize workflows and progress with ease.
• The tool’s built-in time tracker also helps you make sure that the time spent on tasks is accurately recorded and managed efficiently.
• VivifyScrum’s engaging metrics and analytics offer you critical insights into your team’s performance and assist in fostering continuous improvement – something that every diligent agile time strives for.

3.    Taiga

Key features:

• Kanban
• Sprint dashboards
• Issue tracking
• Reports
• Zapier integrations

Taiga is an open-source project management software primarily catering to developers and cross-functional teams. Its user-friendly interface coupled with agile functionality forms the bedrock of effective team collaboration.

• The platform’s Kanban boards and Scrum sprints facilitate project planning, guarantee that tasks are clearly defined, and provide visibility into ongoing work progress.
• Backlogs help you not forget a thing and prioritize work, allowing you to easily adapt to changing requirements.
• You can also benefit from the built-in Wiki module, which serves as a central repository for project documentation and promotes knowledge sharing and collaborative learning.
• Plus, with Taiga’s integrated issue tracking functionality, you can swiftly identify and address bottlenecks and maintain smooth workflows.

Examples of Lean Project Management Systems

1.    Leantime

Key features:

• Project dashboards
• Time blocking
• Notes
• AI-powered prioritization
• Calendar integration

Leantime is more than just your average project management system – it’s built with lean principles in mind, enabling teams to focus on delivering value to customers while eliminating waste and promoting efficiency.

Leantime’s powerful combo of features makes it a powerhouse for any team aiming to streamline their project journey:

• The Kanban board visualizes workflow and helps to see progress and bottlenecks in real time, fostering more dynamic task management.
• AI-powered prioritization takes the guesswork out of what to tackle next, enabling you to focus on tasks that truly drive project momentum.
• With Retrospectives, you can gain valuable insights through reflective learning, improving your methods and strategies continually.
• Finally, milestone setting functionality lets you mark key project stages on a visual timeline, providing both motivational checkpoints and an easy way to track work progress.

2.    KanbanFlow

Key features:

• Kanban board
• Time tracking
• Mobile access
• Cycle & lead time charts
• Monte Carlo forecasting

KanbanFlow is an efficiency-boosting tool tailor-made for teams who aim to optimize their workflows and elevate productivity. Rooted in the Kanban principles, which focus on just-in-time delivery while minimizing work in progress, KanbanFlow provides a comprehensive visual system that simplifies task coordination a great deal.

Besides a handy Kanban board, the platform offers the following features:

• The Pomodoro timer integrates time management directly into the task board, allowing you to work with focus and regular breaks, improving mental agility and reducing burnout.
• The Monte Carlo forecasting tool utilizes past performance data to predict future task completion rates, thereby helping in setting realistic deadlines and expectations.
• The Burndown chart provides a visual measure of progress and work remaining, which is crucial for maintaining momentum during a sprint and ensuring that your team is always on track to meet the set objectives.

3.    Planforge

Key features:

• Project portfolios
• KPIs
• Reports
• Gantt charts
• Sprint boards

In a world where complexity can be a barrier to productivity, Planforge stands out by streamlining project workflows and simplifying team collaboration. With its features for process optimization, you can quickly adapt and pivot your entire project, focusing on what truly matters – delivering exceptional results with less effort.

• With the Work Breakdown Structure functionality, you can decompose projects into manageable sections and rest assured that each member understands their role within a larger context.
• Gantt charts present project schedules in a timeline view, which promotes easier progress tracking and lets you adjust plans in line with the current situation to maintain project velocity.
• Risk management features enable you to identify, assess, and prioritize potential impediments to project success, allowing for proactive strategies and contingency planning.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) grant data-driven insights into team performance and project progress, empowering you with vital metrics to make informed decisions and continuously improve your business processes.

Examples of Traditional Project Management Systems

1.    Microsoft Project

Key features:

• Gantt charts
• Real-time collaboration
• Critical path scheduling
• Centralized data management

Microsoft Project stands as a beacon of traditional project management, exemplifying the classic Waterfall model with its structured framework. With Microsoft Project, every milestone is a stepping stone laid out from start to finish, providing project managers with a clear, unwavering path to completion.

Microsoft Project’s robust feature set complements the linear and sequential approach to project management:

• Gantt chart functionality enables meticulous planning and tracking of the project timeline, showcasing each phase, milestone, and deadline in a clear visual format.
• Using Critical Path scheduling, you can identify key tasks that must be completed on time for the overall project to remain on schedule, ensuring that focus and resources are allocated effectively.
• Task allocation features allow for the precise distribution of responsibilities, creating clear ownership for each element of the project.
• The advanced Business Intelligence reports provide insightful data analysis, allowing you to make data-driven decisions and keep stakeholders informed with compelling visual representations of project health and progress.

2.    ProjectManager

Key features:

• Project phases
• Task dependencies
• Gantt charts
• Real-time reporting
• Unlimited file storage

ProjectManager is a next-generation suite of project management tools meant to streamline your workflows and enhance team collaboration. By bridging the gap between planning and execution, it fosters an environment where productivity and project success are not just goals but guaranteed outcomes.

• With its intuitively designed Gantt charts, you can plan and visualize each phase of your project in detail and with ease, ensuring that all tasks are laid out in a linear and logical sequence.
• Task dependencies are clearly visualized, enabling you to schedule work effortlessly while maintaining strict adherence to the project’s timeline.
• Documentation management features align perfectly with the Waterfall method’s emphasis on thorough record-keeping at each project phase, which is crucial for regulatory compliance and historical reference.

3.    P2ware Project Manager 7

Key features:

• Resource allocation
• Progress tracking
• Gantt Chart
• Product Flow Diagram
• Reports

P2ware Project Manager 7 is designed to facilitate the planning, monitoring, and controlling of projects with precision and ease, making it an indispensable ally for project managers striving to steer their projects towards successful completion.

• The Product Flow Diagram is particularly useful for visualizing the sequence of project delivery stages, ensuring a clear understanding of the entire work timeline.
• Resource management features provide you with the means to optimize the use of resources, avoid bottlenecks, and ensure that every stage of the project is appropriately staffed and equipped.
• The Network Diagram allows you to map out the entire project in a detailed flowchart, showing the dependencies and relationships between different tasks.

Examples of Six Sigma Project Management Systems

1.    SafetyCulture

Key features:

• Dashboards
• Checklists
• Issue reporting
• Asset management
• Video messaging

SafetyCulture is a mission-driven platform aiming to empower workers and organizations to make safety and efficiency the heartbeat of their worksites. It fosters a proactive culture of safety that doesn’t just comply with standards but sets new benchmarks for excellence.

SafetyCulture brings in a powerful suite of features, emphasizing continuous improvement and operational excellence:

• Its intuitive inspection checklists can be tailored to monitor and control quality at each stage of a Six Sigma initiative, ensuring processes are consistently adhered to.
• Powerful analytics permit you to extract actionable insights from the collected data, identify trends, and drive process improvement.
• Furthermore, the platform’s collaboration functionality encourages seamless communication across teams, allowing for effective sharing of best practices and quick resolution of identified issues, which perfectly aligns with the collaborative ethos of Six Sigma projects.

2.    Tallyfy

Key features:

• Process documentation
• Progress tracking
• AI-generated templates
• Reminders

As a cutting-edge business process management solution, Tallyfy brings a breath of fresh air to the often-convoluted world of process documentation, automation, and optimization. Its user-friendly interface invites even the most technologically wary individuals to create, manage, and track processes with ease and transparency, thereby unraveling the tangled threads of productivity.

• Tallyfy’s powerful workflow automation eliminates the tedious manual tracking of project tasks, allowing for a more efficient focus on data-driven decision-making and iterative enhancements.
• The tool’s real-time data analytics enables you to monitor KPIs closely, ensuring that your team’s actions are effectively driving the desired outcomes.
• Moreover, Tallyfy’s document-sharing functionality fosters collaborative teamwork by offering a centralized platform for sharing process templates and best practices, making it easier for Six Sigma professionals to work together toward process perfection.

3.    KaiNexus

Key features:

• Knowledge repository
• Standardization
• KPIs
• X-Matrix
• Strategic planning

KaiNexus serves as a catalyst for change, amplifying employee voices and turning their ingenuity into actionable improvements. By harnessing the collective insights of the workforce, KaiNexus becomes the linchpin in the quest for operational efficiency and a relentless pursuit of perfection.

Here are some of the KaiNexus features that make it a remarkable tool for Six Sigma project management:

• The idea generation functionality lets every team member to contribute suggestions for improvement, which can then be implemented and thoroughly tracked.
• The milestones feature effectively segments projects into manageable stages, allowing teams to monitor progress and celebrate achievements along the way.
• Finally, the X-Matrix functionality provides a high-level view of an organization’s strategy, offering clear visual alignment between goals, tactics, and outcomes – all of which are essential for the disciplined focus required by Six Sigma methodologies.

Conclusion

By incorporating a robust project management system into your team’s workflow, you can save time and resources while promoting collaboration and transparency.

With the variety of options available today, finding the right fit for your team should be an exciting journey toward increased efficiency and success in your projects.

We hope this list of 12 tools has provided some helpful starting points for you to explore and find the perfect solution for your team’s project management needs.

Don’t know where to start?

Give actiTIME a try!

This software system offers all-in-one time tracking, task management, and team collaboration features that make managing projects a breeze. Sign up for a free 30-day trial today and see the difference it can make in your project performance.