Key takeaways
- It is important to consider the essentials when choosing task management software—think ease of use, collaboration, and customizations.
- The right task management software enhances visibility and ramps up productivity.
- Zoho Projects checks all the right boxes for modern teams that desire efficiency and effortlessness in their task management approach.
Task management has transcended beyond the realm of simple to-do lists and humble spreadsheets; it has evolved into a necessity for project teams to challenge the status quo proactively. Technology may have chiseled it into intelligent software, but that does not mean we're exempt from hard-to-reach deadlines, complex workflows, or alarming risks—they're still very much here.
Flash news: There is no single best task management software, but there is one that is best suited to your requirements. Today's software does more than just basic task management; it facilitates collaboration, monitors issues, utilizes resources smartly, and empowers teams to reach their goals swiftly.
While the internet is home to hundreds of eligible task management software, it can be overwhelming to choose the best one for you. This guide can help you get there quickly.
1. Ease of use and user interface
With an easy-to-use interface, you reduce training time and bounce right into show time. Make sure the task management platform you choose is easy to navigate, has drag-and-drop features, and lets you customize your views to suit your preference. The goal is to unify disparate teams, increase adoption rates across departments, and make task management more effective.
What to look for
Look for a simple, clean, and intuitive interface for your teams to navigate without difficulties.
Why it matters
Technology should ease your burden, not pile onto it. A good task management software fixes fragmented communication, tracks deadlines, and simplifies complex workflows. Clunky tools with a cluttered interface can dissuade teams from turning to them, leading to poor engagement, weak communication, and ineffective task management.
How Zoho Projects helps
Zoho Projects presents an appealing, simple user interface that helps you find your way around the product with minimal effort. With a host of customizable dashboards and comprehensive reports, Zoho Projects displays comprehensive data as digestible information that you can navigate with drag-and-drop features, color-coded labels, and Gantt, Kanban and List views, making it simpler for teams to stay organized minutes after adoption.
2. Work breakdown structure
Good task management software allows you to trace your subtasks directly to their parent tasks, milestones, and dependencies, enabling complete visibility and control across your project. The hierarchical structure keeps teams tethered to their responsibilities, provides resource transparency, and ensures accurate task tracking.
What to look for
Look for task management software that nests tasks, provides reminders, and delegates and monitors tasks effectively.
Why it matters
It is easy to lose track of the day-to-day when there is no proper tracking mechanism in place. When tasks are attached to their deadlines and are assigned to their rightful owners, what follows it is accountability, transparency, and timely completion of deliverables.
How Zoho Projects helps
Zoho Projects breaks down your projects into linear, smaller work items like milestones, task lists, tasks, and subtasks. This breakdown simplifies complex task structures, monitors task details, and ensures nothing escapes your sight, making resource delegation and organizing tasks a breeze.
3. Team collaboration tools
Conversations happen over several applications, but there is no better way than centralizing communications exclusively over a task management tool. It eliminates the need to hop over to different apps and maintains context. Keep global teams informed through real-time chat groups, virtual meetings, contextual comment threads, and prompt notifications.
What to look for
Look for a platform with instant messaging, sharing file attachments, meetings, and common group chats for easy communication.
Why it matters
Fractured communication can wreak havoc over operations. Delays, unaccounted work, and unrealistic goals can confuse the trajectory of the project. Centralized collaboration breaks down barriers and encourages team engagement and quick decision-making.
How Zoho Projects helps
Collaboration on Zoho Projects is contextual, meaning you won't need to pour money into a third-party application to do only that and nothing else. Team-level discussions, real-time chats, audit logs, and broadcast channels keep everyone aligned to objectives and privy to confidential information that stays secure.
4. Integration capabilities
Ideal platforms connect with calendars, communication tools, CRMs, cloud storage, development platforms, and automation tools. This creates a smooth flow of data and reduces manual entry.
Task management software of today does more than just manage tasks. It compensates for its missing features through integrative capabilities. Look for software that unifies the capabilities of commonly-used tools like calendars, CRMs, content management, meeting, and development platforms so information flows smoothly without interruption.
What to look for
Look for compatibility with communication, automation, CRM, and other frequently-used applications.
Why it matters
Data duplication, context switching, and exceeding spends are risks you are exposed to if you choose task management software without integrative capabilities. Integrations set up an ecosystem of connected apps that can exchange information seamlessly.
How Zoho Projects helps
Zoho Projects provides native and third-party integrations with automation, development, communication, and collaboration tools that make work simpler, efficient, and rewarding.
5. Reporting and analytics
For teams to gauge progress at a glance, there are no better tools than intuitive reports and analytical dashboards to present data effectively, helping teams identify bottlenecks, shift workloads, follow trends, and take strategic calls.
What to look for
Look for software with built-in reporting that visualizes performance trends, task statuses, and anomalies.
Why it matters
With handy, comprehensive reports, project managers can pick up on what is working and what is not, and pivot accordingly, mitigating risks and minimizing errors in its path.
How Zoho Projects helps
Reports on resource utilization, time tracking, and task status can be downloaded, referred to, and circulated to teams and keep them informed of updates through Zia Insights, Zoho's trusty in-house bot. Teams can keep up with latest crucial developments without calling a meeting every other day.
6. Mobile accessibility
Teams operating from different time zones or seated across various working spaces can largely benefit from the privilege of assigning tasks, communicating, and monitoring progress on the fly. Make sure to shortlist software that supports mobile applications so you don't have to open your laptop each time you receive an update.
What to look for
Look for mobile applications with features that let you stay connected to your tasks on the go all through the day.
Why it matters
The new normal has now become the norm, with teams working from home, out of their workspaces, or while on a coffee run. Mobile applications keep continuity intact, so you do not miss out on impromptu conversations that have the potential to turn into important decisions.
How Zoho Projects helps
Zoho Projects' mobile application notifies users of task updates, provides task overviews on dashboards, enables instant communication, and lets you publish time logs right from the palm of your hand.
7. Task automation and customizations
Tasks can get menacingly repetitive, especially when you have strategic work that mandates your attention. Built-in automation features take care of such tasks without manual pivoting, reducing the need for human intervention and freeing up your day for more intelligent tasks. It is also important your platform can match your team's work through flexible features and customizations.
What to look for
Look for task management software with features that automate complex workflows that can adapt to unique workflows and industries.
Why it matters
A decent portion of your day can be wasted away scrambling with repetitive tasks, which can be saved by automating them. Customizable features ensure your tool aligns with your workflows, tailoring solutions unique to your team.
How Zoho Projects helps
Zoho Projects' Blueprint automation and Workflow Rules automate tasks by applying criteria and triggering rules, while Project Templates, SLAs, Layouts, and Custom Fields ensure your teams align with their industry objectives.
8. Scalability and pricing
The best task management platform scales with your business by offering a free trial period to test out the tool. If it checks all your boxes, it lets you upgrade to paid tiered or user-based pricing. Make sure you pay review sites a visit and carefully verify pricing details. Compare prices among different contenders and see which one offers the best value for the money.
What to look for
Look for software offering free trial periods and budget-friendly plans that come with core functionalities.
Why it matters
Teams are always growing, and for good reason. Your task management software needs to grow with you, accommodate your needs, and support a growing number of user licenses so you can prevent data loss, promote synergy, and evade costly migrations.
How Zoho Projects helps
Zoho Projects offers a free plan for smaller teams and flexible advanced editions for enterprises, so you can scale without costly mishaps and additional payments.
9. Support and documentation
A good task management tool is not just one that's feature-rich, but one that provides adequate support and resources for users requiring help navigating the product. This means offering a multi-channel presence (live chat, email, community groups) and self-help resources (guides, how-to videos, FAQs).
What to look for
Look for reliable support that can help teams get their questions answered and use the product better.
Why it matters
The adoption of a new tool, however simple, can prompt multiple questions that require fast, efficient, and valuable support that can help resolve issues and prevent difficulties.
How Zoho Projects helps
With 24/5 chat and email support services, a host of tutorial videos, frequent live webinars, and an easy-to-navigate knowledge base, Zoho Projects ensures users are covered in every aspect.
10. Security and data privacy
A GDPR-compliant task management tool offering two-factor authentication, encryption, access controls, and audit logs earns the trust of the first-timers and experienced users.
What to look for
Look for enterprise-grade security features that shield confidential information from nefarious hands.
Why it matters
Task management software holds confidential data like employee details, contracts, and design ideas. This data is at risk of falling into the wrong hands, which can lead to data breaches, loss, or violations.
How Zoho Projects helps
With enterprise-grade security features like role-based permissions, two-factor authentication, IP restrictions, SSL encryption, GDPR, and ISO certifications, Zoho Projects ensures it adheres to privacy standards and safeguards project data.
Make the smart choice with Zoho Projects
The best task management software tailors solutions for your business, enhances collaboration, and scales with you. Now that you know the essentials, you also know that Zoho Projects offers every one of those, each one better than the other.
Zoho Projects is a powerful project management software that stands out through its extensive ecosystem, adapting to various business requirements. With its user-friendly interface, easy-to-implement features, and numerous customizations, Zoho Projects is an invaluable asset for half a million SMBs and enterprises worldwide, helping them scale up and achieve enhanced efficiency.