The Top Project Management Software for Small Businesses in 2024

Project management software is a versatile suite of tools designed to boost the efficiency of any team. Whether at the helm of a global corporation, a burgeoning nonprofit, or any entity in between, teams are likely juggling multiple tasks that could benefit from enhanced collaboration and project tracking.

This type of software is essential for teams looking to track projects, establish streamlined workflows, manage resources effectively, maintain project budgets, and facilitate file sharing among team members. Simply put, project management software can be a game-changer for operations.

Why Project Management Cuts Across All Industries

One of the most fascinating aspects of project management is its applicability across diverse industries and professions. From content writers and architectural firms to schools, government bodies, nonprofits, marketing agencies, event organizers, car manufacturers, IT departments, and beyond—nearly every field employs fundamental project management strategies in some form.

This widespread relevance suggests that any business or organization could significantly benefit from the functionalities offered by project management tools. With a vast array of software options available, it's easy to feel overwhelmed if new to this area.

Guiding You Through the Choices

Hours have been dedicated to testing and reviewing some of the most well-regarded project management tools on the market. These reviews are thorough, assessing each tool based on factors like ease of use, functionality, customer support, user interface, suitability for various target markets, and overall value for money.

The finer details of what these tools offer have been delved into, considering the unique features of each and how they stand up against their competitors. Our goal is to make the decision process as informed and straightforward as possible.

If you're curious about specific software and want more detailed insights, you can click on any software name linked in the text to access comprehensive reviews. These are designed to help make the best choice for your team's needs.

Why use project management software? 

Asking this question is like asking "Why do we use cars?" or "Why do we use phones?" Sure, we could walk most places and send letters instead, but we use cars and phones because they make our day-to-day lives more convenient. The same can be said for project management software. Rather than managing your own paper budgets, communicating with your teams on long email chains, and doing your best to track team progress through meetings and calls, project management software combines all these functions and more in an easy-to-track system. Project management software is like the task assistant you've always wanted.

The best project management software options make sense of the mess, act as a project tracker, and streamline your day-to-day operations through these four core functions:

Ease of collaboration

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One of the biggest responsibilities most project managers face is bringing team members together to complete a single task. In the past, I've seen countless projects collapse through lack of communication, and the most common phrase I've heard from those involved was, "Oh, I didn't know I was working with ."

It's not easy getting an entire team on the same page when everyone has their own ideas and systems. Project management software will help you bridge these gaps through collaborative tools such as messaging functions, file sharing, group chats, and dashboard features.

Resource and budget management

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When managing projects, not only do you keep track of tasks and people, but resources like time, money, and assets as well. Use project management software to help you track your tools and supplies, reduce expenses wherever possible, and even notify other managers when resources go missing. You can't afford to let your project collapse under the weight of separate management systems, so slim your operation down to one project management software.

Scheduling and planning

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As a project manager, one of your biggest struggles is fighting against the clock. You're constantly scrambling to meet deadlines and plan out future tasks to keep your team on schedule. Project management software is the key to scheduling and planning every move. Create a project management plan to set deadlines for tasks, plan out future steps, and keep your team members notified of all project changes. Imagine all the time and headaches you will save using a project scheduling software tool for the creation, organization, and completion of all of your tasks.

Tracking and documentation

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I'm sure you're always looking for ways to improve with each new project your company or organization takes on. Instead of relying on multiple different tools for storing and documenting your progress, project management software gives you the ability to learn from each project using documentation and reporting features. Most, if not all, project management systems provide users with key performance indicator (KPI) dashboards, insight reporting, and central data storage perfect for measuring successes and shortcomings.

Key project management features:

Management and planning features

• Task prioritization: Want your team to know what comes next and what is already completed? Your project management software will need task prioritization functionality. This way you can plan out tasks based on their urgency and importance for accomplishing a goal.
• Shared team calendar: Task lists and schedules are helpful, but sometimes your team needs a visual aid to keep them on top of everything that is happening. A shared team calendar will keep your team in the loop with upcoming tasks, meetings, and relevant events all in one place.
• Task scheduler: No project management software is complete without some form of task scheduling feature. Use the task scheduler to let your team members know what, where, and when their work is due.
• Resource management: If you want to know what you have when you have it, then your project management software needs a resource management feature. This way you'll never lose track of your physical materials, assets, and tools for your project. Also, it doesn't hurt to track where all the Post-it notes keep disappearing to.
• Time tracking: Want to know which app feature Terry spent 36 hours building this week? You're going to need time tracking. Time tracking is a required feature for any project using contractors with billable hours. Track and store hours spent on tasks, not only for billing purposes but also to plan out time needed for similar tasks in the future.

Documentation features

• Document storage: All projects require lots of documentation, and what better way to keep track of it all than on your project management software? Store all your contracts, documents, and spreadsheets in an easily accessible location using your project management software.

Collaboration features

• Communication: Any project management software worth its salt needs some form of communication, whether that be chat functions, message boards, forums, or task comment sections. These features will help bring your teams closer together and prevent mistakes.
• File sharing: File sharing typically goes together with any communication features. Share files and other resources with team members and other project stakeholders. Also works great for cat-picture sharing!
• Team dashboards: What project manager doesn't want to know what their team is up to? Team dashboards are where you find all of the tracking data for everyone involved in your project. Track team KPIs such as earned value, return on investment, planned vs. actual hours worked, and other metrics in one convenient location.

Budgeting features

• Budget reports: In the end, it's all about the money. Find out what you're spending all of your money on and what you need to cut back on by using exportable budget reports.
• Invoicing: Why wait to get paid? Send automated reminders and collect payment from clients in order to stay on top of your budget using an invoicing function.
• Budget dashboards: Sometimes you don't need a fully detailed and printed budget report. Keep it simple and track all your current expenses live in one convenient location using a budget dashboard.