Stacks of papers, unorganized files, confusing email chains— where does it all end? With countless projects consistently coming across desks and through inboxes, it can be difficult for associations to keep everything straight. Project reviews, changing priorities, and keeping all team members in the loop are just some of the challenges facing these organizations today. As marketers working with associations, online project management software platforms are a great solution for managing these types of projects with many moving parts. A single, centralized online portal offers organized solutions that maximize productivity, transparency and put a method to the madness.
Although project management software can benefit associations of differing sizes and across a variety of industries, the key is finding the platform that is the best fit for your organization and its marketing goals. Below, we break down four of the most popular online project management platforms on the market today.
Wrike (great for visual projects and creative teams)
- Ranges from free to $24.80 per user per month
- Organized by project progress columns; active, in progress; completed
- Custom workflows showing project progress eliminate the need for automatic check-in emails
- Streamlined for creative teams: Creative brief intake, visually share feedback on campaign assets, and maintain brand consistency
Basecamp (the staple for large, project-oriented organizations)
- Free for up to 3 projects and 20 users; $99 per month for unlimited projects and users
- Divide and conquer projects based on team assignments and departments
- Keep the entire association in the loop with a custom company headquarters
- Automatic check-ins make it easy to keep an eye on individual progress
Slack (for fast moving and collaborative industries)
- Ranges from free to $12.50 per user per month
- Replaces email by organizing lists of conversations, called channels
- Ability to group conversations and projects using hashtags
- Upload files, images videos and more– directly in conversations
Hive (for those seeking flexibility and customization)
- $12 per user per month; additional fees for add-on services
- Multiple project layout views: Gantt charts, calendars, tables, to-do lists
- Manage your email inbox directly through the platform
- Integration with over 1,000 tools including Salesforce, Google Dropbox and iCal
Popular demand has greatly increased the amount of online project management platforms available today. Ultimately, every association has its own unique challenges and workflow preferences. Many of these platforms offer a free trial so that organizations may test out functionalities prior to committing to a software. By reviewing these options and others, associations can find a project management software that best fits their particular marketing needs and helps to organize themselves best, achieving transparency, efficiency and streamlined processes.
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