Even if you just work on a few projects at a time, managing all the active projects in a firm might be burdensome. Keeping track of all the duties, product objectives, team members, etc. may be challenging. The best way to ensure project efficiency is thus by adopting project management software. The project management software may differ differently depending on your sector. You'll discover that there are various project management tools available that are industry-specific. That's why in this article, we're going to look at what project management software is, along with the best project management software for product development you can use today- Asana.
What is Project Management Software?
Any program created and used for project planning, task management, resource allocation, and scheduling is considered project management software. Project managers and product managers may use this software to help them manage their teams, finances, and documentation while keeping an eye on quality assurance. Additionally, it enables them to enhance cross-collaboration in real-time across the various project stakeholders.
After all, the software is expected to make the work of product managers and project managers easier, faster, and more efficient. When you streamline project management through a project management system, you'll have more time to work on other things that require your attention.
Overview of Asana Software
Asana is an extremely versatile project management software designed to be user-friendly and easy to use for businesses and teams of all sizes and types. You'll find the usual features in the software, including task management, project allocation, dashboards, and conversation tools. You can efficiently add custom fields and keep track of what matters most to you; you can prioritize tracking progress.
Furthermore, Asana is best known for supporting collaboration with things like Group Pages, where conversations and ideas can be shared. More importantly, Asana has one of the best third-party integration support where you can integrate with systems like MailChimp, Google Drive, Dropbox, GitHub, Microsoft Excel, and more.
How Does Asana Work?
Since Asana is a cloud-based application, you may use it on any device with an internet connection. It features mobile apps for iOS and Android devices in addition to being accessible as a web app. You may begin assigning tasks to team members and setting deadlines once your projects are in Asana.
Users can also divide projects into smaller components by creating subtasks. Team members can provide queries or updates in the comments section of tasks. The free edition of Asana includes every one of these capabilities. For larger teams, Asana also provides a few capabilities in its premium editions. These functions can support project management and guarantee that everyone is focusing on the appropriate duties.
Asana Cost
Asana has three different plans (plus an Enterprise plan). For a maximum of 15 users, its Basic plan is free. When invoiced yearly, premium plans are $10.99 per user per month; otherwise, they are $13.49 per user per month. When invoiced yearly, its Business plan costs $24.99 per user per month, and when billed monthly, it costs $30.49.
Based on the billing address, any applicable state and local sales taxes are charged on top of the monthly fee. You can additionally have to pay for third-party apps depending on the integration. The premium plans offered by Asana will only pay out half to non-profit organizations.
The Advantages of Asana
With Asana, you can interface with third-party applications like Slack and Zapier. In-app messaging makes it easier to keep all of your communication in one place, which can increase productivity. Keep all discussions in one location since Asana allows you to give your team project deadlines and priority. Additionally, Asana supports the Agile project management methodology. It contains a glossary of words for Agile project management that Asana defines in its own way. Asana is a fantastic tool for sprint planning and product releases.
The Disadvantages of Asana
You can only provide one assignment to one team member at a time in Asana. You will need to convey such information in a different method if a project has any portions that call for the participation of more than one individual.
Asana sends out a lot of email alerts, which some users could find annoying. The project manager should teach all team members how to customize their email notifications before beginning a big project with Asana to prevent email overload. This guarantees that they will see emails that are pertinent to their duties rather than spam.
Is Asana right for your Business?
Businesses that often work on collaborative projects may benefit greatly from Asana's free plan if you have fewer than 15 members. The free plan has a ton of fantastic features that can improve the effectiveness of project management. You will need to subscribe to the Premium plan if there are more than 15 users. However, with all the added capabilities, keeping track of significant projects is definitely worthwhile. For its commercial services, Asana also provides a free trial of 30 days.
For tracking multifaceted projects and possibly introducing Agile project management into your business, Asana could be the right software for you and your team. However, if you are an independent entrepreneur or a team of two, another Asana alternative like Trello may be more suitable.
Conclusion
Asana is one of the few options that helped us review the best software for product development project managers. The platform is intuitive, easy for employees to master, and offers more powerful automation capabilities that enable most of our other offerings. These may be reasons enough to attract some users to Asana.