Task management software goes beyond being a digital platform for your to-do lists. It provides a collaborative environment where your teams can gather and comprehend their responsibilities in shared workloads.
This guide will take you through the characteristics you need to consider when searching for team task management software, and provides 20 examples of vendors to begin your research for the ideal tool.
What is team task management?
Team task management involves a systematic approach to planning, organizing, assigning, tracking, and completing tasks in order to achieve business objectives. Each task is an individual unit of work that team members are accountable for. The management of these tasks entails coordinating the efforts of team members, establishing priorities, and monitoring task progress to promote efficient collaboration, streamlined workflows, and successful project outcomes.
Why do teams need task management software?
By using the appropriate task management software, your team can avoid lengthy email exchanges and instead concentrate on essential tasks to ensure smooth progress of work and projects. Consequently, teams can collaborate effectively and promptly detect any potential issues such as bottlenecks or uneven distribution of work.
What features should task management software have?
Before making a decision to invest, it is important to observe that various team task management software platforms have a diverse array of features, with some having similar functions. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure that your preferred tool has the following capabilities when conducting research in this field.
- Multiple views : Visualize your tasks using common views like Calendar, Kanban, List, or countless alternatives. For example, monday work management offers 15+ options, including Gantt Charts, which visually display task milestones and dependencies between items for a clear overview of your work.
- Intuitive interface : Ensure your team easily adapts to any new task management tool.
- Range of integrations : Connect your task management software with multiple other tools in your tech stack to prevent tool-hopping.
- Custom automations : Simplify repetitive workflows by setting up automations that run in the background. For example, an automation could email the entire team when someone completes their task.
- Ability to set subtasks and dependencies : Break tasks down into smaller chunks called subtasks and specify the order they must occur by making some tasks dependent on the next. For example, editing a blog post would depend on someone writing the first draft.
Once you have identified the features and functionality you desire in a high-quality task management software, you can proceed to compare twenty solutions while conducting research to determine the most suitable platform for your team.
20 Best Task Management Software For Teams In 2023
1. monday work management
Ideal for: Teams of any size seeking to achieve shared goals more efficiently and on a larger scale.
The monday work management platform is built on top of the monday.com Work OS and is rich in features.
Our platform is used by companies to plan and organize various workflows or projects, with task management being a significant collaborative aspect. monday work management provides the following features:
- 15+ board views, including the Workload View delivering visibility into team member capacity. This visibility is essential for task assignment as project leads and managers have clarity about what each team member is available to work on.
- Customizable dashboards using 10+ drag-and-drop widgets to display high-level project data. You can see to-do lists, team goals, and task reports at-a-glance and in real time.
- Automations to eliminate repetitive tasks from your workflow, like updating team members with email or Slack notifications when each task is complete. This enables peers to review the work, or move on with their task at the next stage of the project.
- Recurring tasks are another automation you can set up. For example, schedule regular team meetings to keep on top of your projects, or set up recurring requests for weekly project reports.
- Integrations with the tools you already know and love, so you can run powerful projects without switching tabs. For example, you might integrate monday work management with Google Drive to attach docs to your tasks or Slack to update a team channel following completion.
- Time tracking to ensure your team spends its time efficiently. Use the data to accurately forecast how long your team might need to allocate to specific tasks, or to bill clients accordingly.
2. Asana
Ideal for: Teams in search of straightforward task and project management with efficient communication capabilities.
Asana is a software for managing tasks that provides a user-friendly interface to track the different sections, tasks, and subtasks of your team projects.
Key features
- Customizable views , such as the Timeline view to gain visibility into upcoming deadlines or the Workload view to understand team member capacity.
- Task celebrations which occur when you check the task completion box.
- Integrations with 200+ tools in your tech stack, allowing you to automate tasks between them. For example, you might create a new Google Drive folder for each new task you add in Asana.
- Weekly focus mode , which allows you to capture your top priorities for the week ahead.
3. Wrike
This is most suitable for cross-functional teams who want to make their workflows and communication more efficient.
Wrike is a project management software that enables you to assign tasks to team members, upload files, set deadlines, and track progress. A key advantage of Wrike is its ability to facilitate cross-collaboration among teams from a central platform.
Key features
- Multiple dashboard views to gain insights into task statuses.
- Real-time collaboration , including commenting and file sharing from a central location.
- Customizable pre-built templates designed for marketing, IT & engineering teams, etc.
4. Jira
Ideal for: Agile software development teams with a specific focus on issue tracking and project planning.
Jira, an Atlassian product, was designed for software developers who adhere to Agile project management principles.
Key features
- Interactive timelines , including mapping work items, task dependencies, and new releases.
- Reports and insights tied to your tasks and overall projects to understand metrics like deployment frequency and cycle time.
- Autonomy preferences allow you to decide whether your projects are company or team-managed.
5. Trello
Ideal for individuals who think visually and for small teams in charge of handling tasks using a straightforward interface centered around cards.
Trello employs a task management methodology known as Kanban-style, which is attractive to teams that prefer visualizing their ongoing projects and the specific tasks they must finish.
Key features
- Boards, lists, and cards , where boards represent projects, lists are each project stage, and cards are for individual tasks. Users move cards between lists once they’ve completed them to indicate they’re ready for the next project stage
- Multi-device compatibility , including availability on your browser and mobile devices, even when you’re offline
6. Basecamp
Ideal for: Startups and small teams seeking to consolidate project communication and tasks.
Basecamp provides a solution for creating a single page that acts as a centralized location for all project necessities.
Key features
- Project scheduling tool which displays your deadlines, milestones, dated to-dos, and relevant events.
- Campfire conversations which act as Basecamp’s in-built group chat tool.
- Doors that are integrations to external tools like Slack, Airtable, Google Drive, Miro, etc.
7. Evernote Teams
Ideal for: Creative teams who need to take notes and share information in a digital collaborative environment.
Evernote Teams is a space for collaboration where notes can be taken, ideas can be brainstormed, and a company wiki can be hosted.
Key features
- Real-time collaboration , including the ability to edit notes simultaneously.
- Task assignments , with functionality such as delegations and reminders.
- Searchable document repository to find the right note based on its title, keywords, content type, or dates.
8. Airtable
Ideal for: Teams that rely on data and need a versatile database and project management solution.
Airtable is a platform for managing projects and storing data, specifically designed for teams with no coding requirements.
Key features
- Spreadsheet view with a drag-and-drop function to manipulate your data layout.
- Multiple views, including Kanban, Gantt, List, and Calendar.
- Rich media support , including the ability to attach videos, images, and audio files to your tasks.
9. Smartsheet
Ideal for: Business operations teams needing access to dynamic spreadsheet capabilities.
Smartsheet is a project management platform that resembles a spreadsheet, created to assist teams in managing work, automating repetitive tasks, and collaborating on documents.
Key features
- Multiple data views , including Grid, Chart, Gantt, and Calendar.
- Pre-built templates for tasks like planning and budget goals which you can customize to fit your requirements.
- Customizable forms to collect insights and data from internal or stakeholders.
10. HubSpot
This is most suitable for sales and marketing teams who require lead tracking and customer relationship management.
Although HubSpot is not a conventional task management software, it does provide users with the option to include tasks within the CRM platform.
Key features
- To-do list prioritization for scheduling tasks related to your customer base
- Task dashboards which act as a base for your tasks, contact details, and meetings
- Embedded reporting , including past task tracking of closed deals, calls made, and activities completed
11. Todoist
Ideal for: Small teams that prioritize a holistic method for collaborative task management.
Todoist is an app for managing tasks, projects, and collaboration in one place that is simple to use.
Key features
- Task assignments including the ability to create projects, add tasks, set due dates, and assign responsibility.
- Messaging functionality which allows team members to share files, discuss details and provide updates.
- Task filtering so users can see each other’s activity streams or upcoming due dates.
12. MeisterTask
Ideal for: Creative teams in search of an intuitive project planning tool and visual workflows.
MeisterTask is a task management tool that follows the Kanban style, providing teams with a clear understanding of their to-do lists.
Key features
- Agendas which are private boards visible only to individual team members
- Task watchers to keep relevant people in the loop about specific tasks
- Task relationships allow you to tag whether tasks are related or duplicates
13. Notion
Ideal for teams in need of a single platform for both knowledge-sharing and project management.
Notion is a comprehensive workspace that utilizes custom blocks, such as text, images, or tables, for storing your notes, documents, and project tasks.
Key features
- Task views allow you to filter by calendars, task lists, Gantt Charts, tables, and more
- Template library with access to 5,000 customizable templates to suit your project tasks.
- Integrations with tools like Loom or Slack so you can attach video messages or conversations to your tasks.
14. MS Project
Most suitable for: Large enterprises with the need to manage complex projects and utilize advanced scheduling capabilities.
Microsoft Project is a centralized platform that enables the management of large-scale projects.
Key features
- Coauthoring tools which allow multiple stakeholders to update task lists and project schedules simultaneously.
- Interactive roadmaps you can build to increase visibility across your organization.
- Timesheet submissions for capturing time spent on tasks.
15. Microsoft OneNote
Ideal for: Budget-conscious teams in need of a platform for collaborating on note-taking and organizing information.
Within the platform, Microsoft OneNote utilizes Notebooks as the highest level of organization, encompassing sections and pages for the storage of notes and tasks.
Key features
- Built-in OneNote templates for mapping out project lists
- Task prioritization by adding High, Medium, or Low project tags
- Handwriting compatibility using Surface or Surface Slim Pen 2 devices allows you to digitize your handwritten meeting notes and transform them into tasks
The 6 Most Effective Team Scheduling Apps
Mastering employee availability is more difficult than a simple “fill in the blank” game when it comes to filling open shifts. As managers soon realize, scheduling has significant effects on work-life balance, job fulfillment, and productivity for team members. Successful staffing involves comprehending the connections between each employee and their responsibilities.
Although it may seem overwhelming, the use of effective scheduling software can greatly simplify the task. Certain tools can streamline or fully automate the process, while others can save time in various operations and facilitate team communication. This empowers your staff to personally handle different aspects of shift management.
We will now present our top 6 choices of employee scheduling software that can enable business owners to fill shifts in a manner that allows employees to rest, manages labor expenses, and diminishes the chances of scheduling conflicts.
1. Buddy Punch
You can obtain a visual representation of the efficiency of your team scheduling by using Buddy Punch’s Drag & Drop shift management. To create a new shift, simply click on an empty cell and move it to the desired location. Once finished, you can publish your team schedule online to instantly notify all relevant team members.
Buddy Punch offers various notifications for both administrators and team members. Upon a team member clocking in, administrators are notified via email, containing the employee’s name and clock in time (this feature can be customized for each employee). Additionally, managers are alerted when a team member requests paid time off and can respond with their decision to approve or deny the request through a notification.
In addition to offering features, Buddy Punch also offers helpful articles on business management (available on our blog) and on maximizing the use of Buddy Punch (found in our help doc center). If you have any questions or would like to schedule a personalized one-on-one demo, feel free to contact our responsive customer support through the live chat option.
2. Deputy
The Deputy app is designed to transform the process of employee scheduling and time tracking in your business. It offers a range of features that aim to revolutionize these tasks.
- Scheduling
- Time Tracking
- Time Clock App
- Labor Compliance Tools
- Mobile App
- Integrations
In addition to other features, Deputy also includes skillset scheduling and an intelligent leave management system that empowers employees to autonomously request time off.
3. ZoomShift
ZoomShift is a software created specifically for hourly workers, intended for scheduling purposes. It incorporates several aspects such as:
- Work Scheduling
- Time Clock
- Timesheets
- Mobile Apps
- Time Tracking
- Shift Planning
- Shift Swapping
- Schedule Templates
This software includes applications for mobile devices that are compatible with phones running on either iOS or Android operating systems.
4. QuickBooks Time
QuickBooks Time, formerly named TSheets, is a well-liked program for scheduling shifts that offers numerous features such as:
- Employee Scheduling
- Time Tracking
- Staff Scheduling and Messaging
- Time Card Reports
- Shift Scheduling
- Payroll and Human Resources Integrations
- Who’s Working
5. 7shifts
7Shifts is an app that specializes in shift scheduling and is suitable for all business owners but particularly caters to the restaurant industry. It offers a range of features including:
- Scheduling
- Time Clocking
- Communication
- Hiring
- Task Management
- Manager Log Book
6. Findmyshift
Findmyshift is a popular online scheduling employee software due to the fact that it offers complete free usage for small business owners with less than 5 team members. Some of the features it provides include:
- Staff Scheduling
- Time and Attendance
- Reporting and Payroll
- Reminders and Notifications
- Time Off Management
