Deciding on software can be a source of frustration for numerous companies, particularly regarding essential tools such as workflow management software. The process of trial and error consumes a considerable amount of time, and subscribing to multiple demos and free trials can be perplexing and burdensome.
Before you begin searching for a workflow management solution, take into account the requirements of your business. By doing so, you will be better equipped to discover the suitable tool for your team.
In this blog post, we have compiled a list of tips to assist you in finding the appropriate workflow management tool for your business. We have also outlined key features to consider and provided 15 top recommendations to get you started in your search.
What is workflow management?
Workflow management encompasses the creation, design, and supervision of the steps in a task-completing workflow. The aim of workflow management is to maximize the efficiency of each workflow to ensure effective team collaboration. With the aid of workflow management software, businesses and teams can effectively organize their efforts by facilitating collaboration, automation, and communication.
These tools make tasks such as allocation, time and progress tracking, file and data storage, and others easier. By using workflow management software, businesses can enhance their productivity, reduce errors, and effectively coordinate efforts among various team members.
What is workflow management software?
Workflow management software assists businesses and project managers in effectively managing their tasks and projects. With the aid of project workflow management tools, processes and documents can be organized in a centralized location, promoting transparency and providing a clear, up-to-date overview of the progress to stakeholders.
By utilizing one of these workflow management systems, you can anticipate enhanced productivity and efficiency, reduced human errors, and improved collaboration within your team. The finest workflow management tools automate business processes, generate reports, and provide precise insights into different aspects of your project.
Key features of a workflow management tool
When searching for a workflow management tool, it is essential to carefully consider three key features that are present in these software tools, as they are designed to enhance the efficiency of your projects.
- Automations: You want to be able to put manual, repetitive tasks on autopilot with predefined and customizable automations. This can mean setting up triggers for activities like sending emails or follow-up reminders within your team. Automations help reduce errors, speed up tasks, and remain consistent.
- Task tracking and collaboration: Teams need to be able to assign tasks, set due dates, and track progress in real time. Not only that, but collaboration is key here as team members will need to share updates and communicate on tasks whether they’re working together or remotely.
- Custom workflows: A workflow management tool should give you the flexibility to create your own workflows according to your team’s needs. This helps empower teams by aligning your software with your unique processes, saving you time, and keeping your workflow solution adaptable as your business evolves.
How do you choose a workflow management software?
When choosing workflow management software for your team, it is important to carefully consider your company’s overall goals, existing processes, and your team’s needs and technical skill level. Below are some factors that should be taken into account during the selection process of workflow management software.
- Identify what specific workflows need to be managed and your goals for managing them
- Understand your existing processes to determine paint points or areas for improvement
- Consider how scalable software is to avoid switching to a new one down the road
- Look at customization options so the software can be tailored to your needs
- Determine integration capabilities so you can continue using your existing work tools
- Ensure the software is compliant with your unique security or regulatory requirements
- Look at the options for support, onboarding, and training offered by a tool
- Read user reviews to determine if this tool is reliable and can meet your needs
Top 15 workflow management software tools for your business
1. monday.com
Ideal for teams of all sizes who are looking for a workflow management tool that offers customization, flexibility, and visual features.
monday.com offers a platform that is highly customizable, allowing teams to effectively streamline their workflows and monitor progress in real-time using visual boards. The platform includes custom automations, time tracking, and integrations with popular tools, which enables teams to design workflows that are tailored to their specific requirements and collaborate efficiently.
Key features
- Customizable templates for hundreds of use cases
- Visual tracking with 27+ different work views like Gantt, Boards, Timeline, and more
- Integration with 200+ third-party apps and automation
2. Smartsheet
Suitable for organizations of all sizes that wish to enhance their spreadsheet format.
By utilizing a simple format, Smartsheet allows teams to work more effectively on projects of any complexity by combining the familiarity of spreadsheets with dynamic collaboration features. It enables teams to manage projects, tasks, and processes, and provides features such as automated workflows, reporting, and resource allocation for enhanced productivity.
Key features
- Grid interface as well as work views like Gantt and calendar
- Automates calculations across different sheets for easier data collection
- Strong reporting features that can be easily exported to Excel or Sheets
3. Asana
Ideal for: Teams in search of a workflow management tool that prioritizes tasks.
Asana, a widely used task management platform, offers a user-friendly interface and convenient features such as task assignments, due dates, and customizable workflows. It provides various views like lists, boards, and timelines, enabling teams to visualize their tasks and effectively manage their priorities. As a result, Asana is well-suited for collaboration and workflow management.
Key features
- Task tracking with multiple views like list, calendar, workload, and more
- Integration with other tools like Slack and Google Workspace
- Create task dependencies and automations for repetitive tasks
4. Wrike
Ideal for: Companies seeking a unified workflow management solution to enhance team collaboration.
Wrike provides a comprehensive solution that combines project planning, tracking, and real-time collaboration, assisting teams in handling intricate workflows. Teams looking for a flexible and scalable workflow management tool often choose Wrike due to its diverse features such as customizable request forms, Gantt charts, and document management.
Key features
- 400+ app integrations, making it easy to continue using your existing work tools
- Plenty of customization options for workflows, reports, and more
- Document management and version control to make collaboration simple
5. Pipefy
Ideal for: Teams that rely on processes and seek tailored automation for their workflows.
Pipefy is a tool that assists teams in generating and streamlining customized workflows, thereby enhancing their operational efficiency and enabling them to effectively oversee tasks. It caters to businesses that depend on personalized automation solutions, emphasizing visual process mapping, integration options, and advanced reporting.
Key features
- Kanban-style visual process and workflow mapping
- Integration with external apps such as Zendesk, Salesforce, DocuSign, and more
- Automate workflows without any need for coding or technical skills
6. Basecamp
Ideal for: Small teams seeking a straightforward tool for managing workflows and facilitating communication.
Basecamp is dedicated to organizing workflows and facilitating efficient communication through the use of to-do lists, message boards, and scheduling. The user-friendly interface, coupled with central document storage and chat features, fosters transparency and enables collaboration among team members.
Key features
- Centralized workflow management with to-do lists and in-platform messaging
- Automated check-ins remind team members to share updates regularly
- Easily upload, share, store, and collaborate on documents and forms
7. Hive
Ideal for: Teams in need of a centralized platform to manage collaborative workflows.
Hive is a platform that combines project management, collaboration, and communication features. It helps teams stay organized and connected by integrating analytics, chat, and file-sharing capabilities. Hive is suitable for organizations seeking an all-in-one work management solution, as it fosters effective collaboration.
Key features
- Templates and automations to save time on tasks and work organization
- Track time within the platform and record weekly timesheets
- Integration with popular tools like Google Drive, Zoom, Dropbox, Salesforce, and more
8. Kissflow
Ideal for: IT and business teams seeking a versatile tool for automating and managing workflows.
Kissflow is an excellent software for IT and business teams who desire to create apps or produce products. It empowers users to plan, automate, and oversee workflows and monitor project advancement through a user-friendly interface, eliminating the need for technical expertise and enabling teams to establish efficient procedures.
Key features
- Create custom forms and tables with a drag-and-drop builder
- Integrations with thousands of apps through Zapier
- App Builder feature helps teams get projects off the ground quickly
9. Cotalker
Ideal for maintenance and service management teams seeking real-time collaboration and workflow management.
Cotalker specializes in collaboration and provides a low-code platform for automating, digitizing, and integrating processes and workflows in a single location. Its main focus is on facilitating real-time collaboration and task management for digital processes, with the aim of helping teams efficiently manage their work and stay connected.
Key features
- Automate workflows with pre-built routines
- Low-code interface that allows you to customize the platform to your needs
- An API that allows you to integrate with your ERP and IoT work tools
10. Scoro
Ideal for: Professional service teams in need of a thorough work management and resource planning solution.
Scoro specializes in providing service-based businesses with a comprehensive solution that covers project management, time tracking, billing, and team collaboration. Its integration of KPI tracking, financial management, and appointment scheduling enables service teams to effectively manage their projects and resources.
Key features
- KPI Dashboard with real-time tracking and reporting for better decision-making
- Financial management with budget and profitability reports
- Integrates with your existing work tools like Google Calendar, Hubspot, Zapier, and more
11. Filestage
Best for: best workflow management system for feedback management
Filestage is an innovative platform for managing workflows that enables team members to collaborate on digital content exclusively through online means. It simplifies and automates the review and approval processes of your projects, while also guaranteeing secure file sharing that adheres to several prominent regulatory laws.
Filestage, unlike other workflow management systems, does not entail installation. Additionally, your stakeholders can review and approve without the necessity of creating an account.
Filestage is the ideal workflow management tool for marketing agencies, corporate marketing teams, and collaborative content creators of all kinds, as it has been specifically designed to cater to creative teams.
The main characteristics are:
- Automations to reduce manual tasks and speed up content reviews
- Due dates keep your projects on track and help you meet deadlines
- In-context comments make for clear feedback that shows up in real time
- Visual annotations bring comments to life and make it clear what needs changing
- To-do lists give your team a clear picture of what needs amending
- Version history helps you keep tabs on previous comments and see what’s changed
- Review steps mean your files get approved by the right people at the right stage of the process
- Project dashboards help you keep track of who you’re still waiting to hear from
- Integrations with Dropbox, Google Drive, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and more
- 256-bit SSL file encryption for secure file sharing
12. ProWorkflow
Ideal for: tracking and reporting time.
ProWorkflow is an extremely capable software for managing workflows, suitable for use across various industries. This tool for managing workflows provides a diverse array of features that facilitate transparency, accountability, and collaboration in every project.
The main characteristics are:
- Timesheet entry
- Timelines for reviewing and scheduling tasks
- Resource and invoice management
- Secure file sharing
- Reporting, invoicing, and analysis
- Integration API
13. ProcessMaker
Ideal for: the most suitable enterprise solution.
ProcessMaker is a comprehensive enterprise workflow management software that is designed for fully automated workflow management. This advanced platform is perfect for industries such as healthcare, finance and insurance, tech and telecom, and education, especially for complex projects. Its strong features allow you and your team to establish parameters, create workflow models, determine deadlines, and simplify intricate processes. Additionally, it offers integration and detailed reporting, enhancing efficiency.
The main attributes are:
- Compliance control and tracking
- Google authentication plugin
- Multi-tenant manager
- Data reporting
- File archiving and restoration
14. Zapier
Ideal for: the ideal platform for connecting your apps in the most efficient manner.
Zapier serves a critical role in the present-day collaborative business environment as it connects all of your apps in a seamless manner. By linking apps together, you can effortlessly share data through automated data transfer via “Zaps”. With Zapier, the process of building innovative solutions becomes faster and does not require coding skills.
Key characteristics:
- Set up triggers and actions
- Connect over 300 applications
- Track task history
- All-round sync across apps
15. ZohoFlow
Similar to Zapier, ZohoFlow is an integration software that automates workflow. Its purpose is to link cloud-based applications (such as Trello, Slack, and Google Drive) and streamline business procedures, allowing teams to have all operations managed within a unified platform.
Identifying the notable characteristics:
- Multi-step, pre-built flows
- Monitor flow history
- Flow progress tracking
- Workflow insights
- Collaboration tools
- Action triggers
16. Process Street
Process Street is software designed specifically for managing workflows, with a focus on simplicity. Due to its simplicity, learning how to use Process Street is straightforward, allowing users to get started quickly. Workflows are presented as checklists that can be checked off as tasks are completed, and the dashboard provides real-time updates on any changes in status.
The key features are as follows:
- Review and approval
- Configurable workflow
- Dynamic workflow with conditional logic
- Process analysis and control
- Group chats
- Activity feeds
- Data protection and privacy compliant
17. WorkflowGen
WorkflowGen is a workflow system that emphasizes its capability of being low-code while being highly configurable. It is intended for use in various industries and enables you to concentrate on processes through a graphical workflow design that neatly organizes each step. Utilize it to develop exclusive forms and templates that cater to the specific requirements of your business and customers.
With WorkflowGen’s GraphQL API, webhooks, and Node.js integration, you have the ability to fully customize this app to your specific requirements and explore infinite possibilities.
- Audit trail
- Version tracking
- Communications and operations management
- HIPAA-compliant
- Invoice processing
- Real-time tracking and reporting
18. Integrify
Integrify is a user-friendly tool that allows teams and organizations to create processes, forms, and workflows. It enables the building of workflow charts without the need for coding. The workflow can be tailored to individual players, groups, or multiple teams.
The main characteristics are:
- Process builder
- Form designer
- Self-service portal for real-time collaboration
- Reporting and key performance indicators (KPIs)
- Open REST-based API for integration
19. ClickUp
ClickUp is widely recognized for its customizable workflow automation feature, making it an all-in-one solution for managing workflows. By centralizing all files, it enables users to collaborate efficiently. Moreover, ClickUp aids in project and task planning by offering useful features such as checklists and to-do lists.
Main characteristics:
- Threaded comments
- Task progress tracking in percentages
- Assign comments
- Image mockups
- Real-time chats
- Kanban view
20. Wrike
Wrike is a platform for collaboration and workflow management that operates on the cloud, assisting teams in enhancing productivity and streamlining workflows. The tool has an array of robust features enabling teams to oversee projects, monitor progress, and collaborate instantly, regardless of location.
The ease of managing complex projects is facilitated by its customizable dashboard and templates. Furthermore, communication and collaboration are enhanced through its integration with other tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Key features
- Project management
- Real-time collaboration
- Customizable dashboards
- Automation
- Integrations
21. Notion
Notion is a single platform that brings together the functionality of various tools, serving as an all-in-one workspace. Users of Notion can generate notes, to-do lists, wikis, and databases, in addition to handling projects, tasks, and workflows.
The text describes a tool with powerful features, such as a customizable database system, and an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. The tool also emphasizes collaboration and communication, allowing teams to work together in real-time and share ideas, feedback, and resources.
Key features
- Flexible database system for organizing information
- Versatile content creation tools, including notes and wikis
- Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for easy organization
- Project management tools for tasks and workflows
- Collaboration and communication tools for real-time team work
22. Workfront
The main purpose of Workfront is to enhance team productivity by providing a comprehensive platform for planning, tracking, and managing work. It facilitates team collaboration, communication, and task management throughout the entire project lifecycle.
The main purpose of this workflow management system is to enhance team communication and collaboration, increase productivity, and streamline workflows by providing a variety of features such as customization, task prioritization, real-time collaboration, and reporting.
Key features
- Customized workflows
- Real-time collaboration and communication
- Document management and sharing
- Reporting and analytics
- Integration with third-party tools
23. Redbooth
Redbooth is a tool for project management that aims to enhance teamwork efficiency. It provides various features such as team collaboration, sharing documents, and tracking time.
By offering a centralized platform, this workflow software assists teams in effectively managing their projects from beginning to end. Additionally, it integrates with various well-known tools such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Slack, thereby enhancing productivity and streamlining workflows.
Key features
- Task management and scheduling
- Team collaboration and communication
- Document sharing and storage
- Time tracking and reporting
- Customized workflows and templates
24. Kanbanize
Kanbanize is a software for workflow management that utilizes the Kanban method to assist teams in visualizing their workflow and enhancing productivity. It provides various features including automated workflows, real-time collaboration, and analytics.
This platform serves as a central tool for teams to streamline project management. It allows for progress monitoring, bottleneck identification, and process enhancement. Additionally, it supports advanced customization features, such as custom fields, workflows, and card types, making it suitable for a wide range of industries and project categories.
Key features
- Kanban boards for visualizing workflows
- Workflow automation capabilities
- Analytics and reporting for performance tracking
- Customizable workflows, card types, and fields
- Integration with other popular tools
What are the benefits of workflow management software?
If you’re curious about the extent to which project management workflow tools can enhance your work, here are four key advantages of implementing workflow software in your business.
Eliminates human errors
By performing a task repeatedly, it becomes prone to mistakes, which can hinder progress both in terms of time and finances. Implementing workflow management software helps prevent such expensive human errors by automating tasks.
Increases productivity
By reducing the time spent on mundane tasks, going through emails and updates, and switching between applications, individuals will have more time available for significant and productive work.
Helps with multitasking
Although multitasking is often deemed counterproductive by many productivity experts, it is frequently unavoidable. Whether you prefer it or not, there is a high likelihood that you will need to manage numerous tasks simultaneously. Workflow management tools assist in consolidating all your tasks into a single location, enabling easier monitoring and organization.
Improved work culture
The impact of workflow management software on work culture is significant, as it enhances transparency by clearly defining responsibilities, eliminates the need for excessive micromanagement, and fosters trust among team members.
You have the option to select tools that are linear and discrete or robust and all-encompassing, depending on your business size and specific needs. Regardless of your choice, utilizing a workflow management software will result in time savings, enhanced efficiency, and reduced wasteful spending.
