18 Team Management Software to Keep your Teams Productive and Organized

The market offers a great variety of team management software that enhances collaboration and work coordination. The importance of team management software is to improve your company’s overall performance. It also boosts the team’s productivity and work quality.

Managing your team isn’t only about time allocation and a to-do list, project managers need to get organized between the start and the end of a project. In this article, you’ll learn about the various features of various tools, the team management skills you need to lead your team, and what you need not do while managing a team.

Importance of choosing the right team management software tool

The right tool will influence the project’s success and help project managers ship on time. At the same time, to organize a team’s workload you need a dedicated tool for team management that enables communication and collaboration. The right tools make it easier to manage projects. You can combine multiple software features to enhance teamwork.

List of team management software

There are plenty of free and paid team management tools to keep your team on track. Take a look at these top 18 paid and free team management tools to streamline your process.

1. Project management: ProofHub

ProofHub is a collaborative project management software that enables you to collaborate with your team effectively. Whether you are a remote worker or an in-office team, ProofHub lets you do real-time task management quickly. The Kanban boards of ProofHub is something teams love. You can also assign multiple tasks to multiple people, set due dates for each task, add labels, get into discussions with the team, and manage how the team is moving the tasks through multiple workflow stages.

This is one of the best team management software for all teams scattered around the world. The single platform centralizes custom roles, proofing, workflows and boards, multilingual interface, white-labeling, reports, Kanban boards, time tracking, task management, and Gantt charts.

What’s unique about ProofHub?

• Interactive project reports
• Kanban board to move tasks through stages
• Share files easily
• Customized workflow

“Manage your team and keep them all on track. Start using ProofHub!”

2. Time tracking: Clockodo

Clockodo is an online time tracking software for small and medium enterprises that provides reports that can be grouped by multiple criteria and saved as templates.  With clockodo, users can track company work times, customers, and projects, generate individual, employee and absence reports with this data and keep track of all projects.

What’s unique about Clockodo?

• You can evaluate your schedule and actual working hours.
• Record working hours and stay flexible
• Use automatically generated time sheets to bill your projects faster
• SSL encryption is used in all communications

3. Document collaboration: Bit.ai

Bit.ai is a new-age document collaboration platform that helps teams create, collaborate, share, track, and manage all company information in one place. Armed with Bit.ai, you can take your team management to the next level and set your team up for maximum efficiency.

On this nifty platform, you can create smart workspaces around projects, departments, teams, and clients to keep your data organized. Workspaces make it easy to collaborate and ensure that the right team members have access to the right documents at the right time!

The best part? Bit allows your entire team to work together from anywhere in the world in real-time – using co-editing, inline comments, real-time notifications, document chats, @mentions, and much more.

Moreover, with Bit.ai your team doesn’t have to spend hours jumping from one platform to another to find and share the right information. Bit seamlessly integrates with 100+ platforms, be it Youtube videos, SoundCloud Playlists, Google Docs, OneDrive Excel Spreadsheets, GIFs, Tweets, Pinterest boards, etc. 

Bit also offers ‘smart search’ using which your team can search and find any files, images, documents, etc quickly and easily across all of their workspaces.

What’s unique about Bit.ai?

• Real-time collaboration with team members
• Workspaces to keep everything organized with advance permission levels
• Supports nearly any type of digital content
• Lets you create unlimited folders and subfolders
• Over 90 document templates
• Lead capture, password protection, and document tracking

4. Goal-setting and productivity tracking: Weekdone team compass

Managers can keep an eye on their team with the all-in-one collaborative workspace Weekdone Team Compass. This team management software guides teams to be more: productive, engaged, and goal-driven. 

Effective status reporting helps everyone stay on track and focused on what needs to get done. At the end of each week, managers receive an automated progress report with all relevant information. Create XLS or PDFs to share with stakeholders, use as a team meeting agenda, or simply organize internal data about employee engagement, productivity, and more! 

What’s unique about Weekdone Team Compass: 

• Additional weekly planning calendar view and syncing options
• Automated progress reports
• Simple and appealing visual dashboards 
• Increase productivity with RAG rating scale for tasks (red, yellow, green stars)
• 1:1 chat feature for team leaders and individuals 
• Commenting and file sharing to ease team and cross-team communication 
• Custom feedback templates and pulse surveys to further understand your team
• Company Newsfeed feature promotes transparency and accountability
• Integrates with Slack, MST, Jira, Asana, Google Tasks, and more!
• Free for teams 3 or less. All others $99/month (unlimited users & teams) Free 2-week trial.

5. Communication & chat: Slack

Slack is a very popular communication software tool that allows you to organize communication by channels for group discussions and allows for private messages to share information, files, and more all in one place.

What’s unique about Slack?

• Communication happens in channels, organized by project and topic
• Drag-and-drop PDFs, images, videos and other files directly into Slack
• Integration with third-party services
• HD quality for a chat, audio, and video calls

Read on: 26 Best Slack Alternatives for Team Communication (You Cannot Live Without)

6. File sharing: DropBox

With Dropbox, you can have a complete control on company information and user activity. You can send large files of any type to anybody from Windows or Mac, or from your iPad, iPhone, Android, or Windows mobile device. Dropbox is an online storage service with over 500 million worldwide users. It boosts productivity with secure control of your files. The users can view, comment, and download the file after you share with them the link to a file.

What’s unique about DropBox?

• Share files and folders with others in order to collaborate
• Manage projects, write to-do lists, assign due dates and review work in real time
• Send links via email or chat messages
• Integrates seamlessly with tools
• Safely sync them across all your devices
• Dedicated live support

7. Project collaboration:  Wimi

Wimi is a online collaboration tool that keeps you up-to-date with other team members no matter what their location is. The notification happens in real-time that enable powerful team collaboration. Share your information and documents with your team, clients, and partners.

What’s unique about Wimi?

• Centralize documents, calendars, discussions, and tasks
• Enhance productivity, improve internal communication, and collaborate in real time
• Keep all your business processes in sync
• Have your own personal space in the cloud
• Keep control over each team member

8. Task management: nTask

nTask is a famous cloud-based task manager, that is designed especially for Agile Teams. This is one of the best team management software with a number of modules. nTask supports collaboration, tracking, monitoring, time tracking, Gantt charts, task comments, meeting management, issue tracking, project risk management, and more. You get all possible solutions for any business under one roof. This advanced task management system is available for both Android and iOS devices.

What’s unique about nTask?

• Easily workable user interface
• Third-party integrations such as Google Calendar and Outlook,
• Employee-time effort reports
• Easy to manage all of your resource allocations
• Timesheet management module
• Task and project assignment to individual members or teams
• Individual workspaces for teams with dedicated tasks, projects, issues, risks, meeting management modules
• Meeting management module to schedule meetings

9. Customer support: TeamSupport

TeamSupport is an online, cloud-based app that helps get the focus back on your customers. It is a B2B customer support software to manage various aspects of customer support. Teams collaborate together to remove miscommunication, improve customer communication, and address client issues. This is ideal to work with support teams.

What’s unique about TeamSupport?

• Ticket automation to support staff to flag messages by type or word
• Centralized internal chat for team collaboration
• WaterCooler social networking tool
• Improve collaboration & efficiency across teams

10. Kanban Boards: Kanzen

Kanban based software app, Kanzen makes use of Kanban boards to facilitate project management. Kanzen is a part of team management software that helps teams collaborate efficiently and have a control over your workflow. It helps the team stay creative and versatile with project management.

What’s unique about Kanzen?

• Share information and files, send and receive notifications
• Document Management
• Messaging or Instant Messaging
• Social Collaboration Platform
• Customizable Kanban boards
• Interactive Gantt Charts

11. Video conferencing: WebEx

WebEx is for teams working remotely, who rely on meetings that need a full-featured communication software solution. With the tool, businesses can help solve real human problems. It is also recommended for product launches and educational sessions.

What’s unique about WebEx?

• HD video conferences with collaboration and file-sharing capabilities
• WebEx mobile app for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry
• Free video calls and screen sharing
• Application/File Sharing
• Multimedia Content Sharing
• Personalized meeting room

12. Project planning: RingCentral Glip

This is another software that keeps team management under control. RingCentral Glip is a cloud-based project planning software for effective team management into the task. Team members can assign tasks within the conversation, schedule the project deadline, and track project progress.

What’s unique about RingCentral Glip?

• Real-time messaging for individuals and teams
• Chat in real-time text, voice, or video
• Task assignment through conversations
• Add comments to shared files directly
• Configurable email and push notifications
• iOS and Android mobile apps

13. Collaboration platform: Bitrix24

Bitrix24 provides a free collaboration platform that helps improve communication in organizations. It is a CRM software that provides a platform to organize and track interaction with potential or existing clients. It combines classic project management features with native collaboration tools, gives you a unified platform for your files, projects, messages, tasks, and contacts. Bitrix24 is designed to be a one-stop shop for managing projects and your company as a whole. This team task management system has a flat-rate pricing rather than charging a per-user fee. Bitrix24 provides a solution that is a good fit for small business and for organizations of any size.

What’s unique about Bitrix24?

• Offers virtual telephone calling
• Time management tools like check-in/out feature, regular work reports, and daily planner
• Document libraries with flexible permission systems
• CRM with and visual business process construction features and CRM integration
• Coordinate projects, schedules, and tasks

14. Agile development and issue tracking: Yodiz

Yodiz is a Scrum tool designed specifically for Scrum teams. An online agile project management tool that enables teams to develop software, products, and apps efficiently. You can plan your projects, resolve an issue and bug tracker, Kanban task board, and epics management software. Unlike a lot of free project management apps, Yodiz is truly a Scrum tool designed specifically for Scrum teams.

What’s unique about Yodiz?

• Sprint planning & tracking, Backlog and Epics management
• Reduces the complexity of dealing with Project
• Prioritize and organise customer requirements easily into epics, stories, and tasks
• Actionable smart analytics

15. All-in-one workspace: Notion

Notion is an all-in-one workspace to write, plan, collaborate, and get organized. This tool helps to plan and discuss projects, keep track of all ideas, and support communication and collaboration. Publish live reports for your management in seconds.

What’s unique about Notion?

• Smart Multi-Swiping
• Intelligent Grouping
• Weekly planner
• Taking notes + sharing files
• Commenting on anything
• Planning projects
• Personal weekly checklist

16. Automatic time tracker: Weekly Timelog

Weekly Timelog is a famous name in the time tracking industry for teams. It is very useful for the collection of time logs, and tracking of the team’s progress. Weekly Timelog is built to make your life easier.

What’s unique about Weekly Timelog?

• Manage metrics in one simple view
• Auto tracking of all your daily activity
• Set project budgets
• View all progress activity by team, project, and contractor
• The setting of project start and end times
• Know precise budgets and stay on track
• Build client trust with traceable time logs
• Seamless app integration with Slack, Trello, GitHub, Asana, OneDrive, Hangout, and several others

17. Work management system: Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a comprehensive work management solution for teams. It also functions as a timesheet for team members. The project managers can send invoices, pay team members, view over 13 detailed reports, export timesheets and schedule shifts from one central location. It is an online tool for the tracking of remote workers who work very far away.

What’s unique about Hubstaff?

• Manual and automatic tracking of time
• Viewing the activity of team members with an option to take screenshots
• Automatic payroll through integrations with PayPal, TransferWise, and Payoneer
• Generation of timesheet for payment
• Mobile application for time tracking while working or driving
• Employee location tracking via GPS

18. Online meetings: GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting provides a user-friendly interface to start a meeting quickly and easily. With an easy-to-use web-conferencing solution, online meetings, video-conference calls, customers and prospects to view any application running on your PC. GoToMeeting offers high-definition video conferencing and unlimited meetings with remote colleagues

What’s unique about GoToMeeting?

• Screen sharing, web audio, a dial-in conference line, drawing tools and the ability to record meetings
• You can join meetings from the field or on the go using your mobile device
• With GTM your remote team has no need to go anywhere for meetings
• HD-quality video is perfect for conducting webinars and hosting conferences

How do you effectively manage large teams to work together? Managing a team is every kid’s dream. Who doesn’t want to lead their people to success?  But, it’s a much-complicated process. There are millions of wrong ways to do, but a handful of right ways can take your business to new heights.

Each project brings along its own complexities. And it’s difficult to prioritize what needs to be done, and who needs to do what. The little or big things are important to run a successful project and be an efficient project manager. In this article, we have key things that team managers need to for their time to succeed.

What Does it Mean to Manage a Team Successfully?
As a project manager, it’s your responsibility to take care of what employees need to work on point, what should be done for the team to stay productive, and lead with a harmonious workplace. It is the art of fostering strong teamwork. With a unique purpose, goal, and objectives, each team needs to be managed in a way to work in the right team environment.

Following are the characteristics of a team that is under good team management:

• They focus on goals and results
• They practice an open feedback culture
• They are interested in learning
• They contribute their fair share
• They support each other
• They’re organized
• They have a collaborative environment
• They have result driven structure
• They are willing to take risks

“One calm and organized way to manage teams – ProofHub. You haven’t signed up yet? “

How to improve your team management?

If you’ve been managing pretty badly or you are a newly appointed team manager or leader, you’ll be doubtful of how you will manage your new role. You barely know how to lead a group of individuals. Do you have the right team management skills to settle in your new role? Thankfully, you can always improve your skills. Here is a list of things you should improve upon or polish up to be a powerful manager.

Team management skills to lead your team

1. Create a shared vision

It’s important to have a compelling vision to energize your team to perform well. Getting others involved in the creation process will give them a direction to set goals and plan action. If you have the vision, you’ll definitely have the power to make it happen. The vision should be your “team’s vision”. Share with them where your team is going, how do you harmonize your projects, and what are your decided direction.

How to get it:
After you’ve set the right vision for your team, you have to communicate your long-term vision to the team. The smartest thing you can do is to involve them in creating the strategy to think together about the future. Keep your vision alive,  keep moving forward to inspire your team along the way.  

2. Maintain good communication

According to a study, 86% of employees cite lack of collaboration for workplace failures. If we go at its core, communication is about expressing yourself so you are able to closely align so that the things you think and the things you say are closely aligned. Communication is the keystone of effective leadership.

If you don’t have a culture of communication in your team, start today, for a positive future of your business. Here’s how you can enable good communication.

How to enable good communication?

• Clarity: Miscommunication in the team can be a cause of large problems. If there is confusion or duplicacy, it may be the time to clarify. Set the tone for a clear communication in your team. Each member of your team should know clearly what they are responsible for.
• Don’t just speak: Listening should be a part of communication. Be sure of not just speaking, but listening to your team members, considering their thoughts and ideas.
• Collaboration tools: Using collaboration tools like ProofHub will let you connect to the world, remote teams or a group of people and have a one-to-one conversation.

3. Build positive working relationships

Positive relationships at work will make team management simple, feel healthier, happier, and more satisfied. Find the right balance in the relationship at work will give team members job satisfaction, make them feel more comfortable and build a closer bond to the people. You can simply improve your team management skills by building a relationship where you get to know your team individually. Your interpersonal work relationships will be the cornerstone of success for your team.

How to build positive work relationships?

• Ask questions
• Don’t play the blame game
• Beware of gossips
• Keep your commitments
• Share credit for accomplishments
• Offer your help

4. Ability to think strategically

Your strategic thinking skills are the tools to help your team succeed. It is the ability to know what you want to achieve and how to achieve it. In every project planning, if you want your team to be successful, you need to share your strategic thinking skills. You should be able to act strategically to help set goals, decide what actions need to be taken, and help employees achieve the goals.

How to get it:
According to the Harvard Business Review, people lack strategy because they’re not taking the time to reflect. Here’s what strategic planners need to do:

• Build strategic time into your work day
• Be quick in making decisions
• Connect ideas together to show your team you can make things happen
• Analyze and evaluate the company’s business plan
• Be active listeners
• Take strong leadership skills
• Analyzes a problem and then offers a solution

5. Give constructive feedback

Your team needs to know how they are doing and know the blind spots in their performance. They would want to know how they can improve and what’s expected of them. Providing feedback to team members is one of the best ways for effective team management. They will have your support to develop professionally and personally, build their confidence and encourage them to get more involved in the future. So, acknowledge their achievements and not just give them feedback when you have got something to criticize.

• Make sure you hold regular discussions to provide a good opportunity to share your constructive feedback.
• Make your comments specific and actionable for your team.
• Focus on the action, not the actor
• Offer recommendations and guidance
• Make it a two-way conversation
  

6. Prevent team burn-out

Burnout is an individual’s response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors within the workplace (Maslach et al., 2001).

You really would not want to lose your best talent because of burnout.

Causes of employee burnout:

• Role conflict
• Role ambiguity
• Job demands
• Lack of feedback
• Workload
• No positive connections

As a project manager, you’re in a great position to make sure your employees thrive and stay at your company. If your team members are working with any case of burnout, it’s important to start taking actions.

7. Being approachable

If you have a problem with approachability, it’s going to bring a problem to your projects. Be the one approachable manager whom employees can come up to with questions, problems, and ideas.

Here are quick tips you start doing immediately:

• Be the approacher. Be open to communicating with your team.
• Practice active listening.
• Share more about yourself, your personal opinions, and interests.
• Monitor your nonverbal signals.
• Be realistic and set up for success.
• Keep a go-to list of open-ended questions.

8. Bring out the best in others

As a manager, it is your responsibility to help a whole team of direct reports do their best work. You’ve to make sure everyone is giving out their inputs and you’re getting the most out of your people. Those strong managers who are loved by their teams, always sit back and hear employees’ ideas and solutions. They listen to them, they praise their efforts, create a plan for improvement and growth, inspire their team, and talk to them about their strengths and weakness. Do not shut down the brilliance of others, eventually being the ‘bad manager’. Always look for ways to push them to generate and develop new ideas.

How can task management software help?

Your task management software will help you grow your business. With task management, you can make a huge difference to improve the working operations of your team. Not only does it help you work more efficiently, but also help you achieve a better work-life balance. Let’s see how can a task management software improve the way you work with others.

• Task and sub-task creation
• Some form of notification and report generation tools
• Centralizes document collaboration
• A calendar
• Store and organize your resource file
• Security and access controls
• Mobile capability and integrations with other systems
• A method of sorting of some kind

What are the advantages of using team management software?

A good team management software can provide a host of advantages to business of all size. It enhances team member collaboration and coordination. Depending on your business at hand you may need team management software to meet your individual needs.

Whichever one you choose, you’ll probably have the following benefits:-

Get off to the right start with project planning: A paid or free task management system will create a clear project planning process to effectively plan and prioritize all tasks, set deadlines, approval points, and dependencies.

Maximize task management and improve team collaboration: Your task management system will keep your team on target.

Improve reporting and analytics: You can have a clear picture of the overall performance of the project and have an impressive report on management.

They are reliable and secure: Security can never be an issue when working on a task management software. It provides security features that enable you to protect sensitive information.

Adding and sorting new tasks is easy: Anyone can add new tasks and assign it to anybody else.

“Is your business looking for smarter ways to manage team? Start using ProofHub.”

Summing up

Managing a team can be tough but you can greatly enhance your team management by using the right methods and tools. Get started to do the best you can do. It’s time to make a real difference.