8 Best Project Management Tools For Software Development In 2023

Each and everyone has their favourite methods and tools for managing work processes. While one prefers calendars and spreadsheets, another collects a set of different apps. The third goes for an old-school pen and pad option, and the fourth combines all of them.

Every method is excellent while it works for you, but only when managing your own processes. When it comes to team management, you’d need a better-thought-out solution — a specially designed project management tool.

77% of high-performing projects run on different project management instruments, but choosing the most suitable for your team is no easy feat.

The market offers dozens of options, more or less suitable for different teams. This copy focuses on the eight most popular and recognized as the best for software developers.

Benefits of Using Project Management Tools for Software Development

Project management tools do their preparatory work — to keep tasks and processes organized and transparent and reduce the chances of miscommunications and misunderstandings. They also train vital soft skills like time management, the ability to work in a team, self-management, and responsibility. Here are the three main benefits you achieve when working with project management tools:

• Clear goals

A clear understanding of the requirements is the first and the most significant pillar of the product development process. Undoubtedly, at the very start, project management for startups includes a lot of explanations, calls, messages, question-answer sessions, etc. Further work, however, requires precise specifications of updates and requirements so that the development team can always check on them and be sure that everything's going as it should.

• Transparency

With the right tools, you can easily assign roles and monitor processes and results. From another point of view, it is a chance for all users to understand clearly how their work connects and impacts their teammates' work. It massively improves collaboration and general performance level and helps to deliver the product fast and smoothly.

• Synchronicity

Every change or update in requirements, scaling the project, expanding or, conversely, reducing it, assigning new roles, etc., must be delivered to the team immediately.

Management tools significantly help with this mission. By just opening and updating the main page or the specific project, you keep everyone informed and notified without extra messages, calls, and meetings. All these things are time and energy-consuming for all sides.

The Best Project Management Tools for Software Development Team

Now, when we understand the importance and benefits of PM tools and how they help find peace in chaos, let's look at the best of the best. This list includes free project management tools and paid options.

Jira (Web, iOS, Android)

Jira offers everybody's favorite Kanban look and was created as one of the Agile project management tools. With the first login, the system asks several questions about the expertise with different methodologies and preferences and recommends the most suitable template. An intuitive interface makes it as easy as possible to set up the workspace for every developer and the team in general.

One of the main pros is that Jira integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins, and other development tools. It simplifies updating and tracking the backlog and reduces the chances of missing something. One Jira account can be used by ten users, making it perfect for self-contained or small development teams.

Wrike (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)

Wrike is a perfect business management software for those who like working with spreadsheets, taking the best from that system and view. Working on their assignments, users mark them as planned, in progress, completed, or postponed.

By switching to the paid version, you get the opportunity to track and report time and customize the dashboard to make it even more suitable and convenient. Wrike is perfect for both large companies and small teams of several people or even freelancers.

Zoho Projects (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)

Zoho Projects offers flexibility and customizations to suit the needs of traditional Project Managers as well as Agile teams.

With an easy Gantt chart generator, Kanban style task management, coupled with features such as resource utilization charts, and automation features, Zoho Projects offers a complete experience for teams of all sizes.

You can change almost everything related to a visual part to achieve the perfect match with your preferences and expectations. By converting projects into templates, you can reuse them for future projects. Zoho also offers onboarding for new teammates after the first login, free online support, and an online guide.

Being part of Zoho's ecosystem allows Zoho Projects to connect to several of Zoho's services, such as Zoho Books, Zoho CRM, and Zoho Finance Suite.

Asana (Web, iOS, Android)

Asana is an incredibly improved to-do list. It allows you to create large scalable tasks and break them down into sections and sub-items. An intuitive dashboard helps keep on track what's been done today, which tasks have been completed, which are still in progress, and what remains to be done. So you can plan from a short and long-term perspective.

You can add, move, and edit projects like in usual to-do lists. Still, numerous features adapt these methods to teamwork and make it an incredible tool for individual developers and companies of any size.

For personal tasks, you can create cards that are only visible to specific specialists, project managers, for example. Tasks assigned to you automatically show up in the My Tasks view, and you receive an instant notification.

ClickUp (Web, iOS, Android)

The first thing that distinguishes ClickUp from all others mentioned here is that the free version offers a list, calendar, Kanban view, and other options, especially Gantt charts.

In total, the app offers 11 design options for the workspace, has an internal built-in chat, a section with documents where you can create and download them, and Embed feature to add applications and sites next to the taskbar, and Forms to create a form/table/list for each task and keep data organized.

Pricing:

ClickUp offers numerous plans, all of them you can find here: https://docs.clickup.com/en/articles/1048368-clickup-plans

Paymo (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android)

Paymo has established itself as an excellent tool for freelancers to organize their working hours, prioritize, and generally track processes when working on multiple projects and with numerous customers.

The work can be conveniently grouped by three indicators: clients, projects, tasks. For each one, in turn, you can assign a deadline, label, priority. You can add files and make notes.

Paymo allows you to track time conveniently. To do this, go to the task and just turn on the tracker. When the tracker stops, time is automatically added to the table as an attribute.

The next step is to bill the client. Paymo forms an invoice according to the hourly rate. And if the client needs a report about this time, you can generate and send it in a few clicks. Moreover, payment systems such as Stripe, PayPal, and more are connected to Paymo for even simpler and faster payment. It’s one of the most significant benefits of project management tools in general.

Airtable (Web, iOS, Android)

This program organizes work processes in tables or templates suited for various projects. Or you can create a brand new project from scratch; you have complete freedom of action.

But the real power of Airtable happens when you customize it. It will take some upfront effort to tailor Airtable to be precisely what you need — but if you're willing to spend some time, the sky's the limit. You can customize everything from the methodology and view type to column headers, field types, data validation, and more.

Trello (Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android)

Trello is a simple way to organize your projects with Kanban boards. This is an essential application that is great for teams and freelancers. The first can see in real-time what tasks their teammates perform and how much time it takes. They can work on the same task synchronously and share files and comments. Freelancers, in turn, can manage their work, organize the workflow, and easily report to their customers.

Thanks to an extensive collection of templates, Trello is perfect for marketing, sales, design, HR, development teams. The interface is intuitive, and you can get familiar with Trello in just a few minutes.

You can put the required labels, checklists, deadlines, assign specialists, add comments, and attach links and files for each card for maximum organization.

To start working with a specific task, you need to open the card, receive and use all the necessary information, and drag it after the work is done.

What Project Management Software Does TechMagic Use?

At TechMagic, we use numerous tools to make processes more transparent and organized. Among the most useful ones:

Task-management systems (bug and issue tracker):

Jira — because it keeps everything in one place and offers a free plan for up to 10 people. It’s also impossible to ignore the Atlassian community with tutorials and forums and integrations with huge amounts of other tools such as GitHub, Slack, G Suit, and Microsoft.

Trello — because it’s free, intuitive, and has good visualization.

Retro/Workshops:

Metro-retro — allows organizing different types of brainstorming with predefined templates and the ability to edit them. It has all the necessary guidelines, free to use.

Miro — offers a simple interface and the option to use lots of helpful templates related to any part of software development from requirements to customer satisfaction.

Communication:

Slack — since it’s easy to use and create new channels, set reminders, and optional add-ons like polls and integrations with other tools.

Zoom — the best tool for video conferencing. Includes the ability to share screens and see attendees, breakout rooms for work in groups.

Final Thoughts

Deciding on the most suitable company management software is an important step towards effective and fruitful work. The right instrument has the power to save you a lot of time, effort, and money.

To select the one, you need to understand the project with its specifics, timing, and the team. Then you can define who is responsible for which part of the work, track the workflow and manage processes. And then you compare project management tools’ pros and cons and define what works better for your team and the exact project.

We'll gladly help you to choose the best tool for your specific project. We also offer you to hire a Project Manager who will take care of appropriate tools selection and ensure smooth workflow and achieving the expected results.

FAQs

1. Which project management methodology is best for software development?

   Agile methodology allows software development teams to work and collaborate effectively and productively. The agile method will enable you to identify issues during development rather than at the end to contribute to project success.

2. What are the best IT project management software features?

   IT project management includes planning and scheduling, reporting, time tracking, project budgeting, data analytics, dashboards and billing.

3. Why do development teams use software development management tools?

   Software development management tools enable us to manage issues faster, distribute assignments in a team, plan different iterations, create roadmaps, sprint planning, improve resource management and collaboration, prototype and report.