Figure out what is best for your team's productivity by starting here.
Operational issues are one
of the most complex moments in every business. If your business involves
various processes and groups of professionals, applications can deal
with the main issues.
How do you define what tools does your
team need? Collect communication use-cases that the team utilizes at the
time, then analyze current processes and company needs, and think what
needs may be present in the future.
In this article, we want to discuss what tools and applications can help you organize the work of your team more effective.
For Planning
Online organizers can help you plan and
distribute tasks and control the process of its implementation. There
are various online services and applications available. Below we want to
share the most popular and highly-functional services that can help you
keep your project under control.
Trello
Trello
is perhaps one of the most famous web services for organizing tasks in
the form of work boards. The basic part of the service is free. To use
extensions and additional tools you need to sign up for a paid pricing
plan. It is possible to add checklists and set priorities. It can sync
with Slack, GitHub, Salesforce, Evernote, Google Drive, and more. It
works great with Kanban projects, and the application is also available
for macOS and Windows. There are free and paid options. The service runs
on the web and as an application on macOS and Windows.
Available for iOS and Android.
Jira
Many companies use Jira
to manage projects, as it's ideal for working with Scrum. Jira allows
you to plan sprints and projects in general, delegate tasks and collect
them in backlog, specify priorities and track deadlines. Employees
can create separate boards for several issues. Users can comment and
discuss the task and attach files. The service can be hosted on the
company’s server or in the cloud. Jira has simple pricing plans depending on the number of staff.
Available for iOS and Android.
MeisterTask
MeisterTask
almost completely duplicates the functionality of Trello. A distinctive
feature is an integration with Slack, GitHub, Zendesk. The application
is also available for macOS and Windows. MeisterTask has free and paid
pricing plans.
Available for iOS and Android.
Asana
Asana allows you to distribute tasks, set priorities and assign deadlines. Here
you can track the status of the project, plan sprints, and make
reports. Goals can be visualized in the calendar. Asana works in the
browser and applications like Microsoft Office, Google Suite apps,
Dropbox, and more.
Available for iOS and Android.
Bitrix24
This service includes various tools that
help automate and optimize business processes. With its help you can
schedule tasks for several projects at the same time, assign executors,
measure time remained, exchange messages, communicate in live chat, and
more. Besides, Bitrix24
includes CRM and a free desktop app for video calls, messaging, and
file exchange. The service can run on your own server. If your company
is up to 12 employees, you can use it for free. Service has various
pricing plans according to your needs. Runs on Windows and macOS.
Available for iOS and Android.
For In-Team Communications
Communication is an essential part of all
business processes. Along with emails, you can use various applications
to organize group chats and share information with your team.
Slack
Slack is a
convenient corporate messenger with various settings and options. Here
you can create chat rooms, conduct voice and video calls, share files,
use multiple integrated tools, and more. It is suitable for
communication within almost any team. Slack is free of charge for small
teams and there's a paid subscription available for the companies who
wish to make Slack their hub for projects and communication. This
service is web-based, and the only thing that makes Slack perfect is an
application available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone.
Skype
Skype
is a traditional audio and video communication tool for colleagues,
clients, and remote staff who live abroad. You can create group chats,
write direct messages, and exchange files. The application is for
communication only. The main problem that users face is usability. For
example, to see a message during a call, you need to open the
corresponding section manually. The application can run on macOS and
Windows.
Available for iOS, Android and Windows Mobile.
Mattermost
It’s an open-source alternative to Slack. Mattermost
creates a single space for team communication with easy access to
information related to project with the ability to export the history.
It allows to communicate in groups, collaborate on tasks, share files,
and receive notifications. As a bonus, the application can be hosted on
the company’s server. The application can be installed on macOS,
Windows, and Linux.
Available for iOS and Android.
Google Hangouts
Hangouts
is a less popular counterpart to Skype, which does an excellent job
with the same features. You can perform video and phone calls, send
direct messages and start conversations in groups. It is available
online or as a Chrome extension.
Available for iOS and Android.
Microsoft Teams
The free version allows use chat, audio
and video calls (individual, group, and team), 10 Gb storage,
integration with Microsoft Office, integration with 140 services
(Trello, Evernote, etc.). If you want to use all the features of Microsoft Teams, you need to subscribe to Office 365. Desktop versions are available for Windows and macOS.
Available for iOS and Android.
Time Tracking
No matter you work with a small or a big team,
you will need to track the staff productivity and make sure that every
employee keeps up the deadline.
Toggl
Toggl
is a cross-platform time tracker. There is a possibility of working in a
team and sharing information with clients. You can change profiles — to
separately count the time spent on several side projects. This feature
is also useful for those employees who work part-time. Automatically
builds neat and visual reports. The service proposes free and paid
pricing plans. It can be used as an extension in Chrome and Firefox.
Besides, the desktop version is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Available for iOS and Android.
Timely
This
service gives an ability to plan, create reports, set hourly rates, and
budget features, integration with calendar, and more. Timely
has a very user-friendly interface: you can immediately see the
duration of the task and define time left. One con – currently, the
service works only for a fee. As an option, you can try a free trial
version. Timely has a desktop version for macOS and Windows.
Available for iOS and Android.
HubStaff
HubStaff
is a desktop and mobile application that allows tracking the employees’
performance. The application allows to take screenshots, monitor
activity, create reports, and more. The desktop version is available for
macOS, Windows, and Linux. Also, the application has an extension for
Chrome.
Available for iOS and Android.
Summing Up
There are a lot of applications available for
managing your projects; you can find absolutely any software suitable
for the needs of your particular company. The problem is choice.
Experiment with applications, apply various tools, compare instruments
that are important to fulfill the needs of your team and company’s
goals.
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