A Checklist for Buying Project Management Software

Update: we've added new research, articles, and suggestions to help you when buying project management software.

Are you using the right tools to manage your projects? This might seem like a random question, but it's important to be honest with yourself. Perhaps you spend hours sending group emails left, right, and center - without clarifying which project team member owns which tasks. Or maybe your team is struggling to use an app like Microsoft Project, which is too overwhelming for your own small business needs.

You're not alone if you've defaulted to using Microsoft Project - GetApp research revealed last year that two in three project managers use it. But this same research report found that nine in 10 project managers are willing to spend more for software that includes the features they need most. And two in three project managers are open to switching project management software within the next year.

Still, we know that shopping for project management software isn't easy. It often feels like less work to stick with what you know than to invest time and money in an unknown app. But in the long run, you can cost your small business a lot of time and money by using an ill-fitting tool. Our report concluded with a few key tips for buying project management software:

• Prioritize project management software that integrates with the other cloud-based tools your team already uses;

• Search for project management software with strong task management and collaboration features ;

• Research project management software with several different plans so you can scale as your small business grows;

• Assess which project management software tools offer APIs that link projects back to business strategy.

These suggestions are a mere starting point. That's why we've created this checklist to help you choose the right software for your own projects:

These project management software solutions earn frequent kudos from GetApp readers:

• JIRA Software

• Trello

• Wrike

• dapulse (now monday.com)

• ProjectManager.com

• Asana

Read these articles to learn which project management software is best for nonprofits, construction teams, freelancers, and more:

• Top Reviewed Project Management Software for Construction Professionals

• Home Working Heaven: 14 Sanity-Saving Apps for Freelancers

• Microsoft Planner vs Trello vs Asana: Small Business Project Collaboration Apps Compared

Visit GetApp's full catalog of project management and planning software