Engineering Project Management Software is a game-changer in managing complex engineering projects. It streamlines tasks, enhances collaboration and improves tracking, leading to increased efficiency and engineering project success. In 2023, these eight software solutions stand out: Zoho Projects, Asana, Celoxis, Teamwork, LiquidPlanner, Jira, Wrike, and Hive.
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All these tools offer core project management features such as task management, time tracking, collaboration tools, resource management and reporting. But here’s how they compare across focused features that engineering teams value.
| Software | Gantt Charts | Risk Management | Agile Boards | Customizable Fields | Dynamic Scheduling | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asana | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | $10.99/user/month |
| Zoho Projects | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | $4/user/month |
| Celoxis | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | $22.5/user/month |
| Teamwork | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | $5.99/user/month |
| LiquidPlanner | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | $15/user/month |
| Jira | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | $7.75/user/month |
| Wrike | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | $9.80/user/month |
| Hive | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | $12/user/month |
Asana is our pick for the best overall engineering project management software considering a balance of robust features, flexibility, user-friendliness, and cost-effectiveness. It’s a versatile tool that can handle various project types, making it suitable for engineering teams of all sizes. Asana’s strength lies in its simplicity and ease of use.
Asana offers a free Basic plan in addition to paid plans, including the Premium plan at $10.99 per user per month, billed annually and the Business plan at $24.99 per user per month. Its Enterprise plan’s pricing information is available on request.
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For more information, check out our full Asana review.
Zoho Projects is a comprehensive project management solution that’s ideal for growing engineering teams. It offers a range of features designed to streamline project planning, tracking, and collaboration. Zoho Projects stands out for its scalability, making it a great choice for teams that anticipate growth or have fluctuating project demands. It also offers impressive customization options, allowing teams to tailor the platform to their specific needs.
Zoho Projects offers two paid plans besides a free plan. Billed annually, the Premium and Enterprise plans cost $4 and $9 per user per month, respectively and $5 and $10 per user per month, when billed monthly.
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For more information, read our full Zoho Projects review.
Celoxis is an all-in-one project management software that excels in resource management. It delivers extensive features for planning, scheduling and tracking resources, making it attractive to engineering teams that need to manage complex resource needs. Celoxis also offers project planning features like Gantt charts, project scheduling and time tracking.
Celoxis has two pricing plans: Cloud costs $22.50 per user per month billed annually and $25 when billed monthly, and On Premise requires you to contact the company for a quote.
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For more information, read the full Celoxis review.
Teamwork is a project management tool that puts collaboration at its core. It offers a range of features designed to enhance team communication and collaboration, making it a great choice for engineering teams that work closely together. Teamwork also offers robust task management features, allowing teams to easily create, assign and track tasks.
Teamwork offers a free plan. The per user per month costs of the Starter, Deliver and Grow plans are $5.99, $9.99 and $19.99, respectively, when billed annually. They cost $8.99, $13.99 and 25.99, respectively, when billed monthly. However, the Scale plan requires you to contact Teamwork for a quote.
Figure D
For more information, check out our full Teamwork review.
LiquidPlanner is a dynamic project management tool designed for fast-paced engineering teams. It offers a range of features designed to adapt to changes and uncertainties in projects, making it a great choice for teams working in dynamic environments. LiquidPlanner’s standout feature is its predictive scheduling engine, which automatically adjusts project schedules based on priority and resource availability.
Its three pricing plans are Essentials at $15 per user per month, Professional at $25 per user per month and Ultimate at $35 per user per month, all billed annually. Contact LiquidPlanner for volume pricing for the Ultimate plan.
Figure E
For more information, read the full LiquidPlanner review.
Jira by Atlassian is a powerful project management tool designed specifically for agile teams. It’s particularly popular among software engineering teams due to its robust features for issue tracking, agile reporting and software development lifecycle management. Jira’s agile-centric features such as Scrum boards, Kanban boards and agile reporting make it the best choice for engineering teams following agile methodologies.
Jira’s free plan covers up to 10 users. But for larger teams subscribing monthly, the Standard plan costs $7.75 per user per month and the Premium plan is $15.25 per user per month. Jira’s Enterprise plan is billed annually, and you must request a quote to get pricing information.
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For more information, read the full Jira review.
Wrike is a flexible project management tool that stands out for its customizability. It offers a range of features to meet the needs of engineering teams, making it a great choice for teams with unique project management requirements. Wrike also offers rich features for task management, project tracking and collaboration.
Wrike has five plans: the Free plan, Team plan at $9.80 per user per month, Business plan at $24.80 per user per month and Enterprise and Pinnacle plans whose pricing information isn’t publicly listed.
Figure G
For more information, explore our full Wrike review.
Hive is a project management tool that stands out for its AI-assisted capabilities. Hive is designed for fast-moving teams and offers a unique feature called HiveMind, an AI assist that helps with content creation, email subject lines, language translation and more. Hive’s comprehensive feature set, including project and task management, collaboration tools, and over 1,000 integrations, makes it a versatile choice for engineering teams.
Besides a free plan, Hive offers two paid plans: Teams costs $12 per user per month billed annually and $18 when billed monthly and Enterprise information isn’t listed.
Figure H
For more information, read the full Hive review.
When choosing engineering project management software you should consider features that can greatly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your project management processes. These features include Gantt charts, risk management, agile boards, customizable fields and dynamic scheduling.
Gantt charts provide a visual timeline for your project, displaying tasks, durations and dependencies. This feature is crucial for planning and scheduling, allowing you to see the entire scope of the project at a glance. It helps in identifying critical paths, managing resources, and tracking progress. If your project involves complex tasks with multiple dependencies, a Gantt chart feature is a must-have.
Risk management features help in identifying, assessing and mitigating potential risks in your project. This could include anything from budget overruns to schedule slippages or resource shortages. By proactively managing risks, you can ensure that your project stays on track and any issues are dealt with promptly.
Agile boards are a key feature for teams that use agile methodologies. They provide a visual representation of tasks, allowing teams to see the status of each task and who’s working on it. Agile boards can help improve transparency, collaboration and productivity in your team.
Customizable fields allow you to tailor your project management software to your specific needs. You can create custom fields for tasks, projects or resources, allowing you to track the information that’s most important to your team. This feature can enhance the flexibility and adaptability of your project management process.
Dynamic scheduling is a powerful feature that automatically adjusts your schedule based on changes in resources, priorities or tasks. This can be particularly useful in engineering projects, where changes are often the norm rather than the exception. Dynamic scheduling can help ensure that your project stays on track, even when unexpected changes occur.
Choosing the right engineering project management software depends on a variety of factors. Here are some key considerations to help guide your decision:
The first step is to understand your team’s needs. What challenges are you facing in your current project management process? What features are you looking for in a software solution? The answers to these questions will guide your selection process.
Different software solutions are better suited to different types of projects. If you’re managing large, complex engineering projects, you’ll need robust software with advanced features such as risk management and dynamic scheduling. For smaller, simpler projects, a more basic solution may suffice.
The best software is one that your team will actually use. Look for a solution that is user-friendly and intuitive. Many providers offer free trials, which can be a great way to test the software’s usability.
Your project management software should integrate with the other tools your team is using. This can streamline your workflows and improve efficiency.
Good customer support can be a lifesaver when you’re facing technical issues. Look for a provider that offers timely and helpful support.
Finally, consider your budget. The most expensive software isn’t necessarily the best, and many affordable solutions offer great value. Be sure to consider the total cost, including any setup fees and ongoing costs.
In our quest to identify the top engineering project management software for 2023, we thoroughly evaluated solutions from various top providers. We compared their features, capabilities, and pricing structures to deliver the eight tools on our list. Our evaluation was based on the following factors:
These factors enabled us to identify the top eight engineering project management software for 2023.
