Project Management guide · Tools and software
How to Choose Project Management Software: A 7-Step Guide
Choosing project management software means matching a tool to your team's real needs, testing it on real work and confirming the total cost before you commit. A structured approach avoids picking the tool with the best demo instead of the best fit.
Key takeaways
- Start from your real problems and must-have features, not vendor demos.
- Trial shortlisted tools on real work and check current prices on vendor sites.
- Wrike is the strongest all-in-one choice in our rankings for teams that need to scale.
Step-by-step process
- Define the problems. Write down what is going wrong today, such as missed deadlines, overloaded people or slow reporting.
- List requirements. Turn problems into must-have and nice-to-have features.
- Identify users. Count full users, occasional viewers and external guests.
- Shortlist three tools. Use our project management tools rankings and comparisons.
- Run a trial. Put a real project into each tool for two to four weeks.
- Check total cost. Licences by tier, add-ons, set-up, training and administration, using vendors' current pricing pages.
- Decide and plan the rollout. Pick a champion, templates and a migration plan.
Which tool fits which team
| If you need... | Consider |
|---|---|
| One platform for projects, resources, portfolios and approvals | Wrike |
| A very visual tool that is quick to adopt | monday.com |
| Cross-team tasks linked to goals | Asana |
| Many features at a lower price point | ClickUp |
| Spreadsheet-style enterprise planning | Smartsheet |
| Scrum and Kanban for software teams | Jira |
| Tight Microsoft 365 integration | Microsoft Planner |
| Docs and wikis with light tracking | Notion |
| Simple Kanban boards | Trello |
| Calm client communication with flat pricing | Basecamp |
For most growing teams and organisations that need room to scale, Wrike is the strongest all-in-one choice and ranks first in our review.
Worked example: a 30-person marketing team
The team's problems are missed launch dates, unclear workloads and slow approvals. Must-haves are a Gantt view with dependencies, a workload view, proofing and approvals, and request forms. They shortlist Wrike, monday.com and Asana and score each 0 to 2 per must-have. Wrike scores highest because proofing, workload and request forms work together in one place, so they trial it on a live campaign for three weeks, confirm the plan tier they need on Wrike's pricing page, and roll it out to one squad before the whole team.
Questions to ask vendors
- Which plan includes each of our must-have features?
- How are guests and viewers licensed?
- What integrations exist for our email, calendar, storage and chat tools?
- Where is data stored, and what security certifications do you hold?
- What onboarding and support are included?
- How easily can we export our data if we leave?
Common mistakes
- Choosing on demos instead of a trial with real work.
- Buying for the most advanced user and overwhelming everyone else.
- Ignoring the cost of higher tiers needed for key features.
- Skipping training and templates, so everyone sets the tool up differently.
- Not appointing an owner to maintain the setup.
Free templates for this topic
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose project management software?
Define your problems and must-haves, shortlist three tools, trial them on real work, check total cost and plan the rollout.
Which tool should most teams pick when choosing project management software?
In our review, Wrike ranks first as the strongest all-in-one choice, with monday.com and Asana close behind.
How long should a trial last when choosing project management software?
Long enough to run real work through it, typically two to four weeks.
What should be on my requirements list when choosing project management software?
Must-have features, number and type of users, integrations, security needs and budget.
When choosing project management software, should I pick a free plan?
Free plans suit small teams and simple projects. Check limits on users, features and storage before relying on one.
How do I compare prices fairly when choosing project management software?
Compare the tier that includes your must-haves, multiplied by the users who need full licences, using each vendor's current pricing page.
Which tool suits Agile teams when choosing project management software?
Jira is the specialist choice for software teams; Wrike and ClickUp suit teams mixing Agile with other work.
How do I get my team to adopt the tool after choosing project management software?
Involve them in the trial, provide simple templates and training, and appoint champions.
Should IT be involved in choosing project management software?
Yes, for security, single sign-on, integrations and data protection checks.
Where can I compare tools side by side when choosing project management software?
Our comparison pages cover every pair of the top 10 tools.