How do 100% remote companies like Buffer, Zapier, Quaderno or Marketgoo manage their projects? Showing a commitment to job flexibility has numerous benefits, including increased productivity by up to 13%, but it can also create new challenges when it comes to coordinating the team. These challenges can now be solved with the appropriate project management tool.
Today we present some of the project management applications used by companies such as Airbnb, Shopify, Trivago or the BBC; although there are many more and the challenge is to find one that meets the needs of your team:
- Asana
- Basecamp
- Notion
- Trello
- Slack
- Other tools
The Benefits of Using a Project Management Tool if you Work Remotely
Project management is the main challenge that a remote team faces, since the team members do not share a space and they may not even share the same time zone.
The possibility of asynchronous communication is, therefore, one of the great benefits of a project management tool. As such, members of the remote team can, not only, focus on completing their pending tasks when they feel more productive, but also, avoid missing out on any important communications or decisions. For the project leader, it is important to be able to have a clear overview of the progress of the project, the associated costs and the pending tasks.
For Carlos Hernández, founder of Quaderno, the main benefit is “to be able to organise all the work in one place; online and asynchronously.” The objective is to “obtain a snapshot of the status of our projects at any time”, so as to be able to define or change priorities if necessary.
What should a Project Management Tool for Remote Teams have?
There are many project management tools on the market. But, which one is the best? The simple answer is the one that best responds to the needs of each remote team. For example, David Roch, Product Manager at Marketgoo, seeks a project management tool which “allows a team that works 100% remotely to have easily-accessible information on the cloud and be able to work from any device.”
Firstly, it is important to define the needs of the team in order to identify the most appropriate tool. If you choose a combination of several tools, it is essential to check that they can all work together easily.
What are the Main Project Management Tools for Remote Teams?
1.Asana
Asana is a large collaborative work suite with specific solutions for marketing, human resources or product design, used by companies such as Airbnb or Typeform.
Specific project management functions allow you to create a list of tasks and add reminders, view a project calendar and a Kanban board with all pending and completed tasks. It also has its own version of Gantt charts.
It is useful for managing teams and working collaboratively, as well as for freelance professionals who want to organize their daily schedules. The basic functions are free.
2. Basecamp
Basecamp is one of the veterans of the online project management tools. Since its launch in 1999, they have accumulated 3 million users, among which are the Quartz or Shopify teams.
That experience has allowed them to create a complete, useful, and user-centred tool. There are lists of tasks, messages, calendars, document and file management, chat, notifications, reports… It is even possible to give the client limited access in order to share lists of tasks and messages. You may also consider using attribute based access control policies to prevent unauthorized access to data and unauthorized changes to data.
There is a free version and a paid version according to the needs of the team.
3. Notion
Notion is a flexible and adaptable workspace where you can create virtually anything. Its objective is to centralise all work in one application.
With Notion you can create lists of tasks that can be visualised in one click as a calendar or as a Kanban board. It also allows you to create spreadsheets and databases, as well as notes, documents and wikis to document projects and processes.
One of the advantages of Notion is its integration with Slack and other work tools such as Figma, Invision or Github.
Notion also has a free version. It is a widely-used tool by both freelancers and companies with teams working remotely.
4. Trello
The idea behind Trello is deceptively simple. It basically replicates a Kanban board, but the information can also be seen as cards or lists.
With Trello a team can quickly visualise the status of a project and any outstanding tasks.
In addition, it allows integration and automation focused on relieving the burden of administrative tasks in project management such as updating delivery dates or sending emails. Trello also has a limited free version and can be used by companies and freelancers.
5. Slack
Slack is not a project management tool; it really stands out as being focused on communication and collaboration between remote teams. It is very common to find it in all types of companies with remote or flexible workers, such as Trivago, Lyft or the BBC.
Basically, Slack replaces email as a communication and collaboration tool. It allows you to attach files and organise conversations on channels and threads so that nobody loses anything. In addition, it has a powerful search engine and offers the possibility of making video calls.
One advantage of Slack is that it enables users with limited access to be added. It is therefore ideal if you work with professionals by project or by the hour.
Another particular strength of Slack is the integration potential. There are dozens of bots and apps that can be added to the workspace in Slack to increase its functionality. You can create a workspace for free in Slack with certain restrictions.
6. Other tools
In addition to these 5 tools we have selected today, there are many other project management tools on the market that cover specific team needs with remote workers. Some other examples are:
- Monday, to plan, organise and visualise the entire project with a visual and intuitive tool;
- Redbooth, to manage several tasks simultaneously on a flexible and customisable platform;
- Podium, to merge all team interactions on a single platform.
Do you work remotely and recommend any other tools? Let us know in the comments.
Remember that whether you are looking to working remotely or if you are looking for a professional that fits your company needs no matter where he is, in Wisar we can help you achieve your goals.
