Before I list the software project management (SPM) tools, let me briefly introduce the three jargons used in the software development paradigm.
- Project
- Project Management (PM)
- Software Project Management (SPM)
What is a Project?
A project is a task that has a defined beginning and end point. So a project has a limited duration, and depending on the complexity and nature of the project, it can involve a single person or a team of a hundred people, there is no limit.
There are different types of projects, and their objectives are different depending on the variant. Since this blog is dedicated to SPM tools, let’s briefly explain what project management or PM is.
What is Project Management?
It is a process that begins with the planning of work on a project and ends with the deployment and execution of that particular project. Since the term “project” is quite general, it can include projects in any professional field. Architecture, biology, construction, demographics, software – name any field and you will find the term “project” in that area of education.
The term project management refers to achieving project goals within predetermined constraints. These constraints include resources (time, budget, people, machines, etc.), methodology, and customer satisfaction. Although the list of project constraints is long, these three constraints have the greatest impact on any project.
Project management is still a necessity today because without a good project manager, no project can achieve all of the key objectives stated by the stakeholder. You can learn more about software and other technology assessments by reading Udemy Review that will get you a brief guide on how to start learning SPM tools.
As a technology specialist, I have seen many scenarios where the team behind a project had unparalleled software skills, but due to poor project management, the entire project failed. Therefore, a technologically savvy project manager must lead a project to achieve all the required goals.
What is Software Project Management?
Software project management is also known as software project management. Although this term is a separate topic, it should be known that behind every software project there is a project manager who is responsible for the 5 phases of project management:
- Initiation
- Planning
- Execution
- Maintenance
- Completion
Of these 5 phases, the planning phase is the most important.
As Benjamin Franklin said,
“Those who fail to plan, plan to fail”.
Regardless of the type of project you are working on, planning needs to be effective and well organized so that if it fails, you can intelligently execute the contingency plan.
The Best SPM Tools of 2022
Hopefully, you’ve learned enough about SPM. Now let’s move on to the SPM tools that will make your project management easy and fast in today’s software industry.
1. JIRA (by Atlassian) – 4.2/5 by TechnologyAdvice
JIRA is a well-known project management tool that offers bug tracking and agile software project development as its main features.
2. Asana – 4.21/5 by TechnologyAdvice
A simple tool for managing projects with many useful features such as collaboration, scheduling, progress logging and smooth communication.
3. Workzone – 4.5/5 from TechnologyAdvice
Workzone is more efficient than entry-level project management tools, but it doesn’t win the battle when it comes to very complex projects.
4. Microsoft Project – 4.2/5 from TechnologyAdvice
MS Project is more user-friendly and offers ease of use for those less familiar with technology and project management.
Conclusion
Since project management is necessary, software project management tools provide excellent planning, development and execution of software projects. I have presented you only the 4 best SPM tools in the software industry, but the list is not limited to them. Pay attention to the pricing structure of SPM tools, because any investment in the software industry should not be in vain.
