8 Best Project Management Tools For Software Development In 2024

Each and everyone has their favorite methods and software development tools for managing work processes. While one prefers calendars and spreadsheets, another collects a set of different apps. The third goes for an old-school pen and pad option, and the fourth combines all.

Every method is excellent while it works for you, but only when managing your processes. When it comes to team project management features, you’d need a better-thought-out solution — a specially designed project tool.

77% of high-performing projects run on different project management instruments, but choosing the most suitable for your team is no easy feat.

The market offers dozens of options, more or less suitable for different teams. This copy focuses on the eight most popular software development project management tools for software developers.

Let's get started!

Benefits of Using Project Management Tools for Software Development

Project management tools do their preparatory work — to keep tasks and processes organized and transparent and reduce the chances of miscommunications and misunderstandings. They also train vital soft skills like time management, the ability to work in a team, self-management, and responsibility. Here are the three main benefits you achieve when working with project management tools:

Clear goals

A clear understanding of requirements is the first and the most significant pillar of the product development process. Undoubtedly, at the very start, project management for startups includes a lot of explanations, calls, messages, question-answer sessions, etc.

Further work, however, requires precise specifications of updates and requirements so that the development team can always manage projects and be sure that everything's going as it should.

Transparency

With the right project monitoring software, you can easily assign roles and monitor processes and results. From another point of view, it is a chance for all users to understand clearly how their work connects and impacts their teammates' work. It massively improves team collaboration, and general performance level and helps to deliver the product fast and smoothly.

Synchronicity

Every change or update in requirements, scaling the project, expanding or, conversely, reducing it, assigning new roles, etc., must be delivered to the team immediately.Management tools significantly help with this mission. By just opening and updating the main page or a file sharing the specific project, you keep everyone informed and notified without extra messages, calls, and meetings. All these things are time and energy-consuming for all sides.

The Best Software Development Project Management Tools

Now, that we understand the importance and benefits of PM tools and how they help find peace in chaos, let's look at the best of the best. This list includes free software development project management tools and paid options.

Jira

Jira, project management software, offers everybody's favorite Kanban look and was created as one of the Agile project management tools. With the first login, the system asks several questions about the expertise with different methodologies and preferences and recommends the most suitable template. An intuitive interface makes it as easy as possible to set up the workspace for every developer and the team in general.

One of the main pros of this project management solution is that Jira integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins, and other development tools. It simplifies updating and tracking the backlog and reduces the chances of missing something. One Jira account can be used by ten users, making it perfect for self-contained or small development teams.

Wrike

Wrike is a perfect business management software for those who like working with spreadsheets, taking the best from that system and view. Working on their assignments, users mark them as planned, in project progress, completed, or postponed.

By switching to the paid version, you get the opportunity to track and report time and customize the dashboard to make it even more suitable and convenient. Wrike is perfect for both large companies and small teams of several people or even freelancers.

Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects offers flexibility and customizations to suit the needs of traditional Project Managers as well as Agile teams.

With an easy Gantt charts generator, Kanban style and task management tools and, coupled with advanced features such as resource utilization, and automation features, Zoho Projects offers a complete experience for teams of all sizes.

You can change almost everything related to a visual part to achieve the perfect match with your preferences and expectations. By converting projects into templates, you can reuse them for future projects. Zoho, one of the best project management software,  also offers onboarding for new teammates after the first login, free online support, and an online guide.

Being part of Zoho's ecosystem allows Zoho Projects to connect to several of Zoho's services, such as Zoho Books, Zoho CRM, and Zoho Finance Suite.

Asana

Asana is an incredibly improved to-do list. It allows you to create unlimited task lists for large scalable tasks and break them down into sections and sub-items. An intuitive dashboard helps keep on track what's been done today, which tasks have been completed, which are still in progress, and what remains to be done. So you can plan from a short and long-term perspective.

You can add, move, and edit projects like in usual to-do lists. Still, numerous features adapt these methods to teamwork and make it an incredible tool for individual developers and companies of any size.

For personal tasks, you can create cards that are only visible to specific specialists, project managers, for example. Tasks assigned to you automatically show up in the My Tasks view, and you receive an instant notification upon task completion.

ClickUp

The first thing that distinguishes ClickUp from all others software development project management tools is that the free version offers a list, calendar, Kanban view, and other options, especially Gantt charts.

In total, the app offers 11 design options for the workspace, has an internal built-in chat, a section with documents where you can create and download them, and Embed feature to add applications and sites next to the taskbar, and Forms to create a form/table/list for each task and keep data organized.

Paymo

Paymo, project management software, has established itself as an excellent tool for freelancers to organize their working hours, prioritize, and generally track processes when working on multiple projects and with numerous customers.

The work can be conveniently grouped by three indicators: clients, projects, tasks. For each one, in turn, you can also assign tasks with a deadline, label, priority. You can add files to task lists and make notes.

Paymo allows you to track time conveniently. To do this, go to the task and just turn on the tracker. When the tracker stops, time is automatically added to the table as an attribute.

The next step is to bill the client. Paymo forms an invoice according to the hourly rate. And if the client needs a report about this time, you can generate and send it in a few clicks. Moreover, payment systems such as Stripe, PayPal, and more are connected to Paymo for even simpler and faster payment.

Airtable

This software development project management platform organizes work processes in tables or templates suited for various projects. Or you can create a brand new from scratch; you have complete freedom of action.

But the real power of Airtable happens when you customize it. It will take some upfront effort to tailor Airtable to be precisely what you need — but if you're willing to spend some time, the sky's the limit. You can customize everything from the methodology and view type to column headers, field types, data validation, and more.

Trello

Trello is a simple way to organize your projects with Kanban boards. This is an essential application that is great for teams and freelancers. The first can see in real-time what tasks their teammates perform and how much time it takes. They can work on the same task synchronously and share files and comments. Freelancers, in turn, can manage their work, organize the workflow, and easily report to their customers.

Thanks to an extensive collection of templates, Trello is perfect for marketing, sales, design, HR, development teams. The interface is intuitive, and you can get familiar with Trello in just a few minutes.

You can put the required labels, checklists, deadlines, assign specialists, add comments, and attach links and files for the same page to each card for maximum organization.

To start working with a specific task, you need to open the card, receive and use all the necessary information, and drag it to do lists, after the work is done.

Monday.com

Monday.com is a highly versatile and user-friendly project management tool that has gained popularity for its robust features and intuitive interface. As a software development project management tool, Monday.com offers a range of capabilities designed to streamline the agile software development due process, and enhance, and improve overall project efficiency.

Monday.com allows software development teams to create customized workflows that align with their specific development methodologies, whether Agile, Scrum, Kanban, or Waterfall. With Monday.com, you can break down your project into granular tasks and subtasks. You can assign these tasks to team members, set deadlines, and monitor progress in real-time.

Monday.com offers customizable dashboards that provide an at-a-glance view of project status, KPIs, and key metrics. Visualizing project data in this way helps in making informed decisions and identifying areas that need attention. The tool supports automation through custom workflows and offers integrations with popular tools such as GitHub, Bitbucket, JIRA, and more.

Scoro

Scoro is one of tools that offers a wide range of features and capabilities to help software development team plan, execute, and monitor their projects effectively. It is designed to streamline workflows, enhance collaboration, and ensure the successful delivery of software projects.

Scoro provides robust project planning and scheduling tools, allowing development team to create detailed project plans, set milestones, and allocate resources efficiently. With a user-friendly interface, you can easily visualize project timelines and dependencies, ensuring that your software development projects stay on track.

Scoro allows you to allocate developers, designers, and other resources to specific tasks and projects. You can manage projects and monitor resource utilization to ensure that your team is working efficiently and that no one is overburdened. Scoro provides moreover the resource management offering financial features such as budget and time tracking, expense, and invoicing.

TeamWork

TeamWork offers a comprehensive set of features developer tools and capabilities designed to streamline the software development process and enhance team collaboration.

TeamWork provides an intuitive task management system that allows you to break down your software development project into smaller, manageable tasks. You can assign and manage tasks to team members, set due dates, and prioritize work to ensure that your development cycle stays on track.

With TeamWork, you can allocate resources, such as software developers, designers, and QA engineers, efficiently. TeamWork provides robust reporting and analytics features that help you monitor, track key performance indicators, and identify areas that may need attention.

TeamWork offers various integrations with popular development tools, such as Git, Bitbucket, and Slack. Ensure efficient team collaboration that your team can work within a familiar ecosystem while benefiting from the project management capabilities of TeamWork.

What Project Management Software Does TechMagic Use?

At TechMagic, we use numerous tools to make processes more transparent and organized. Among the most useful ones for software development projects:

Task-management systems (bug and issue tracker)

Jira — because it keeps everything in one place and offers a free plan for up to three users and 10 people. It’s also impossible to ignore the Atlassian community with tutorials and forums and integrations with huge amounts of other tools such as GitHub, Slack, G Suit, and Microsoft.

Trello — because it’s free, intuitive, and has good visualization.

Retro/Workshops

Metro-retro — allows organizing different types of brainstorming with predefined templates and the ability to edit them. It has all the necessary guidelines, free to use.

Miro — offers a simple interface and the option to use lots of helpful templates related to any part of software development from requirements to customer satisfaction.

Communication

Slack — since it’s easy to use and create new channels, set reminders, and optional add-ons like polls and integrations with other tools.

Zoom — the best tool for video conferencing. Includes the ability for unlimited users to share screens and see attendees, breakout rooms for work in groups.

Final Thoughts

Deciding on the most suitable company management software is an important step towards effective and fruitful work. The right instrument has the power to save you a lot of time, effort, and money.

To select the one, you need to understand the project with its specifics, timing, and the team. Then you can define who is responsible for which part of the work, and track progress in the workflow and manage processes. And then you compare project management tools’ pros and cons and define what works better for your team and the exact project.

We'll gladly help you choose the best tool for your project. We also offer you the option of hiring a project manager who will take care of the appropriate tool selection and ensure smooth workflow and achieving the expected results.

FAQs

1. Why do I need project management tools for software development?

   Project management tools are essential for software development for several reasons. They help you streamline the development process, improve communication among team members, track progress, manage resources efficiently, and ensure that your project stays on schedule and within budget. These tools provide a centralized platform where you can plan, execute, and monitor tasks, making it easier to deliver high-quality software on time.

2. What are the advantages of using best project management tools for software development?

   There are numerous advantages to using project management tools in software development:improved collaboration, efficient task management, resource allocation, real-time monitoring, documentation and reporting and risk management.

3. Can these project management tools be used for other types of projects besides software development?

   Yes, project management tools are versatile and can be used for various types of projects beyond software development. These tools are suitable for managing projects in fields like construction, marketing, event planning, product development, and many others. They can adapt to different project methodologies and workflows, making them valuable for a wide range of industries.

4. Are these project management tools suitable for both small and large software development teams?

   Yes, best project management tools are designed to cater to software teams of all sizes. Whether you have a small, tightly-knit development team or a large, globally distributed one, project management tool can be scaled to meet your specific needs. They offer features that accommodate the complexity and scope of your software development projects, making them suitable for software development teams.

5. Do these project management tools offer integrations with other software and tools?

   Yes, project management tool offer integrations with a wide range of software and tools commonly used in software development. These integrations can include version control systems (e.g., Git), issue tracking systems (e.g., JIRA), communication tools (e.g., Slack), and more.

6. Which project management methodology is best for software development?

   Agile methodology allows software development teams to work and collaborate effectively and productively. The agile method will enable you to identify issues during development rather than at the end to contribute to project success.

7. What are the best IT project management software features?

   IT project management includes project planning software, and scheduling, project progress, reporting, time tracking, project budgeting, project tracking, data analytics, task management, dashboards and billing.

8. Why do development teams use software development management tools?

   Software development management tools enable us to manage issues faster, distribute assignments in a team, tracking bugs, plan different iterations, create roadmaps, sprint planning, improve resource management and collaboration, prototype and report.