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SpiraTeam

SpiraTeam is a project management solution that offers collaboration and quality assurance tools for businesses of all sizes and within all industries. The solution can be deployed either in the cloud or on-premise and is compatib...Read more about SpiraTeam

BugHerd

BugHerd is a cloud-based issue tracking and project management software solution for web developers and designers. The solution helps convert client feedback into tasks, which include all the needed changes and screenshots. With...Read more about BugHerd

Zoho Projects

Right from 2006, Zoho Projects has been a major contributor to every project management need. Automating workflows, allocating tasks, recording time logs, relaying project updates, effective team collaboration, gathering analytica...Read more about Zoho Projects

monday.com

monday.com is an award-winning work and project management platform that helps teams of all sizes plan, prioritize, manage, and execute their work more effectively. The platform offers solutions for a wide range of use-cases such...Read more about monday.com

4.6 (4659 reviews)

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Planview AdaptiveWork

Planview Clarizen is an award-winning enterprise work management solution for project portfolio management (PPM) and professional services delivery teams. The solution enables PMOs, EPMOs, PSOs, and ESOs to gain real-time visibil...Read more about Planview AdaptiveWork

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Base Builders

Built for ARCHITECTS and ENGINEERS that design and draw BLUEPRINTS. BaseBuilders.com is developed specifically for architecture and engineering firms by a veteran of the industry. It handles everything from time tracking to invoi...Read more about Base Builders

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FunctionFox

FunctionFox is a cloud-based time tracking and project management application, offering timesheets and estimates, as well as scheduling, task assignment, and reporting. FunctionFox’s capabilities are suited for the billing a...Read more about FunctionFox

4.5 (193 reviews)

2 recommendations

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Cerri Project

Cerri Project is an enterprise-level project and portfolio management solution which helps in managing the lifecycle of a project from beginning to end for teams of all sizes. It is available in two deployment options: hosted On-P...Read more about Cerri Project

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Kantata

The Kantata Professional Services Cloud is purpose-built to help organizations with 50 to 5000+ employees unify resource management, project management, financial management, business intelligence and team collaboration all in one...Read more about Kantata

4.2 (607 reviews)

4 recommendations

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Wrike

Wrike is a cloud-based project management platform for teams of 20+ that is suitable for both large enterprises and SMBs. It supports remote work for various teams. This solution comes with Gantt charts, calendars, workload view f...Read more about Wrike

4.3 (2590 reviews)

33 recommendations

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LiquidPlanner

LiquidPlanner is a transformative project management solution for teams that want to plan, predict, and perform beyond expectations. It was designed to align your people, projects, and priorities to ensure the right people are wo...Read more about LiquidPlanner

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Podio

Citrix Podio is a project management and social collaboration tool. It allows businesses to create custom applications to best meet unique business requirements and preferred workflow—without the need for technical skills or devel...Read more about Podio

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AceProject

AceProject is a cloud-based project management solution designed for small and midsize businesses. It offers project collaboration, time tracking, document management, budgeting, reporting and project tracking within a suite. ...Read more about AceProject

Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a work execution platform and collaboration tool with a familiar spreadsheet-like interface that helps teams plan, track, and manage projects in real-time. Smartsheet features include a range of project management to...Read more about Smartsheet

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Workzone

Workzone is a project management solution that offers document management, project collaboration, customizable reporting, resource and task management and time tracking. The software is cloud-based and offers automated emailed rep...Read more about Workzone

4.8 (205 reviews)

6 recommendations

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Asana

Asana is a comprehensive project management tool that offers a range of technical features to streamline workflows and enhance collaboration within teams. With its user-friendly interface and robust capabilities, Asana provides or...Read more about Asana

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InLoox

InLoox is the modern project and portfolio management platform that enables teams and departments throughout the company to reliably plan, monitor and evaluate their projects - convenient, simple and integrated into the Microsoft...Read more about InLoox

Celoxis

Celoxis is a Enterprise online project management solution for midsize to large businesses to help them plan and manage complex and diverse project portfolios. The collective suite includes modules for resource management, budgeti...Read more about Celoxis

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ProofHub

ProofHub is a cloud-based solution for teams in numerous industries. The solution provides applications for project management, project collaboration, resource management, task management, plus more. Key features include discussi...Read more about ProofHub

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ProjectManager.com

ProjectManager is an innovative project management software solution designed to help you navigate your project with ease. Say goodbye to roadblocks with features like: project planning, budgeting, time tracking, task and documen...Read more about ProjectManager.com

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Buyers Guide

Last Updated: November 21, 2023

Once a project is underway, it’s essential for managers to monitor work and keep teams on track to meet deadlines. What’s more, managers must keep internal and external stakeholders up to date on the progress made against initial baselines set for the project’s scope, budget and timeline.

That’s where project tracking software comes in. Managers use project tracking tools to maintain a bird’s-eye view of project progress, track key performance metrics and report back to stakeholders.

We’ve created this Buyer’s Guide to help you understand project tracking systems and how they fit into the larger project management software market. In it, we’ll cover:

What Is Project Tracking Software?

Common Functionality of Project Tracking Software

Key Purchase Considerations

What Is Project Tracking Software?

Project tracking tools allow managers to compare actual project metrics—such as costs, schedules and personnel—to estimates established during the planning phase. Managers then use this data to report back to stakeholders on the overall health of the project.

Tracking systems are designed to improve efficiency by automating the data-capture process. This saves time managers would otherwise spend tracking down status updates and collating that information into progress reports.

These tools are more high-level than dedicated time- or task-tracking applications, which only track one of two things: the hours accrued by employees, or the progression of tasks. Project tracking systems, on the other hand, help managers monitor overall progress—from total work completed to hours logged to budget expenditures.

The “project tracking software” category encompasses a variety of tools: from basic dashboards to advanced reporting and analytics (see next section).

Basic project tracking capabilities include:

  • Data capture

  • Dashboards/project status overview

  • Deadline, timeline and milestone tracking

Dashboard view in Asana

More advanced tracking systems will offer all of the above, in addition to such capabilities as:

  • Report generation

  • Summary of resource utilization (billable versus non-billable hours)

  • Comparisons of actual versus estimated ROI/profit margins

Dashboard screen in Clarizen

Common Functionality of Project Tracking Software

Project tracking software typically includes some or all of the following capabilities:

Dashboards

Provide an overview of current projects and their status, often highlighting impending milestones and tasks nearing their due date. Some dashboards also include an activity stream or notification center.

Gantt charts

Also integral to project planning, Gantt charts provide visualizations of the project schedule and show task progress/completion rates. Tasks are displayed as horizontal bars across a calendar or timeline, and are shaded to represent the percentage complete.

Reporting

Gives a snapshot of the current status of key metrics, such as ROI/profit margins, resource and budget utilization and overall project health (including identified risks and corresponding risk management plans).

Analytics

Some systems include analytics and business intelligence capabilities, often coupled with reporting tools, that help users identify trends across teams and projects. These insights help businesses make more informed decisions in the future.

Key Purchase Considerations

Here are a few considerations buyers should keep in mind when selecting a project tracking system:

System complexity and pricing. There are many systems with project tracking capabilities, but the pricing and depth of functionality varies considerably. For example, it’s common for vendors to include dashboard functionality in their starter packages, but offer reporting only in their mid- or top-tier packages.

Reporting features may often come at a higher price—but we know from a 2015 analysis of project management software buyers who contact Software Advice that this is actually their preferred tracking method, over dashboards and Gantt charts.

Top-Requested Project Tracking Functionality

Source: 2015 Project Management Software SMB Buyer Report

Given this, buyers should carefully evaluate their needs and choose a system with functionality that supports their workflows. Many vendors offer free trials or product demos, which allow businesses to test out a product before purchase to ensure it aligns with their processes.

Cloud-based systems. Cloud-based project management solutions are becoming increasingly popular. They offer users a number of benefits, including:

  • Remote access (often including native mobile apps for iOS and Android)

  • Lower upfront costs (since updates and system maintenance are handled by the vendor)

  • Manageable recurring costs (since monthly or annual subscription pricing is standard, which includes updates and maintenance costs)

Additionally, cloud solutions are typically offered in several different functional tiers. This allows businesses to purchase a system with only the capabilities necessary at the time, then scale the system as their needs change.

For project tracking, this is especially useful: Managers can start out with basic dashboard tracking, then increase their investment over time to a tier that offers Gantt charts and/or reporting and analytics.