Wednesday 2 January 2019

Free project management tool

"project management tools" are essential for project managers and members to thoroughly manage projects. relying on tools is important for a smooth project, especially in projects involving multiple stakeholders, as management becomes more complex.

this time, we have compiled a free project management tool that can be used in various scenes such as software development and manufacturing for companies, project managers, and members who have not yet incorporated project management tools.

At the end of the free project management tool summary material, you will see a guide to download the material of "project management tool obpm understanding guide". the good points and problems of companies using free tools are described in story tailoring, so it is a very easy-to-understand article. please refer to it by all means.


about project management


This section introduces the definition and points of project management.

Define projects

A project is a plan to achieve a goal. we set sales, delivery times, etc., and proceed with business systematically toward it.

Projects are not limited to the company, but in some cases in cooperation with other companies. in most cases, we work with multiple members, but the pm (project manager) and pl (project leader) lead the work.


THE PM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROJECT, AND IT IS THE PL'S ROLE TO ACTUALLY CARRY OUT THE TEAM TOGETHER.

the project itself is described in detail in this article.
what is a project? the difference between its meaning and the task

points of project management
here are some key things to make sure you understand in project management.

subdividing project operations
subdividing project operations by task can help you manage your progress in detail.

in a project, it is fundamental to process the task step by step. subdivided tasks clarify the scope of work and make it easier to know when and how far you can complete them to the next stage.

by subdividing projects by process, completed and incomplete tasks can be immediately determined, and efficient progress management is realized. in addition, it is important to process each task while prioritizing in project management, but the fragmented tasks are also effective in determining priorities.

thorough schedule management

The pl that leads the project must always manage the current project progress. in addition to just checking whether you're progressing as planned, you need to keep track of progress on a per-project team or member-by-team basis.

if there is a risk of scheduling delays, make accurate correction requests and share progress throughout the project to encourage thorough schedule management.

at this time, the oral explanation can be misleading, so you should use the tool to share accurate information.

thorough budget control

projects manage sales, expenses, subcontracted expenses, and effort as budgets. man-hours management is the most important point in budget control. in sites where accurate man-hours management, such as large projects, tends to be difficult, it is common to require quick man-hours entry for each task completion.

at this time, if man-hours management is not thoroughly implemented, the method of man-hours input will vary from member to member. by strictly defining budget control methods, including man-hours management, you can prevent project deficits and increase productivity.

project management is explained in detail in the following article. please take a look at it as well.

what is project management? success points and how to use effective tools

what is a project management tool?
Close up of businessman hand drawing business strategy sketches-2

"project management tool" is a tool that enables accurate information sharing. when operated correctly, it can be effective in improving the efficiency and productivity of project progress.

here are the benefits of introducing the tool and the features it comes with.

benefits of project management tools
the advantage of project management tools is that they allow you to see what's going on with your project in real time. by being able to grasp the situation immediately, it is possible to respond flexibly.

let's take a closer look at the benefits of project management tools.

visualize project progress
project management tools let you visualize your progress. you will be able to identify the necessary work processes, prioritize them, and steadily advance your work.

however, simply visualizing progress can't be said to have made project management more efficient. it is important to visualize and manage progress, man-hours, and costs at the same time. with tools that put man-hours and cost management at the center of project management, you can grasp costs and progress at the same time.

centrally manage project information
by managing reports from project members in a certain format, high-precision information sharing without trouble or mistakes is realized.

in addition, there is a big advantage that there is no time lag in information sharing, and project members can always access the latest information.

project management tool features
the following features of the project management tool support project visualization and centralization.

progress management
gantt charts
schedule management capabilities
timeline
information sharing function
bulletin board function
wiki features
file sharing function
communication function
chat features
message features
commenting feature
man-hours management capabilities
EVM FORECASTING CAPABILITIES
predictive management capabilities
man-hours budgeting function
when introducing a project management tool, the key is how the above functions match your project.

project management tools are sold by vendors with different design ideas, so be sure to weigh them up.

how to choose a project management tool
top view of businessman hand working with modern technology and digital layer effect as business strategy concept-3

no matter how multifunctional, if it's not the right tool for your company, it can make project management more efficient, rather than getting a high deployment effect.

here are some criteria you'll want to be aware of when choosing the best project management tool for your company.

cloud or on-premises type
project management tools can be roughly organized into "cloud" and "on-premises".

in recent years, cloud-based tools have become the mainstream because of the low cost of installation and operation. in addition, the cloud type uses the system on the cloud through the internet. maintenance and management is done by the vendor and does not burden users.

on-premises, on the other hand, runs systems within your site or in data centers. basically, maintenance and management are at your own expense, so the cost tends to be expensive.

in addition, because of these characteristics, the cloud type is suitable for small to medium-sized projects, and the on-premises type is also suitable for large-scale projects.

 

operational
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS ARE USED NOT ONLY BY PM AND PL, BUT ALSO BY A LARGE NUMBER OF PROJECT MEMBERS AND STAKEHOLDERS.

therefore, the more users you have, the better the usability. no matter how productive the feature may be, if it is not easy to use, information input will be neglected.

one criterion is that it has operability that can fully utilize the functions in order to demonstrate high introduction effect.

security measures
security measures are a particularly important point when using cloud-based services.

as mentioned above, cloud-type is maintained and managed outside the company, and security measures are often implemented by vendors and data centers.

in other words, whether you have a strong security posture depends on external factors. it is important to check before introducing the use of the tool to block unauthorized access or encrypted communication as a security measure for the project.

language environment
there are many popular project management tools, some made in japan, and many overseas tools.

most tools made overseas are localized in japanese, but some are not supported. for project management tools where ensuring input accuracy is important, it is essential to build a system that allows all project teams to perform input operations equally.

in order to avoid situations where only some members cannot enter information, it is better to choose a tool that supports japanese.

rate plan
project management tools are sold by vendors in a variety of ways, from personal task management tools to integrated management tools for large projects.

each vendor offers pricing plans that meet your requirements, as well as the number of people using and connect at the same time, but there are also many free plans available for free. the free plan is often limited in the number of people available and features, but it has sufficient performance for the purpose of checking the function and operability before using the paid version.

in the next chapter, we will introduce the project management tools that offer free plans.

learn more about comparing paid tools.
project management tool recommended 18 selections thorough comparison from free to paid

< cloud-based > free project management tools
business documents on office table with smart phone and digital tablet and graph financial with social network diagram and man working in the background-3

from here, we will introduce a "cloud-based" project management tool that offers a free plan.

Agilefant
Agilefant's solo plan is for freelancers.

you can access all the features for free, as long as you don't want to add project members. in addition to basic functions such as schedule management required for project management, it also provides the ability to prioritize and manage backlogs.

in addition, by managing product development requirements in projects with the backlog function, it is possible to improve estimation accuracy and manage man-hours smoothly.



Backlog
The Free Plan for Backlog is available for up to 10 users per project.

Some features, such as Gantt Chart, are limited, but subversion/Git and file sharing features are supported.

if you want to use progress management features such as gantt charts, you need to upgrade to a paid plan.

in addition, a 30-day free trial is available on all plans of the paid platinum plan, premium plan, standard plan, and starter plan.


Brabio!
「Brabio!」 The free plan allows unlimited number of project creations, 5 users, and data capacity up to 50MB.

Brabio is a cloud tool dedicated to Gantt chart production. Gantt chart creation and editing can be done with intuitive operation, so it is ideal if you are not confident in your PC skills or want to aim for escape Excel.

project efficiency can be achieved through gantt chart-based management, such as when managing multiple small projects across multiple small projects.



Jooto
Jooto's free plan is available for 5 users and up to 100MB of data (up to 10MB per file). In addition, all basic functions can be used in the free plan.

However, data export and action history are up to the last 30 days. Jooto has an interface dedicated to task management, allowing you to create and modify tasks in a simple way.

BECAUSE IT IS CLOUD-BASED, INFORMATION IS UPDATED VIA ONLINE, AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT USING TOOLS ANYTIME, ANYWHERE IS REALIZED REGARDLESS OF THE TERMINAL OR OS.


Planio
Planio's Bronze plan is available for free up to 1 project, 2 users and up to 2GB of data.

Planio is an improved tool for redmine, an open source project management tool that is well-known overseas. Redmine's UI has been improved to make project management easy for anyone.

Redmine's hurdles are high, but it's recommended if you want to use it.



Producteev
"Producteev" is a task management and task collaboration tool that can be used for free and without restrictions on all functions.

Producteev is made overseas and does not support Japanese, but it is a tool characterized by a sophisticated UI. It is also equipped with external services and integration functions, and by linking with Google Calendar etc., it is possible to smoothly transition to project management with Productev without changing the conventional schedule management process.



Todoist
"Todoist" is available for free up to 5 active projects, 5 people per project and up to 5MB of data.

it is a versatile task manager that is widely used from personal use to business use. anyone can easily create task management tables, enabling task management anytime, anywhere from any device.

there are plenty of templates available, so it can be used immediately for task management.


Todous
"Todous" is available free of charge for 3 users, up to 50MB of data.

In 2012, we received the Good Design Award for our global UI design that allows us to grasp the status of tasks at a glance. It's optimized for all your devices, from PCs to smartphones, and works well with Google Calendar.



Trello
Trello's FREE plan is a task management tool that offers unlimited access to all features. There is no limit on the number of people, and it is characterized by a wide range of applications from personal use to team use.

In addition, if you want to strengthen cooperation with external services such as Slack and Google Drive, you will need to upgrade to the paid plan Business Class.

Trello specializes in managing tasks, and even complex task management can be accurately shared with the team with Trello boards, lists, cards, and other features.


Wrike
Wrike's free plan provides kanban-based task management capabilities with unlimited users.

The free plan can work with external services such as Google Drive, but features such as Gantt charts and dashboards that support progress management are somewhat limited.

Wrike can display tasks, schedules, charts, and more in one screen, and you can also set and manage customized statuses for tasks.


we're all gantt.com
".com gantt with everyone" is available for free for 30 days, although some features are limited.

it is a point that you can create and edit gantt charts without membership registration. so you can share it with your team or group and use it for tracking right away.

the advantage is that by centrally managing gantt charts for multiple projects, cross-sectional management can be realized. the network is also highly encrypted, providing peace of mind and access to services from within the company or from home.



free project management tool > < installation
Close up of human hands using virtual panel

here's a free, installable project management tool.

GanttProject
"GanttProject" is an open source project management free software that allows you to create Gantt charts without any functional limitations.

It is a versatile Java software that is free software but has basic functions such as Gantt charting, schedule management, and task management necessary for project management tools.



OpenProj
"OpenProj" is a free software that replaces Microsoft Project.

OpenProj has the same level of functionality, usability as Microsoft Project, and compatibility with Microsoft Project, allowing you to edit existing project files. Efficient project management can be carried out by interoperating using Gantt charts and part charts.



ProjectLibre
ProjectLibre, like OpenProj, is an alternative to Microsoft Project.

ProjectLibre is a reliable project management tool with 2.5 million downloads worldwide in 200 countries. Microsoft Project file formats are compatible, making project management smoother with a lean UI.



TaMa.5 Free
TaMa.5 Free has limited features, but you can use basic features such as creating Gantt charts and to-do lists for free.

designed with a priority on ease of use and ease of understanding, it's a good fit to get started with project management tools.

However, export in Excel and CSV formats is not supported by the free plan, and it is necessary to upgrade to the Professional version for business use.



ganske
"ganske" is a freeware specialized in gantt chart creation and editing.

with a simple mouse operation, you can arrange charts, manage and change schedules. it is equipped with a function that supports project management from multiple perspectives from short to long term, such as one-click switching of schedule display period.

In addition, the enhanced version "Gansake 2" adds functions that support operational efficiency improvement such as to-do list and CSV output.



so far, we've introduced a variety of free project management tools. some of them were limited, but it's enough to verify the functionality and usability of the project management tools.

summary
you can see that many of the free and available project management tools presented in this time are intended for trial or personal use.

as a result, some tools have limited important features in project management, such as gantt charts. it may not be a problem for a project run by a few people, but it is important to note that the free version can make the project difficult to control as the project grows.

in addition, tools with limited usage are impractical if you want to use information across the company. to ensure the success of your project, deploy the tools available across the enterprise.



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