You may have heard the term “project management” used as a buzzword. But what does it really mean? Essentially, project management is the planning, delegating, monitoring and delivering of all aspects of a project to ensure it’s completed on time and on budget.

Project managers need to be equipped in a range of soft skills – like communication and attention to detail – to be able to manage all aspects of the project smoothly. Project management tools can help leaders streamline workflows and organise, prioritise and deliver on their projects.

Learn more about project management tools, why they’re important and how you can get the most out of them with Adobe Express.

What are project management tools?

Project management tools cover all aspects of a project, from planning and delegating to delivering tasks. They can be used as a support aid, assisting with organising and executing work, ensuring your team stay on track.

Project management tools can monitor:

• Time tracking.
• Progress to deadlines.
• Timelines.
• Team collaboration.
• Task lists.

Want to test out a project management tool for yourself? Adobe Express for Business is one example, which offers a range of project management features to help you plan, organise and manage your team through the creative process.

Why are project management software and tools important?

There are countless benefits to using project management software and tools. They can help you save time, improve efficiency and reduce costs. Here are some of the key advantages of the best project management tools:

Improved efficiency through automation.

Automating tasks can help you increase the efficiency of your team. Not only does this reduce human error, but automating monotonous tasks can also speed up processes and save human touch for more creative aspects of the project.

Easier to see resource bottlenecks.

Project management software allows you to see your projects in different views, so you can map out your workflows. This will make it easier to identify bottlenecks and get to the route cause.

Boosts collaboration with shared tasks and access.

Shared tasks and shared access allow you to keep an eye on the rest of your team and notice when people need extra support getting through their work. This can also ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to deliverables.

Real-time updates and reporting.

With project management software, you can get real time updates and keep track of your project and tasks. This makes it easier to spot potential delays and saves time waiting for manual updates.

Manages tasks in a single place.

Improve efficiency by managing all your tasks in one place. Leave less room for error and view all your tasks in the same platform. With Adobe Express, you can keep all brand assets in one place and invite your team to collaborate with you.

20 tips to get the most from project management tools.

With the right project management tools and techniques in place, your business can overcome any challenge. Here are 20 tips on how to get the most out of your project management tools:

1. Compare features to find the best project management tool for you.

Decide which features are most important to you. Do your projects value collaboration? If so, ensure that the tool you choose has excellent collaboration potential. Or, if it’s automation you require, consider looking for an AI-integrated solution.

2. Decide whether a simple or more detailed, feature-heavy tool is right.

Depending on the type and complexity of the project, you may only need a simple tool with just a few features. But if you’re a project manager of a large business with lots of moving parts, a more extensive solution may be more suitable.

3. Familiarise yourself with the project and its essentials.

Once you know what project management software you’ll be using, it’s time to dive into the project. Start with the basics and ask yourself:

• What’s the project?
• What’s the purpose of the project?
• What are you hoping to achieve?

4. Check how feasible the project is.

In order to ensure your project has the potential to be successful, you should run a feasibility test. Assess the technical, financial and operational aspects of your plan to ensure it’s likely to be viable.

5. Identify and engage stakeholders.

You need to have a good understanding and relationship with all stakeholders throughout the project. Include all stakeholders in discussions from the start of the process, from understanding expectations to ensuring your team is on the right page each step of the process.

6. Create a roadmap with tasks, timelines, and responsibilities.

Next, you need to create a timeline and identify actionable steps to take to achieve the project’s goal. Having dates assigned to tasks and responsibilities will help keep your project on track.

7. Understand the risks and stay flexible.

To overcome challenges, you first need to identify them. Complete a risk assessment and consider what risks may arise during the project and plan on how to address them. You can’t prepare for every eventuality, but it’s important to stay flexible should you encounter bumps in the road.

You might also need to develop a crisis communication plan, should any issues arise during the project process that impact customers.

8. See what resources are available and plan them wisely.

Make sure you understand what resources you have available to you for this project. Your team may have other projects of their own, so you need to take their time into account. It’s also important to know their strengths and weaknesses, so you can assign tasks suited to them.

9. Decide how you’ll communicate with each stakeholder.

In the early stages of the project, you’ll need to decide how to communicate with your stakeholders. This can be as simple as setting up regular meetings or check-ins.

10. Ensure everyone knows their key objectives.

As leader or project manager, it’s your task to keep your team motivated and engaged. You need to ensure that your team knows their objectives, and what they’re working towards at all times.

11. Break down the project into digestible tasks.

Breaking the project into smaller, digestible chunks makes the process smoother for your team as it feels more manageable. It also makes it easier to delegate tasks.

12. Assign the right people to the right tasks.

Remember that you know your team best. Who should be taking on those tasks? Align their skillsets with the parts of the project you know they’ll excel at. But don’t shy away from providing learning opportunities either – just make sure you account for it in your timeline.

13. Flag priorities and deadlines for each task.

While every task is necessary – they may not be equal. Some may need to be completed as a matter of urgency, and others may be interdependent on each other. Make sure your team knows which tasks to tackle first.

14. Use real-time dashboards to monitor deadlines and progress.

You can implement real-time dashboards to check on deadlines and the progress being made towards them. This will help the whole team to visualise when things need to get done.

15. Hold regular check-in meetings.

Keep communicating with your team. Check-ins help to make sure everyone’s getting on okay and give your team the chance to ask questions or raise concerns if they need to.

16. Lead by example.

Remember, while you’re the project leader, you also need to contribute to the project and remain accountable.

17. Have a back-up plan if things go wrong.

Sometimes things happen outside your control – no matter how thoroughly you planned. You need to be flexible and prepared to take a different route if necessary.

18. Ensure each decision and action is documented.

Things can get lost in miscommunication sometimes, so it’s important to make sure everything is documented – from recorded meetings to notes on key takeaways. You can often build this commentary in as part of the tool.

19. Get feedback to learn lessons for future projects.

Don’t forget to ask your team for feedback. You can incorporate this into the next stages of the project or learn for future projects.

20. Conduct a final review to see what worked well.

Finally, conduct a review to see what went well for your team and how the project management tools supported this process. Make a note of what you want to take forward into your next project.

Editable project management templates to help improve your processes.

How Adobe Express tools can help with your project management.

Adobe Express can help you to prioritise your project management, from helping you streamline creative projects and create presentations to collaborating between teams and scheduling content. Here’s a glimpse at what you can unlock with Adobe Express for Business:

1. Set up and manage your own creative projects with Adobe Express.

Adobe Express enables you to take control of your projects and keep all your creative assets in one place. Set up and manage your creative projects using the tools required for simpler project management.

2. Collaborate across different teams all within the Adobe Express platform.

Cross-team collaboration is essential for business success. Embrace effective collaboration with Adobe Express and take your business to the next level. Share templates, invite collaborators and comment on shared files all within one platform.

3. Build out project timelines using editable templates.

Project timelines can change – no matter how well they’ve been planned. Make the most of editable project timeline templates and keep all team members on track and up to speed.

4. Present your project management plans to key stakeholders.

Present your project management plans to clients or internal team members with confidence. Don’t forget to include the project scope, key deliverables, schedules and deadlines. Create professional, stand-out project management presentations with Adobe Express.

5. Plan ahead for big campaigns with the content scheduler.

Planning a big marketing campaign? Or looking to boost your project on social media? Unlock the power of planning with the Adobe Express content scheduler. Stay on track with key dates and preview and schedule content with ease. Keep looking forward with Adobe Express project management tools.

Try Adobe Express for free now

Good to know.

What is the difference between project management tools and techniques?

A project management technique is the approach or method used for certain tasks. In comparison, project management tools are the specific items or software used to carry out those tasks. For example, you can use Adobe Express for Business as a project management tool for collaboration and streamlining, but how you use this in practice wil be based on your team’s project management techniques.

What are the five phases of project management?

The five stages of project management are:

1. Project concept and initiation.
2. Definition and planning.
3. Launch or execution.
4. Performance and control.
5. Project close.

These stages follow the project management process from defining the project and creating a roadmap to completing deliverables and monitoring performance. It ends with project close, where project managers evaluate successes and failures of the project.

Is Adobe Express free?

Yes, our free plan offers many core features including thousands of templates, photo editing and effects, animation, and 5 GB of storage. See our pricing page for details and to compare plans.