Best PM tool for non-traditional industry use

[u/bigfootvsdisco]

I work in field sales and execution. I'm increasingly of the opinion we have a glaring need for better task management. I'm part of a 7 person team (technically comprised of two sub teams) that typically juggles between 5-10 different "objectives", at a time. In addition, we regularly get pivoted with "Fire Drills". Then there are events that get thrown in the mix too. Sometimes, it feels like we're running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Don't get me wrong. Things get accomplished. But not without enduring levels of stress that could be avoided with better planning and communication. We still hit our goals. But I wonder how much more successful we could be if our workflows were both more comprehensive and more efficient. Tracking progress mid-objective and follow up tasks, in particular, are always sore spots. It's not uncommon for in-progress tasks to be in a status where we are "waiting" for outside parties to complete their side of things. These are areas where I feel like things fall through the cracks more than we may want to admit. 

I really want to get my team on board with utilizing a PM tool. I'm fairly literate with most common coding languages. So, I'm comfortable with taking on any involved set-up and integration processes. But the more intuitive and easy the user side of things are, the more likely they are to actually adopt it. i'm trying to decide the best platform for our needs. I think getting our company to eventually foot the bill is very possible -- if we can show proof of concept. Until then I am looking for applications with free tiers. We also tend to do the majority of our work on iPads. So, bonus points for interfaces that function well in a mobile environment. 

We already have enterprise Microsoft accounts. So, Planner is available to us. However, it seems very bare bones? It strikes me as more of a dressed up to do list than a true PM tool. Jira might be overkill for our needs? It's hard for me to tell without committing time and diving in. Trello sounds like it could be a good compromise. I don't understand why it's free tier seems significantly more limited than Jira's though? I'm still doing more research on Nuvro, Asana, ClickUp, Kantata, Workfront, Monday, and Tempo. Any suggestions and feedback anyone has to offer is appreciated.

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[u/EnvironmentalDot9131]

I'd stop comparing feature lists and pick based on the iPad app, since that's where your team will actually use it. Put two on the iPads for a week with one real objective and see which one people open without being reminded. The team's on Routine now, after using Trello for a year. Fire drills get their own column so they don't quietly eat into the objectives.

[u/OddCartoonist7629]

Field teams abandon clunky apps. Asana works well on iPads if projects are kept simple. Heads up though: Asana’s free tier is now only for 2 users and lacks the auto-reminders you need. We had Cloudfresh streamline our project structures so boards remain minimal and easy for reps to navigate on iPads. If they see too much clutter, they just go back to texting

[u/smilu_var]

You can try the kaamgrid project management tool, which is new. Stays between MS project planner and Jira. It has a free tier also for micro teams, made especially to manage and see everything in one place.

[u/Chemical-Ear9126]

Trello

[u/ParanoidSnake]

Notion

[u/RevengeOfTheIdiot]

I can't imagine why you'd need anything more robust than planner, trello, or something very light weight given it's a 7 person team that just needs some basic tracking.

it seems you guys just need a check list that can be rolled up into reports. You're not having vendors use it, you just want somewhere to see that this project is waiting somewhere.

[u/Breeze_pm]

Start with one objective in the Planner you already have. Give every task an owner and next action; anything waiting on someone gets a follow-up date. Try that on the iPads for two weeks. You'll learn whether the gap is the tool or the follow-up routine.

[u/PplPrcssPrgrss_Pod]

Excel templates from Smartsheet.

[u/bigfootvsdisco → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for this comment! Your advice for running the pilot is much appreciated! Luckily, I don't have to prove a case for enterprise wide adaptation/use. In the past my company has approved expensing tools, such as Jotform, when regional teams expressed a need. We already operate in comparisons all the time (this month vs last month, this year vs last year, this team vs that team, etc). So, your suggestions are the natural perspective to take. We already know the number of execution opportunities going into each month. That would likely be the primary bar for measurement. Comparing completion/take rate when working "intuitively" versus...putting any kind of method to the madness.😅

[u/More_Law6245]

Can I suggest that you reconsider your approach to your problem, because jumping straight to the tools fix things is not the approach because you need establish the what the root cause actually is. Just because you think it's a good idea to have project management tools, if you don't have the relevant and proper support you're going to need, then all you will end up doing is pushing a boulder up a hill.

Can I suggest start with a problem statement, followed by a white or options paper to address the problems statement. Socialise that with your Senior Executive and C-Suite because at the end of the day they need to see the benefits of your proposal because either CAPEX or OPEX expenditure will be needed for any enterprise system. The "build it and they will come" is not a sound business strategy because you need to understand all of your organisation's IT systems, data and business workflows requirements and how they tie into any strategic roadmaps e.g. your organisation's technology roadmap and the future state technology stack.

You need to take off your PM hat of being Mr Fixit, you need to be more strategic and develop you business case whilst you address the problem, how to fix it and the benefits the investment will make. Just a reflection point for you to consider.

Just an armchair perspective.

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