What To Consider When Choosing Project Management Software

Before launching Planscope, I churned through plenty of project management software. From Excel to Pivotal Tracker, I just couldn’t find that one tool that perfectly aligned with my needs.

Sound familiar?

It should, because the project management software space is huge. And it’s huge because a lot of people need project management! A lot of the “advice” I got early on (back when Planscope had 0 customers and $0 income) was that this space is oversatured and I should stay away. There’s too much stuff already in it. But before I ditched the idea of Planscope and created something truly unique (like a social network for blind cats,) I wanted to think through the reasons I decided to build Planscope…

• I have a particular workflow that I tend to use when working on projects
• I look for a product that aligns with my workflow
• I buy whatever causes the least amount of friction, because nothing fits 100%
• Ergo, there’s plenty of project management software because there are a lot of different workflows!

Whether you’re planning weddings or building custom software for clients, there’s probably something for you.

While it’s true that I built Planscope because my needs weren’t met, but I also built Planscope because I think the way I work on projects is pretty darn good. And this led me to realize that great software educates, and that’s how I could fit into this sea full of competitors. You’ve probably used software that’s little more than a form that stores data in a database. And you’ve probably also used software that changes your perspective (i.e., most things Apple creates.)

I wanted my product to not only be a great project management tool, but I wanted my product to help freelancers and people consulting do better work. I wrote a book — and obviously books are intended to educate and make someone better at something than they were before. Why can’t the same be true about software?

Here’s my challenge: regardless of what software you use to manage your projects, think about whether or not this software educates you. Does it teach you something, or does it just help you input data?