Project managers present us the best tools they use in their daily work.
The most popular of all is MS Project, from the Microsoft suite, according to Capterra, an American software consulting firm. It is currently used in many business areas, confirms Benoît Lalonde, president of PMI-Montréal. It is an excellent tool for managing traditional projects, with a pre-established A to Z plan.
For management of Agile type projects, typically used in IT, the Jira tool allows effective management of the entire delivery cycle.
“This software slices the deliveries that have to be made on the market every three months,” explains Isabelle Mailhot, project manager at Desjardins. “It works by sprints, so the tool has a table with tasks to begin, those in progress and those completed. All the players in the team collaborate together to achieve the common goal. In scrums, the Jira table is reviewed and a tour of achievements is made more easily.”
Adrienne Auclair-Bédard, web project manager at Groupe Germain Hôtels, uses Wrike, ranked second most popular, according to Capterra. “It’s my bible!,” she says. “It’s perfect for organization, deadlines, tracking everyone’s tasks and centralizing information.”
Marie Lizotte is a project manager who works with several commercial brand management companies. Over time she has used a variety of tools, including Basecamp, which is one of the 5 most-used tools, and which also operates using Agile methodology. It allows good communication between team members and everyone can monitor the tasks and progress of each team member. “In addition to being visually attractive, it is very user friendly,” she says.
Meanwhile, Dominic Samoisette, project manager for Bang Management, uses WebCalendar, a collaborative platform for schedule management. With this tool, nothing is left to chance. It helps him as much in his management of comedians as in following up with broadcasters (his clients). This tool facilitates all the technical details surrounding an artistic tour and contributes to its smooth execution.
He also uses Google Sheets, a free platform for creating spreadsheets, modifying information in real time and working together with others.
“For simple management, it’s really efficient,” he explains. “It lets me have a better overall view of my work, which then helps me make good decisions.”