When it comes to project management, effective communication reigns supreme. Success hinges on the ability to connect, collaborate, and coordinate seamlessly as projects grow in complexity.
That’s why the importance of communication tools cannot be overstated. They serve as the foundation on which successful projects are built, by facilitating clear communication, efficient collaboration, and timely delivery of information.
In this article, we'll discuss some of the best communication tools to amplify your project management process, helping you empower your team and streamline your workflows.
To give you the right recommendations based on your unique needs, we’ve divided the list into three areas of project management where communication is most vital — collaborative discussions, progress tracking, and daily stand-ups.
Collaborative Discussion Tools
Collaborative discussion tools serve as digital meeting rooms where team members converge to brainstorm, share insights, and resolve challenges. By providing a centralized platform for collaboration, these tools foster transparency, encourage participation, and ensure everyone is on the same page without jumping on a call for every single discussion.
Here are some tools that come highly recommended for collaborative discussions:
1. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a fantastic tool for collaboration, especially if your team uses Microsoft 365. The free plan allows you to share documents and other files with up to 5GB of storage and have audio or video calls for up to an hour. You can also get a paid monthly subscription for as low as $4 to unlock more features.
Microsoft Teams has a steep learning curve, though, especially for those not used to working within the Microsoft ecosystem. Guests do not have a gallery view during video calls, either.
2. Slack
While Slack isn’t exactly an all-in-one solution for project management, it’s an awesome tool for collaboration. It allows you to organize discussions into channels based on topics, projects, or teams and makes it easy to search for past discussions, files, or links.
The free tier is good enough for small teams who won’t really rely on Slack for group audio and video meetings. But if you plan on using Slack for these, it’s best to get the Pro version, which costs $7.25 a month per user, or the Business plan, which is $12.50 a month per user.
Considering its seamless integration with tools like Google Drive and Trello, Slack is still a great tool, especially if most of your discussions are done via chat.
3. Chanty
If you want a straightforward tool, Chanty is the perfect choice for you. Your world basically revolves around its chat window, with a Teambook on the left side that organizes everything. Given its low learning curve, Chanty evidently designed the platform with non-techie users in mind. This makes onboarding and collaboration seamless.
The free version allows up to 10 integrations and has limited file storage (up to 20GB for the entire team), which could be a problem if you pass files back and forth. You can upgrade to the paid version to benefit from unlimited integrations and 20GB per team member, which is priced at $3 per user per month.
Progress Tracking and Reporting Tools
Progress tracking and reporting provide visibility into a project's status, performance, and trajectory. They enable project managers and stakeholders to monitor progress, identify potential issues or bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions to keep the project on track.
The data provided allows project managers to effectively communicate key metrics, milestones, and insights to everyone involved in an easily understandable format.
Here are some tools that can help for this purpose:
1. ClickUp
As far as all-in-one platforms go, ClickUp just might be one of the best out there with its comprehensive project management, task tracking, and collaboration features. It’s highly customizable with multiple views, including lists, boards, calendars, and timelines.
It also has advanced reporting and analytics capabilities and automation features to streamline workflows. However, its extensive feature set and customization options have downsides, giving ClickUp a steep learning curve for new users.
The free plan allows an unlimited number of users but only provides 100MB worth of storage and a one-day activity view. For unlimited storage and a 7-day view, the Unlimited plan is priced at $7 per user per month.
2. Jira
Jira is another platform that does almost everything. It offers advanced project management features suitable for agile development teams and robust issue tracking, workflow automation, and release planning capabilities. It also has extensive reporting and analytics features, including burndown charts and velocity tracking.
Like any other platform overloaded with features, Jira has an even steeper learning curve. It requires careful configuration and setup to maximize effectiveness and could be considered overkill for small teams.
3. Trello
In contrast to the previous two tools, Trello is one of the most straightforward tools you can find, making it easy for teams to get started. It’s highly visual, with boards, lists, and cards representing tasks and progress. It’s also flexible enough to accommodate various project management methodologies, such as Kanban.
On the downside, it’s highly dependent on third-party integrations for advanced functionality. It’s also less effective for large-scale or complex projects due to its simplicity.
Daily Stand-Up and Sync-Up Tools
Daily stand-ups and sync-ups facilitate regular communication, collaboration, and alignment among team members. These short, focused meetings allow each team member to share updates on their progress, discuss any challenges or blockers they're facing, and coordinate tasks for the day.
Here are some tools you can use for this:
1. Standuply
The name itself says it all—Standuply is meant to make your daily stand-ups as seamless as possible. It automates stand-up meetings using customizable questions and schedules. It also provides the flexibility to conduct stand-ups asynchronously, making it a great fit for teams with members from different time zones. Integration with project management tools like Jira, Trello, and Asana is also easy.
Because this platform was designed for Slack, setup and configuration may be complex for users unfamiliar with Slack integrations. Asynchronous stand-ups may also lack the spontaneity and interaction of real-time meetings.
2. ScrumGenius
Another tool that automates the sync-up process, ScrumGenius allows the entire team to collaborate asynchronously. It’s easy to use and allows managers to effortlessly pull up scrum reports from team members, allowing them to stay in sync throughout the project.
Setting up the tool could be a challenge, so be prepared to find resources that will help you get up and running.
3. Range
Range makes it easy for big teams to sync up, especially if you’re scattered across different time zones and work sites. It ties updates to your team goals and integration with other platforms like Slack and the G Suite.
Despite the easy access to basic data, managing sprints could still be challenging.
BONUS: Virtual Coffee Chat Platforms for Better Team Engagement During Projects
Virtual coffee chats can play a valuable role in project management by fostering team cohesion, building relationships, and enhancing communication. These informal, one-on-one meetings allow project managers to connect with individual team members on a personal level and share their thoughts, concerns, and ideas more freely.
Virtual coffee chats also serve as a mentoring, coaching, and professional development platform. Project managers can use these sessions to provide guidance, support, and feedback to team members, helping them overcome challenges, develop new skills, and grow professionally.
CoffeePals is a virtual coffee chat platform that can help you build strong connections with your team members. Add CoffeePals to Microsoft Teams now to make that happen.
