CPQ-211 certification - Salesforce CPQ Admin Essentials for Experienced Administrators Updated: 2023

• Certification programs help system administrators stand out from their peers while expanding and validating their skills. 
• Certification training and testing help IT professionals earn professional credibility and more power to direct and control their career paths. 
• Numerous certifications are available, but several are exceptionally valued and respected. 
• This article is for system administrators and IT professionals who want to expand their knowledge and professional credibility through certification programs.

System administrators are the glue holding together business operations, ensuring smooth-running IT infrastructures. The role requires in-demand career skills that range from server and client configuration and maintenance to access controls, network services and application resource requirements. SysAdmins may even work with more user-facing products, like directory and name services, network addressing, database services, web and desktop applications, and email. They’re often the company “tech expert” – sometimes at several organizations simultaneously. 

System administrator certifications help IT professionals navigate their career paths, expand their knowledge and demonstrate their expertise to managers and employers. SysAdmin certs may even help you secure managerial and executive level jobs and higher pay.

Best system administrator certifications

After examining various credentials, we developed this list of our five favorite system administrator certifications for 2023. These certifications are geared toward various experience levels, product interests and skill sets. They can foster your development within system administration, encourage you to explore new areas of expertise, and help you set and achieve career goals. 

1. Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert 

Many businesses operate within Microsoft ecosystems, making Microsoft certifications extremely valuable and sought after. However, Microsoft has overhauled its certification processes in accurate years, replacing broad certificates like Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert with a wider variety of role-based certification options divided into the following roles: 

• Data engineer
• Data scientist
• Artificial intelligence engineer
• Security engineer
• DevOps engineer
• Functional consultant
• Developer
• Administrator
• Solutions architect 

Certifications come in beginner, intermediate, and expert levels, based on applicants’ experience. 

Various system administrators may find some Microsoft certifications more advantageous than others. However, the Azure Solutions Architect Expert is the most in-demand certification for a SysAdmin with IT operation experience.  

The Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification is ideal for someone with extensive experience using Azure to solve problems and make decisions for a business’s tech needs. Candidates must have experience with every level of IT operations as well as DevOps. Candidates will be tested on their knowledge and ability to design solutions for data storage, identity, infrastructure and more using Azure. 

This certification combines elements of system administration, Azure implementation and solutions architect experience. Candidates should have one prerequisite qualification: the Azure Administrator Associate certification.  

Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert facts and figures

2. Professional Oracle Linux 8 System Administrator 

Although Oracle is known for its database products and solutions, it also distributes Linux products geared for the enterprise and designed to support cloud environments. Oracle Linux is optimized for various Oracle products and platforms, such as:

• Oracle Exadata Database Machine
• Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine
• Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud
• Oracle Database Appliance

To support Oracle Linux, the company offers several Oracle Linux System Administrator learning paths. It also provides several standalone Linux administration courses. Oracle’s Linux certifications are considered among the best Linux certifications to earn. We’ll highlight the Professional Oracle Linux 8 System Administrator certification below. 

The OCP Oracle Linux System Administrator certification, currently at version 8, covers many tools and processes. Candidates must be well-versed in:

• Linux file systems
• Control groups
• Container concepts
• Advanced storage administration techniques
• Oracle cluster management 
• Using Ksplice Uptrack commands 

The certification also tests for knowledge of network bonding, task automation, security configuration and more. 

SysAdmins who support Oracle Solaris might also be interested in the Oracle Solaris System Administrator certification, which Oracle offers at the Associate and Professional levels. Oracle also offers a Cloud Database Migration and Integration Professional certificate. 

Professional Oracle Linux 8 System Administrator certification facts and figures

3. RHCE: Red Hat Certified Engineer

In the realm of Linux system administrator certifications, Red Hat certifications stand out. Red Hat’s more senior-level certifications are especially popular among IT professionals and the firms that hire them. Those holding the Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) credential qualify for highly competitive job roles, including the following:

• Senior Linux administrator
• Senior UNIX administrator
• Senior systems engineer
• Infrastructure systems engineer
• IT analyst 

The RHCE is considered a high-level credential that’s not easy to obtain. Candidates must first obtain the Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) credential. The RHCE credential expands the RHCSA’s understanding of automation in multisystem environments. Candidates must then pass an intense, demanding, four-hour, hands-on, performance-based exam. Those who earn the RHCE can go on to earn the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) in Infrastructure credential.

Candidates can choose a path based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8. RHCE certification is valid for three years from the date the certification was achieved. To maintain the certification, a credential holder must pass any RHCA test or pass the RHCE certification test again before the end of the three years.

RHCE facts and figures

4. CompTIA Server+

CompTIA certifications, such as the A+ for hardware technicians, Network+ for network admins and Security+ for security specialists, are highly regarded in the computing industry. The CompTIA Server+ certification is no exception. 

Companies such as Intel, HP, Dell, Lenovo, Xerox and Microsoft recommend or require their server technicians to earn CompTIA Server+ credentials.

The Server+ certification test focuses on fundamental, vendor-neutral server-related topics, including:

• Server hardware
• Operating systems
• Storage systems
• Networking
• The IT environment (documentation, diagrams and best practices)
• Security and disaster recovery
• Virtualization 
• Troubleshooting

Individuals seeking positions across the system administration world, including data technician, network administrator, IT technician and data center engineer, can benefit from CompTIA Server+ certification. This certification also provides new IT professionals with an excellent foundation for more specialized certifications.

Candidates for the Server+ certification take one exam: SK0-005. CompTIA recommends that candidates have at least two years of practical experience working with servers and either CompTIA A+ certification or comparable knowledge. This certification also stands out because it does not expire – certification is good for life. 

CompTIA Server+ facts and figures

5. VCAP-DCV Design 2022: VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Data Center Virtualization Design 2022

VMware certifications are must-have credentials for IT professionals interested in virtualization. With a comprehensive certification program encompassing all skill levels, VMware credentials are recognized globally as the best in their class of professional certifications.  

The latest incarnation of the VMware vSphere product is Version 8. VMware offers five credentials related to the vSphere product:

• Certified Technical
• Certified Professional
• Certified Advanced Professional (Data Center Virtualization Design)
• Certified Advanced Professional (Data Center Virtualization Deploy)
• Certified Design Expert 

VMware also offers a wide range of badges for specific product applications. We’re highlighting the intermediate certification: Certified Advanced Professional – Data Center Virtualization Design. 

Training is required for non-credential holders seeking to obtain the VCAP-DCV credential. VMware offers various training options to meet the training prerequisite: self-paced (on demand), live online and live classroom – some of which include virtual labs. Those possessing a valid VCAP-DCV Design certificate must attend a training course or pass the VCAP-DCV Design exam. 

VCAP-DCV Design 2022 facts and figures

Beyond the top 5: More SysAdmin certifications

In addition to the five system administrator certifications we highlighted above, many other certification programs can help further the careers and professional development of IT professionals in system administration.

It makes sense to investigate the plethora of vendor-specific programs available for those who work with systems from companies like Brocade, Dell EMC, HPE, IBM, NetApp and Symantec. Many play into critical system specialty areas, such as storage, security and virtualization, while others offer a broad range of platforms for these and other technology areas. 

Here are some examples:

• IBM Certified System Administrator MQ V9.1: IBM Certified System Administrator MQ V9.1 is for SysAdmins who cover admin activities such as migrating, configuration, availability, performance tuning and problem determination.
• NetApp Certified Data Administrator (NCDA): NCDA is geared toward professionals who manage NetApp data storage controllers running the ONTAP operating system.
• ServiceNow Certified System Administrator: ServiceNow Certified System Administrator is aimed at professionals adept at configuring, implementing and managing ServiceNow systems.

Vendor-neutral certification programs also offer a variety of interesting and potentially valuable credentials. For example, Linux Professional Institute certifications are well known and widely recognized in IT shops and operations that depend on Linux servers to handle their workloads. 

Job board search results (in alphabetical order by certification)

The following chart shows the results of an informal job search we conducted to give you an idea of the relative frequency with which our top five certifications appear in genuine job postings. While all the certifications are popular, the CompTIA Server+ stands out as the clear favorite.

* When searching for VCP – Data Center credentials, we found most job descriptions didn’t indicate a specific version.

Although employers tend to pay SysAdmins less than some of their IT peers, such as network engineers and enterprise IT architects, a career in system administration is still worth pursuing. SimplyHired reports $79,283 as the national average salary for system administrators, with a range of $49,718 to $136,224. Indeed.com similarly reports that $76,942 is the average base salary for system administrators, while senior system administrators can expect an average salary of around $92,803.  

Building a dynamic IT skill set

IT systems are dynamic. They grow with companies and change with evolving technology. Therefore, it’s important for system administrators to nourish their skills. Certifications and training show you’re qualified to handle the responsibilities of your desired position while demonstrating your willingness to learn and grow. 

As you move through your career in system administration, you may want to branch into new specialties or software. Fortunately, in addition to receiving certifications, you can access many excellent courses and educational resources to help you continue to grow in your field. 

Ed Tittel and Kim Lindros contributed to the reporting and writing in this article.

• This past week ALX kicked off its inaugural tech training initiative, with 1 500 youth from South Africa a part of it.
• The company is targeting as many as 32 000 youth across the African continent.
• The initiative is being carried out in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, as ALX aims to create the continent’s largest pool of technical talent.

This past week technology training provider ALX held an event for its inaugural initiative to train youth in South Africa and the rest of the African continent.

The company had close to 1 500 local youth join it for the event, with ALX also targeting as many as 32 000 via this new initiative, which is being conducted thanks to a partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

“ALX’s in-person Karibu (meaning ‘welcome’ in Swahili) ceremonies took place simultaneously in eight cities across the continent: Casablanca, Morocco; Cairo, Egypt; Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; Kigali, Rwanda; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Nairobi, Kenya; as well as Johannesburg, South Africa,” it explained in a press release sent to Hypertext.

The company notes that orientation activities took place throughout the week at the Karibu as learners commenced their training in a suite of newly launched all-tech programmes. The programmes include data science, data analytics, cloud computing, and Salesforce administration, along with ALX’s blended learning software engineering programme.

“This first cohort of learners will receive training in some of the most in-demand skills of today, preparing them to launch and grow their careers in the global digital economy,” it added.

ALX says this initiative is designed to create the largest pool of technical skills in Africa, which remains a critical issue moving forward.

“By the end of this century, 40 percent of the world’s population will be African. Yet Africa only has 3 percent of the world’s software engineers. Given its abundance of young talent, we see Africa as well-positioned to solve the massive global shortage of technology skills. Our mission at ALX is to harness this wealth of human capital by developing millions of digital leaders from the continent in the next decade,” highlighted founder of ALX and CEO of African Leadership International, Fred Swaniker.

“Platforms like ALX are using the power of technology to provide a new kind of education that connects to a measurable need in the market. This is emblematic of the approach we at the Foundation take under our Young Africa Works strategy, which seeks to enable 30 million young people to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030,” added Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation.

With South African unemployment at an all-time high, here’s hoping this initiative can indeed develop much-needed skills and assist young people find the jobs they desperately want.

[Images – Provided]

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African Leadership International’s ALX, the leading tech skills training provider in Africa, has enrolled over 6,000 young Kenyans for its new tech training programs, showcasing the growing interest in technological skills and knowledge among the country’s youth. This significant enrollment comes as ALX expands its reach across the continent, with over 32,000 new tech learners joining programs in eight African countries.

The Kenyan cohort, comprising 6,322 individuals, will embark on training in a suite of newly launched all-tech programs offered by ALX. These programs include Data Science, Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Salesforce Administrator, and a blended learning Software Engineering program. Notably, more than half of the new learners have chosen to study data-related courses, indicating the increasing demand for data science and analytics skills in the job market.

ALX’s founder, Fred Swaniker, emphasized the potential of Africa’s young talent in addressing the global shortage of technology skills. Swaniker stated, “By the end of this century, 40% of the world’s population will be African. Yet Africa only has 3% of the world’s software engineers. Given its abundance of young talent, we see Africa as well-positioned to solve the massive global shortage of technology skills.”

In addition to the enrollment milestone, ALX Kenya has announced the opening of new tech hubs in Nairobi, marking the start of ALX’s blended learning model. These tech hubs aim to address the infrastructural challenges faced by many students by providing high-speed internet and stable electricity in accessible co-working spaces. The hubs will serve as productive environments for peer support, training, networking, and professional development.

Peter Muriithii, General Manager at ALX Kenya and The ROOM, explained, “Our new tech hubs will enable deepened training, cultivate growth, and build professional competencies needed for the ever-changing world of work. We intend the hubs to be a space where learners will be developed into well-rounded tech professionals, equipped with not only technical skills but also the soft skills that are crucial to succeed in high-growth industries.”

To welcome the thousands of new learners, ALX organized Karibu “Orientation” ceremonies as part of the onboarding activities. The first cohorts of learners will receive training in high-demand skills to prepare them for successful careers in the global digital economy.

Through a partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, ALX aims to address the predicted worldwide tech talent shortfall of over 85 million people by 2030 by building the largest pool of trained technical professionals in Africa. Since 2021, more than 85,000 learners have graduated from ALX, with approximately 85% of them finding employment within six months of completing their training. ALX also offers lifelong learning, mentorship, and career opportunities for its graduates.

Reeta Roy, President of the Mastercard Foundation, highlighted the importance of partnerships with organizations like ALX in advancing financial inclusion and education in Africa. She stated, “Together we can catalyze growth and the role of Africa in solving global challenges.”

ALX recognizes the significance of soft skills alongside technical skills in an increasingly automated workplace. Soft skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, adaptability, communication, collaboration, and leadership are crucial for professionals seeking to future-proof their careers. ALX’s new all-tech programs are designed to equip learners with the most in-demand hard and soft skills, ensuring they are well-prepared for the challenges and opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

ALX’s expansion and enrolment numbers in Kenya demonstrate the increasing interest and demand for tech training among young Kenyans. As Africa continues to harness its talent and bridge the tech skills gap, the continent is poised to play a significant role in shaping the global digital economy.

ALLIANZ SE, Singapore Branch, also known as Allianz Asia Pacific or “Azap,” announced it tapped the business school Institut Européen d’ Administration des Affaires (Insead) “to create a training and certification program aimed at transforming and upskilling the organization’s ‘life and health’ business agency salesforce.”

The insurer didn’t disclose the value of its contract with Insead.

According to the insurer, the 6-month program “is a performance-based qualification initiative that recognizes and rewards the top-performing agents across seven markets in Asia and is designed to upskill and revolutionize the learning experience of agents licensed in the ‘life and health’ business.”

“Specially designed and co-created by Allianz and Insead, the program follows a hybrid training model comprising of both online and face to face content,” the insurer’s statement read.

Allianz said it expects the curriculum to cover “a wide range of subjects from organizational leadership and customer management to marketing, sales and business strategy, agents will also be able to engage with their peers across the region through proven educational pedagogies and expand their network while learning from one another.”

“This innovative approach aims to provide a holistic professional development experience for agents and accelerate the development of next-generation leaders in the industry.”

“Fully sponsored by [Azap], the program offers agents the latest skills and knowledge to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry,” the firm said. “Top qualifiers will also have the chance to complete their training program at the Insead campus in France, exchanging learning experiences with their counterparts for a truly global educational experience.”

The program, which is the first of its kind, will be carried out in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand, the insurer said.

Image credits: Allianz SE, Singapore Branch

Ace Info Solutions (AceInfo), demonstrates deep domain expertise in data, cloud, and cybersecurity support capabilities. It offers a wide selection of scalable and advanced information technology services to enable various clients in private and federal agencies to fulfill crucial missions.

Learn about the top government contracts won by Ace Info Solutions below.

1. Transportation Security Administration’s Contract for Flexible Scalable Teams Program

Photo by Tara Molle from Flickr.com

Contracting activity: Transportation Security Administration

Value: $48 million

Contract type: Alliant 2 Task Order

Contract date: 2020

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) awarded AceInfo the Flexible Scalable Teams (FAST) program contract on June 25, 2020. The Alliant 2 Task Order contract is worth $48 million and comes with the program’s Operations Support portfolio.

The FAST program contract bolsters the development of Agile software design, development, and production for various applications across the TSA, such as a.) microservices, b.) mobile applications, c.) software-as-a-service (SaaS) and d.) platform-as-a-service (PaaS).

2. U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Contract for Crop Insurance Software Delivery Services

Photo by Around the World Photos from Shutterstock.com

Contracting activity: U.S. Department of Agriculture (with the Farm Production and Conservation and Risk Management Agency)

Value: $59 million

Contract date: 2020

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, together with the Farm Production and Conservation and the Risk Management Agency, chose AceInfo to fulfill a task order for the Crop Insurance Software Development Delivery Services. The contract has an estimated value of $59 million and lasts one base year plus three option years.

Under the task order, AceInfo will provide a complete suite of software development services that support these tasks: a.) production and distribution of innovative crop insurance products, b.) sustainment and overhaul of current tools and applications for crop production and c.) modernization, deployment, development, and maintenance of IT structures.

3. U.S. Department of Agriculture Blanket Purchase Agreement for IT Support Services

Photo by oceanfishing from Shutterstock.com

Contracting activity: USDA

Value: $450 million

Contract type: Blanket purchase agreement

Contract date: 2020

In July 2020, the USDA granted Ace Info Solutions a prime contract for the Department of Agriculture IT Support Services. The blanket purchase agreement, worth $450 million, remains valid for five years.

AceInfo’s responsibilities involve implementing a wide range of IT service delivery support for various federal agencies and offices within the USDA. The services required include enabling delivery services, strategic IT management, cloud hosting, websites, applications, IT security, software, hardware and compliance.

4. U.S. Army Contracting Command Contract for IT Enterprise Solutions-3 Services

Photo from www.army.mil

Contracting activity: U.S. Army Contracting Command

Value: $12.1 billion

Contract type: Indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity 

Contract date: 2018

In 2018, AceInfo secured the Information Technology Enterprise Solutions 3 Services (ITES-3S) program contract from the U.S. Army Contracting Command agreement, operating under indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity terms, is valued at $12.1 billion and spans five base years with an additional four individual option years.

As part of the IDIQ deal, AceInfo performs cybersecurity, consolidation, integration, telecommunications, education, training, supply chain management, business process engineering and operation and maintenance.

5. Defense Information Systems Agency’s ENCORE III Contract

Photo by US Air Force Airman 1st Class Krystal Ardrey from C41SRNET.com

Contracting activity: Defense Information Systems Agency

Value: $17.5 billion

Contract type: Multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity

Contract date: 2017

In 2017, the Defense Information Systems Agency awarded AceInfo the ENCORE III contract. AceInfo is tasked to perform a wide selection of IT capabilities for the US Department of Defense under the contract, such as cybersecurity assessment, network support, requirements analysis, cloud professional services and many more. The hybrid contract also includes procuring hardware, software and licenses necessary to implement the required tasks.

AceInfo was awarded a potential contract value of $17.5 billion and will continue to deliver IT solutions to the DoD until 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ace Info Solutions?

Ace Info Solutions is a full IT services company owned by Dovel Technologies, which is in turn owned by Guidehouse as of 2021. The company was founded in 2000 by Jay Challa, the current chief executive officer and Nar Koppula, the former president and vice president of technology.

Ace Info Solutions has partnerships certifications with Microsoft, Salesforce, Red Hat and Amazon Web Services.

What services does AceInfo offer?

Ace Info Solutions offers agile software development, cloud engineering, data center support, systems modernization, DevSeCops and data analytics.

Where is Ace Info Solutions’ headquarters?

Ace Info Solutions is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, and has other offices across the United States.

Ace Info Solutions Government Contracts: Empowering Customer Success, Fostering Employee Growth and Cultivating a Culture of Innovation

Photo of Dovel Technologies Headquarters from www.aceinfosolutions.com

Ace Info Solutions continues to work with federal agencies to advance IT capabilities to clients needing versatile and efficient digital methods for business development and mission success. Through different government contracts, AceInfo promotes employee growth, customer success and a culture of innovation among clients.

Managing many projects and tasks may be challenging in the hectic world of education. Whether you’re a teacher or an administrator, keeping track of deadlines, assigning work, and ensuring timely completion may be challenging.

Yet, there’s no need to worry, as technology has given us a wide range of project management tools that may assist in streamlining and simplifying the process.

In this blog article, we’ll examine the best project management solutions for educational institutions, which may boost your productivity to new heights. So, fasten your seatbelt and get ready to change how you handle tasks!

8 Best Project Management Tools for Educational Institutes

• Monday.com - Best Project Management Tool for Educational Institutes Overall
• ClickUp - Best for Flexible Task Management
• Asana - Best for Collaboration and Communication
• Wrike - Best for Project Tracking
• Zoho Projects - Best for Budget-Friendliness
• Trello - Best for a Simple, Intuitive Interface
• Teamwork - Best for Advanced Features
• Smartsheet - Best for Customization

We considered several aspects, including features, the convenience of use, cost, customer service, and user reviews, to determine educational institutions’ top project management solutions.

We also looked at how well each tool could handle the special requirements of educational institutions, such as coordinating several projects, working with a team, and monitoring student progress.

We made sure to give a thorough and impartial evaluation of each tool by basing our rankings on a mix of objective standards and subjective analysis.

Monday.com - Best Project Management Tool for Educational Institutions Overall

Fees: Starting at $8/mo

Star rating: 4.9/5

Because of its user-friendly and adaptable platform, Monday.com is a leading project management solution for educational institutions. Teams may use it to build visual workflows, keep track of projects and due dates in real-time, and efficiently communicate.

To help educational institutions expedite their project management procedures, Monday.com also provides integration with various additional applications and platforms. Also, Monday.com offers comprehensive documentation and training resources and first-rate customer service by email, phone, and chat.

Due to its user-friendly design and comprehensive capabilities, it’s an excellent option for educational institutions wanting to handle several projects, work with team members, and monitor student progress.

Overall, any educational institution seeking to enhance its project management procedures will find Monday.com invaluable.

Pros:

• Easy to use and personalize intuitive UI
• Several features for managing teams, projects, and tasks
• File sharing, comments, and notification options for collaboration
• Integration with other programs and tools like Slack and Google Drive
• Smartphone app for access when traveling

Cons:

• For individuals or small teams, pricing might be prohibitive
• There are few choices for modification for certain aspects, such as task dependencies
• no time-tracking functionality
• Features for reporting may be stronger
• a brief trial period of freedom

Education-Specific Features

The highly flexible project management tool Monday.com provides capabilities tailored specifically for the education sector, such as grade monitoring, lesson planning, student progress tracking, resource management, and extensive collaboration and communication tools.

These capabilities make it simple for educational institutions to handle several projects, monitor student progress, and enhance teacher-student communication.

Integrations

Add Zapier-accessible project management tools such as Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Jira, GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Typeform, and many more.

Plans & Pricing

• Individual: Free for up to two seats.
• Basic: $8/user/month (billed annually), best for small teams.
• Standard: $10/user/month (billed annually), best for managing work.
• Pro: $16/user/month (billed annually), best for companies to connect with teams.
• Enterprise: Best for organizations to run and scale workflow, Contact Monday.com for pricing.

ClickUp - Best Flexible Project Management Tool for Educational Institutions

Fee: Starting at $5/mo

Star rating: 4.6/5

One platform for organizing and finishing all of your team’s tasks is ClickUp, a sophisticated project management tool. Users may organize projects, assign tasks, and manage resources with a centralized workspace. They can also communicate and work together with team members and visitors.

The task organization function in ClickUp may be handy for organizations that need to handle several tasks and projects. Students and instructors may use ClickUp to make various lists for every Topic and arrange assignments appropriately. They may prioritize assignments depending on their relevance and due dates, which not only helps them stay on top of their workload, not to mention ClickUp is one of the best PM software for time-tracking.

They may establish reminders and deadlines to ensure they do their assignment on time. The task organizing function in ClickUp may assist students in staying on top of their workload and lessen the strain of handling several tasks.

Pros:

• Free plan for everyone, forever
• Strong characteristics
• More than a thousand fusions
• Sophisticated task management
• Manage difficult tasks with ease
• Ready-made templates
• There are several viewpoints
• Several alternatives for automation

Cons:

• For tiny firms, the top tiers might be rather expensive
• It’s not always easy to monitor time
• Might be too much for first-time users
• The smartphone app lacks a lot of intuitiveness

Education-Specific Features

Another project management solution with features tailored to the educational sector is ClickUp.

These capabilities include time monitoring and reporting to monitor student development, customized templates for lesson preparation and grade tracking, and a unified platform for resource management.

Assigning projects and giving feedback are only two collaboration and communication tools that ClickUp provides, making it simple for instructors and students to collaborate successfully.

ClickUp is an excellent option for educational institutions wishing to streamline their project management procedures and monitor student progress because of its education-specific capabilities.

Integrations

Add native connectors with Dropbox, G Suite, Slack, and many more applications in addition to the more than 1,000 Zapier integrations.

Plans & Pricing

• Free Forever: Free seat for personal use.
• Unlimited: $5/user/month (billed annually), best for small teams.
• Business: $12/user/month (billed annually), best for mid-sized companies.
• Business Plus: $19/user/month (billed annually), best for multiple teams.
• Enterprise: Best for many large teams. Contact ClickUp for pricing.

Asana - Best Collaboration and Communication Project Management Tool for Educational Institutions

Fee: Starting at $10.99/mo

Star rating: 4.3/5

Create a workplace culture of proactivity with the help of Asana. You can stay on top of everything at your school or institution when you use Asana, among the best project management tools designed specifically for the education sector.

With Asana, you will get all the content, whether a whole new assignment or the regular class work. You will no longer have to worry about missing deadlines thanks to the synchronization of your calendars and the clutter-free administration performed via a single dashboard.

You would be incorrect if you thought utilizing this web program for project management consisted entirely of labor with no potential for enjoyment. Asana provides educational institutions with the tools necessary to rigorously arrange and manage both their courses and their students’ work.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Powerful tools for teamwork
• Flexibility in project management
• Customized processes

Cons:

• A limited number of reporting options
• The slope of the learning
• Few opportunities for modification
• Many notifications

Education-Specific Features

Additional capabilities include task lists for monitoring student progress, customized templates for lesson preparation and project management, and creating and monitoring deadlines.

Asana also provides collaboration and communication tools, making it simple for instructors and students to collaborate successfully. These tools include assigning assignments to students, providing feedback, and interacting in real-time.

Asana also connects with various other programs and platforms, making controlling every facet of educational initiatives from a single, central spot simple. Overall, Asana is a great option for educational institutions aiming to simplify their project management procedures and enhance cooperation between professors and students because of its education-specific features.

Integrations

Asana is simple to use with other applications since it connects with several well-known third-party programs, including Google Drive, Slack, and Zapier.

Plans & Pricing

• Basic: Free for individual use or small teams.
• Premium: $10.99/user/month (billed annually), best for teams to create project plans.
• Business: $24.99/user/month (billed annually), best for companies to manage.

Wrike - Best Education Project Management Software for Project Tracking

Fee: Starting at $9.80/mo

Star rating: 4/5

Wrike is an effective project management program especially beneficial for educational institutions. Wrike’s user-friendly design and comprehensive capabilities make it simple for teachers, administrators, and students to organize projects, monitor progress, and communicate successfully.

Wrike has several features designed specifically for educators, such as customized templates for project management and lesson preparation, task lists for monitoring student progress, and can monitor deadlines.

Moreover, Wrike interfaces with many other programs and platforms, making overseeing all facets of school projects from one area simple.

Pros:

• Simple to use
• Account kinds specifically for professional services
• may oversee ongoing tasks as well as initiatives
• New intelligence features flag projects that could fail

Cons:

• Greater learning curve
• Costly in comparison to other tools
• A few tools may only be purchased as an upgrade or add-on feature

Education-Specific Features

Wrike is a great project management solution for educational institutions since it has several features designed specifically for use in the classroom. Additional capabilities include task lists for monitoring student progress, customized templates for lesson preparation and project management, and creating and monitoring deadlines.

Wrike’s sophisticated reporting and analytics features let educational institutions monitor development and evaluate the efficiency of their project management procedures. Wrike also provides collaboration and communication tools, making it simple for instructors and students to collaborate successfully. These features include assigning assignments to students, giving feedback, and interacting in real-time.

Moreover, Wrike’s cloud-based platform makes it simple to access projects and collaborate with others from anywhere, making it the perfect solution for dispersed teams and remote learning.

Integrations

In addition to the most popular file management systems from Google, Dropbox, Salesforce, and sales and marketing platforms from Salesforce and Marketo, Wrike provides more than 400 native pre-built integrations.

Plans & Pricing

• Free: $0 for teams getting started
• Team: $9.8/user/month (billed annually), best for growing teams
• Business: $24.8/user/month (billed annually), best for all teams across an organization
• Enterprise: Best for large teams. Contact Wrike for pricing
• Pinnacle: Best for teams with complex work. Contact Wrike for pricing

Zoho Projects - Best Budget-Friendly Project Management Tool for Educational Institutions

Fee: Starting from $4/mo

Star rating: 3.9/5

Zoho Projects includes cutting-edge technologies like Task Automation, which automates monotonous operations like reminding users of deadlines and assigning tasks, and Project Timesheets, which help project managers track the time spent on tasks and provide reports.

Task lists, milestones, Gantt charts, and file sharing are just a few features that make it easier for students to collaborate, track progress, and communicate with professors.

By combining Zoho Projects with other programs, the project management process for students may be made even more efficient and reliable.

Pros:

• Affordable subscription plans
• Strong quality
• The UI is recognizable to existing Zoho customers, and the package value is excellent
• Has a 5-user limit on the free plan
• Apps from Google and Zoho have integrated
• Timekeeping for hourly billing

Cons:

• It might be difficult to use Gantt charts
• Reporting systems are useless for large teams
• There are no substitutes for exporting specific file formats
• There are some missing reporting features
• Not QuickBooks compatible

Education-Specific Features

With various features designed especially for use in schools, Zoho Projects is a helpful project management platform for educational organizations.

Other features include task lists for tracking student progress, personalized templates for planning lessons and managing projects, and the ability to set and track deadlines. Moreover, Zoho Projects provides resource management features that help educational institutions efficiently manage their resources, such as textbooks, instructional materials, and computer hardware.

Zoho Projects offers collaboration and communication capabilities that make it easier for teachers and students to work together, such as leaving comments and providing tasks to students.

In addition, Zoho Projects provides complex reporting and analytics capabilities that enable academic institutions to track their progress and Boost their project management processes.

Integrations

You may link to numerous of Zoho’s other services, including Zoho Books and the financial suite, if you are a member of the Zoho ecosystem.

Third-party connectors, such as those with Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Zapier, Zendesk, and ServiceNow, are also supported by the new Zoho marketplace. Also supported are integrations using Zoho Flow and Zapier.

Plans & Pricing

• Free: $0 for up to three users.
• Premium: $4/user/month (billed annually), with a free 10-day trial.
• Enterprise: $9/user/month (billed annually), with a free 10-day trial.

Trello - Best Education Project Management Tool for a Simple and Intuitive Interface

Fee: Starting from $5/mo

Star rating: 3.6/5

One excellent project management tool for educational institutions is Trello. Thanks to its user-friendly layout, students and instructors can simply keep track of their assignments, due dates, and progress. By adding notes and attachments to their boards, they may collaborate with classmates and manage their course materials in one location.

Trello also has strong features like Power-ups that let users connect it to other productivity programs like Google Drive, Evernote, and Slack. Moreover, automation rules may be used to automate monotonous duties, which makes managing their academic assignments much simpler.

Overall, Trello is a fantastic alternative for organizations looking for a simple but powerful project management application to keep them organized and on top of their work.

Pros:

• You May get insightful automation advice based on your regular behaviors
• Your board might have a lot of Power Ups
• Support across platforms
• Cloud-based
• Team assistance

Cons:

• Not dependable for reporting in-depth
• Customers’ complaints about having trouble contacting help
• Absence of built-in time monitoring capabilities
• Not appropriate for complicated tasks

Education-Specific Features

Trello is a tool for managing projects that is suitable for use in educational institutions. It includes tools for collaboration and communication, as well as a card-based system, as well as templates that can be customized, task lists, the ability to create and monitor due dates, and a method for organizing information using cards.

These components are essential for managing educational assignments, and they’re especially beneficial for students who are more visually oriented. By connecting with various software programs and web-based services, Trello makes arranging all aspects of academic work straightforward in a single area.

Trello is an excellent tool for educational institutions that want to Boost their project management processes and communication between students and teachers.

Integration

Trello is also simple to use in conjunction with other tools since it integrates with a wide variety of popular third-party applications, like Google Drive, Slack, and GitHub.

Plans & Pricing

• Free: $0 for your whole team.
• Standard: $5/user/month (billed annually), best for small teams.
• Premium: $10/user/month (billed annually), best for teams to track multiple projects.
• Enterprise: $17.5/user/month (billed annually), best for organizations to connect work across teams.

Teamwork - Best Education Project Management Tool for Advanced Features

Fee: Starting from $9.99/mo

Star rating: 3.3/5

Teamwork is a platform for project management helpful for the educational sector, which has to handle complicated projects with several team members. Teamwork’s extensive features make it simple to cooperate with others and keep track of the specifics of a project. This is one of the most significant benefits of using Teamwork.

Teamwork, for instance, provides capabilities such as time tracking, which enables users to monitor how much time is required for each activity and maintain a consistent level of compliance with deadlines.

Moreover, it provides Gantt charts, which make it simple to see a project’s schedule and locate any possible bottlenecks in the process. In addition, Teamwork makes it possible to create project templates, which can then be modified to meet the user’s individual requirements and save time throughout the project setup process.

Another one of Teamwork’s many benefits is the robust integrations it offers. Integrations with other applications, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Slack, are available to platform users.

This makes it simple to interact with other team members, exchange data, and maintain organization across different platforms.

Pros:

• Paid plans allow an unlimited number of participants
• It’s completely free to use
• All programs come with a free 30-day trial
• Clientele cap-free
• Large amounts of space for paying accounts
• Budget monitoring
• Functionalities for managing clients, such as billing

Cons:

• Not many plug-ins
• This free tier has a few features
• A lot more expensive than its rivals
• Lower grades have fewer security options

Education-Specific Features

Teamwork comes with moveable templates, task lists, deadlines, real-time project progress overviews, Gantt charts, resource management tools, and connectivity with Google Drive, among other features.

These capabilities make it easier for teachers to organize projects, keep track of their student’s progress, and collaborate productively with one another. Schools that wish to enhance their project management processes and simplify their procedures might use teamwork as an excellent resource to accomplish these goals.

Integration

Integrations are available for Teamwork with a wide variety of popular technologies, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and Slack. Because of its extensive capabilities and intuitive design, it is straightforward to use.

Plans & Pricing

• Free Forever: $0 for up to 5 users.
• Deliver: $9.99/user/month (billed annually), best for basic project management.
• Grow: $17.99/user/month (billed annually), best for complex projects.
• Scale: Best for a customized plan. Contact Teamwork for pricing.

Smartsheet - Best Education Project Management Tool for Customization

Fee: Starting from $7/mo

Star rating: 3/5

Students can access a wide range of advantages when using Smartsheet, a platform for managing projects and collaborating with others. The adaptability and personalization possibilities of Smartsheet are two of the program’s most notable strengths. The platform provides various customizable templates that may be adapted to meet the requirements of specific students and projects. These templates vary from group assignments to class schedules.

Students can work together in real-time on projects and assignments because of Smartsheet’s built-in collaboration facilities, another advantage of using the program. This includes monitoring progress, posting comments on files, and sharing files with others. These characteristics are beneficial for group projects and assignments in which many students may be working on the same job simultaneously.

In addition, Smartsheet provides its users with additional capabilities like automated workflows, reporting, and analytics, as well as connectivity with several other productivity tools. Students may benefit from this by streamlining their project management, increasing their productivity, and gaining vital insights into how they are progressing and performing overall.

Pros:

• User-friendliness of the UI
• Comprehensive paperwork and access to support the onboarding process
• Templates for projects and automation that have already been prebuilt, so you can start working right away
• Sheet-to-sheet connecting

Cons:

• A few of the tools are add-ons, which means that you will need to make an extra payment
• The Enterprise membership is required to access certain security features
• The higher-tier plans are the only ones with access to premium assistance

Education-Specific Features

There are editable lesson plans and project management templates, to-do lists for keeping tabs on students’ development, and deadline reminders.

Teachers and students may easily collaborate thanks to Smartsheet’s assignment and feedback capabilities and other collaboration and communication tools. Smartsheet also has sophisticated reporting features that may help teachers examine project data and make educated judgments.

Integration

Integrations with Microsoft Office and Google Apps, as well as Jira and other critical development tools and valuable business software like Salesforce, ServiceNow, Slack, Box, and Tableau, are available on the platform. The platform’s REST API and webhooks simplify integrating with other services and tailor the interface to your specific needs.

Plans & Pricing

• Free: $0 for up to one user and two editors.
• Pro: $7/user/month (billed annually), best for teams with unlimited viewers.
• Business: $25/user/month (billed annually), best for projects with unlimited editors.
• Enterprise: Best for large teams, contact Smartsheet for pricing.

Our Ranking Methodology for the Best Project Management Tools for Educational Institutes

We ranked the best project management software for universities based on the following criteria:

• Features: We compared each project management application’s features and overall quality. This process evaluated features including task management, group collaboration, file sharing, time tracking, and reporting. We compared each service’s capacity to help teams organize their work, stay on schedule, coordinate their efforts, and exchange information and files among themselves.

• Ease of use: We compared the features and effectiveness of several tools for managing projects. Task management, group collaboration, file sharing, time monitoring, and detailed reports were some of the tested features. We compared the various tools based on their capacity to facilitate project management, deadline setting, work allocation, team communication, progress monitoring, and file sharing.

• Pricing: We calculated the total price for each project management tool, including any hidden or extra charges that could be incurred. We looked at the features and cost of each tool and made an informed decision based on our findings. We also examined whether the tool provided a free trial or a refund policy.

• Customer support: We checked each tool’s availability and quality of client service. We looked at all the ways to get in touch with customer service and ranked them. We rated the customer service team’s timeliness and quality based on our own experiences and those of other users.

• User reviews: To gauge user happiness and spot recurring problems, we looked at feedback from the community. To fully comprehend the benefits and drawbacks of each technology, we read evaluations written by academic institutions and other sorts of organizations. We also checked to see whether each tool actively attempted to incorporate user input into product development.

• Educational-specific features: We looked at how well each instrument could accommodate schools’ specific requirements. We compared each tool’s ability to handle various projects, facilitate teamwork, monitor student development, and evaluate educational results. We also looked at tools like grade books and lesson planners tailored to schools’ needs.

Using these factors, we were able to provide an in-depth, unbiased evaluation of each program and recommend the best project management software for academic institutions.

Best Project Management Tool for Educational Institutions – Buyer’s Guide

How You Can Use Project Management Tools for Education?

The use of software that can manage projects has become more crucial in the world of academia. These tools provide a variety of helpful features, which may increase the efficiency and efficacy of the educational process for all parties involved.

It’s possible that adopting project management software to keep track of all of their responsibilities would be beneficial to not just instructors and professors but also administrators and even students. Including calendar functionalities in project management software is one of the most helpful features available.

This function may assist in the planning of extracurricular activities, classroom lectures, and curriculum objectives for administrative staff members and instructors. Students may utilize the task management features of project management software to keep track of their classes, assignments, and projects.

If they’re working on a group assignment, they can even use these features to collaborate with other group members. Another essential feature given by project management software is the ability to handle files.

It’s no longer necessary for professors or students to submit work via distinct apps or email addresses. These practices have been discontinued. Instead, everything can be kept, accessed, and managed inside the platform, which makes it easier for all of the parties involved to maintain track of their duties and the progress they have made.

Schools may employ project management software to certain a seamless transition as they move more and more of their course offerings online as the trend continues.

What Features Do Project Management Tools Offer?

The following is a list of the essential functions included in project management software:

• Collaboration: Allows team members to interact, collaborate, and exchange media assets easily.
• Reporting/project tracking: Provides a dashboard for managing tasks, projects, and expenses, delegating work to team members, and generating reports on productivity.
• Task management: Gives an up-to-date report on the status of certain tasks.

Why Would an Educator Benefit From Project Management Software?

A project manager, similar to a teacher’s aide, will utilize software to organize a long list of tasks, due dates, and other pertinent information to stay on top of all that has to be done. It makes it possible to handle tasks in great detail, which assists teachers in maintaining their competitive edge in class preparation and monitoring the overall progress of their pupils.

When students and teachers work together on projects that need contributions from several people, the collaborative nature of project management software makes it easier to maintain open lines of communication between the two groups.

Best Project Management Tool for Educational Institutions – Frequently Asked Questions

These are our most commonly asked inquiries to assist in resolving your issues.

Is Your Software Built for a Higher Education Institute?

A centralized calendar for managing work schedules, Gantt charts for developing and planning academic projects, and task management for allocating responsibilities to staff members during events are all features that would benefit school administrators and faculty from the project management tool you purchase.

Inquire of potential suppliers about whether or not their product has enhancements that might be useful to your school.

Does Your Software Offer Reporting and Analytics?

Reporting and analytics tools provide teachers with the ability to compile student progress reports. It also allows for monitoring departmental budget needs and provides insights into student recruiting rates for school administrators. Hence, while looking at different possibilities for project management software, be sure it has this function.

Bottom Line on Best Project Management Tool for Educational Institutions

The following are our recommended resources for educational project management. When settling on a piece of software, it’s important to think about factors like cost, the sorts of connections your business offers, and the characteristics of the project management service.

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The Salesforce services market is set to top US$ 13 Billion in 2022 and is predicted to expand at a stupendous CAGR of 14.4% to reach a valuation of US$ 33.5 Billion by 2029. Salesforce services currently account for a 2% share in the global IT services market. Market development is mainly forced by the increasing adoption of salesforce services in the BFSI industry.

As Salesforce services defy the ‘one-size-fits-all’ concept, service providers are offering end-to-end assistance to help end-users get services that are best suited to their requirements. With thousands of Salesforce implementations across multiple enterprises, the Salesforce service providers are extensively focusing on creating impactful experiences to generate substantial profits.

Opportunities galore for manufacturers with the increasing focus of businesses on improved customer engagement and interaction – key imperative driving growth and profitability amid competitive spaces.

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Some of the highly-effective Salesforce offerings- marketing cloud, commerce cloud, and community cloud to name a few- have gained immense popularity over the years, which is further nudging businesses to choose Salesforce services for long-term returns.

North America – A Hub of Opportunities for Service Providers

According to the report, the increasing adoption of Salesforce services in the BFSI sector is likely to continue, making it one of the most lucrative verticals for Salesforce service vendors. Over the years, the focus of BFSI is shifting toward fruitful customer engagement in real-time and across any device. This, in turn, is pushing the demand for the adoption of Salesforce services in BFSI, thereby giving new opportunities for the Salesforce service vendors to reap profits.

Growth prospects for the Salesforce services, as the report opines, are high in North America, particularly in the US. In addition, the adoption of Salesforce services in Western Europe is estimated to intensify by the end of 2029, which is likely to encourage the vendors to solidify their service capabilities.

As far as growth and expansion are concerned, strategic business partnerships and acquisitions will continue to be the best way forward for vendors. Those alliances will lay the foundation for bespoke innovations to come to the fore, thereby creating a ‘win-win’ for both parties involved. Considering the challenges enterprises face in terms of Salesforce deployment, key service providers active in the market will continue to focus on offering unmatched support and assistance in a bid to ensure client satisfaction and engagement.

In addition, Salesforce service providers will also continue to center on getting ‘Salesforce service certifications’ to reap benefits in the long run, as these certifications will not only help them strengthen their core competencies but also expand their client bases.

Competitive Landscape

Since there are so many companies actively providing salesforce services, the nature of the market has become quite competitive. SAP SE, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Salesforce.com Inc., Adobe Inc., DXC Technology, Accenture PLC, IBM Corporation, Pegasystems Inc., Verint Systems Inc., Tata Consultancy Services Limited, and AT&T Inc. are some of the leading salesforce service companies.

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Key Segments of Salesforce Services Industry Survey

Salesforce Services Market by Type of Service:

Planning

• Advisory Services
• Change Management

Implementation

• Integrated Services
• Custom Application Development
• Application Modernisation and Data Migration
• Testing Services

Manage

• Monitoring
• Upgrade
• Governance
• Helpdesk
• Training
• BPO

Salesforce Services Market by Application:

• Sales Cloud
• Service Cloud
• Marketing Cloud
• App Cloud
• Commerce Cloud
• Analytics

Salesforce Services Market by Vertical:

• Salesforce Services in BFSI
• Salesforce Services in Healthcare and Life Sciences
• Salesforce Services in Media and Telecom
• Salesforce Services in Retail and CPG
• Salesforce Services in Government
• Salesforce Services in Manufacturing
• Salesforce Services in High Technology
• Salesforce Services in Energy & Utilities

Salesforce Services by Region:

• North America Salesforce Services Market
• Latin America Salesforce Services Market
• Europe Salesforce Services Market
• East Asia Salesforce Services Market
• South Asia & Pacific Salesforce Services Market
• Middle East & Africa (MEA) Salesforce Services Market

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary | Salesforce Services Market

1.1. Global Market Outlook

1.2. Market Trends

1.3. Market Analysis

1.4. Market Recommendations

2. Market Overview

2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy

2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations

3. Market Background

3.1. Macro-Economic Factors

3.2. Forecast Factors – Relevance & Impact

3.3. Value Chain

3.4. Market Dynamics

3.4.1. Drivers

3.4.2. Restraints

3.4.3. Opportunity Analysis

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Future Market Insights, Inc. (ESOMAR certified, Stevie Award – recipient market research organization, and a member of Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) provides in-depth insights into governing factors elevating the demand in the market. It discloses opportunities that will favor the market growth in various segments on the basis of Source, Application, Sales Channel, and End Use over the next 7 years.

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To choose a project management software, consider each provider’s cost and added fees, overall features and functionality offerings, reporting, integration capabilities, necessary features vs. feature overload, customer reviews and customer support. In this section, we walk you through how to approach this assessment.

Essential Project Management Software Features

Project management software has basic features that most projects need to be successful. However, extra or unique features make some software options better for certain teams or businesses. It’s important to do your research to understand what unique features might make your project more successful based on your team approach, type of business or type of project. Some highly utilized project management tools and features include:

• Budget planning tools. Budget planning tools allow you to upload your set budget, then track expenses and invoices to compare project costs to the planned budget. By tracking this variance, you can determine if you are running into a budgeting problem. Financial forecasting tools further help you to ensure you don’t run over budget or, worse, have to stop the project because of a lack of funds.
• Resource management tools. Resource utilization tools allow you to plan, track and record where resources—such as your talent—are used in the project’s execution. In doing so, it helps to reveal gaps in availability or when certain team members are overused (risking burnout), then adjust resource allocation to prevent problems.
• Task management features. Task management features include automations (that eliminate redundant tasks from to-do lists). Examples include automating invoicing, the identification of critical project changes and managing project workflows. Other task management tools include boards (to visualize moving tasks through their stages to completion), calendars, timeline views, scheduling, task tracking and task prioritization.
• Risk management features. Common project risks include finishing over budget, with a lower-quality outcome than expected or not finishing on time. Many tools within a project management software can help you balance competing demands to finish the project as intended, including critical path charts, checklists, scheduling tools, cost breakdowns, cost variance reports and timelines.
• Reports and charts. Project management software offers digital charts for planning, tracking and readjusting your projects’ timelines, budget and quality as needed. For example, Kanban charts show tasks on a timeline board and their status. Gantt charts also give an overview of a project’s timeline complete with its phases, tasks and outputs. You can gather or feed data into these charts to update in real-time.
• Mobile app. Mobile apps help teams easily track, manage and deliver project deliverables from anywhere, helping to ensure all members are always in the know no matter where they are. Real-time knowledge can help them make smart decisions that keep projects progressing as planned. Apps also offer personalized content so team members know the tasks, activities and milestones they must complete each day.
• Integrations. Integrations help to boost a project management software’s performance and cater to your needs. Slack and Google Drive integrations, for example, allow team members to collaborate within the software on project deliverables. And, Stripe allows your team to invoice clients for deliverables. Many project management software offer hundreds or even thousands of integration options.
• Client management tools. Many project management software offer various features for including your clients in the project’s execution, keeping them up to date on the project’s status and maintaining a professional relationship. Such tools include video-conferencing tools, invoicing and the ability to add clients as users to the project management software while maintaining control over what they can and cannot see.
• Collaboration tools. Many project management platforms offer tools to help project execution team members work together seamlessly, even across locations. Some come in the form of integrations, such as Slack. Others, however, are built in. Such built-in tools often include shared calendars, group chats, document sharing, chat forums and team email.
• Demos and team feedback. Project management software may have all the right features but, if your team isn’t comfortable with it, it may underperform in project execution. For this reason, many software programs offer demos your team can use to test them, even allowing you to pilot them in a real project. From there, you can gather team feedback to learn the software’s appropriateness for your team and needs.

Ease of Use

Look for tools and designs that can help your organization use the software easier, despite barriers such as little knowledge of best practices or a cumbersome number of tasks that must be completed on a daily basis. Choosing the right ease-of-use features for your organization depends on many factors, including your company’s tech-savviness and size. However, some ease-of-use features commonly used by small to mid-sized companies are:

• Templates. Project management software templates incorporate project management best practices.
• Learning materials and opportunities. Software knowledge bases allow project managers and team members to learn how to expertly implement the software’s features based on layman’s terms definitions, videos and more. Demos are another opportunity to learn via often live interaction with software experts who know how to present its features and answer questions in layman’s terms.
• Automation. Automations make complex tasks instant and effortless by taking repetitive and often tedious tasks out of human hands. Less hands-on interaction makes the software’s involvement in project management easier to manage. Preset automation recipes make this ease-of-use feature even more intuitive.
• Mobile apps. Logistically, mobile apps make using the software easier by facilitating the gathering and dissemination of necessary information and helping team members complete tasks in a timely manner. Project field practitioners, for example, can update pertinent information on a project’s status without having to hold up the project to go back to the office to input such data.

Reporting and Analytics

Reporting within project management software presents key data in a meaningful way to help you understand the success or needed improvements in your projects. The best project management software offer dashboards that break down data in the form of graphs, tables and the like to make gleaning insights from the data instant and intuitive.

Determine the types of key performance indicators (KPIs) you may need to track and the types of needed reports to help you track them. Then, when evaluating your considered software, explore its reporting and analytics options and dashboards to determine if they have what you need.

Common reports that may be helpful in a project management software include project status, health, team availability, risk, variance and timeline reports. Common KPIs include percentage of tasks completed, return on investment (ROI), schedule variance, planned vs. genuine hours and the planned project value.

Next, evaluate whether the software will continue to meet your needs by exploring whether you can customize the reports or dashboards to meet needs as they arise. Customization options may include the ability to add or remove columns or create new reporting views.

Customer Reviews

Customer reviews offer real-world insights into what it is like to use your considered software and do business with its provider. Search your considered software on tech review sites such as Capterra and TrustRadius. Read the reviews of past and current users. As you do, you are likely to learn the glitches the software experiences, hidden costs not highlighted on the provider’s website and how the software compares to competitor solutions.

Customer Support

Access to quality customer support ensures that should a glitch happen in the software, your entire project isn’t derailed. To learn more about your chosen provider’s customer support, search for it on review sites such as TrustRadius and look at the company’s plans to understand what will be available to you and when. Aim to at least ensure support will be responsive during your normal business hours and via the mediums your team is accustomed to using.

Business Size Considerations

As you look at the feature set, remember that startups have different needs in project management software than do large enterprises. For example, enterprise companies may need to manage projects with execution steps that span the globe, while startup projects are more likely to span one or two locations. Demos can help you determine what tools are useful for your organization’s size and which will unnecessarily create a steeper learning curve.

Though one software plan or tool may be best for your organization at your current size, those needs are likely to change as you grow. For example, as you grow, you may need a software or plan with greater automation capabilities to scale operations or greater file storage capacity. So, while it is important to choose a software without unnecessary features, it is equally important to choose one that will continue meeting your feature needs as they grow.