If you work on a project together with other team members, you definitely have to exchange a lot of messages and emails during the day. And in case your team also consists of remote workers, online communication becomes key to achieving goals and keeping up with the rest of the team. But is the tool you use convenient for the purpose?
Team collaboration software nowadays is a must, as well-organized communication among project participants contributes to the overall work result. Many project management tools already include a platform which can be used for internal communication. But there are also multiple software which is supposed to be used separately and can be integrated into the main tool you use.
There are certain features to look for while choosing project communication software:
We made a list of tools to advise those who are looking for team collaboration software:
This is more than just team collaboration and communication tool, as Bitrix24 actually offers a wide variety of features to be used while managing a project. What you get with Bitrix24 are:
It is perfect for agile project management, and can be used both in bigger and smaller teams. As for communication and collaboration, Bitrix24 offers its own messaging system. You can create group chats or text your workers individually. It is also possible to link Bitrix24 to your team emails and set tasks through them. Developers will get an update on their tasks too and a notification will be sent each time changes are made or another task is assigned.
Trello is regularly used for task management but it is also very convenient when increasing transparency and collaboration among team members. When a board is created, each project participants gets access to it and can alternate it and make updates as the work flows. Users have a great overlook of the project as a whole and can see when a task is stuck or something requires immediate attention.
It is also possible to plan meetings with Trello, as each team member has an opportunity to contribute. With such system all issues will be addressed and each worker will pay attention to the difficulties they face.
If you think that Trello alone doesn’t fulfill your preferences when it comes to collaboration among team members, you can integrate it into other tools you use. For example, if you need a messaging system you can connect it to Slack and if you want to upload files and generally store project data, you can use any online data storage, such as GoogleDrive, together with Trello. You can even integrate Trello into a calendar so that you could have monthly overview of the tasks which need to be completed. Trello also offers various features for team project management.
This is yet another comprehensive tool for project management which suits various teams and is altogether perfect for implementing agile methodology. What Asana offers is:
It is also possible to communicate with your workers as well as with customers using Asana. Even a comment on a task might help, but you can also message a person and have a discussion or even link your email and have all the data about your online correspondence in one place.
Jira cloud team collaboration tool is another popular option. It can be used for tracking and organizing work inside a team of developers, but also is a great tool to increase collaboration inside a team. As many similar tools, Jira also suggests to use a Scrum or a Kanban board to set goals and control the workflow. Such approach is also great because the team has the opportunity to see the whole project from the inside and actively contribute to its completion.
Other features Jira includes are:
If you are looking for a top collaboration and project management tool, Monday.com might satisfy your needs. It is a tool from a variety of visual organization software which means it is extremely simple to use and requires no adaptation period for workers who use it for the first time.
With Monday.com you can:
Another great feature Monday.com offers is a mobile version. That means you and your workers can keep in touch regardless of the availability of a personal computer or a laptop. It is enough to download a mobile app and log in.
Another tool for creating centralized work environment and team collaboration enhancement. Podio offers incorporating everything you might need on a daily basis when working on a project in the same place. It has simple yet efficient design which means workers won’t be distracted and will be able to focus on the task and its performance.
With Podio it is possible to visualize your plans and current stages of a project. You also can create elements which will contain all information about a certain task, such as a brief description or a deadline. But it is also possible to have a discussion in the element in case any alterations have to be made.
As a cloud based collaboration tool, Podio allows to exchange files and other data and return to it whenever you need. This means everything you might need in your project is always on hand stored in one place.
It is not required to use Podio from a personal computer. Mobile apps were created as well which makes it much easier to stay in touch with the rest of the team. That means even remotely working developers or just those who had a necessity outside the office can still be organized wherever they are.
Basecamp is a simple and visual team collaboration software which allows to keep all work in the same place. It includes:
Overall Basecamp suggests a well-balanced work environment which is perfect for team collaboration and communication.
This platform provides visual work environment software which is used for team collaboration and project management. It is based off a Gantt chart which means not only the work process is visual but all dependencies can be tracked which allows the developers to adjust the work process.
Wrike also allows to automate the work process and eliminate mistakes by setting automatic customizable assignments. At the same time, there is no need to update a task status via email as it can be done in Wrike and seen in real time, so other workers get a full picture immediately.
In case you are constantly facing bottlenecks which prevent your team from completing the work timely, you can track that using Wrike too. If some of your team members get overloaded by tasks while the others have nothing to do, it might ruin the work tempo. But seeing the dependence you can easily fix the issue.
At the same time, as every worker is involved and has a transparent view of every project detail, it becomes much easier for them to understand the overall goal of the project as well as detect the flaws of the workflow and suggest help in the spheres requiring attention.
With Freshconnect you are constantly plunged into the workflow of your project and don’t miss any detail. You no longer need to switch from tool to tool to provide your co-workers with the necessary context as everything can be stored and shared in the same place. As the updates are implemented immediately, everyone always gets a full picture of the project.
Freshconnect is a comprehensive platform which means you can organize the workflow here, plan the project ahead and store data - all in the same place. But there are also other features which make this tool so attractive.
Here you can find a possibility to perfectly organize communication with team members and inside the team. It is possible to create group chats for various context and purposes, even those where your co-workers can discuss free time activities. But you can also address a person in a face-to-face chat and discuss certain ideas or issues without any intervention. And you can also switch off notifications if you don’t want to be distracted by constant updates.
Freshconnect also allows integration with other platforms. In case you have already used a certain program and don’t want to lose the data while switching to Freshconnect, just link it to your current tool.
Slack is a great solution for teams which are in need of team collaboration and communication platform. Unlike Trello which mostly has planning and project management tools, Slack is perfect for organizing communication.
In Slack you can:
What is even more convenient, is the possibility to connect Slack to other of your project management tools. That means you can still create a fully efficient work environment even though Slack doesn’t offer you all the features at once. Just choose other tools you use, integrate them into Slack and use everything your work on productively.
Just as any project management tools, team collaboration software is a matter of personal choice. If you still are not sure what to choose, it might be best to try a free or demo version of several tools which you find the most appealing. Don’t agree to get software which is lacking features you find important otherwise you won’t be able to organize the work. But definitely give it a go, as team collaboration software is extremely important for teamwork and productivity.