Do missed deadlines, cluttered inboxes, and lack of visibility into what your team is working on sound familiar?
An outdated or inadequate task management software comparison can drain productivity. But how do you know if it’s really time for your business to invest in new tools?
This guide covers key indicators your current task management system is no longer serving your team and how to evaluate if an alternative solution could optimize workflow.
Top Signs Your Team Needs a New Task Manager
If several of the below issues ring true about your current work management, a more robust platform could help connect the dots for your team.
1. Missing Project Visibility
- Team members consistently surprise each other with what they are/aren’t working on
- No central hub to view all tasks and identify bottlenecks
- Lack of transparency causes confusion and duplication of efforts
2. Task Overload
- Team members complain of overwhelming task volume
- Difficult to prioritize the most critical work
- Employees work reactively instead of making progress on key goals
3. Multiple Task Silos
- Certain groups rely heavily on spreadsheets, Trello boards, whiteboards, Slack channels, etc.
- Mix of digital and analog systems that aren’t connected
- Wastes hours manually synchronizing disparate task lists
4. Communication Breakdowns
- Team members drop the ball keeping each other updated on task status
- Email chains with fragmented conversations and decisions
- Vital information gets buried and overlooked
5. Lack of Accountability
- With no central workflow system, tasks slip through the cracks
- No way to see all the work in one place to assess individual or team productivity
- Hard to analyze trends on where/why work is stalled
If you see your team in multiple examples above, read on for evaluation criteria on finding software to transform how you manage projects.
Core Criteria for Evaluating Task Managers
Making the investment in a new system to improve team productivity is no small decision.
Ensuring executive buy-in means painting the picture on capability gaps and presenting features that empower your teams.
As you assess solutions, look for task management software that helps you:
- Centralize Tasks and Projects – Consolidate all your work into an intuitive platform everyone adopts. Break down information silos!
- Promote Transparency Around Work -Increase visibility at individual and team levels so you always know who is working on what and when.
- Simplify Prioritization – Make it easy to identify the most critical projects to keep everyone focused on moving top priorities forward.
- Set Team Goals and Track Progress – Cascade organization objectives into team and individual goals and key results and monitor achievement.
- Automate Manual Processes – Eliminate duplication of effort through features like task dependencies, reminders, templates, and workflows.
- Facilitate Communication and Collaboration – Keep conversations and files centralized around each project so decisions don’t get lost in email chains or DMs.
- Provide Meaningful Analytics Into Team Productivity – Get insights into where teams are delivering effectively and where bottlenecks persist to guide improvement.
Matching core areas of need to platform capabilities ensures you select software that solves rather than creates headaches.
Questions to Ask Task Management Vendors
Below are key questions to investigate to determine which option(s) warrant testing with your wider team:
| Category | Sample Questions |
| Platform Capabilities | Big Picture: • Does the software centralize tasks, projects, conversations, and files intuitively? • Can it support goals/outcomes and dependencies across work? • Does it eliminate vast amounts of manual effort? For Team Members: • Is it easy for workers to update statuses, collaborate, stay aligned? • Are key details visible at-a-glance to promote productivity? For Leadership: • Does it provide transparency into workflows and blockers? • Can productivity be monitored at the individual and team levels? |
| Configurability | • Can fields and views be customized to our tracking needs? • Does it integrate well with our other platforms via API? |
| Data and Security | • Where is data stored? What is the disaster recovery plan? • Does the vendor comply with security regulations for our industry? |
| Support and Training | • Is onboarding and ongoing training included? • Can we access support resources online or via phone/email? |
| Pricing | • Does the structure align with our team size and use cases? • Is the ROI compelling compared to productivity lost today? |
Thoroughly investigating where needs overlap with solution capabilities ensures you select flexible software that supercharges productivity and justifies the spend.
Next Steps: Shortlist and Test Task Managers
With evaluation criteria defined, develop a shortlist of 2-3 vendors that seem to fit the bill on paper.
Rather than rely solely on demos, push for free trials or sandboxes for extended hands-on testing. Seeing is believing when it comes to assessing team adoption.
Pay attention to early user feedback during testing, flagging any friction points or feature gaps to factor into your decision. Make the case for change backed by a platform that fills rather than exacerbates existing gaps. With better systems, you can rescue lost productivity and propel on-time delivery of business priorities.
