Task management software is necessary for almost any business that requires project completion on time. It can also help with mapping out the scope of a project. Many apps are out there, so finding the right solution can be difficult. Forbes Advisor compiled this list of the best task management software today to help you narrow your search.

What is task management software?

Task management is more than just a task manager checking off items on a to-do list!

It's an organized system for identifying, monitoring, and managing your and your team's work. 

Task management involves:

• Tracking task progress
• Delegating work to team members
• Setting deadlines
• Adjusting work schedules
• And so much more!

Effective task management helps individuals or groups achieve goals, and it also takes into consideration task planning, task priorities, task automation, dependencies, and budgeting. Task management is one of the essential features of good project management software.

Why do project teams need task management software?

Project management teams require a task management tool to:

• Prioritize and manage all work items
• Assign work based on employee availability and skill set
• Assign and track the time taken for task completion to avoid delays
• Set reminders and automatic notifications to ensure work gets done on time
• Collaborate with team members effectively

How do we track team tasks with our employee task management system?

A team generally works on tasks that contribute towards its organization's goal. While working in teams usually means more work gets done, keeping team members in sync can be difficult. Task management software for teams can help you keep your team connected.

• Team workload: Stay up to date on how free or busy your team members are, and delegate work accordingly using an online task manager.

• Team groups: Team management software helps you save time in communicating with several team members at once—group employees by project, department, or other factors so you can easily tag them in comments, tasks, issues, or forum topics.

• Team updates: Get instant updates and notifications on all work your team members complete using a task tracker tool.

• Team reports: An employee task management system helps you gain insights into the progress made to date and plan future work strategies using reports.

• Team timers: To plan marketing campaigns, track their progress, and identify pain points

• Top task management tools: Here are some of the top task management tools:

• Task management software: Free task management software is the most efficient way of managing your tasks. It has all the necessary features like reminders, recurrence, time trackers, automatic notifications, and work assignments. A task management system provides an easy way to collaborate not only with your teammates but also with all other stakeholders. There are several tools available online with varying levels of complexity and features, making it easy for you to find the perfect fit for your business.

• To-do lists: To-do lists are the most widely used task management tools. People perform task management every day using these lists. The major pro is that it's so easily accessible; just a pen and paper will do. Checking things off is also satisfactory in a way nothing else is. While managing simple lists and tasks with a to-do list is easy enough, more is needed for complex work items involving multiple people and dependencies.

• Kanban boards: Kanban boards are a fun way to manage your tasks. There are several online versions of a Kanban board, but it's just as easy to make do with a whiteboard and several sticky notes. The beauty of this is the visual depiction of tasks that makes it easier for multiple people to get a status update in an instant. The online versions have more complex features like custom task statuses and views based on your business needs.

• Spreadsheets: Spreadsheets are also widely used as a task management tool because of their accessibility and ease of use. Similar to to-do lists, any spreadsheet software can be used to populate and keep track of your work items. It's also easy to manage and share data stored in a spreadsheet. The drawback lies in lackingneed for more advanced task management features like time and progress tracking, workflow automation, and resource management.

• Gantt charts: More popularly known as a project planning tool, Gantt charts can also perform effective task management. Like Kanban boards, the visual representation helps everyone easily adopt and manage work using this tool. Dependency management and features like critical paths and baselines also make it an accurate way of representing work in real time. There are several specific online Gantt software versions that are available for free as part of task management software.

Key features of the task management system

• Manage project activities from a central place: Project tasks and task lists make it easy to keep your work items organized and manageable in one centralized, accessible location. You can monitor the status of tasks, assign them to members, set task dependencies, send email reminders, and track the progress of your project. You can even convert emails into tasks using our task-tracking software.

• View and manage tasks: You can now view tasks in several styles: Classic View, Plain View, Kanban View, Dependency View, and Gantt View. The different views help you look at functions from various perspectives and provide a distinct status of the project's deliverables.

• Track milestones: Milestones can be used to group tasks together and quickly evaluate how close the project is to completion. Oas36ty's Projects categorizes milestones as upcoming, overdue, archived, or completed.

• Activate timer for tasks: Start the timer for a task to record your actual working hours. After completing the task, you can stop the timer, and your entries are automatically logged in the timesheet. You can log time for tasks daily or weekly at your convenience and easily calculate the billable and non-billable hours for any project.

• Work with subtasks: Split a larger task into several subtasks that can be assigned and tracked separately in the project. Splitting tasks into subtasks often provides a better picture of the project's progress.

• Analyze task reports: You can instantly view task reports under Tasks & Milestones. Task reports provide a consolidated view of all open and closed tasks in the selected project. You can click and view details of any owner, milestone, or priority in our project task management software.

•   Update tasks in one go: You can update tasks selectively or in bulk. In Classic View, you can close tasks, set priority, change the task owner, and move tasks from one task list to another. In Plain View, you can close tasks, set priorities, and change the owner.

• Setup task reminders and duration: With task reminders in Oas36ty's Projects, you can stay on top of what's going on through timely email reminders so you don't miss any important milestones. Set task duration in days or hours based on your project's needs. You can create tasks even if you need clarification on the start time in this task-tracking software.

Why is Oas36ty's Projects the best task management software?

Oas36ty's Projects has many strong task management features like reminders, recurrence, status timeline, Kanban view, task timers, reports, task automation, and more at an affordable price. These are available in an easy-to-use platform that supports team collaboration and remote work, making it one of the best task management software. Oas36ty's Projects also values your privacy and data security. We even have the option for you to create encrypted PII fields to store sensitive client information. Customization is another aspect of our task management app that sets it apart. From custom fields and layouts to custom roles and profiles, you can make your tasks your own. Oas36ty's Projects can be considered the best task management tools for all these reasons and more. Don't believe us? Hear what our customers and critics have to say about us!

Why Do You Need Task Management Software?

1. Task management software helps you organize work

We know you and your team work on multiple tasks every day!

Project tasks, HR activities, social media posts, invoicing, the list goes on.

Now, try to imagine handling all of that with a pen and paper or even an Excel sheet.

Unfortunately, this is all too common.

According to a recent study by Oas36ty, 42% of employed Americans feel they need to have all the technology and tools, such as task management apps, to succeed at work! Nearly half (45%) would give up 10% of their salary for an easier work life.

You cannotYou need a dedicated tool to keep track of every project task, meet your deadlines, track progress, and manage your team.

Luckily, task management tools are designed for this, acting as a safeguard against going crazy!

It's a dedicated space to monitor your task progress, assign tasks, and manage schedules. It ensures that you're able to efficiently track tasks and subtasks so that you meet your deadlines.

2. Task management software helps your team collaborate effectively

Your task management tool will improve not only your in-office and virtual team tasks but also your team collaboration capabilities.

As each task has a dedicated space, it's easier for your team to consolidate information and work on things together. Also, as every assignee has access to this task space, nobody will be left out of the loop.

Your team can easily share files, ideas, and feedback to collaborate on tasks and get things done quickly.

3. Task management software helps you prioritize tasks

All tasks were not created equal.

While every task needs to be addressed, some are more important than others.

So, what do you do?

You start prioritizing tasks.

For example, finishing a client's project is probably more important than deciding what your office party's theme is, right?

Your task management tool will help you prioritize tasks to work on what's most important immediately.

How to Choose the Best Task Management Software

Choosing the best task management tool for your organization can be a daunting task, especially with the plethora of options available in the market. By considering a few key factors, you can narrow down your choices and find the perfect fit for your team or company.

1. Understand Your Needs

Before diving into any specific task management software, it's important to understand what your team or company needs from a task management tool. Make a list of the features and functionalities that are essential for your team's workflow. Do you need a simple to-do list? Or do you require advanced project tracking and collaboration capabilities?

Knowing your needs will help you eliminate options that do not meet your requirements.

2. Consider Your Team's Size and Complexity

Task management software can vary greatly in terms of complexity and scalability. If you have a smaller team with simpler tasks, a basic task management tool may suffice. However, if you have a larger team with more complex projects, you may need a more robust solution with features such as time tracking, resource allocation, and reporting.

3. Evaluate User-Friendliness

The last thing you want is for your team to struggle with using the task management software. To avoid this, look for intuitive interfaces, simple navigation, and easy-to-use features. You may also want to check if the software offers training or customer support to help your team get up to speed quickly.

4. Consider Integrations

Having all your tools integrated can improve efficiency and streamline your workflow. Look for options that offer integrations with your existing tools or have an open API that allows for easy integration.

5. Determine Your Budget

Task management software can range from free to expensive, so it is important to determine your budget before starting your search. Keep in mind that some software may offer a free trial or have a freemium model with limited features. Consider the long-term costs, including any additional fees for extra users or advanced features.

Task Management Software FAQs

What is task management in software?

Task management is the process of effectively and efficiently tracking, managing, and executing the life cycle of a task or many tasks within a project, from inception to execution. The purpose of task management is to improve the decision-making, communication, efficiency, and effectiveness of a task or project.

What software is Task Manager?

Task management software is an application that helps organize, streamline, and prioritize tasks required to achieve a goal or complete a project.

Is Oas36ty a task manager?

The task management project template sets you up with the most basic workflow for creating and completing work.

What Are The 8 Managerial Tasks?

The eight managerial tasks, often referred to as the functions of management, were first proposed by Henri Fayol, a French management theorist. The 8 managerial tasks are, planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, budgeting, and controlling.

What are the Benefits of Task Management Software for Teams?

Task management software improves task organization, prioritization, project management, collaboration, real-time tracking, improved communication, enhanced productivity, automated reminders, and streamlined workflow for effective task management.

Which Task Management Software is Best for Your Team?

You don't need us to tell you that there are lots of task management tools available. That's apparent from any Google search or a glance at the productivity section of the app store.

So here are some suggestions for deciding which task management software is right for you:

• Try a free plan before you buy it: You shouldn't have to lay down your hard-earned cash on task management apps before knowing how they work. Test out some of the best free task management software to help you decide what you like and don't like. Some online project and task management tools offer free trials. Be wary of those tools because you know a sales pitch will be coming at the end!
• Read the reviews of task management apps: Unless you love trying out new software as a hobby, you'll probably want to see how others have used them. They may even show you a new way of using the software. You'll also learn of any problems in that online task management software.
• Check out the roadmap: Just because an online task management software doesn't have the features you want doesn't mean it won't be there tomorrow. The best software companies are constantly iterating and releasing new features regularly.

First on the list? Get Oas36ty's for free today to discover how to manage task assignments, streamline your workflow, and boost everything else in your Workspace!