Imagining a workflow is entirely different from visualizing it in 360 degrees. This is what visual project management does.
It's an intuitive and powerful tool that streamlines workflows, improves collaboration within teams, and ensures project success through visual project management. From Gantt charts to collaborative dashboards, these tools serve as virtual team extensions, which minimize the risk of errors and improve efficiency.
In this blog, we will discuss different visual project management tools essential for growth of your small business.
TL;DR - Top Visual Project Management Tools You Should Use
Visual management tools can offer incredible efficiency in streamlining workflow. There are several tools on the market designed to revolutionize project management. In this guide on visual management tools, we will delve into all these tools and help you find the most suitable one for your team.
- Cone
- Trello
- Asana
- Monday.com
- ClickUp
- Wrike
- Notion
If you are looking for a comprehensive visual management tool for your team, you shouldn’t look beyond Cone. This powerful, new-age tool is designed to improve efficiency in different projects by making it easy to track project progress and increasing collaboration among teams. Sign Up today to get started with Cone.
What is Project Plan Visualisation?
Project Plan Visualization is a method of visually presenting project data, enhancing decision-making and collaboration among team members. It allows teams to get a clear and intuitive overview of their project's progress and tasks.
These tools provide Kanban Boards, Project Timelines, Gantt Charts, Project Portfolios, and Workload Views that make task management and collaboration convenient. Using visual management tools, teams can stay organized and achieve their goals seamlessly. They are a dynamic way to manage projects throughout the project lifecycle.
7 Steps to Do Visual Project Planning as a Creative Agency
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do project planning as a creative agency:
1. Establish Project Objectives and Scope: define the goals and deliverables of the project, aligning them with the client’s expectations and the objectives of your business.
2. Identify Project Tasks and Milestones: Consider the dependencies and sequencing and deconstruct the projects into small, manageable tasks and milestones.
3. Select Suitable Visual Project Management Tools: Look for the best visual management tools, such as Kanban Boatds, Project Timelines, Gantt Charts, etc, depending on the requirements of your particular project.
4. Develop a Visual Project Blueprint: Using the visual project management tools, prepare the tasks and timelines for convenient planning and communication.
5. Allocate Responsibilities and Resources: Delegate tasks to team members depending on their areas of expertise. This will help you ensure efficient resource utilization and improved project outcomes.
6. Track Progress and Adaptation: Continually track the progress of your visual project plan. This is essential to identify potential bottlenecks and adjust timelines or resource allocation as necessary.
7. Engage Stakeholders through Communication: Maintain open communication with team members and the client about the project's status and make changes to the project accordingly.
Types of Visual Project Management Tools
Visual project management tools are categorized into different types, including:
Kanban Boards:
These boards are useful visual task management tools. They help present work in the form of cards arranged in columns based on the different stages of the workflow. Using this tool, teams can conveniently track the progress of tasks, visualize bottlenecks, and prioritize their work using Kanban boards.
Project Timeline:
A project timeline helps teams visualize the chronological sequence of project tasks and milestones. Through it, teams can get a clear overview of the project's progress, deadlines, and other important factors. It can help them with effective time management throughout the project.
Gantt Chart:
Gantt chart is a bar chart that illustrates project schedules, tasks, and timelines. In a Gantt chart, every task is represented by a bar. This bar shows its start and end dates, total duration, and dependencies. These charts allow teams to adjust schedules or identify important paths.
Project Portfolio:
This is a visual representation of an organization's collection of projects. Through a project portfolio, teams can get a comprehensive view of ongoing projects and any upcoming ones.
In addition, they show the status, objectives, priorities, and resource allocation of the projects. This visual project management tool can be beneficial in helping stakeholders make informed decisions about the projects.
Workload View:
This visually represents the workload distribution across teams or departments. It also provides information on resource allocation. Project managers can identify any overloads or underutilization of resources through this tool and make the necessary adjustments to improve the team's productivity.
List View:
As the name suggests, this simple visual format offers a linear list view of the project tasks. These tasks are arranged based on their priority, due date, or other factors. This uncomplicated tool helps teams and individuals manage their tasks more conveniently.
Top Visual Project Management Tools You Should Use
Cone
Cone offers a dynamic, unified visual management platform that streamlines collaboration, task management, and project tracking for teams of all sizes.
Cone significantly improves efficiency, streamlines workflows, and fosters team collaboration with its intuitive interface and robust features that enable teams to stay organized and productive throughout the planning and execution processes.
Top Features
- Streamlined Visual Management: Cone's visual management software streamlines and simplifies project coordination and organization.
- Flexible task management: Teams can streamline their tasks with the help of customizable boards, lists, or timelines, which adapt to the preferred workflow requirements of their project.
- Visual project tracking: The various features in Cone, such as Kanban boards, allow teams to monitor the progress of their project conveniently, recognize any bobbleheads, and modify the plan accordingly.
- Seamless Integration: Cone eliminates the complexity of juggling multiple systems by combining different operational tools into a unified platform. This seamless integration helps streamline workflows and minimizes the need for context switching to ensure data consistency across all project components.
- Client-Centric Approach: Cone has a dedicated client portal feature. This portal provides clients with enhanced document management capabilities, transparent communication channels, and real-time project tracking. This fosters more robust client engagement and satisfaction, elevating the overall project experience.
Pros
- Clear Project Visualization: This intuitive interface comprises features like Kanban boards, which offer a concise overview of the project's progress.
- Convenient Collaboration: Collaboration features allow real-time teamwork among team members.
- Flexible Task Management: Cone's task boards and lists adapt to specific project requirements, improving task organization.
- Cost-effective solution for visual business management.
Cons
- Higher learning curve for new users.
Pricing
Starter plan - $5 per user/month
Essentials plan - $10 per user/month
Business plan - $15 per user/month
Trello
Trello is a dynamic visual management tool that simplifies tasks and project organization and improves team collaboration. With users globally, Trello is trusted by organizations of all sizes.
Top Features
- Kanban boards for task organization
- Customizable task cards with due dates, labels, and attachments
- Collaboration features, including comments, mentions, and file attachments
- Integrations with popular apps like Slack, Google Drive, and Jira
Pros
- User-friendly interface that can be navigated by users of all skill levels
- Flexible task management options that adapt to different workflows
- Multiple integration options.
Cons
- Limited customization options compared to other similar tools
- Lack of time tracking and resource management features.
- Limitations on attachment size and power-up usage in the free versions.
Best for
For teams of all sizes and startups looking for software that’s easy to navigate and offers customizable, visual task management.
Pricing
Standard - $5USD - Per user/month if billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
Premium - $10USD - Per user/month if billed annually ($12.50 billed monthly)
Asana
Asana is a widely used visual management tool designed to help teams organize tasks, projects, and workflows efficiently.
Top Features
- Flexible task management across boards, lists, and timelines
- Project templates and automation options for more organized workflows
- Collaborative features such as comments, attachments, and task assignments
- Integration with multiple apps like Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams
Pros
- Intuitive interface that simplifies task organization and project management
- Multiple features that cater to diverse project needs and workflows
Cons
- New users may need help adapting to the interface, increasing the learning curve.
- Costlier pricing plans for small businesses with limited budgets.
Best for
Organizations and teams are searching for a comprehensive project management solution with powerful collaboration and workflow automation features.
Pricing
The premium plan starts at $10.99 per user per month and offers advanced features and support options.
Monday
Monday.com is an innovative and dynamic visual management platform that allows teams to manage their tasks and workflows without hassles.
Top Features
- Customizable boards, timelines, and dashboards for convenient project management
- Automation options for streamlining repetitive tasks and workflows
- Multiple collaboration features such as comments, file sharing, and mentions
- Integration with popular apps like Slack, Zoom, etc.
Pros
- An easy-to-navigate interface that eases task organization and project tracking.
- Multiple customization options to cater to specific project requirements
- A scalable solution that is suitable for teams of all sizes.
Cons
- Costly for smaller businesses with limited budgets
- The higher learning curve for new users.
- Some users may find the interface cluttered or overwhelming, especially with complex projects.
Best for
Teams looking for a flexible and customizable project management tool with dynamic collaboration and automation capabilities
Pricing
Starter - US$10.99 Per user, per month billed annually. US$ 13.49 billed monthly
Advanced - US$24.99 Per user, per month billed annually. US$ 30.49 billed monthly
ClickUp
ClickUp is a versatile and trusted visual management platform created for teams of different sizes to manage their projects, tasks, and workflows efficiently.
Top Features
- Customizable boards, timelines, and dashboards for project and task management
- Various collaboration features like comments, file sharing, and mentions
- Options to automate repetitive tasks and workflows
- Convenient integration with popular apps such as Slack, Zoom, Google Drive, etc.
Pros
- User-friendly interface that allows seamless task organization and project tracking
- Various options to tailor workflows to specific project needs
- Suitable for teams of all sizes, from startups to enterprises
Cons
- Its advanced options create a higher learning curve for new users.
- Overwhelming user interface for many.
Best for
Organizations and teams are looking for a flexible visual project management solution that adapts to dynamic project requirements.
Pricing
Unlimited - $7 billed per user per month
Business - $12 billed per user per month
Wrike
Wrike is an adaptable visual management software that allows teams to monitor their projects, tasks, and workflows conveniently and increases collaboration.
Top Features
- It comes with customizable task boards, dashboards, and project and task management timelines.
- It makes collaboration convenient with tools like file sharing, comments, mentions, etc. It also integrates with popular apps like Google Drive, slack, zoom, etc.
- Repetitive tasks can be automated.
Pros
- Intuitive interface which easy-to-navigate for users and allows convenient project tracking.
- A wide range of features that cater to varying project needs and workflows.
- Suitable for teams of all sizes, from startups to enterprises
Cons
- It is expensive compared to other similar software.
- The higher learning curve for new users,
Best for
Teams looking for a versatile project management solution with powerful collaboration and automation capabilities
Pricing
- The basic plan starts at $9.80 per user per month, offering essential features and limited users
- Professional plan starting at $24.80 per user per month, offering additional features and users
Notion
Notion serves as a versatile visual project management tool that allows users to speed up their work processes. It’s designed to simplify complex project management, and foster collaborative time and project management.
Top Features
- A versatile workspace integrating notes, tasks, databases, and wikis.
- Users can customize layouts and templates to fit diverse project requirements.
- Integration with tools such as Slack, Google Calendar, etc, that improves its functionality, making it an ideal all-in-one project management solution for small businesses.
Pros
- Versatile workspace seamlessly integrating notes, tasks, databases, and wikis.
- Highly adaptable to cater to diverse project requirements.
- Offers robust collaboration tools for enhanced teamwork.
Cons
- The extensive array of features may be overwhelming for new users.
- Lacks certain specialized project management functionalities found in dedicated software solutions.
Best for
Ideal for teams seeking a text-based project management tool rather than advanced project tracking capabilities.
Pricing
Plus - $8 per user/month billed annually. $10 billed monthly
Business - $15 per user/month billed annually. $18 billed monthly
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
What Makes a Project Management Tool Visual?
A visual project management tool uses graphical representations, including charts, graphics, and diagrams, to illustrate data related to the project. This may include tasks, timelines, and dependencies. These visual elements help teams understand complex project information easily.
How Does Visual Project Management Facilitate Team Collaboration?
Visual project management offers a shared platform allowing team members to visually track their project targets, allocate tasks, and communicate conveniently. This, in turn, improves team collaboration. Visual project management tools like Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and Project Timelines allow teams to get real-time project updates, transparency, and seamless communication.
What is the Overall Focus of Visual Management?
Visual project management primarily focuses on improving communication and collaboration among teams and using visual tools to improve the decision-making power of the team members. Visual team management allows convenience in conveying information and monitoring performance, increasing the scope of improvement across projects.
What is Project Timeline Visualization?
Project Timeline Visualtion is a tool for graphical representation of project schedules, milestones, and deadlines. It uses tools like Gantt charts to provide a visual representation of the project task sequence, allowing convenient tracking of the project’s progress and improved timeline management.
What are Project Planning Boards?
These are visual tools associated with agile methodologies. They provide project tasks and their status in different columns depicting the various stages of workflow. These boards offer transparency, allowing teams to organize, prioritize, and track their tasks efficiently.
Conclusion
In conclusion, visual project management tools can simplify the organization and tracking of tasks and projects conveniently and facilitate team collaboration.
Cone is a powerful visual project management solution. With its dynamic features, Cone streamlines operations and elevates client satisfaction. Thanks to its user-friendly interface, you'll hit the ground running from day one, optimizing productivity effortlessly. Choose Cone to unlock the full potential of your organization or team and witness its growth and success firsthand.