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ToggleThe crucial importance of planning for team success!
In the business world, whether for a team or your own company, project planning is the key to success. For a team manager or an entrepreneur in search of efficiency, project management requires anticipation and organization to navigate between constraints, appointments and numerous deadlines. The skills of the project manager are essential in this respect.
This is where planning and resource management software comes in. Functioning a little like an appendix to the brain or post-it notes, these invaluable tools enable you to manage a list of tasks, keep track of them and mobilize the necessary resources. Often referred to as “planning software” or “resource management software”, these software solutions integrate fundamental functions for managing tasks within teams.
To help you save time and focus your efforts productively, this article offers a selection of the 7 best apps for your resources and projects, detailing their key features, benefits, drawbacks and user feedback.
What is resource planning and management software?
Scheduling software is a software solution designed to organize and optimize your project management resources. The ultimate goal of this type of tool is to make you more productive. It enables you to compile on a single interface schedules, types of mission, team skills, as well as purely material resources useful to your project.
This type of tool is a valuable logistical solution, whatever your company’s organization and sector of activity. It helps you plan your projects, managing day-to-day tasks, and in the long term, with projections and forecasts useful for anticipation. For teams, resource management software is essential for effective human resources planning. It helps resource managers manage tasks and leave in real time. By integrating time management and project management tools, users can effectively manage resources and increase team productivity. Available in the cloud, these tools provide a clear overview of the different resource assignments within the company. They facilitate decision-making when prioritizing different projects, by providing a global view, and enable managers to visualize the workload and distribute it more effectively.
Selection criteria
To establish our selection of the 7 best applications, we based ourselves on several essential criteria:
- Their relevance to team management and task/project planning
- Key features such as time tracking, capacity management, integration availability and analysis reports
- Ease of use and clarity of visual interface
- user opinions and assessments contained in the sources
- Their pricing model, including the existence of free or trial versions
The 7 best resource planning and management applications
Here’s our selection of the 7 best apps to help you plan tasks efficiently and manage your team’s resources.
1. Teambook
Ideal for : Teambook is presented as the best choice for agile companies from 10 to 200 people. Teambook is particularly appreciated for medium-term capacity management, as well as operational planning and time tracking.
Rating: Rated 9.8/10 based on Software Advice user reviews.
Main features :
- Visual, hyper-intuitive operational planning chart
- Resource allocation at the click of a button
- Clear, easy-to-use dashboard and reports
- Medium-term capacity management (6-24 months), a unique function that can be integrated into operational planning.
- One-click tracking of actual time spent on projects(timesheets), including time registration, approval and invoicing.
- Intelligent tagging system to filter by project, specialty, agent
- Possibility of sharing with customers a link dedicated to their project planning
Advantages :
- Easy to use and intuitive
- Optimizing the use of resources
- Calendar synchronization and/or e-mail notifications
- Seamless integration with Slack and Zapier
- No installation required (browser-based operation)
- Very responsive customer support
- Excellent value for money
- available in several languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, etc.)
Disadvantages :
- No major drawbacks reported by users
- No Gantt chart
- Focus on resource management (no complete PSA solution)
Rates :
- Free 30-day trial
- Paid plans from €3.00/month for up to 10 active projects.
2. Elapseit
Ideal for: team leaders. It’s great for invoicing your services directly to your customers, and offers a free version for small businesses.
Rating: 9,5/10
Main features :
- Support from project start-up to invoicing
- Automatic timesheet generation
- Hyper-intuitive graphical dashboard
- Kanban or Gantt modes
- Mobile applications available
- Comprehensive human resources management
Advantages :
- Very practical for direct billing
- Clear view and intuitive dashboard
- Mobile application available
Disadvantages :
- Free version on request only
- Its price
Rates :
- From €19.00/month
3. Resource Guru
Ideal for: large organizations and international companies. Human resources management and allocation software .
Rating: 9.3/10 and 4.7/5 according to customer reviews.
Main features :
- seamless integration with existing processes (CRM, SSO)
- Unlimited number of projects and clients included in rates
- Ultra-customizable dashboards
- Advanced filters for tasks and resources
- API with Webhooks and synchronization with existing tools
Advantages :
- Perfect for large structures
- Award-winning solution
- Ability to plan non-human resources (meeting rooms, vehicles, etc.)
- Unlimited projects and customers
Disadvantages :
- English interface only
- May seem slightly obsolete
Rates :
- Based on number of users
- From €5.00/month
4. Monday.com
Ideal for: large corporate teams looking for a multifunctional tool that goes beyond resource management.
Rating: 4.6/5 based on customer comments.
Main features :
- People” column dedicated to human resources
- Table management with status, date and duration columns
- Overview of employees and tasks
- Automation function with notifications
- Schedule synchronization
Advantages :
- Intuitive, customizable interface
- High-performance solution to reduce time-consuming tasks
- Facilitates collaboration
- Simplifies planning, management and prioritization
- An undeniably comprehensive tool
Disadvantages :
- English interface only
- Quickly complex and costly, given its numerous modules.
Price: to be confirmed with the sales department, depending on the modules chosen.
5. Wrike
Ideal for: teams of over 20 people, large companies.
Rating: 4 ,4/5 based on customer comments.
Main features :
- Cloud platform for project management in the broadest sense.
- Over 400 integrations available
- Flexible drag-and-drop planning
- 360° view of workload
- Segmentation of work into simple tasks
Advantages :
- Flexible and modular
- Numerous ready-to-use models
- Unified platform thanks to integrations
- Optimize collaboration and productivity
Disadvantages :
- English interface only
- Quickly complex and costly, given its numerous modules.
Price: to be confirmed with the sales department, depending on the modules chosen.
6. Float.com
Ideal for : Float is often the choice of digital agencies.
Rating: 7.8/10 and 4.5/5 according to customer reviews.
Main features :
- Complete calendar (reservations, vacations, public holidays)
- Integration with Google Calendar and Slack
- Measurement of billable and non-billable time
- Mobile application available
- Real-time KPI and budget reports
- 24-hour assistance
Advantages :
- Unlimited number of projects and members (depending on plans)
- Intuitive interface
- Wide range of integrations
- Useful mobile application
- Easy communication thanks to shareable links
Disadvantages :
- Approximate ratios
- May seem complex to some
- Available in English only
Pricing: 30-day free trial with full functionality. Prices start at USD 10 per user per month.
7. Runn.io
Ideal for : Runn is the software of choice for product teams. With its focus on speed and agility, it’s ideal for project managers and executives looking for transparency.
Rating awarded : 8/10
Main features :
- REST API for integrations (Clockify, WorkflowMax)
- Team utilization graphs
- Live tracking and accounting
- Financial reports with numerous filters
- Revenue, profit and cost forecasts
- Planning temporary projects
Advantages :
- Ultra-fast planning
- Overview of tasks and teams
- Helps meet deadlines
- Forecasting capacity
- Reduced rates for non-profit organizations
Disadvantages :
- Available in English only
- Global approach rather than detailed day-to-day
Prices: from 10 USD per user per month.
What should you look for in a planning application for your team?
To help you choose the right tool, here is a summary of the essential features to look for:
- Real-time resource planning and management
- Capacity management to optimize resource utilization
- Leave and unavailability management
- Track time spent on tasks (timesheets)
- Clear, visual dashboard ;reporting and analysis tools to monitor performance
- Integrations with your existing tools
- Mobile accessibility
Tips for successful team planning
Beyond the tool itself, certain practices are fundamental to effective planning:
Clearly define objectives and priorities: This step is essential to ensure that each team member understands what is expected of him or her.
Identify available skills and resources: This enables you to assign the right tasks to the right people and assess the feasibility of projects.
Allocate tasks according to skills and availability: Ensure balanced workload distribution
Regularly monitoring and adjusting progress: Planning is not static; it needs to be monitored and adapted to unforeseen circumstances.
Foster communication and collaboration: Good communication is essential within the team.
Anticipating and managing the unexpected: When the unexpected happens, it’s important to know how to deal with it.
Conclusion
Resource planning and management software has become indispensable for teams wishing to improve their efficiency and productivity. By centralizing information and automating tasks, these tools free up valuable time and ensure better use of your human and material resources. Choosing the right application depends on your specific needs, the size of your business and your sector of activity.
Fortunately, most solutions offer free versions or trial periods, so you can test features before committing yourself.
Feel free to explore the options presented and see how they could transform the way your team manages its day-to-day tasks and projects!