Engineering projects have multifaceted workflows, often requiring iterative and incremental approaches to project management. These projects demand meticulous planning, team collaboration, and resource allocation. However, the intricate dependencies between deliverables can overwhelm project managers. To navigate these complexities, investing in a dedicated project management tool is imperative.
Project management software allows engineering teams to break down large projects into smaller tasks, assign them to team members, and track the task status and team performance. However, selecting the right software includes evaluating several factors, such as integration with existing tools and scalability to accommodate future growth—making the selection process complex and time-consuming.
To simplify software search, this article highlights, in alphabetical order, the top five project management software for engineering teams based on user reviews. For each product, we include overall user ratings along with the highest-rated parameter, review excerpts from industry professionals, and product pricing.
1. Asana
To present the most up-to-date information, the product information below shows the latest real-time ratings, which may differ from the ratings values at the time this report's analysis was conducted, since new reviews may have been left in the meantime.
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Starting price
Billing cycle
Device compatibility
Here are some review excerpts from engineering professionals who have used Asana:
"Asana is very user-friendly option for Agile management. Its easy to navigate and finding tasks is easy. Timeline and calendar feature helps a lot.”
"What I like most about this tool is that it improves the way of working, solving organizational problems and helping to make tasks more professional, it allows document storage and has quite good remote assistance, its system has automated areas to improve operations.”
"The most effective points are the features and tricks that make the work flow easy and non-stressful as the possibility to record the integrated videos and messages also the modernity of the design make it great.”
2. ClickUp
To present the most up-to-date information, the product information below shows the latest real-time ratings, which may differ from the ratings values at the time this report's analysis was conducted, since new reviews may have been left in the meantime.
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Starting price
Billing cycle
Device compatibility
Here are some review excerpts from engineering professionals who have used ClickUp:
"It helps you to customize your workspace and manage your work easily. The templates of ClickUp are great. The excellent part about ClickUp is you can add a task or idea by using mobile phone. It is great tool for project management.”
“It is the best project management tool with great features like gannt charts for display, intuitive user interface, budget and time tracking etc. It is ease to use and learn. Installation is walk of the park and faster.”
"I can easily plan, organize, and manage daily tasks and projects with ClickUp. This software let's me to collaborate with my teams effectively. It's simple to tracks work progress.”
Read all ClickUp reviews here.
3. Clockify
To present the most up-to-date information, the product information below shows the latest real-time ratings, which may differ from the ratings values at the time this report's analysis was conducted, since new reviews may have been left in the meantime.
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Starting price
Billing cycle
Device compatibility
Here are some review excerpts from engineering professionals who have used Clockify:
“It has significantly improved our time tracking and project management processes. The software is user-friendly, enabling seamless adoption by our team. The accurate time tracking and detailed reporting have helped us optimize our workflow and make informed decisions. While there are some areas for improvement, Clockify has proven to be a valuable tool in our business processes, enhancing productivity and project efficiency.”
“I love the start and stop functionality for the time entries. It makes it super easy to jump between tasks and maintain accurate time tracking. I also love the UI/UX of using the browser application. It is super intuitive and enjoyable to use. The dashboard and report page are also very useful in gaining quick insights on what all you and your team are putting time towards. I could go on. Lots to like about this product.”
“Clockify helps me on the hour control for each project, it is very efficient on that, exporting reports and everything, but, as I said, our leaders have to use it properly.”
Read all Clockify reviews here.
4. Jira
To present the most up-to-date information, the product information below shows the latest real-time ratings, which may differ from the ratings values at the time this report's analysis was conducted, since new reviews may have been left in the meantime.
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Starting price
Billing cycle
Device compatibility
Here are some review excerpts from engineering professionals who have used Jira:
“I find the drag and drop workflow automation builder on Jira incredibly user-friendly and customizable. By employing the simple "when, if, then" logic, I can easily automate and tailor workflows to meet the specific needs of our team projects. This feature has proven especially useful when setting up customized triggers within Jira for automating particular aspects of our projects.”
“Jira is one of the most comprehensive management tools available in the market. It's easy to use regardless of what capacity you engage it with (contributor, manager, administrator) and helps teams create and keep track of tasks being worked on in an orderly fashion. Features such as search, status managements, and attachments make sure you provide your team with all they need to work efficiently.”
"It's easy to use the user interface. The sprint setup and reports are also great. Comments feature also helps a lot. Good for Agile development.”
5. monday.com
To present the most up-to-date information, the product information below shows the latest real-time ratings, which may differ from the ratings values at the time this report's analysis was conducted, since new reviews may have been left in the meantime.
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Starting price
Billing cycle
Device compatibility
Here are some review excerpts from engineering professionals who have used monday.com:
“Simple, easy management of tasks, projects, and time tracking. Inexpensive licenses and great features even in the non-enterprise version. Excellent integration, apps, and API support.”
“Monday.com has not only met our forecasting capacity requirements, but it has also become our major project management system, and it is where we have chosen to put our knowledge base. We use a Monday.com dashboard for practically all team deliverables; this helps us keep track of project time, but more significantly, it helps us identify our priorities when several tasks are due. We've been able to successfully "classify" and then ensure that employees receive the credit they deserve when a work is accomplished on time and according to plan.”
“What I liked most about monday.com was that it helps you to keep organization and plan all the tasks you need to do an a daily basis. It allows you to work with your colleagues, making it an easier collaboration.”
Read all monday.com reviews here.
What features do project management software tools offer?
Engineering project management software solutions offer the following core features:
Collaboration tools: Share files and communicate with your team members in real time to collaborate on engineering projects. This feature enhances transparency, reduces communication gaps, and promotes successful project outcomes.
Reporting/project tracking: Monitor and assess project progress and performance by generating various reports. These reports include task status summaries, resource allocation reports, and financial data to identify bottlenecks and measure team productivity.
Task management: Create, assign, track, and organize tasks throughout the project lifecycle. This feature allows you to break down complex projects into manageable tasks, set deadlines, and allocate resources.
All products listed in this report include the features mentioned above. Besides these core features, engineering project management tools also commonly tend to offer:
Billing and invoicing
Budget management
Client portal
Cost-to-completion tracking
Customizable templates
File sharing
Gantt chart/timeline view
Idea management
Kanban board
Percent-complete tracking
Project planning
Project scheduling
Resource management
Time and expense tracking
How to choose the right engineering project management software
Here are some key considerations to help you find the best project management software for your engineering team:
Evaluate project-based time tracking capabilities. Some project management solutions comprise built-in time tracking to track project schedules and optimize resource allocation. Time tracking lets you measure resource utilization, including staff time and budget, across projects, teams, or geographies. By understanding how much time is spent on various aspects of an engineering project, you can identify bottlenecks, optimize workflows, and ensure the allocated budget aligns with the actual time invested. This detailed tracking enhances project efficiency and provides valuable data for future project planning, resource allocation, and budget forecasting.
Check stakeholder communication tools. Engineering projects involve getting approvals from clients and stakeholders within and outside the organization. With that in mind, look for a tool that allows secure communication with internal and external stakeholders. You can consider features such as guest accounts and client portals, enhancing the accessibility of project updates for stakeholders at their convenience. Real-time communication fosters immediate collaboration, allowing your team members to address issues promptly and share critical updates. Similarly, instant messaging and discussion threads contribute to a dynamic and responsive communication environment, ensuring stakeholders stay well-informed and connected throughout the various phases of your engineering project.
Assess available project views. Project views, such as Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and task lists, offer a real-time snapshot of project progress and resource allocation. Gantt charts provide a timeline-based visualization of tasks and dependencies, Kanban boards visually represent tasks moving through different stages, and task lists offer a detailed breakdown of individual tasks. Switching between these views offers flexibility and allows your engineering project management team to visualize and organize tasks in a way that best aligns with their preferred methodology and work style.
Common questions to ask software vendors before purchasing engineering project management software
Here are some common questions to ask vendors when assessing project management tools for your engineering team’s needs:
Does the software provide resource management?
Engineering project management software should enable the assignment of team members to specific tasks or campaigns, ensuring clarity in responsibilities and establishing accountability. Additionally, it should optimize the allocation of equipment, tools, and other assets essential to project completion. Look for features that provide visibility into the availability and utilization of both labor and equipment to make informed resource allocation decisions and prevent the under- or overutilization of project resources.
What security measures are in place to protect sensitive project data?
Engineering projects often involve confidential information, making data security paramount. Inquire about the vendor's approach to data security, including data encryption at rest and in transit, user authentication and access control mechanisms, and compliance with industry security standards and regulations. Additionally, check their data backup and recovery procedures to ensure the integrity and availability of your engineering team's project data.
Can the software create custom workflows and dashboards for tracking project progress?
Engineering projects have complex workflows and require tailored progress tracking. Confirm whether the software allows the creation of custom workflows that align with your team's project processes. In addition, inquire about the flexibility to design and configure dashboards for tracking project progress, ensuring you can visualize and analyze data in a way that suits your engineering project team's workflows and reporting requirements.