Commercial Project Management Software

Commercial Project Management Software Buyers Guide

Last updated: December 06, 2023

As we move through 2023, the business landscape is becoming increasingly competitive and complex (difficult to get a handle on). Companies are juggling multiple projects, teams, deadlines, and budgets, all while striving to deliver exceptional results and meet customer needs.

In such a scenario, managing projects manually can be a daunting task and can impede productivity and profitability.

This is where commercial project management (PM) software comes in.

It is a powerful tool that can help organizations plan, organize, and track their projects more efficiently. By using a centralized platform, project managers can collaborate seamlessly with their teams, monitor progress, and make informed decisions based on data insights.

But how do you decide which project management software to pick from the intimidating lot on offer in the online marketplace?

Well, this buyer's guide is geared to help you do just that - covering such concerns as:

Defining Commercial Project Management Software?

Put in a nutshell, commercial PM tools comprise an all-encompassing category of workflow processing software deployable in pretty much every industry vertical with a profiteering intent (hence the usage of the term ‘commercial’ in the compound).

These end-to-end work automation utilities cover/are suited for the domains of:

Construction project management
Document management
Cost management
Management for general contractors
Capital projects management
Customer satisfaction management
Billing management

and more.

Why do businesses need commercial project management tools?

Businesses everywhere, as mentioned, are engaged in cutthroat competition to sell their services/wares and boost their market impact. To do this, it is obvious that they need to leverage every technological resource at their disposal.

Now, software tools for project planning, execution, and feedback appraisals are many and far between; with the bulk of them geared toward different parts of the workflow. The best opportunities for efficient working – which directly translate into better profits – come from project management interfaces that incorporate all of these elements under one digital hood. 

This latter orientation is what guarantees a business’s commercial competitiveness in the long run.

Common features of commercial project management software

Although there are some prominent distinctions between project management software that ensure their uniqueness from their industry peers, most feature a common core of design/function attributes that allow for their ‘lumping’ under one category head.

These commonalities are summarised as follows:

Please note that the above is not an exhaustive list. Many new tools come accompanied by advanced AI and machine learning capabilities that allow for custom workflow creation.

Picking the right commercial project management software

Searching and shortlisting the right project management tool can be a chore; particularly taxing for busy professionals who crave good advice delivered instantly.

This is where our five-point software evaluation criteria framework comes in – as given here.

To get it working for you, simply analyze each of your software pick against the numbered cues given. The platform with the most feature ‘checks’ wins.

Simple!

If you’re a field newbie, you’re probably not aware of your options at this point; in which case, you can do (really) well by considering our own top-five picks detailed in a follow-up section.

Once you come up with a final software contender with the most ‘available’ feature, simply use our search bar (on top of this page) to visit its dedicated profile page – which features such information as updated pricing, demo screening instructions, curated user reviews, and more.

You can follow the same step in case there’s a tie in your shortlisted software.

Typical Pricing

When considering workflow software for commercial project managers, it’s always best to take stock of the general price range on offer in the market for proactive budgeting.

If a paid PM tool plan isn’t manageable, you can always opt for the free and/or trial plan versions provided by several vendors (which can be used to streamline basic task management processes).

Typical cost figures for commercial project management platforms proceed in the following range:

These are only ballpark figures, however.

To get accurate, custom, plan pricing details and recommendations based on your exact company size and requirements, check out our Project Management Software Pricing Guide for 2023.

Our Top 5 Picks!

If you’d like some expert input on subscribing to the best PM tool for your commercial projects, consider checking out our following picks (which also come backed by our reviewers’ critical intel):

• Monday
• BQE Core
• ClickUp
• Aha!
• Wrike

Let’s explore each in some detail.

Monday Software

The project management software from Monday covers almost all aspects of workflow planning and execution for various industries. Its user interface and performance make it a powerful tool for any commercially-geared workspace.

Pricing

• Free (starter-friendly)
• Basic: $8*/seat/mo.
• Standard: $10*/seat/mo.
• Pro: $16*/seat/mo.
• Enterprise: Contact Our Helpline to Confirm Pricing (number above)

* Ballpark figures; go to our Monday.com Software Profile Page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your commercial enterprise.

Features

Monday.com project management software for businesses comes with an enviable range of workflow streamlining perks including –

• Uniform Projects/Tasks Management (enables project managers to oversee workflows from one dashboard view) 
• Client Collaborations (ensure that team workers and project workflows are all aligned with changing client expectations)
• Worker/Client Requests Management (allows managers to receive and resolve their teams’/clients’ requisitions in record time!)

Pros/Cons

BQE Core

BQE Core is a comprehensive project management tool that enables commercial managers to efficiently monitor time, assign tasks, and produce an 'Earned Value Report' for comparing budgeted billable work with completed work. With these features, team leads can enhance their project management strategies and achieve their goals more effectively.

Pricing

• Starting at $7.95* per user per month

* Ballpark figure; go to our BQE Core Software profile page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your business.

Features

BQE Core is designed to automate every repetitive workflow process – with a view to ensuring higher rates of deliverable turnovers and less time wasted on managing software entries. The platform’s prominent features include –

• Agile Dashboards (equipped for one-page task/process/workflow appraisals; ideal for labored commercial project managers looking for a quick overview of their ongoing work concerns – particularly suited for construction managers)
• Project Profitability Checks (train project managers into thinking like business owners with oversight over the task planning phase and approval process; ensuring efficient and timely resource allocations, via an accounting software plug-in, for the best budgetary utilization)
• Interactive Gantt Chart & Kanban Boards (enable instant course corrections/pivots through real-time monitoring of vital project metrics)

Pros/Cons

Clickup Software

For commercial project managers who want to efficiently organize document management, time-tracking, and team, resource, and workflow-related tasks in one place, ClickUp is easily one of the best options available on the market.

Pricing

• Free Plan (for beginners)
• Unlimited: $5*/mo.
• Business: $12*/mo.
• Business Plus: $19*/mo.
• Enterprise: Contact Our Helpline to Confirm Pricing (number above)

* Ballpark figures; go to our ClickUp Software profile page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your commercial organization.

Features

This web-/cloud-based SaaS powerhouse provides –

• Customizable templates (with editable fields for budget, dollars spent, remaining budget, and more)
• State-of-the-art Gantt Charts (allowing the commercial project manager to track time and monitor their project progress with a bird’s eye view of each process)
• Task management functions (equipped with automatic data population and real-time updates; enable users to create quick to-do lists to ensure they’re on top of the game!)

Pros/Cons

Aha Software

Aha! is a cloud-based project management software that is lightweight and suitable for various commercial setups. It consistently ranks highly in 'best in class' PM tool lists across different review platforms. As such, it is a recommended and valuable addition to the workflow processing toolkit of any startup enterprise.

Pricing

• Premium: $59*/user/mo.
• Enterprise: $99*/user/mo.
• Enterprise+: $149*/user/mo.

* Ballpark figures; go to our Aha! Software Profile Page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your commercial undertaking.

Features

Aha! Project management software features suited for small business settings include –

• Start-to-Finish Project Tracking (allows senior managers to monitor their complete firm workflows and budget spending; for addressing any weak links and general contractor concerns)
• Real-Time Team/Stakeholder Collaborations (to address team and client feedback/reviews instantly – proceed accordingly)
• Powerful Reporting (for constant commercial project manager KPIs/metrics monitoring)

Pros/Cons

Wrike Software