Creative Project Management Software

Nowadays, creative professionals form a vital part of any marketing setup. The cut-throat nature of modern business has every organization striving hard to retain its competitive edge. This is where the uniqueness of their products and services – or their unique selling proposition (USP) – comes into the picture. Something that only unorthodox teams, armed with solid creative project management software, can muster.

Creative teams are typically comprised of chaotic individuals. The types of people who may suffer from ‘one epiphany too many’ with each passing day; require external support to regulate their priceless expression.

In the old days, this work-streamlining agent would normally be a project manager attached to the creative team to ensure everything gets done on time.

Fast-forward to the year 2020 (and after), creative project management tools have largely taken over this concern – for the simple reason that they are both cost-effective and (generally) error-free: able to disentangle complex project tasks with unprecedented ease.

In the present, online, project management tool marketplace, there’s no shortage of server/site-based or SaaS/web- and cloud-based software options to choose from.

So, how do you pick the best creative project management solutions from the pack?

Well, this buyer’s guide makes for a good start!

At Software Finder, we’re all about empowering our readers to make informed and independent B2B software subscription choices – so they walk away with the best deal available for automating their organizational workflow.

Our hope, with this tool-securing, 'how to', is the same.

Creative project management software, simply put, is any project management tool that enables creative teams to:

Streamline, automate, and expedite creative workflows through the visible, one-page, task management of project ideation, executions, and timely deliveries; thereby facilitating the creative process toward concrete and continuous reflection in the deploying firm’s bottom-line/success metrics.

These utilities are prime managers of chaotic, non-directional, thinking in the creative projects workspace.

In our (informed) estimation, creative and marketing teams of all bents can no longer go far without one – their subscription necessity has pretty much become obligated.

The ‘necessity’ argument aside, the following are some of the other – undeniable – reasons why creative teams need management software help:

Minute Expense & Time-Tracking 

Time is the fundamental metric/linchpin on which the success of every project is ultimately tracked; in addition to the quality and integrity of the final product (in line with initial requirements).

To manage creative projects, project managers can’t do without a tool that helps them monitor the progress of multiple projects from one interface; so they can pivot or allocate more resources accordingly (while minimizing the prospects of any loss from occurring).

And the same can be said for projects’ expense/budget management concerns – where free project management software options really enable economies of scale to accrue!

Organized Task Assignments

Like with any project management undertaking, creative tasks also require stringent assignment streamlining – so the workflow proceeds in an organized manner. Creative personnel employed on a project need to be made cognizant of such things as process start/finish schedules and metrics-bound, tangible expectations, so there’s no confusion.

Creative management software makes the proceedings a piece of the cake.

One-Page Project Planning, Execution, & Team Collaboration

Successful creative workflow management is crucially reliant on creative assets one page. There needs to be unity in work progression toward a common goal. Teamwork projects that are not aligned in the middle, so to speak, can suffer from the damaging brunt of creative discord.

To address this problem, creative project management systems, as part of their key features, foster real-time team communication (also an important resource management concern) on one platform; ensuring everyone is in the picture.

Track Progress

This point is already entailed in some of our arguments above – but it is still worth repeating. For a creative agency, managing tasks (especially multiple creative assets) requires a bird’s eye view of the entire creative workflow. Without a strong creative project management tool at the helm, this becomes next to impossible.

Manage/Work with Multiple Creative Inputs

Creative agencies often have to work on projects that require multiple human or machine (and increasingly AI) inputs for rendering a final product. The manual route, as can be imagined, does not offer a viable approach beyond a certain level of increasing complexity on this front. Project management tools, again, are needed to streamline all the tasks; ensure there’s complete, productive, alignment of all used materials.

Since creative projects aren’t exactly bound – in the artistic, subjective sense – in any way, it isn’t easy to develop management software that addresses all of its requirements all the time. So, most contenders for the ‘best project management software’ in the space do, inevitably, miss out on some essential features at the expense of others (as they attempt to provide customizable workload management).

Still, there are several commonalities in attributes among the bulk of creative work automation tools available in the market – as we recount below.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list.

Also, you may certainly find that a particular project management system might suit your bill better than the alternatives.

Based on our wide-ranging software users’/readers’ surveys, we’ve devised a five-point criteria rubric to help you narrow in on the best creative project management software for your workflow and budget.

Simply weight each of your chosen software tools – assuming you’ve already shortlisted them; you can always start with our top five creative project management app picks (listed in the following section) if you’re new to the domain – against the pointers in this rubric. The project management system with the most ‘ticks’ (mental or written) is your clear winner (comes with our subscription recommendation).

Once you’ve weeded out all the tool contenders to come at your perfect fit, head on over to our dedicated Software Finder review page (use the quick search bar feature to get straight to it!) to gain a thorough understanding of what you can stand to gain from the subscription.

Here, you’re strongly encouraged to watch our free demo screening for the tool and compare pricing (see how the project management software fares against its competitors).

If you come up with a tie between multiple creative software at any point, you can always reach out to our friendly helpline representatives at the contact number given at the top of this page – who’ll be happy to provide a free consultation to help you secure the best, custom, tool fit.

That’s all there is to it!

Creative Project Management Software: Pricing

In terms of pricing, the best project management software options for creative teams can certainly demand a high cost of monthly or annual subscriptions (broadly based on the number of platform users sharing the same or multiple accounts on the platform).

You can, however, always choose to start automating with a free plan offer – made available by several popular creative software vendors.

Here’s a rough range/estimate of what you can expect to pay for a plan that comes with some advanced features:
 

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.

If you’re in the market for the best software option for easing your creative project workflow, we recommend that you consider the following entries for your team.

• ClickUp
• Monday
• Asana
• Notion
• Paymo

Let’s take a look at each in detail.

ClickUp Software

For creative project managers and professionals, ClickUp is probably one of the best market options for organizing a firm’s document management, time-tracking, resources, and other  workflow-related concerns in one place.

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 creative firm.

Key Features

This web-/cloud-based SaaS powerhouse provides –

• Customizable project templates for creative projects (with editable fields for budget, dollars spent, remaining budget, and more)
• State-of-the-art Gantt Charts (allow creative professionals 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 creatives to create quick to-do lists to ensure they’re on top of the game!)

and more to fire up any creative firm’s workflow.

Pros/Cons

Monday Software

Monday project management software pretty much checks all – or, at least, most of – the workflow planning/execution boxes for practically every industry vertical, including creative enterprises. The platform’s user interface, for one, coupled with extreme ‘performing power’, makes it a force to reckon with in just about any workspace.

Pricing

• Free: $0/seat/month
• Basic: $12/seat/month
• Standard: $14/seat/month
• Pro: $24/seat/month
• Enterprise: custom

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

Features

Monday.com project management software for creative/marketing teams comes with an enviable range of workflow streamlining perks including –

• Uniform Projects/Tasks Management (enables creatives to manage projects/oversee workflows from one dashboard view – with the benefit of custom workflows) 
• Client-Project Collaboration (ensure that team workers and project workflows are all aligned with changing client expectations – a vital service feature for creative workers)
• Worker/Client Requests Management (allows managing creatives to receive and resolve their teams’/clients’ requisitions in record time; enables stellar, uninterrupted, team communication)

Pros/Cons

Asana Software

Asana is a powerful project management interface designed to help creatives and marketing professionals stay organized and on track. With the subscription, users can easily manage tasks, projects, and teams in one place. Asana also offers features such as AI-based prediction tools to help make better decisions, collaborative intelligence for enterprise customers, and work intelligence tools to improve productivity.

Pricing

• Basic: Free Plan
• Premium: $10.99*/user/mo.
• Business: $24.99*/user/mo.
• Enterprise: Contact Our Helpline to Confirm Pricing (number above)

Ballpark figures; go to our Asana Software Profile Page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your creative group.

Key Features

Asana's powerful project management features for busy creative workers and marketing professionals include:

• Work Tracking & Project Management: Asana has features built for your projects, workflows, goals, and team. You can get a real-time overview of how busy team members are across projects, allowing you to adjust assignments and tasks as needed
• Communication: With the tool, you can easily communicate with your team by creating conversations around tasks or projects. This helps keep everyone on the same page and ensures that nothing falls through the cracks
• Views: Asana offers several different views so you can quickly find what you need without having to search through multiple menus or tabs. You can also customize your view to show only the most important information for each task or project

Pros/Cons

Notion Software

Notion is a powerful project management tool designed to help creative managers and software development teams stay organized and on top of their projects. It offers an infinitely configurable system that allows users to customize their workflow according to their needs, along with a wide range of features, including task assignment and tracking, calendar and Kanban chart creation, roadmap planning, and time tracking.

It also provides a 'State View' board setup for managing large projects easily.

Pricing

• Free - $0/user/month
• Plus -$8/user/month
• Business - $15/user/month
• Enterprise - Custom pricing

Ballpark figures; go to our Notion Software Profile Page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your creative firm.

Key Features

Notion's top 3, award-winning, features for busy creative workers:

• Table Database Block – Notion’s Table Database Block allows creatives to create project tables that can be used to store information related to the project such as deadlines, tasks, progress, etc. This feature makes it easy to keep track of all the details associated with a project in one place
• Text Editor – The platform's text editor is great for creating content such as blog posts, social media posts, and more. It also includes a numbered list function that makes it easy to keep track of tasks and prioritize them accordingly
• Project Pages – Notion’s Project Pages provide users with an overview of their projects in one place. This feature enables creative managers to easily view all the tasks associated with a project, assign tasks to team members, document processes, embed content blocks, use task templates, build spreadsheets, and collaborate with others on the same page

Pros/Cons

Paymo Software

Paymo is a comprehensive project management platform that works wonders for creative specialists. It offers all the advanced features required to help you manage your projects, including time tracking, resource planning, Gantt charts, reports, Kanban boards, invoicing, and expenses. Paymo also has mobile apps available on both the App Store and Google Play so you can keep track of your work on the go.

Pricing

• Free Plan: $0/user/month
• Starter: $9.9/user/mo.
• Small Office: $15.9/user/mo.
• Business: $23.9/user/mo.

Ballpark figures; go to our Paymo Software Profile Page and click ‘Get Pricing’ to obtain updated, custom pricing figures narrowly suited to your creative firm.

Key Features

Top Paymo features for engaged creative workers include –

• Time Tracking: With Paymo's time tracking feature, you can easily monitor your and your team's progress on any creative project. This feature allows you to track billable and non-billable hours, as well as view real-time reports to gain insights into work sprints.
• Resource Planning: This function lets you plan ahead by allocating resources accurately and efficiently within projects. It also helps to streamline communication and collaboration between marketing teams by organizing tasks and resources in an easy-to-follow manner.
• Gantt Charts: With Gantt charts, you can visualize the time frame of your projects so that you can plan out tasks more effectively. You can also manage deadlines with ease and keep better track of project updates.

Pros/Cons

Our Advice on Getting Started!

As a newbie creative project manager (or even as a field old-timer), we know that sifting through all the software options available on the internet can be endlessly challenging and confusing.

That’s ok (normal) – and we’re here to help.

Just get in touch with our friendly helpline executives for quick, free, and painless project management software recommendations for your practice at (661) 384-7070.

We’ll take care of everything – get you subscribed to your perfect software fit in no time!