Manufacturing Project Management Software Buyers Guide
Last updated: June 07, 2023
A manufacturing project management software is essential for any manufacturing company that wants to optimize its processes, improve efficiency, and increase profitability.
This type of software helps manufacturers plan, manage, and track projects throughout their lifecycle. It tracks inventory levels in real-time, streamlines supply chain management, automates production workflows, and enhances planning and scheduling capabilities.
With the right project management software, manufacturing companies can maximize profits while minimizing costs. This buyer's guide will examine manufacturing project management software and their features and benefits. Furthermore, this guide offers a checklist that you can use to shortlist the best software for your needs.
What Is Project Management Software For Manufacturing?
Project management software for manufacturing is a type of software that helps to manufacture project managers in various ways.
From creating project plans and schedules to tracking the progress of those plans, the software can help organize resources, assign tasks and responsibilities, manage deadlines and costs, and offer analytics on performance.
Some common manufacturing project management software types include enterprise resource planning (ERP), scheduling and planning, asset tracking, and inventory management solutions.
Is Manufacturing Project Management Different From Regular Project Management Software?
The simple answer to the question is yes.
Manufacturing project management is a specialized PM software designed to meet the specific needs of the manufacturing industry.
The main differences between regular PM software and manufacturing project management software are:
- The system's ability to accommodate all the steps in a production process
- Manage inventory levels
- Track assets through all stages of production
- Streamline workflow
- Track changes in demand and supply
- Manage raw materials
Why Do Manufacturers Need Project Management Software?
Manufacturing project managers can streamline and optimize processes using PM software, thus increasing efficiency and profitability.
Benefits Of Project Management Software For Manufacturing Projects
1. Improved Collaboration And Communication: A manufacturing process/project requires input from various departments and stakeholders. Project management software facilitate seamless communication and collaboration, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
2. Enhanced Planning And Scheduling: Manufacturers can create detailed project plans and schedules, track progress in real-time, and identify any potential roadblocks or delays. This helps ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.
3. Better Resource Management: Manufacturers can allocate resources more effectively, thus maximizing profits.
4. Improved Quality Control: Manufacturers can track quality control metrics and verify that all the products meet the required standards.
5. Increased Efficiency: PM software can significantly increase efficiency by streamlining processes and reducing the time spent on manual tasks, leading to faster project completion times and lower costs.
Improve Task Management And Streamline Your Manufacturing Projects
Here are some examples of how manufacturing project management software can improve efficiency and profitability:
1. Automating and optimizing production workflows, resulting in faster and more efficient manufacturing processes.
2. Enabling real-time tracking of inventory levels, ensuring that materials are available when needed and minimizing waste.
3. Streamlining supply chain management, reducing lead times, and ensuring materials are timely delivered.
What Can A Manufacturing Project Management Software Do For You?
With the right software, you can address the following challenges:
1. Poor communication and collaboration between departments and stakeholders in the manufacturing industry.
2. Inefficient use of resources, resulting in increased costs.
3. Difficulty in tracking project progress and identifying potential delays or roadblocks.
4. Inadequate quality control measures that lead to product defects and decreased customer satisfaction.
Common Features Needed In Manufacturing Project Management
PM software for manufacturing is designed to help manufacturing companies improve processes, reduce errors and delays, and increase efficiency.
Key Features of Most Manufacturing Project Management Software1. Task Management: Create and assign tasks to team members, set deadlines, and track progress. |
How To Decide Which Manufacturing Project Management Software Is Best For You?
To help you find the perfect software for your needs, we've developed five-point criteria to guide your selection process.
Evaluate your preferred project management tool against these essential manufacturing project manager software criteria.
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Manufacturing Project Management Software Evaluation List
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Our list of the best PM software for manufacturers can help you make the right decision. We've researched dozens of good project management tools and software options for the manufacturing industry, so you can rest assured that we have chosen only the best ones for you.
Manufacturing Project Management Software Pricing
The pricing for manufacturing project management software varies depending on the features and the number of users. They can start as free versions that offer the bare minimum, such as TeamGantt's free online tool, or go up to $100/month, as with ProofHub.
Check out our project management software pricing guide to learn more about the cost of different solutions.
Best Project Management Software For Manufacturing Projects
This section highlights the key features, pricing, and key features of the top five PM tools for manufacturers.
Asana Software
Asana is a cloud-based solution that offers robust features to help manufacturers plan, organize, and track their projects. It is highly customizable to fit any workflow or business size, and its user-friendly interface makes it easy to use.
Pricing
Asana is available in both free and paid versions:
- Basic – $0
- Premium – $10.99/user/month, billed annually
- Business – $24.99/user/month, billed annually
Features
- Task Management And Collaboration: Users can create and assign tasks, set deadlines, and manage project progress. Ensures easy communication between team members and stakeholders.
- Resource And Capacity Planning: Allows users to track and manage resources, plan capacity, and allocate tasks based on availability.
- Reports And Analytics: Provides insights into project performance, resource utilization, and more.
Pros And Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to use | Limited analytics and reporting capabilities |
| Highly customizable | |
| Excellent collaboration tools |
ProjectManager.com
ProjectManager.com is a cloud-based PM tool designed to help manufacturers plan, organize, and track their projects. It offers a user-friendly interface and powerful features to help streamline processes.
Pricing
ProjectManager.com has the following pricing plans:
- Team – $13/user/month, billed annually or $16 billed monthly
- Business – $24/user/month, billed annually or $28 billed monthly
- Enterprise – Depends on volume
Features
- Task Management: Users can create and assign tasks, set deadlines, and monitor progress.
- Kanban Boards: Users can visualize their workflow and track project progress in real-time.
- Workflow Automation: Users can streamline project processes and ensure the timely completion of tasks.
Pros And Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Simple and intuitive interface | Steep learning curve for some features |
| Automated workflows |
Bigtime Software
BigTime Software provides cloud-based time-tracking, billing, and project management software for professional services firms, such as accounting, engineering, and law firms. It is designed to help businesses improve their productivity, profitability, and overall efficiency.
Pricing
BigTime Software has the following pricing plans:
- Express – $10/user/month
- Pro – $30/user/month
- Premier – $55/user/month
Features
- Time Tracking: Keep track of employee hours, including overtime and breaks.
- Expense Tracking: Track of expenses related to production, such as raw materials, equipment, and supplies. to identify areas where they can save money and optimize their production processes.
- Invoicing: Generate accurate and timely invoices for their customers. Thereby, improving cash flow and reducing the time and effort required to manage invoicing processes.
Pros And Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Comprehensive features | "Naming” limitations |
| Scalability | The invoicing features requires some getting used to |
| Connection to platform via various backgrounds |
Quickbase Software
Quickbase software benefits manufacturers by streamlining their workflows, automating their processes, and improving their data management. With it, manufacturers can collect, store, and analyze data in real time, making it easier to make data-driven decisions.
Pricing
Quickbase’s pricing plans are as follows:
- Team: $30/user/month
- Business: $50/user/month
- Enterprise: Customized quotes
Features
- Process Automation: Quickbase allows manufacturers to automate their workflows and streamline their processes, reducing the time and effort required for tasks such as data entry, inventory management, and order processing.
- Collaboration: QuickBase enables manufacturers to collaborate and communicate with their teams in real time, facilitating teamwork, and improving productivity.
- Data Management: With Quickbase, manufacturers can collect, store, and analyze data in real time, making it easier to make data-driven decisions.
Pros And Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Ease of use | Reports are not easily manageable. |
| Scalable for growing enterprises | |
| Integration with other enterprise systems |
Workzone Software
Workzone software is a cloud-based PM solution designed to help manufacturers plan, manage, and track projects. It streamlines project processes with integrated tools like image mark-up, Gantt chart views, document management, and task templates.
Pricing
Workzone has the following pricing plans:
- Team – $24/user/month
- Professional – $34/user/month
- Enterprise – $43/user/month
Features
- Cross-Project Dashboard: Users can track progress on multiple projects in real time.
- Personalized To-Do Lists: Create and assign tasks with personalized to-do lists.
- Real-Time Reports: Generate reports and analytics on project progress, resource utilization, and other key performance indicators.
Pros And Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| User-friendly interface | Limited customization optional Real-time reports |
| Integrated tools | |
| Real-time reports |
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
What is project management in manufacturing?
Project management in manufacturing is the process of planning, organizing, and tracking projects throughout their lifecycle. It involves setting goals and deadlines, allocating resources, managing risks, and tracking progress.
What are the 5 types of software used in manufacturing?
The five types of software used in manufacturing are:
- CRM Software – for managing customer relationships
- CAD Software – for engineering and design purposes
- ERP Software – for managing operations
- PLM Software – for managing product lifecycles
- MES Software – for production and scheduling
Do note that these are some common examples, and many other types of software are used in the manufacturing industry.
What are the 3 types of project management software?
The three types of project management software include:
- Individual – Uses one application, like spreadsheets, to track tasks and manage resources
- Collaborative – Allows multiple stakeholders to access the data
- Integrated – Combines multiple PM applications into one interface and database
Apart from these, there is also cloud-based PM software, which is becoming increasingly popular. Cloud-based project management solutions offer scalability, collaboration, and mobility features not offered by traditional on-premise solutions.
What is the top 5 project management software?
Apart from the ones mentioned above, the top 5 project management software include:
- Basecamp
- Jira
- Zoho
- Wrike
- Teamwork PM
What is a manufacturing ERP system?
Manufacturing ERP offers visibility, coordination, and control across all processes in a business. It centralizes the management of every aspect, from payroll to production, resulting in increased operational efficiency.
