Leading a successful project involves paving a roadmap of the project’s life cycle. Planning is essential to outline all your tasks, milestones, and deliverables of a project. And undoubtedly, a successful project plan incorporates effective project scheduling.
But, accurately scheduling a project from the start is no less than a daunting task. Haven’t you ever found yourself amid chaotic projects? Most often, this occurs because it is incredibly challenging and time-consuming to keep track of numerous tasks and subtasks to get to the end of project closure.
As a result, it becomes essential to align the project timeline, scope, and resources with solid project scheduling software.
A good project scheduling tool helps build a detailed plan for your projects along with the start and end dates of all your projects. It lists the key activities and deliverables of a project which is paramount in effectively managing the workload of a project.
But, wait. Some project scheduling tools only show inputs of activities and resources. Others only show activity durations. Many do not give access to the project schedules in real-time.
So how do you choose the right project scheduling software, so that project goals are met?
In this blog, we’ll go through 16 project scheduling tools to help you realistically achieve project success on time in 2021.
A Quick Look at Top Project Scheduling Tools & Their Key Features
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Software
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Key Features
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Price
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|---|---|---|
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ProProfs Project
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Hub Planner
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ClickUp |
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Project Manager
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Celoxis
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ProofHub
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Forecast
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Monday.com
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TeamGantt
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MS Projects
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Zoho Projects
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Workfront
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Liquidplanner
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Smartsheet
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Teamwork Projects
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Basecamp
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HubSpot
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What Is Project Scheduling?
A project schedule tells you what is to be done and by when. It helps to set up tasks, milestones, and deadlines. It is the easiest way to track and report a project’s progress. Simply put, a project schedule is a project’s timetable that streamlines communication and workflow, ensuring that everyone is on the same page with the project status.
What Are the Three Main Types of Schedules?
Schedules are the work plan that helps in identifying and highlighting the project tasks, subtasks, project resources, and activity deadlines. Determining the type of schedule in project management is an effective way to proceed with successful project scheduling.
We’ll quickly understand the three main types of schedules.
1. Master Schedule
A master schedule is a detailed yet simplified planning process. The bottom-up process gives complete visibility of tasks and resources, along with a timeline. For creating a master schedule, determine the project objectives first.
With these objectives in view, you then create tasks and subtasks. Next, allocate resources to tasks and estimate the project timeline. An effective master schedule coordinates and keeps track of everything needed to accomplish project goals efficiently.
2. Milestone Schedule
The milestone schedule is a summary-level schedule. It enables effortless management of the project by setting clear milestones and devising a plan to attain them on time and within budget.
This schedule allows you to identify milestones of a project’s life cycle. As you track and accomplish these milestones on time, the chances of a project falling behind schedule are hugely reduced.
3. Detailed Schedule
If you have a complex or large project, creating a detailed schedule is the best way to go forward. A detailed schedule helps track every project task and subtask.
It is the most comprehensive schedule as it optimizes the resources to meet the deadline and execute the project on time. The schedule’s objective is to fulfill the requirements of a project scope, such as deliverables and deadlines.
Must-Have Features of a Project Scheduling Software
The right project scheduling tool brings 360-degree visibility into all your project’s tasks. It helps track, report, and communicate the progress of a project. Let’s have a look at some must-have features of project scheduling software.
1. Time and Resource Management
A good project scheduling tool ought to plan, organize and control the timeline of project activities. Effective project scheduling helps in saving time, effort, and resources. To counter unpredictable delays, always add contingency time. A good project scheduling tool also plans accurate resources that include people, tools, and equipment.
2. User Friendly
A tool should be easy to navigate and should have a no or minimal learning curve. Complex interfaces are difficult to use and eventually end up being abandoned by the team. Being user-friendly, a tool provides quick access to common features, thus increasing speed and efficiency. Good usability enables greater tool adoption.
3. Team Collaboration and Communication
Team collaboration and team communication improve team performance, enabling greater productivity and paced-up project progress. A collaborative tool reduces the need to constantly follow up, ensuring that everyone stays on the same page with daily project tasks and subtasks. From instant messaging, time tracking to sharing files – do it all with project scheduling.
4. Charts and Reports
Extracting accurate data using powerful reports and analysis should be a matter of minutes with any project scheduling tool. You should be able to pull data and acquire accurate reports through insightful analytics to aid decision-making. Thus, a tool’s charts and reports become crucial for project evaluation as they reflect the project’s real-time progress.
5. Automation
Software automation minimizes manual work to complete basic project tasks and activities. It lets you put your best efforts into productive work, avoiding time-consuming tasks. A few examples of automated tasks in a project management tool include creating dependencies, setting task reminders, and notifying about approaching deadlines.
How to Choose the Project Scheduling Tool
Do you know that at least one in six IT projects is declared a “black swan” with a schedule overrun of almost 70%? You can avert most of these project failures by adopting the right project scheduling tool. How to select the right one? Here are a few considerations that you must keep in mind before choosing a project scheduling tool for your projects.
1. Team Size
Team size may not be at the top of your mind while trying to zero in on a project scheduling tool. However, it is one of the key factors to avoid a lot of preventable problems. A small team risks having a skill gap, and a large team may face communication complexities.
2. Easy Communication
Ensure that the tool that you go ahead with has a good project communication management feature for relaying information. Lack of communication may lead to delayed deadlines, inaccurate resource allocation, and ultimately project failure. Routine and effective communication ensures all team members are aligned to project objectives from start to finish.
3. Project Type
One size does not fit all. Thus it becomes important to analyze the type of project that needs to be delivered. While some projects may require a lot of collaboration, others may require a lot of in-app chats and discussions. So layout your project outline and then head over to select the best tool.
4. Dashboards
A dashboard displays key performance metrics of a project at a glance. Team members and stakeholders instantly get their questions answered regarding project progress in one easy-to-access place. Track time, generate reports, and get smart insights into the project’s life cycle with a comprehensive dashboard.
5. Security
The security feature of a scheduling tool ensures the integrity and confidentiality of your project data and resources are maintained. A secure tool takes care of risk management, keeping you safe from potential risks. To eliminate data security concerns, make sure that all data is established through an HTTPS connection.
6. Customizable
A project scheduling tool should be such that it has scheduling solutions for all your projects. For this, it should offer an easy and wide range of customizations. With customizations, you can tailor the scheduling features to suit each project’s requirements. Choose a tool that instantly adapts to your project and team needs.
Top 3 Factors to Finalize a Project Scheduling Tool
The right project scheduling tool should give a clear picture of what is expected of team members for a given project. It determines the timeline and the resources needed for the delivery of the project.
First, the tool should have all the features to handle multiple projects across cross-functional teams.
Second, the tool should be easy to use. If the tool is complicated and has a long learning curve, your team will never adjust to using the tool.
Third, it should fit within your budget and not turn into a cost burden over a period of time.
Now let’s walk through the best project scheduling tools for successful project execution.
List of Best Tools for Project Scheduling
When looking for a robust project management tool, consider a tool’s best-proven functionalities and capabilities for an informed business decision. Get a clear overview of all your project activities with the one that suits your business needs best.
Here are the best project scheduling software in detail.
1. ProProfs Project
ProProfs is a robust project scheduling software. It helps streamline the work process and improves workflow to roll out projects faster. Plan, track and communicate your project’s progress to the stakeholders with utmost ease. Discuss tasks and give feedback to team members using task comments. Save all your files easily on ProProfs for easy accessibility. The tool lets you bill clients automatically using billable and non-billable hours data.
Features:
- All your project data on a single dashboard
- Monitor team performance effortlessly
- Streamline team collaboration
- Create accurate invoices
- Gantt charts, Kanban board, calendar, and list views
- Project alerts and notifications on the go
- Drag and drop functionality
Pricing:
Starts at $39.97/month.
What we liked: Feature-rich platform with automated and insightful reports
What could be better: The lagging issues can be improved.
2. Hub Planner
Hub Planner gives a bird’ eye view of all your tasks, priorities, and deadlines. The tool identifies key metrics for successful project execution. Quickly view resource availability and gain valuable insights into team performance. Hubspot supports small, medium, and large businesses smoothly. With Hubspot, manage your entire team in one place with greater transparency and visibility.
Features:
- Simple and intuitive dashboard
- Custom fields extension
- Painless resource scheduling
- Integrated time tracking
- Plan project budgets easily
- Drag and drop interface
- Visualize team utilization
Pricing:
Hub Planner’s project scheduling solution comes with 3 pricing tiers.
- Plus & Play – $7/resource/month
- Premium – $18/resource/month
- Enterprise – Available on Request
What we liked: Its resource management feature is exceptional.
What could be better: Adjusting dates on the dashboard could be easier.
3. ClickUp
ClickUp is a powerful, flexible, and intuitive project management software that makes it easier for teams across different industries to plan, track, and complete simple to complex projects. Teams choose ClickUp because it offers hundreds of customizable features, real-time reporting, and over 15 different view options to help adapt to your project needs and workflow preferences. Improve project visibility, get a bird’s eye view of all your projects, identify blockers and bottlenecks quicker, and communicate updates more efficiently with this all-in-one work solution.
Features:
- Dashboards and built-in time tracking
- Dependencies and relationships
- Assigned comments and in-app chat feature
- Custom fields
- Workflow automation
- Easily integrates with over 1,000 other work tools
- Mobile app, Chrome plugin, and email integrations
Pricing:
ClickUp’s project scheduling solution comes with 5 pricing tiers.
- Free Forever – Free
- Unlimited–$5/user/month
- Business–$9/user/month
- Business Plus-$19/user/month
- Enterprise–Available upon request
What we liked: Easy to pivot between high-level views and specific tasks.
What could be better: There is a learning curve for advanced features.
4. ProjectManager
ProjectManager helps plan and schedule projects in real-time. Review and share data easily. Set up email alerts and in-app notifications to be updated about project status. You can effortlessly manage small, large, international, and remote teams, all on one dashboard. With ProjectManager, you do not need a separate app to track the productive time of team members on a project.
Features:
- Live graphs to track workload
- Runs on both Windows and Mac computers
- 100% accurate time tracking
- Track project cost effectively
- Access one-click reports
- Integrate with Office 365, Slack, Salesforce, and more
- Easy to use
Pricing:
ProjectManager’s project scheduling solution comes with 3 pricing tiers.
- Personal $15 per user/month
- Team $20 per user/month
- Business $25 per user/month
What we liked: The tool streamlines every activity for successful project completion.
What could be better: Customer service.
5. Celoxis
Celoxis brings unparalleled simplicity in managing projects with its smart, intuitive interface. The tool manages your projects, your resources, and your costs through its collaborative solution. It offers interactive Gantt charts that help track time and tasks. Its high-level visibility into projects and tasks allows you to quickly extract any information you need regarding tasks, resources, and timelines.
Features:
- All-in-one project management tool
- Dynamic and customizable portfolio dashboard
- Client portal
- Custom fields and workflow
- Manage projects, finances, and resources
- Project health indicators
- Real time project insights
Pricing:
Celoxis’s project scheduling solution comes with 2 pricing tiers.
- On Cloud – $22.50/user/year
- On Premise – $450/user (Billed once)
What we liked: It is a great tool for tracking and reporting.
What could be better: No billing or invoicing feature.
6. ProofHub
ProofHub is a complete project management solution. Its custom workflow provides different stages as per your project needs. The teams get notified each time project tasks progress. Plan and organize project activities in the smartest way possible. Create discussion topics and resolve roadblocks in one place. The tool imparts great flexibility for everyday workflow scheduling.
Features:
- Define custom roles
- Task notifications
- Gantt chart
- Automatic reminders
- Multiple calendar views
- Chat feature for smooth communication
- Time tracking
Pricing:
ProofHub’s project scheduling solution comes with 2 pricing tiers.
- Ultimate control – $89/month (Billed annually)
- Essential – $45/month (Billed annually)
What we liked: Time reports through timesheets and automatic time trackers.
What could be better: Limited integration.
7. Forecast
Forecast takes care of your bills and resource allocation so that you can focus on the most important tasks. The tool’s auto-schedule feature uses AI to simplify the complexity of task and resource scheduling. Create intelligent project plans with set task duration. Also, minimize risks with its insightful reports of the project life cycle.
Features:
- AI-powered software
- All-in-one platform
- Operational and financial visibility
- Automate workflow
- Integrate with Google Drive, Github, Gitlab, and more
- Maximize resource efficiency
- Increased team productivity
Pricing:
Forecast’s project scheduling solution comes with 2 pricing tiers.
- Lite – €27/seat/month (Minimum 10 seats)
- Pro – €46/seat/month (Minimum 10 seats)
What we liked: Get a bird’s eye view of multiple projects.
What could be better: Integration functionality.
8. Monday.com
Monday.com is a collaborative tool that packs a lot of value into your everyday workflow scheduling. It offers easy data visualization. Keep an eye on every task and subtask along with their resource and cost allocation. It integrates with a lot of other platforms seamlessly. The tool allows you to share files, discuss feedback and get teams onboard.
Features:
- Holistic project view
- Customizable templates
- Automate repetitive work
- Map, timeline, Kanban, and more
- 24/7 customer support
- Easy workload management
- CRM functionality
Pricing:
Monday.com’s project scheduling solution comes with 4 pricing tiers.
- Individual $0 (Free forever for upto 2 seats)
- Basic $24/month
- Standard $30/month
- Pro $48/month
What we liked: The color-coded status buttons that offer project status.
What could be better: Moving items to different boards.
9. TeamGantt
Plan, schedule, and manage tasks with TeamGantt. The tool allows easy setup to best suit your team. It powers the team to view the baseline to defer planned vs. actual project progress. Get presentation ready project plans with TeamGantt. Upload files directly to a task and chat with teams without leaving the tool. The tool streamlines task management quickly.
Features:
- Different project views
- Drag and drop scheduling
- Built-in resource management software
- Set task dependencies
- Only collaborative project management tool
- Easy, intuitive Gantt charts
- List, calendar and board views
Pricing:
TeamGantt’s project scheduling solution comes with 3 pricing tiers.
- Free plan $0/month forever for upto 3 users
- Standard plan $24.95/month
- Advanced plan $29.95/month
What we liked: Adding project tasks and setting dependencies is a breeze.
What could be better: More third-party integrations.
10. MS Project
MS Project is packed with all features that you need for successful project delivery. Its dynamic scheduling and automatic workflow make the entire project planning process smooth and transparent. The tool is user-friendly and keeps you updated with real-time data. Its standard scheduling tool, accessible via desktop and app, aids in easy communication and collaboration.
Features:
- Easy-to-use app
- Interactive dashboards
- Budget analyzation
- Prioritize project tasks
- Handle multiple projects simultaneously
- Timesheets
- Grid, Board, and Timeline View
Pricing:
MS Project’s project scheduling solution comes with 3 pricing tiers.
- Project Plan 1 – $9.7/user/month
- Project Plan 3 – $29.11/user/month
- Project Plan 5 – $53.36/user/month
What we liked: The collaborative tool allows seamless payroll and invoicing.
What could be better: File compatibility issues.
11. Zoho Projects
Zoho Project captures every step of the project and accounts for every task. Stay on track to project success with its resource utilization chart that helps manage team workload. Dependency tracking and due-date tracking make it easier for a task manager to keep track of project activities, ensuring that they get completed within the timeline. Automate reports and task timers with Zoho Projects. Additionally, store files and manage them in one place.
Features:
- Issue tracking
- User-based reports
- Blueprints
- Chat room discussions
- Billing and invoicing
- Calendar Management
- Client portal
Pricing:
Zoho Project’s scheduling solution comes with 3 pricing tiers.
- Free – $0/user upto 3 users
- Premium – $4.72/user/month upto 50 users
- Enterprise – $9.43/user/month with no upper limit on no. of people
What we liked: Task customization is effortless.
What could be better: Calendar integration.
12. Workfront
Workfront boasts of real-time insights into projects, resources, and work. Closely track your tasks and collaborate on complex workflows, all in a single view. Its Gantt charts help visualize any deviations between your planned and actual progress. You can select from the more than 50 reports within Workfront. These reports can be customized and can be periodically updated.
Features:
- Easy-to-use interface
- Seamless integrations with third-party apps
- Multi-platform support
- Create custom forms
- Configurable dashboards
- Easier audits and compliance
- Task prioritization and scheduling
Pricing:
Workfront’s project scheduling solution comes with 3 pricing tiers.
- Enterprise – Available on Request
- Business – Available on Request
- Pro – Available on Request
What we liked: Get real-time and accurate project status.
What could be better: Non-intuitive layout.
13. LiquidPlanner
LiquidPlanner is a versatile and priority-based platform with little to no learning curve. With its intelligent insights, the tool predicts when you will complete the work. It helps in establishing the right amount of work to be given to each team member. LiquidPlanner is a great tool for document management, resource management, time tracking, and more.
Features:
- Automatic scheduling
- Smart workflow estimation
- Actionable insights
- Task boards
- Drag and drop prioritization
- Built-in collaboration
- Predictive forecasting
Pricing:
LiquidPlanner’s project scheduling solution comes with 4 pricing tiers.
- Free – $0 (Maximum 10 users)
- Essentials – $29/month/user
- Professional – $39/month/user
- Ultimate – $59/month/user
What we liked: Predictive algorithms help run successful projects.
What could be better: Having an invoicing or billing feature would be nice.
14. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a no-code, cloud-based platform that empowers the team to manage projects at ease. Its tabular user interface summarizes progress with real-time metrics. Easily derive actionable insights and maintain transparency into financial reports. Automate project workflows with easy and flexible software that collects data from internal and external stakeholders.
Features:
- Dynamic work management
- Improved resource allocation
- Content collaboration
- Admin center
- Custom email domains
- Alerts and reminders
- Shared workspaces
Pricing:
Smartsheet’s project scheduling solution comes with 3 pricing tiers.
- Individual – $14/month
- Business – $25/user/month
- Enterprise – Available on Request
What we liked: Charts and visualization make it easy to access information.
What could be better: Long learning curve.
15. Teamwork Projects
Teamwork offers improved visibility into the project’s health status and establishes business processes. You can use a task list, Gantt chart, or board view to track progress on multiple projects and tasks. Its reporting dashboard provides easy insights into reports with various filters and groupings. Teamwork offers a powerful way to manage projects.
Features:
- Portfolio management
- Onboarding training
- Project time budget
- Integrated team chat
- Customer support
- Time tracking and invoicing
- Billing
Pricing:
Teamwork’s project scheduling solution comes with 4 pricing tiers.
- Free forever – $0
- Deliver – $10/user/month
- Grow – $18/user/month
- Enterprise – Available on Request
What we liked: Cross project dependencies are a relief.
What could be better: Pricing.
16. Basecamp
Basecamp offers transparency and communication in the everyday workflow to help project teams work smoothly. You can set task responsibilities and define deadlines effortlessly. Organize and share docs, files, and spreadsheets in just seconds. Basecamp’s schedule comes with an integrated calendar that displays events and tasks for powerful real-time updates. Its automatic check-ins feature eliminates the need for daily status meetings.
Features:
- Automatic check-ins
- Group chat
- Priority support
- Documents and file storage
- Hill charts
- Check-in questions
- Integrated calendar
Pricing:
Basecamp’s project scheduling solution comes with 1 pricing tiers.
- $99/month/team
What we liked: Built-in collaboration tools, like group chat, message boards, and team schedules
What could be better: Project views and task priorities missing
17. HubSpot
HubSpot, well known for its CRM, sales, and marketing software, has powerful and intuitive task management software. This task manager is available on mobile and integrates with email or calendars to sync everything into one easy-to-use solution. HubSpot specializes in automation, helping your team become more efficient and spend less time setting up multiple apps and accounts. You can create task queues to track your deadlines and set up automatic reminders as the due dates approach.
Features:
- Displays everything on one window
- Integrates with email, including Gmail and Outlook
- Task project tracking
- Deadline management
- Automated task creation
- Mobile app available
- 24/7 customer service
Pricing:
- Free – $0 per month with limited features
- Starter – From $45 per month with 2 users
- Professional – From $450 per month with 5 users
- Enterprise – From $1200 per month with 10 users
What we liked: integrates with most apps and automation is top of the line
What could be better: Bit of a learning curve to customize the software to your liking
Comparison of Best Project Scheduling Tools
|
Software
|
Pricing (Starting/month/user)
|
Time Tracking
|
Collaboration
|
Insightful Reports
|
Task Management
|
Powerful Dashboard
|
IOS/Android Apps
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
ProProfs Project
|
$0
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Hub Planner
|
$7
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
ClickUp
|
$0
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
ProjectManager
|
$15
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Celoxis
|
$22.50 (Billed annually)
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
ProofHub
|
$89 (Billed annually)
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Forecast
|
€27
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Monday.com
|
$0
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
TeamGantt
|
$0
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
MS Project
|
$9.7
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Zoho Projects
|
$0
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Workfront
|
Available on request
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
LiquidPlanner
|
$0
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Smartsheet
|
$14
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Teamwork Projects
|
$0
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Basecamp
|
$99
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
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