A re you the kind of person who just loads everything into a spreadsheet everyone has access to, or do you prefer something a little more structured? The right tools can make or break how a company operates, especially when teams need to organize tasks and manage operations efficiently.
It can be difficult to manage growing teams spread across multiple locations, but the reality of the modern workplace is that not everyone is going to be in the same office. Research from Gallup discovered that half of half of hybrid workers (48%) are on a team that has not discussed an informal or formal plan for how to collaborate effectively in a hybrid environment. Without that planning, it’s easy to lose accountability and fall behind on important business goals.
When collaboration slips, project progress can grind to a halt. We shouldn’t place the burden on our teams to keep tasks organized themselves. Using the right apps and systems gives managers and employees the support they need to track progress, manage data, and scale campaigns across multiple departments. Empowering teams with tools that let them assign and sort workloads week after week can prove to be just what they need to boost productivity and collaboration.
Let’s explore why teams should invest in this type of software and some of the best options on the market for your company.
What is team management software?
Software designed for team management gives employees exactly that: one collaborative platform where they can organize tasks, streamline operations, and handle resource management effectively. With these tools, leaders and employees can delegate responsibilities, simplify processes, and create the right home screen experience to guide them through their job.
Of course, every team is going to want something a little different. Depending on the sector they occupy and the make-up of the team, not to mention their own preferences for styles of work, even two teams in the same company might want something a little different. The key is understanding how people work and providing them with the right apps, workflows, and support to meet those needs.
Key features we typically see in these tools include:
Scheduling
Everyone needs to know what job they are working on and when it is due. The right team management program will make it easy for managers to assign tasks, provide briefs, and keep every project moving forward. This helps ensure accountability and allows clients to see measurable progress at every stage.
Easy communication
Real-time chats and threaded discussions make it easy for teams to stay in contact with one another, no matter where they are located around the globe. Easy integration with video conferencing platforms and external calendars allows teams to keep in touch, track updates, and ensure everyone is always on the same page. Teams that work this way can scale their campaigns quickly and adapt to market demands. Creating valuable resources and reducing stress by supporting work from home and global teams.
Timesheets and tracking
Timesheets and tracking software are both needed to ensure that teams are using their time intelligently. This should never be about monitoring your team to ensure they are not avoiding work, but rather about ensuring that everything is tackled efficiently, data is captured, and resources are managed properly. Strong reporting also gives insights into how business operations are functioning over the course of each week.
File sharing
Teams need easy ways to share and access files. Some team management platforms may have file-sharing capabilities built into them; others may integrate with common apps like SharePoint. File sync and sharing ensure everyone has access to the most recent version of a document, but if you need to hop back in time and find an earlier draft for a client or campaign, you can do so at the push of a button.
Permission controls
Not every file should be viewable by every employee. Good permission controls mean that files that should stay private will be inaccessible to the right (or wrong) people. Sensitive documents will be properly protected, and if someone does need to gain access to something, permissions can be updated in just a few clicks. Having a well designed document management system makes processes easier across both the teams and company.
Mobile access
Not every employee is in an office. If your team has frontline employees, they still need to be able to access your systems. Choosing an app with good mobile access means your team can stay connected to the home screen, track progress on their job, and support company goals no matter where they are.
What are the benefits of team management software?
Everyone needs the right tools for the job, whether they are sitting down in front of their employee onboarding tasks or they have been in their role for years. The right tool makes everything easier, and the right management software means teams can:
- Improved collaboration and communication — Give teams one location where they can compile updates, files, comments, and feedback for each project or business campaign. Real-time messaging and threaded discussions can reduce noise and email clutter, helping everyone to stay aligned and focused across departments and operations.
- Clear task and project visibility — Tools that support task designation, to-do lists, and organizational structures like Kanban boards or Gantt charts help to support deadlines and project progress. This ties into team transparency, helping everyone to better manage their workloads, coordinate processes, and keep things moving forward.
- Automation and integration — Automation features such as automatic task reminders and recurring assignments help to reduce manual admin work. Integrations with other apps make it easier to create seamless workflows that connect data across systems, boosting efficiency and productivity.
- Performance insights and reporting — Dashboards and reporting allow managers to monitor KPIs, project health, productivity, and budget usage. These insights support better decision-making and forecasting, while also helping the organization optimize business operations for continuous improvement.
- Combines intranet, document management, internal communication, and collaboration.
- Customizable workspaces, employee directories, and knowledge bases.
- Features include forums, recognition badges, analytics, social engagement, and many more.
- All-in-one solution covering tasks, docs, whiteboards, and goals.
- Multiple view types (List, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt).
- Built-in automations and AI suggestions.
- Excellent for managing dependencies and workflows visually.
- Seamless integration with tools like Slack, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Teams.
- Rule-based automation for recurring work.
- Visually engaging, fully customizable boards and dashboards.
- Automation and templates for HR, marketing, sales, and more.
- Time tracking and workload visibility.
- Simple Kanban interface that’s beginner-friendly.
- Extendable with Power-Ups like calendar, voting, and automation.
- Great for lightweight project tracking.
- Tailored for agencies and client service teams.
- Includes billing, time tracking, and client project views.
- Project templates and workload management are built in.
- Blends project management, documentation, and wikis seamlessly.
- Supports AI, databases, and team knowledge hubs.
- Visual and structural flexibility for all team types.
- Industry-leading for agile project and issue tracking.
- Strong support for Scrum, Kanban, and sprint reporting.
- Deep developer tool integrations (Bitbucket, GitHub, Confluence, etc.).
- Real-time dashboards, custom request forms, and workload balancing.
- Enterprise-grade reporting with granular control.
- Integrates with 400+ apps.
- Spreadsheet-style interface combined with full project management features.
- Resource and portfolio management.
- Ideal for data-heavy teams with advanced reporting needs.
Top 10 Team Management Software
OK, so by now we should have a good picture of what we want our team management software to be able to do. But what options are available to us on the market? Here are 10 of the best software in this category, their top features, and who we think might benefit from them the most.
1. Axero
Of course, we had to throw our own hat into the ring. Axero is great for team and resource management. We help you build an intranet for your employees and their needs. From knowledge sharing to easy team communication, our platform can help you do it all. This is more than just team management; this is a chance for you to create a centralized hub for all your business and communication needs.
Key features:
Best for: Medium to large teams needing a secure, branded digital workplace and knowledge-sharing hub.
2. ClickUp
ClickUp is great when you need to organize multiple projects, but still have that cross-departmental functionality. If you know multiple people from all over the organization will have to jump on the project, ClickUp can help you arrange things so tasks are easy to find, assign, and update. Each employee also has the opportunity to tailor their workspace to their own preferences, allowing even remote workers to tackle projects in a way that works best for them.
Features:
Best for: Teams that want maximum customizability and an all-in-one workspace.
3. Asana
Asana sets things out visually so teams can easily source and track their projects and campaigns. For teams searching for a way to centralize and automate cross-departmental tasks, Asana offers them the space to do so. It easily scales up and down, allowing for small groups to manage their roles as easily as entire companies.
Features:
Best for: Teams handling complex, multi-step projects with clear timelines.
4. monday.com
monday.com can feel a little overwhelming at first, simply because of the number of tools on offer. If you need to meet specific needs with certain processes, this platform can help you track and meet these strategic goals. monday.com is also great for setting up automations to help make work more manageable. If you have operations overseen by many different people, monday.com can help you line them up so no one misses an important notification or deadline.
Features:
Best for: Cross-departmental collaboration with high visual clarity.
5. Trello
Trello is great for small teams who need to land on their feet quickly. The drag-and-drop card system is ideal for those getting to grips with Kanban workflows for the first time. It’s easy to set up for those delving into project management, and can scale easily as confidence in processes begins to build.
Features:
Best for: Small teams or startups that need an easy, visual tool to get started.
6. Teamwork
Teamwork is built specifically for managing client projects. Agencies and customer-facing teams can make use of a customizable platform that allows them to integrate many of the other tools they use during their everyday work. Whether your team works best with lists, boards, Gantt charts, or something else, Teamwork allows you to set up workflows that match the demands of your projects.
Features:
Best for: Agencies or consultants managing client-facing work.
7. Notion
Notion aims to keep everything in one location for easy access for the wider team. Rather than gatekeeping knowledge access around a few key team members, teams can build out a knowledge center that places all key and critical information in one easy location. From small teams to large organizations, Notion can be easily tailored to match your needs.
Features:
Best for: Teams who want to manage tasks and knowledge in one customizable space.
8. Jira (by Atlassian)
For teams who prefer to use the agile methodology for their projects, Jira is a great option. Sprint planning helps to organize tasks easily based on your existing backlog, while the Scrum templates allow you to find what works for your team and replicate that method in the future.
Features:
Best for: Software development teams following agile methodologies.
9. Wrike
Wrike uses a drag-and-drop timeline to help teams easily visualize their workloads and next steps. When a team needs to know where their focus and priorities should go, a tool like Wrike can help them organize this quickly and efficiently. Wrike also integrates easily with a number of other tools, allowing leadership to gain a quick overview of the company’s tasks all from the vantage point of one platform.
Features:
Best for: Larger teams needing powerful real-time collaboration and visibility.
10. Smartsheet
Smartsheet keeps things flexible and collaborative with their dashboards and automations that can pull through live data, so your team is always kept in the loop. The platform is built for easy proofing and sharing, so projects can be sent to external collaborators and stakeholders efficiently and without any compromise to your security and company data.
Features:
Best for: Spreadsheet-savvy teams looking to upgrade to structured project control.
Think bigger than just team management
All of the tools above are great for managing team performance and tasks, but true collaboration needs a full foundation to stand on. Axero is more than just a team management tool. Our modern intranet platform provides one central hub for every employee. From their home page, they will be able to access information, projects, and even fun spaces where they can share updates about their weekend and more.
Axero is more than just another tool. We give you the opportunity to craft a space for your organization to live and breathe online. No matter where your employees live across the globe, they will be able to use Axero to come together, collaborate, and achieve great things.
