We all know project management is crucial to the success of any business. The right tools can make the difference between a smooth-running project and one that ends up costing you time, money and sanity.
What’s more, Microsoft Teams is a great collaboration platform for teams to use to manage their projects. But it doesn’t come with built-in project management tools—and you probably don’t want to add on dozens of third-party apps that might not work well together.
So what do you do? Well, we’ve got some good news for you: there are plenty of great free project management apps for Microsoft Teams that can help you manage your projects without breaking the bank or getting overwhelmed by all those extra features most people don’t even need.
Free Project Management Apps For Microsoft Teams
Are you searching for other project management apps that work with Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams is a great platform that will allow you to work with your team as if you’re in the same office. Unfortunately, the extent of its default features is more focused on communication (the reason why they allow integration with other apps).
Whether you’re looking for project management apps that work with Microsoft Teams or you want to check if your apps made it to the list, this article is for you!
Let’s get started.
What are the best project management apps that work with Microsoft Teams?
Note that there are a whole lot more apps that work with Microsoft Teams. In fact, Microsoft estimated that number to be around 700 apps and workflow automation available on the app store.
With that, here are the best project management apps:
- Asana
Asana is a popular application that helps teams manage and organize their work. It’s ideal for project management, process management, workflow management, and reporting. Some of the most popular companies that use it include Wix and Figma.
Asana and Microsoft Teams Integration
Using Asana on Teams will allow you to collaborate on tasks and keep your work connected without having to leave Microsoft Teams. Whenever you have updates in Asana, you will also receive notifications in your My Tasks section in Teams.
Here are the things you can do with Microsoft Teams and Asana integration:
Create, assign, and view tasks
Convert conversations into tasks
Search for tasks, projects, and portfolios
Receive notifications on relevant updates
Share tasks, projects, portfolios, and status updates
For more information, visit Asana’s page on how its integration with Microsoft Teams works.
- Trello
A few years ago, before a whole lot of project management apps popped up, most people only choose between Trello and Asana. Trello is a web-based Kanban-style application that’s a good fit for anyone looking for a simple and focused app.
Trello and Microsoft Teams Integration
What the Trello app in Microsoft Teams does is link your workspaces in Trello to Teams. Every time you run Microsoft Teams, Trello runs by default in the background and becomes available to everyone in your teams.
Here are the things you can do with Microsoft Teams and Trello integration:
Completely switch to full Trello functionality through the Trello tab
Get automated notifications in regards to changes in the Trello boards
For more information, visit Trello’s page on how its integration with Microsoft Teams works.
- Monday.com
Monday.com is a versatile tool with functionalities that go beyond project management. In fact, you can say it’s a platform that allows companies to create their own applications and work management processes.
Monday.com and Microsoft Teams Integration
When you connect Monday.com with Microsoft Teams, you can straight away add any boards directly into your channels. You can also receive notifications. The difference is, you can customize what type of notifications to receive.
Here is a list of things you can do with Microsoft Teams and Monday.com integration:
Share and receive real-time updates
Embed Monday.com boards within tabs
Search and share links from boards to conversations in Teams
Use your personal space tab to keep an eye on your weekly projects and inbox
For more information, visit Monday.com’s page on how its integration with Microsoft Teams works.
- ClickUp
ClickUp is one of Monday.com’s fiercest competitors. It declared itself as the “one app to replace them all”, which sounds excessive at first…until you see what you can do with it. You can use ClickUp for process management, task management, time management, and so much more.
ClickUp and Microsoft Teams Integration
When you link ClickUp with Microsoft Teams, you can get everyone in the project notified and updated. Since ClickUp is a monstrous application, not all of its features are accessible within Microsoft teams.
Here is a list of specific things you can do when you integrate Teams and ClickUp:
Rich links with additional details added
Receive notifications for new comments, attachments, status changes, and other updates
Find and attach a task to any conversation
For more information, visit ClickUp’s page on how its integration with Microsoft Teams works.
- Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a dynamic workspace, software-as-a-service platform, that teams can use to assign tasks, track project progress, manage calendars, and share documents. The unique aspect of Smartsheet is the fact that it has a tabular user interface.
Smartsheet and Microsoft Teams Integration
When you enable Smartsheet for Teams, you gain the ability to add a Smartsheets tab within channels. Without leaving Teams, you can straightaway add sheets, dashboards, and reports as tabs and your team can work on them.
Here are the things you can do with a Smartsheet and Microsoft Teams integration:
Set Smartsheet notifications to be sent automatically to a Teams channel
Receive notifications and notifications as direct messages
Review and submit update requests
Review and approve Smartsheet approval requests
Add sheets, dashboards, and reports as tabs within a Teams channel
For more information, visit Smartsheet’s page on how its integration with Microsoft Teams works.
- Jira
Jira is a teams software that’s popular with developers and agile teams. It helps members of the team to plan, track, and release great software. However, other teams can also make use of it as its features are more or less similar to other project management applications.
Jira and Microsoft Teams Integration
When you integrate Jira with Microsoft Teams, you will be able to bring the experience into your collaboration environment in Teams. It helps you focus and communicate with your team on issues and backlog.
Here are the things you can do with a Jira and Microsoft Teams integration:
Add the Jira cloud tab in Microsoft Teams
Find a project you’re working on
Apply filters on your projects
Discuss your backlog with others
For more information, check out Jira’s page on how its integration with Microsoft Teams works.
- Hive
Hive is a new project management platform that brands itself as the “#1 productivity platform for fast-moving teams”. Since it’s newer than the rest, it has fewer functions too. However, these features are more focused and refined than the others.
Hive and Microsoft Teams Integration
Though new in the marketplace, Hive integrates with thousands of applications and makes it easy for anyone to connect all work-related information in a centralized place. When you integrate Hive with Microsoft Teams, you can add it as part of your Teams channel.
Here are the things you can do when you integrate Hive with Microsoft Teams:
Create and view projects
Assign tasks to other members
View all tasks assigned
Share documents and files
For more information, read Hive’s page about its integration with Microsoft Teams.
- Miro
Miro is a unique project management app because of its online collaborative whiteboard feature. Although most users make use of its integration options, some are content to work on it solely as it allows cross-functional teamwork possible through video chat, presentation, and sharing.
Miro and Microsoft Teams Integration
When you integrate Miro with Teams, you actually bring over Miro’s capabilities and features over to teams. You can collaborate in real-time or asynchronously and go from conversation to collaboration.
Here is a list of things you can do when you integrate Miro with Microsoft Teams:
Add a Miro board as a tab
Share outputs in team channels
Receive notifications about feedback and important updates
Brainstorm, create mind maps and plan sessions within Teams
For more information, visit Miro’s page on how its integration with Microsoft Teams works.
- Klaxoon
Klaxoon is an app that makes team collaboration and teamwork more efficient. Klaxoon has a suite of apps like Board, Questions, Quiz, and others that have various uses for teams. Its visual collaboration tool alone is enough to encourage teamwork.
Klaxoon and Microsoft Teams Integration
When you integrate Klaxoon with Microsoft Teams, you will be able to run meetings, workshops, sessions, and stay with your team directly. You can then make use of Klaxoon’s apps to make information more visual and facilitate decision-making.
Here are things you can do from Microsoft Teams when you integrate Klaxoon:
Start video calls and send messages
Share documents
Make use of Klaxoon’s Board, Questions, Quizzes, etc.
For more information, read Klaxoon’s article about its integration with Microsoft.
- Zoho Projects
Zoho is a cloud software suite and SaaS applications for various businesses. Its online project management software, Zoho Projects, is a comprehensive solution for planning work, tracking, and collaborating with the team.
Zoho Projects and Microsoft Teams Integration
When you integrate Zoho Projects and Microsoft Teams, you will be able to collaborate on your task with leaving Teams. What’s even cooler is that you can make use of Zoho’s integration of its other apps like CRM, Reports, Desk, and many others with Teams.
Here is a list of things you can do when you integrate Zoho Projects and Microsoft Teams:
Start a task conversation in channels
Use a bot to perform various actions like creating a new task, assigning owners, adding comments, and more
Use Zoho Projects itself in a tab
For more information, check out Zoho’s page on its integration with Microsoft Teams.
As you can see, there are a lot of project management apps that can integrate with Microsoft Teams. If you’re not sure which to use, make sure to test them out first outside of Teams as its integration is only an extension of what it can do.
best free project management app for microsoft teams
The pandemic that hit in 2020 forced many companies to shift to remote work, and leading them to move most, if not all, of their business processes online.
Many companies chose to use Microsoft Teams as a way to connect with and manage their remote teams. In fact, the tool gained 95 million users in 2020, quadrupling in size from 2019.
Though Microsoft Teams focuses primarily on communication, its various features include many ways to streamline daily activities. Users can use the tool to communicate and collaborate through various means, including calls and chat.
They can also share files and data links to keep everyone up -to -date on new information and changes. All of these features help simplify project management for remote teams, enabling employees to stay on top of project statuses and needs.
While Microsoft Teams keeps workers connected and informed, it doesn’t fulfill all project management requirements. For example, it lacks an easy way to visualize plans, build out tasks and add details, or review project progress.
Luckily, Microsoft Teams integrates with numerous third-party applications that help expand its capabilities.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at some of the best Microsoft Teams project management applications you can use to help your team become more organized, productive, and efficient.
1. Task management applications
Keeping track of ongoing tasks is one of the most important parts of project management. You can use the built-in communication and calendar tools within Microsoft Teams to see if workers are meeting deadlines, but there are more comprehensive options available.
Apps such as Todoist and Tasks are designed to make task creation easier. Instead of opening your project management tool to start a new assignment, you can create a task right from the Microsoft Teams chat tool.
When discussing a new task for a project, you can simply right-click on the message to add a new task to the application or to your Gmail or Outlook inbox. You can then add users to the task and check it off when the work is completed.
All tasks created from a Microsoft Teams chat also link back to that conversation to provide context and any additional information. This saves everyone time by capturing the conversation so others can review the context on their own time, so you don’t have to fill in anyone who wasn’t part of the initial conversation.
In this way, task management applications can help you quickly adapt to new project needs without impacting your team’s momentum.
2. Note-taking applications
When you have a group of people collaborating on a project, you can expect to hold several meetings. These meetings may cover a lot of information, so it’s helpful to take good notes during these discussions.
Maintaining good meeting- records is especially important for remote or hybrid teams, since attendees in different time zones may not be able to attend every meeting.
Using a note-taking tool such as Evernote allows you to keep an easily accessible record of everything you’ve discussed.
Whenever someone has a question about a topic covered in a previous meeting, that person can quickly search quickly for the answer or necessary file directly within the tool.
You can also share personal notes, such as those taken during one-on-one conversations or jotted down in your free time.
Another application, Zoho Notebook, allows you to create, view, and update notes and notebooks, search notes, set reminders, and link related notes together.
You can also change the colors of note cards, view them in landscape or grid views, and even lock notebooks and notes with a passcode to secure them.
3. Methodology-specific project management applications
There are many different ways to run business projects. If your team relies on a specific project management methodology, look for an application that’s designed to enable that process.
Using tools that enhance your existing project management methodology can help maintain momentum and minimize workflow disruptions.
If your team uses the Kanban method, for example, you’ll likely want an application that organizes your tasks and progress using Kanban boards. Examples include Trello, Asana, and ClickUp, all of which use Kanban-style cards and columns to sort tasks.
You can create, share, and edit boards created using these applications within Microsoft Teams, making it easy to keep track of your progress.
Another common project management technique is the waterfall methodology. Applications such as Monday.com and Wrike provide Gantt chart and list templates to help you get and stay organized. They also allow you monitor your team’s progress and make simple adjustments on the fly.
Because these applications integrate directly with Microsoft Teams, you can alert colleagues to new assignments, requests, or updates by tagging them in the tool.
Depending on the application used, you may also be able to share previews and links to projects in your chats.
4. Comprehensive project management applications
Though you may think of project management as simply managing tasks and project schedules, those are far from the only elements companies have to track.
For example, if you’re working with an independent contractor or third-party vendor, you may be in charge of tracking their costs and expenses. This type of project management typically requires a more comprehensive tool to perform these tasks effectively.
Microsoft Teams applications such as Project Insight, TrackingTime, and InLoox provide a deeper level of project management through features that help monitor budgets and time tracking.
The seamless integration of these application with Microsoft Teams allows you to view this information within the Microsoft Teams platform, empowering you to act quickly if you have a question or concern.
For example, if you see an expense you didn’t authorize, you can easily click the chat tab to start a conversation with the vendor it’s associated with to clarify the charge.
Or, if you notice that someone is logging a lot of hours without producing the amount of work you’d expect, you can reach out to them directly—without having to toggle between tools.
5. Visual communication applications
An Economist report discovered that 50% of employees prefer visual-based tools, such as whiteboards or sketchpads, over simply discussing information.
When managing a remote team, however, there isn’t always a good way to use these tools during a video conference or Microsoft Teams meeting.
To solve this problem, you can use project management applications like MindManager® for Microsoft Teams or MURAL to create, organize, and share data through visual mind maps and diagrams.
When holding a Microsoft Teams meeting, you can use these applications to create visual diagrams directly within the shared screen so every participant can view and even edit it in real -time to add any missing information.
Your team can use MURAL like a digital whiteboard. You can use the tool to sketch out illustrations that better communicate your data. Users can also leave virtual sticky notes on your designs to add comments, provide more information, or color code that section.
MindManager takes a more structured approach. Rather than simply writing or drawing across a blank space, you can create mind maps, and use the tool’s shapes, text boxes, and other features to illustrate the idea, project, or meeting you’re planning.
Once you’ve created a mind map, you can link to or attach relevant information stored within Microsoft Teams, such as spreadsheets, appointments from Outlook, files saved in your shared storage, and website links.
Colleagues can also tag other users in tasks or comments within MindManager to alert them of updates. Your mind map can thus serve as a centralized hub for a project, providing everyone with the information they need to refer back to.
Visual communication tools, such as mind maps, offer a multitude of ways to organize and/or share information. You can use MindManager to:
- Build a mind map to capture and organize the ideas generated during a brainstorming session.
- Create a step-by-step plan that visualizes an entire project, including tasks that can then be assigned to specific team members.
- Expand project information in maps to include notes about budgets, deadlines, meetings, and other relevant information.
As you can see, integrating mind maps and other visualization applications with Microsoft Teams enables you to improve your project management abilities in multiple different ways.
You can better organize your workloads and manage your time, all while creating greater visibility into every step of your most important projects.
Conclusion
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