40+ Top Project Management Tools & Techniques Review (2025)

Project management is the art of turning ideas into results.

It’s how you use the right project methods, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver results—on time and within the project budget. The right project management tools and techniques make all the difference between a chaotic process and project success.

In this guide, you’ll learn about the key tools and techniques for every component of successful project management. Along the way, you’ll see how Productive helps your project team every step of the way.

Let’s clear up the difference between tools and techniques because it’s easy to mix them up. Think of it this way: Tools help you execute, while techniques guide how you execute.

Tools are the software or instruments you use to get things done. Think about Gantt charts, Kanban boards, or time-tracking apps—these are your go-to tools for executing tasks and staying organized. They’re like the hardware of your project.

Techniques are the strategies you use to manage your projects. They’re the playbook you follow to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Project management techniques can be divided into traditional, Agile, and modern approaches. Since there isn’t a universal rule of thumb, in the next chapters, we’ll break down each approach, along with its use cases and required tools.

When predictability and structure are key, the traditional approach (like Waterfall or Gantt charts) provides a reliable framework for guiding projects from start to finish.

Here’s when you should implement them and what tools to use:

The Waterfall approach is like following a recipe—it’s linear and step-by-step. Each phase builds on the previous one, making it predictable and reliable. It’s a great fit for projects where everything is clear from the start and unlikely to change.

Gantt charts are the gold standard for project visualization. They help you map out your schedule, show task dependencies, and track progress at a glance. Whether a product launch or a marketing campaign, Gantt charts keep everything on track.

The Critical Path Method (CPM) is a project management technique that helps teams identify the most crucial project objectives (or tasks) that determine the overall project timeline.

These tasks, known as critical activities, must be completed on time to prevent delays in the project’s completion. CPM allows project managers to map out task dependencies, calculate the longest sequence of dependent activities, and determine the shortest possible project duration.

By pinpointing which tasks have no flexibility in their deadlines and which have slack, teams can allocate resources to mitigate risks before they impact the delivery schedule.

Productive simplifies the CPM method with its task dependencies. The Task Dependencies feature allows you to manage and visualize the relationships between tasks, helping you identify which tasks are linked, which are blocking others, and which are waiting on other tasks.

With Productive, creating and adjusting Gantt charts is straightforward. With a simple drag-and-drop interface, you can easily adjust timelines, link dependent tasks, and update real-time schedules.

If something changes (and always does), you can make adjustments without breaking a sweat.

Microsoft Project has a solid Critical Path Analysis feature that helps identify key tasks that impact the project timeline. While Microsoft Project integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products, it has a complex interface and a steep learning curve.

The tool is usually challenging to new users. Additionally, its pricing may not suit smaller teams.

SOURCE: CAPTERRA

Smartsheet combines spreadsheets with project management features like Gantt charts and Critical Path visualization. The tool is highly customizable and integrates well with Google Workspace and Slack.

However, its lack of advanced features can make it less suitable for highly complex projects, and it might feel restrictive for tasks with intricate dependencies.

Food for thought: Use Productive as a Smartsheet alternative.

Wrike has dynamic Gantt chart capabilities and real-time Critical path analysis. The tool can help teams manage dependencies and identify bottlenecks.

However, users mentioned that its interface can feel cluttered and that its customization options may fall short for teams with highly specific requirements.

SOURCE: G2

Backlog Management in Productive: Sort, prioritize, and assign tasks effortlessly. You can also create custom fields for time estimation and categorize tasks by priority. Your team can focus on what’s important without getting bogged down.

Jira excels in backlog refinement, offering features to prioritize tasks, assign story points, and track progress through detailed sprint views. However, its complexity can be a barrier for smaller teams or those new to Agile.

Targetprocess supports backlog refinement with its user-friendly interface, custom views, and integration with Agile methodologies. Its niche focus on Agile teams is a strength, but smaller teams may find its features more than they need.

Wrike’s backlog management tools allow teams to sort and prioritize tasks effectively. It also integrates with Gantt charts for a hybrid approach. However, Wrike’s pricing can be high for teams needing advanced features.

At the end of each sprint, it’s time to reflect. What worked? What didn’t? How can the team improve? Retrospectives help Agile teams continuously refine their processes.

Collaborative Tools in Productive: Refine your Retrospectives – gather feedback, document action items, and implement improvements in future sprints.

Miro provides an online whiteboard experience that is perfect for collaborative retrospectives. Teams can create templates to gather feedback visually. While it’s versatile, it lacks built-in project tracking or task integration.

Parabol combines retrospective tools with lightweight task tracking, making it ideal for teams seeking an integrated solution. However, it’s less feature-rich compared to broader project management platforms.

Retrium is a dedicated tool for Agile retrospectives, offering built-in facilitation guides and templates. It’s highly focused on retrospectives but doesn’t integrate directly with broader project management workflows.

Modern project management techniques prioritize efficiency, adaptability, and strategic execution, so that teams to work smarter, eliminate waste, and balance structure with flexibility

Lean is all about efficiency—delivering value by eliminating waste. It encourages streamlining processes and focusing on what truly matters. Whether reducing redundant meetings or optimizing workflows, Lean helps teams stay lean and effective.

Streamlined Workflows in Productive: Automate repetitive tasks, track project deliverables, and focus on what adds value.

LeanKit by Planview is a tool designed specifically for Lean management. It provides digital Kanban boards, WIP tracking, and visual flow analysis. It’s effective for improving team efficiency, though its interface can feel dated compared to newer tools.

MeisterTask offers simple workflows and task automation for Lean teams. It’s user-friendly and great for small teams but lacks advanced analytics and reporting features, which limits scalability.

Toggl Plan combines visual project timelines with task management, making it a good fit for Lean workflows. Its minimalist approach is ideal for teams seeking simplicity but doesn’t support more complex project methodologies.

Sometimes, delivering project requirements requires combining Waterfall and Agile approaches. Hybrid methodologies let you take the best of both worlds—using Agile’s flexibility for parts of the project that require frequent updates while leveraging Waterfall’s structured approach for more predictable aspects.

Flexibility in Productive: Productive supports different types of project management. For example, you can use Gantt charts to map out long-term project timelines, assign task dependencies, and monitor progress.

At the same time, Kanban boards keep your team agile, letting them prioritize tasks, track progress visually, and limit work in progress (WIP). Adapt your workflow to fit your project’s unique needs.

SOURCE: CAPTERRA

TeamGantt combines Gantt chart functionality with basic project task management, making it a good choice for teams that need Waterfall planning with some Agile flexibility.

However, it doesn’t offer advanced Agile-specific features like sprint tracking. (very limited free options available)

Work Breakdown Structure is like your project’s roadmap. The idea here is to break down a big project into smaller, more manageable pieces. This approach helps your team see the entire scope of work and focus on individual tasks (or critical tasks) without feeling overwhelmed.

Project Templates and Task Hierarchy in Productive: In Productive, you can easily organize tasks into a clear hierarchy. You can convert tasks into milestones with subtasks. Assign responsibilities to tasks or subtasks and track every deliverable.

This centralized view of workloads eliminates confusion and boosts accountability. Plus, Productive integrates timelines with budget and resource planning, giving you a complete project scope overview in one place.

Your team will always know who’s doing what and when.

Microsoft Visio is a visual diagramming tool that’s great for creating detailed WBS diagrams. It allows teams to map out texts, tables, or tasks visually and customize layouts to suit their needs. However, Visio lacks built-in project management features, so you’ll need another tool to track progress.

SOURCE: G2

Lucidchart has an easy-to-use interface for building WBS diagrams in collaboration with other team members. It’s cloud-based, making it accessible for remote teams.

While Lucidchart does an amazing job visualizing diagrams, it doesn’t integrate directly with project tracking features, so you’ll need to buy additional tools for execution.

MindManager lets teams create WBS structures in a mind map format. It’s ideal for brainstorming and visually organizing tasks, but its steep pricing may be a barrier for smaller teams with limited resources.

SOURCE: G2

Budget planning and forecasting aim to effectively allocate resources and anticipate potential overspending before it becomes an issue. They are all about being proactive and staying on top of project costs and time frames.

Here’s a breakdown of tool features that are must-haves for estimating, setting realistic budget plans, and accurately forecasting project outcomes.

Real-Time Cost Tracking with Productive: Productive gives you a bird’s-eye view of your project’s financial health. Our users track their project expenses in real-time, predict future costs, and compare actual spending against their budget.

With Productive, you’ll know exactly where every dollar is going and how it’s impacting your bottom line.

Float specializes in resource and financial forecasting, helping teams allocate resources effectively while keeping budgets in mind. While it’s strong in forecasting, its lack of integration with broader project management features may require pairing it with another tool.

QuickBooks Online provides robust features for tracking project budgets and forecasting expenses. It’s great for teams that need advanced financial tracking, though its focus on accounting can make it less intuitive for non-financial users.

FreshBooks offers an intuitive platform for managing project finances, including expense tracking and invoicing. It’s user-friendly and integrates well with other tools, but it’s better suited for small-to-medium projects rather than large-scale initiatives.

Managing risks starts with understanding them. A Risk Assessment Matrix works like a quick-glance dashboard, showing you how likely risks are and how much they could impact your project. It helps you decide what needs your attention right away.

While Productive provides a flexible workaround for risk management, we’ve listed other tools that offer additional features to support your efforts.

A Risk Assessment Matrix helps you visualize the likelihood of risks occurring and the impact they could have on your project (e.g., risk—campaign budget overrun; outcome—reduced project profit by xyz%).

It’s like a quick-glance risk dashboard—helping you prioritize which issues need immediate attention.

While Productive doesn’t have a built-in Risk Assessment Matrix feature, you can create a practical workaround using its customizable tools.

You can forecast project profitability, budget burn, and utilization. These features will give you an early warning if your project will lose money or if your team is underutilized or overbooked.

The idea here is to spot and mitigate a potential risk before issues become problems.

RiskWatch offers robust tools for identifying and analyzing risks, with features like automated assessments, customizable risk scoring, and compliance tracking. It’s particularly effective for organizations managing multiple projects with regulatory requirements.

However, its complexity can be challenging for small teams or those without dedicated risk management expertise.

LogicGate Risk Cloud is a customizable platform for managing risks across various industries. The tool has visual dashboards, automated workflows, and advanced analytics, making it a strong choice for larger teams. Its downside is the high cost, which may not suit smaller businesses or simpler projects.

SOURCE: G2

SafetyCulture specializes in risk assessment and audit processes, providing templates, checklists, and mobile capabilities for conducting on-site risk evaluations. It’s ideal for field teams but lacks deeper integrations with other project management tools, limiting its functionality for more complex workflows.

Wrike also allows teams to track risks through task dependencies, custom fields, and priority levels. Its reporting tools help project managers monitor potential bottlenecks and adjust plans proactively. However, Wrike can be overly complex and challenging to implement, and its advanced features are locked behind premium plans.

SOURCE: G2

Keep in mind that RiskWatch and LogicGate are specialized risk management software solutions mostly used by big enterprises. They are complex and cost much more than project management tools like Productive.

If you’re wondering how Wrike compares to Productive, you should check out our detailed Wrike vs. Productive vs. Asana comparison.

A SWOT analysis is a classic tool for evaluating your project from every angle. You can anticipate potential roadblocks and play to your team’s strengths by identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It’s not just about identifying risks—it’s about seeing the bigger picture and planning for success.

While Productive doesn’t have a dedicated SWOT analysis feature, its versatile tools can effectively conduct and document SWOT analyses.

Start by creating a dedicated project for the SWOT analysis and dividing it into four task sections: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Use custom fields to prioritize and categorize items, such as tagging strengths by their impact level or weaknesses by their urgency.

Productive’s Kanban boards allow you to visualize these categories, making it easier to track and discuss findings as a team. Team members can contribute insights directly in task comments, and relevant files or research can be attached for context.

Once the analysis is complete, you can turn the findings into actionable tasks—for instance, assigning initiatives to address weaknesses or capitalize on opportunities.

With real-time collaboration, time tracking, and budgeting features, Productive ensures your SWOT analysis is not just a static exercise but a foundation for actionable, goal-driven strategies.

Miro is an online whiteboard that has templates specifically designed for SWOT analysis. Teams can brainstorm in real-time, map out strengths and weaknesses, and collaboratively refine their insights.

While Miro excels in the brainstorming phase, it lacks integration with task management systems, meaning you’ll need another tool to turn findings into actionable steps.

SWOT Hub is a specialized tool for conducting SWOT analyses. It features customizable templates, collaborative input fields, and simple reporting options to help teams organize their analysis.

However, its narrow focus means it doesn’t support task management or workflow integration, requiring additional tools for follow-through.

Lucidchart is a powerful diagramming tool that allows teams to create visually polished SWOT analyses. Its drag-and-drop interface and templates make organizing ideas and sharing findings easy.

However, Lucidchart is best for presentation purposes but doesn’t offer collaborative task management features or integration with broader project workflows.

Risk management isn’t just about avoiding problems; it’s about staying proactive and ready to adapt.

Unlike tools like Miro or Lucidchart, which focus on visualization, Productive integrates SWOT findings into a centralized workflow, ensuring insights become actionable strategies. With Productive, your team can seamlessly analyze, plan, and execute—all in one place.

Remember, the goal here is to anticipate risks, plan smarter, and empower your team to handle challenges before they escalate.

The goal of resource management is to make the best use of your team’s time and skills without overloading anyone.

Strategies like resource leveling (ensuring workloads are balanced) and resource smoothing (aligning resource usage with deadlines) help teams prevent burnout and (or) bottlenecks.

Here’s our pick of tools and their features for this project management process:

Plan and Monitor Resource Usage with Productive: Productive’s Resource Planner feature is a powerful tool for making big-picture time allocations across your team.

It helps you plan and monitor your resources. You can book people on time off or projects, monitor their capacity, and create placeholders for future hiring and projects.

You also get to keep track of who’s working on what—all in real time.

Productive features like the Resource Planner make sure that your resources are used effectively and projects stay on track.

Asana combines task management with resource allocation features, allowing project managers to view team workloads and redistribute tasks when needed. Its workload management tool provides a clear overview of capacity. While Asana is easy to use, it lacks advanced forecasting capabilities for needed for effective resource planning.

SOURCE: G2

Monday‘s resource management features include workload tracking and timeline views. Monday is user-friendly, and has cool visual tools for monitoring team capacity. However, its advanced features often require higher-tier pricing plans, which may not suit smaller teams.

SOURCE: G2

Smartsheet offers resource management tools alongside project planning and task tracking. Its Resource Management add-on allows teams to track capacity, schedule work, and forecast resource needs. Smartsheet’s flexibility is a strength, but its interface can feel overly complex for teams that are new to resource planning.

Productive stands apart by integrating resource allocation with budgeting and time tracking. Unlike tools like Monday.com or Asana, which focus primarily on visualizing workloads, Productive actually ensures resources are aligned with financial goals and project timelines.

That’s why Productive is the ideal tool for project management.

Are your resources being used efficiently? Tracking resource utilization metrics helps you answer that question. By analyzing how time and effort are being spent, you can identify gaps, redistribute workloads.

Then you make data-driven decisions that improve productivity.

Real-Time Dashboards in Productive: Productive’s dashboards provide instant insights into your resource performance. You can monitor utilization rates, spot inefficiencies, and ensure your team’s efforts align with project goals. It’s like having a real-time pulse on your project’s health.

Wrike‘s resource management tools include workload views and reporting dashboards to monitor utilization metrics. Its visual workload chart lets you see how team members are distributing their time across tasks, making it easier to balance workloads. However, Wrike’s advanced reporting features are available only in higher-tier plans, which may not be accessible for smaller teams.

Teamwork provides time tracking and resource utilization tools that help teams analyze productivity and identify overburdened members. Its utilization reports highlight areas where resources are under- or over-used, offering actionable insights. While it’s user-friendly, Teamwork’s reporting tools are less robust compared to more specialized resource management platforms.

ClickUp‘s resource tracking features include time-tracking integrations, workload views, and detailed reports. These tools allow managers to analyze utilization rates and ensure resources are aligned with deadlines. However, ClickUp’s interface can feel overwhelming due to its vast array of features, which might slow down adoption for new users.

Teamwork and ClickUp are both solid choices for resource management. If you’re still not sure, you should have a look at the detailed Teamwork vs ClickUp comparison.

To know if your project is on the right track, you need to measure success with KPIs. These project management metrics help you evaluate progress toward goals, whether it’s hitting deadlines, staying within budget, or maintaining quality.

Dashboards in Productive: Productive makes KPI tracking effortless with customizable dashboards. You can monitor key metrics in real-time, like task completion rates, resource utilization, or budget adherence. It’s all at your fingertips, so you’re always in the know.

Tableau is a powerful data visualization tool that enables teams to create interactive dashboards to track KPIs. Its integration with multiple data sources makes it ideal for monitoring complex projects.

However, Tableau requires a steep learning curve and may be overkill for smaller teams or simpler projects.

Monday includes visual dashboards for KPI tracking, helping teams monitor progress and identify bottlenecks. Its flexibility allows managers to customize dashboards based on project needs.

While great for mid-sized teams, its advanced analytics are limited compared to specialized tools like Tableau.

Zoho Analytics provides in-depth KPI tracking with customizable reports and automated insights. Its intuitive interface makes it accessible to non-technical users, and its integration capabilities support a range of project management tools.

However, its free plan offers limited features, and advanced functionality requires a paid subscription.

EVM is a powerful technique for evaluating project performance by comparing planned progress to actual results. It gives you insights into whether your project is on schedule and within budget.

Earned Value Analysis in Productive: Productive simplifies EVM by integrating schedule and cost performance metrics into its project management tools.

With real-time tracking, you can calculate key EVM metrics like planned value (PV), earned value (EV), and actual cost (AC). Integrated dashboards present a comprehensive view of project performance, ensuring managers avoid potential delays or budget overruns.

Microsoft Project is a well-established project management tool with built-in EVM functionality. It automatically calculates essential metrics like earned value (EV), cost variance (CV), and schedule performance index (SPI). However, its interface can be difficult for new users to navigate, requiring thorough training to leverage its full potential.

Primavera P6, a professional-grade tool from Oracle, provides extensive EVM features for large-scale, complex projects. It enables precise tracking of earned value and integrates with financial management systems for deeper cost analysis. The downside is that it’s costly and better suited for enterprise-level projects rather than small teams.

Smartsheet offers customizable EVM templates and dashboards, allowing teams to track financial performance and project progress. Its intuitive interface makes it accessible for mid-sized teams, but its advanced features require additional configuration and may not be as powerful as dedicated EVM tools.

SOURCE: CAPTERRA

Regular reporting is about identifying opportunities for improvement. Actionable insights from detailed reports can help

Automated Reporting Features in Productive: Productive makes reporting simple with real-time, data-driven reports.

Its dashboards clearly show project performance, including resource usage, task progress, and financial summaries. The reports are customizable, so project managers can focus on the metrics that matter most to their projects.

Productive also sends automated reports (e.g., tasks closed this week) via Slack or email. With the Pulse feature, users can get their reports daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.

Pulse can also include additional recipients, so everyone you select will get the report alongside you.

Tableau excels at creating interactive and visually engaging dashboards. Its ability to pull data from multiple sources makes it ideal for comprehensive analytics. However, its advanced features come with a steep learning curve, and it’s better suited for teams with technical expertise in data analysis.

SOURCE: G2

Microsoft’s Power BI is a robust tool for data visualization and reporting. It integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft ecosystem and provides advanced analytics to track project performance. While powerful, its complexity can make it less accessible for smaller teams or those unfamiliar with its setup.

SOURCE: G2

Zoho Analytics is a user-friendly reporting tool with customizable dashboards and automated insights. It supports integration with popular project management tools, making it easy to consolidate data.

However, its free plan has limited features, and advanced functionality is reserved for paid plans, which may deter smaller teams.

Keep in mind that Tableau and Power BI are highly specialized analytics tools that gather data from multiple sources.

These tools are used mainly by enterprises that require analyses of massive data sets. Productive is a much better fit for agencies, creative studios, or professional service companies.

To choose the right project management software tool, you must consider the project size, complexity, team dynamics, and budget.

It may sound like much, but choosing the right tools and techniques doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the basics:

Productive is scalable and customizable, so you don’t have to choose between tools and techniques—it supports both. Whether you’re running Agile sprints with Kanban boards or mapping out a Waterfall project with Gantt charts, Productive adapts to your team’s needs and budget.

The trends in project management tools are all about hybrid approaches, AI, and automation. Let’s get into the details.

AI and automation are eliminating guesswork in decision-making. With AI, you can predict risks before they escalate and optimize your resource allocation.

AI will more and more automate repetitive tasks like data entry or status updates. These new advancements will allow teams to focus on just strategic and executive work rather than administrative chores.

Not all projects fit neatly into a single methodology. That’s where hybrid approaches come in, blending Agile, Waterfall, and Lean techniques to create a customized framework that works for your team and project.

For instance, you might use Waterfall for planning and Agile for execution. In the future, you can expect more hybrid approaches.

Each tool and technique discussed has strengths, but success comes from correctly using the right ones. Before choosing their tools and techniques, project managers should consider the following:

If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution for managing every aspect of your project life cycle, you should learn more about Productive.

Start simplifying your workflows and optimizing your team’s performance. Book a demo now.