Whether you are working out a communication strategy, planning the implementation of a program, or calculating how you'll complete a project on time, sometimes you need more than just a calendar to figure out how you'll get everything done.
If you need to manage a project, big or small, there are a number of tools—free and paid—that you can use.
One option is to use an Excel spreadsheet. An advantage of using Excel (or a similar program, such as Google Sheets) is that you may already use it and thus are familiar with its features. Additionally, both Microsoft and Google have made it possible to collaborate with others on spreadsheets, which facilitates communication about a project's status. Both Excel and Google Sheets are also cost-effective. Google Sheets is free for anyone to use, and Excel is included as part of Microsoft Office.
However, sometimes a DIY solution like an Excel spreadsheet is too cumbersome to use, too time-consuming to create, and not versatile enough to meet your needs. This is where a built-for-purpose project management tool comes to the rescue.
One such option for managing projects is Microsoft Project, a sophisticated project management tool (note: it is not part of the Microsoft Office suite). There is also a crop of newer project management tools such as Monday.com, Wrike, Smartsheet, and Asana, some of which offer a free plan for individuals and small teams.
Of all the options we've tried, our favorite is Toggl Plan. Toggl Plan has everything you need to manage your projects in one package.
Image from plan.toggl.com
Toggl Plan is one of the latest project management tools to be released. Similar to Asana, Toggl Plan allows you to view information in two forms, as a Kanban board or as a Gantt chart. Also similar to Asana, Toggl Plan offers a free plan for small teams (Toggl Plan caps the free plan at 5 people while Asana has a higher limit of 15). However, a key difference between the two is that Toggl Plan is all about simplicity whereas Asana emphasizes its robust list of features and integrations.
Why consider using Toggl Plan if Asana has more features? The answer involves ease of use.
If you are seeking a system that can help track typical non-profit assignments, like making sure your funders receive quarterly project reports on time, Toggl Plan is more than adequate to meet your needs. Moreover, if you need to do extensive planning across your organization, you can do that too. Toggl Plan can handle multiple projects, large teams, and complex timelines with multiple dependencies.
The advantage Toggl Plan offers over Asana and other planning tools is that it is so straightforward, most new users will be able to jump in and start using it immediately. Additionally, while Asana's extensive feature list looks attractive, many teams may only need Asana's most basic features, which are features Toggl Plan also has. In fact, what makes Toggl Plan a compelling alternative to Asana is that Toggl focuses on a core set of must-have project management functions.
When you are managing a project, you need to establish the project's overall goal and milestones, assign tasks across people and time, and oversee the completion of tasks. Toggl Plan provides an intuitive way to handle all of these areas.
Image from plan.toggl.com
Setting Milestones
To mark targeted milestones in Toggl Plan, it's as easy as a click on the timeline.