The average worker spends around 51% of every workday on tasks of little value. But did you know that spending 10 minutes a day on planning can save you two hours? The best part is that AI-driven project management tools can automatically not just save two hours but also do this ten-minute work for you!
How would your bottom line look with all that extra productivity?
Only 20% of people feel their workload is under control daily.
In this article, we’ll show you how to lift that number closer to 100% in your business.
Workload management tools and how to use them
Effective workload management tools are software or platforms that help you and your team organize your work activities, prioritize them, and keep you informed at each step. These tools are designed to help you plan better, schedule staff and tasks, and track the progress of all project tasks, even for the most complex projects.
They often offer features like task lists and Kanban boards, integrated work calendars, and collaboration features so you can streamline how your team works while maintaining total oversight.
Here are just a few of the ways that workload management software helps you better manage work:
- Use workload tools’ built-in task tracking to organize individual tasks and make a clear overall plan for your team.
- Use AI to automatically create your schedule, focusing on important tasks first to improve productivity and meet deadlines.
- Allocate resources strategically to match tasks with your team’s skills and time automatically so your projects are always delivered on time.
- Collaborate better by encouraging your team to use the tools to share updates and work together easily.
- Find problems and fix them before they become bigger issues with real-time analytics.
Team workload management tools make work easier for your team and more profitable for you.
Top 5 features to look for in workload management tools
We’ve looked at what they can do for you, but what should these tools have? How can you tell if it’s the right tool for your business and how you and your team like to work? Here are a few features to keep top of mind as we move into the top 10 workload management software of 2024:
- It should have an easy user interface that makes it simple to organize tasks, making sure everyone knows what to do. It’s as simple as that. To get everyone on board, you need to show your team that the tools you give them are there to simplify their lives, not just yours, especially if you need remote teams to adopt the tool without hands-on training.
- It should help you prioritize your team’s time for you so your staff can log in each day and focus on what’s most important first without needing extra guidance. Their workflows should be optimized for them.
- Opt for tools that help assign tasks based on available work time, making the most of your team's strengths and schedules. This simplifies resource management for you and helps you see where there might be room for more work and internal revenue-generating activities.
- Select tools that promote real-time updates so you’re not chasing manual status updates. You should be able to see where tasks, projects, and other work activities are in real-time. You should also be able to provide this information to stakeholders, like clients, with a single snapshot view.
- Pick a tool that integrates well with your existing systems. This reduces the friction in getting your team to sign on, as everything is in one place. Your goal here is to streamline work, not make it more difficult for your staff to find what they need when needed.
Workload tools should help you get the most out of your team’s available time. They should also make it easier for your team to focus on deep work time.
Top 10 workload management tools of 2024
With these features in mind, let’s take a look at the top 10 workload management tools for 2024:
1. Motion
Transform your approach to workflow management with Motion, a groundbreaking AI-powered tool meticulously designed to promote deep focus and optimize efficiency. By leveraging the capabilities of artificial intelligence, Motion redefines workflow dynamics, offering smart scheduling to optimize every team member's daily schedule. No more guesswork for you or your team.
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Standout features:
- Create and schedule tasks with Motion + Siri directly from your iPhone.
- Use Motion’s automated task manager to generate optimized daily schedules for your entire team.
- Tasks are auto-assigned based on team availability, task priority, and status, so everything gets done on time.
- Using AI, Motion manages the tasks and your staff’s time so you know they’re ideally utilized during work hours.
- Motion’s meeting assistant can find optimal meeting times in your team’s calendars to schedule meaningful catch-ups without interrupting opportunities for deep, focused work.
Pricing:
Motion offers a free seven-day trial, then offers two levels at a flat rate.
- Individual: $34 per month / only $19 per month billed annually
- Team: $20 per user/per month / only $12 per month billed annually
Both levels come with all features so they can scale with you, without additional costs.
2. Monday.com
Monday.com is a workload management tool designed to streamline team collaboration and task organization. With its user-friendly interface, customizable workflows, and real-time updates, Monday.com empowers businesses to efficiently manage tasks, prioritize assignments, and optimize team productivity within a centralized and collaborative platform.
Standout features:
- Customizable workflows — Tailor workflows to fit specific team needs
- Visual collaboration — Intuitive interface for seamless team collaboration with real-time updates and communication within a centralized platform.
- Workflow automation and integration — Automate repetitive tasks and integrate with various apps to optimize your workflows and get team buy-in.
Price:
Plans start at $0 and range up to $16/seat/month. Enterprise users need to call for pricing.
3. Teamhood.com
Teamhood is a collaborative project management tool with powerful workload management features. Teams can easily plan and track tasks with timelines and charts.
Standout features:
- Visual workflow management — Intuitive Kanban boards make task organization and project progress tracking simple
- Resource Allocation tools — Teamhood has balanced task assignment features so you can make sure your resources are optimized
- Advanced analytics — Robust reporting gives you real-time snapshots of team performance and workload distribution for data-driven decision-making.
Price:
Teamhood offers a free version to get you started. Then pricing increases incrementally per user per month:
- Professional: $15 per user/per month
- Premium: $19 per user/per month
- Ultimate: $24 per user/per month
- Enterprise: Contact Teamhood for pricing
4. ClickUp
ClickUp is designed to boost team productivity. It can take some work to set it up, but it’s user-friendly for task handling, staff collaboration, and project tracking. ClickUp acts as a central hub for your workflows. Unlike Motion, Click-up’s automation is based on custom rules rather than AI, which can make it less “automatic” without significant customization behind the scenes.
Standout features:
- Nested task structures — ClickUp offers detailed task breakdowns with subtasks, checklists, and clear dependencies.
- Pomodoro timer — Includes a built-in timer for focused work intervals to help task owners manage their focus time.
- Visual workload balancing — Provides clear views of team and individual workloads to help you with better task distribution among team members.
Price:
- Small team: $7/user/month
- Medium-sized team: $12/user/month
- Large team: Contact for pricing
5. Nifty
Nifty is a robust workload management tool combining task organization, team members' communication, and project tracking. Nifty’s integrated workspace can help streamline your workflows.
Standout features:
- Project portfolios — Nifty’s project portfolios streamline workload oversight at the executive level by consolidating related tasks and projects for a simple overview for efficient management and resource allocation across multiple initiatives.
- Interactive workload reports — Nifty offers interactive reports that display real-time workload data to make informed decision-making quicker.
- Customizable work views — Nifty allows you to tailor task displays based on priority, deadlines, or team members' workload. Choose the view that makes the most sense for you and your team.
Price:
Nifty offers a free version to get you started. Then pricing increases incrementally per user/per month:
- Starter: $5 per user/per month
- Pro: $10 per user/per month
- Business: $16 per user/per month
- Enterprise: Contact Nifty for pricing
6. ProofHub
ProofHub is about handling tasks with ease. It helps juggle work by making it simple to delegate tasks and track time directly in the platform.
Standout features:
- Customizable roles — Assign specific access levels to teammates for controlled project management hierarchies
- Tailored workflows — Create custom project steps for smoother daily task progress tracking
- Time tracking — Log billable hours easily and generate detailed timesheets for accurate invoicing
Price:
Proofhub offers a 14-day free trial. Prices are charged at a monthly flat rate (no per-user pricing). There are two levels:
- Ultimate control: $99 per month
- Essential: $50 per month
7. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is known for effective portfolio management. With adaptable features and reporting tools, Smartsheet is suited to larger organizations that manage many complex projects as part of their wider portfolios.
Standout features:
- Work Allocation Reports — Smartsheet provides detailed reports on task assignments and workloads across projects to efficiently distribute tasks based on team capacity and availability
- Resource views — Smartsheet offers resource views that visualize team members' workloads and availability to prevent overloading
- Task dependencies and critical path — With Smartsheet, users can set task dependencies and identify critical paths in workflows, ensuring efficient task sequencing and workload prioritization for project success
Price:
Smartsheet offers a free version to get you started. Then pricing increases incrementally per user/per month:
- Pro: $7 per user/per month
- Business: $25 per user/per month
- Enterprise: Contact Smartsheet for pricing
8. MS Project
Microsoft Project is the OG (original gangster” for workload management, making it a more traditional choice. It simplifies task scheduling and resource allocation while offering insights through Gantt charts and resource views.
Standout features:
- Schedule management — Easily manage project timelines through intuitive charts and timelines. MS Project allows you to arrange tasks systematically, adjust schedules, and track progress visually in a range of views
- Workload equilibrium — MS Project identifies overloaded or underutilized resources. This feature enables task reallocation for a balanced workload among team members and promotes sustained productivity without overloading
Price:
Microsoft Project pricing commences at $10.00 per user monthly and increases incrementally. They offer five project levels, each offering a different level of complexity.
9. Wrike
Wrike offers traditional project and workload management features with added forms and time tracking, making it a simple tool to use, though pricing can be a little higher than some of the top five solutions.
Standout features:
- Custom item types — Tailor your workspace to match your team's processes and hide any irrelevant items for a distraction-free view
- Dynamic request forms — Automate your work intake, collect all requests in one place, and make necessary information is provided directly into your work processes
- Interactive Gantt charts — Easily manage project timelines by dragging and dropping tasks and adjusting schedules dynamically in visual Gantt charts
Price:
Wrike offers a free version to get you started. Then pricing increases incrementally per user/per month:
- Team: $9.80 per user/per month
- Business: $24.80 per user/per month
- Enterprise and Pinnacle: Contact Wrike for pricing for more complex projects and unique needs
10. Trello
Trello remains a simple-to-use entry-level option for those just getting started with time management and organizing their own work schedules. It suits individuals looking to experiment with Kanban boards and simple to-do lists.
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Standout features:
- Kanban boards — Trello's boards visualize tasks and can be customized with image backgrounds for a fun workspace
- Customizable cards — Users personalize cards with labels, due dates, attachments, images, and checklists
- Power-ups and integrations — Trello extends functionalities via add-ons and integrations like calendars, time tracking tools, and other productivity tools like Google Drive and Toggl
Price:
- Individual: Free
- Standard: $5 per month if billed annually or $6 billed monthly
- Professional: $10 per month if billed annually or $12.50 billed monthly
- Enterprise: Use the calculator on the website to customize to your needs
Three pro tips to get the most out of your workload management tools
As you can see, there are a wide range of tools available. Here are three pro tips to help you make the most of them:
1. Customize the tools for your needs
Some tools, like Motion, will adapt to your team right out of the box. But others will need to be configured to meet your needs. Take the time to do this correctly so that you’re not forcing your team to adapt to yet another system that doesn’t really suit their needs.
2. Don’t set and forget
Once you’ve set up your tools, periodically revisit and reassess your setup. Make sure that your tools align with your objectives and that the workflows suit your team’s style of work, making adjustments as needed. This practice helps your team stay focused on their work rather than losing time frustrated with tools that don’t actually help them.
3. Opt for AI-driven workload management tools over traditional tools
AI-driven project and workload management tools offer simplicity and efficiency by automating tasks, providing insightful analytics, and adapting to changing project dynamics. They streamline teamwork, enhance decision-making, and save time, allowing your team to focus on what matters most—achieving your goals faster and more effectively than traditional tools.
Motion: Workload management supercharged with AI
Motion integrates the strengths of workload and project management tools into a unified solution. Say goodbye to overwhelm and hello to deep focus.
With Motion, effortlessly oversee your team's workload by automatically scheduling tasks and other work based on their availability.
Keep track of task progress and receive alerts for potential overscheduling or looming deadlines. Utilize Motion's AI algorithm to streamline workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and construct optimal daily schedules.
Let Motion handle your team's day, allocating time for focused work and prioritizing tasks directly in their calendars.
Avoid burnout and cost overruns—optimize your workload with Motion.
Experience the benefits for FREE today!
