Project Management Tools to Improve Collaboration in Your Marketing Agency

Projects don’t always go as planned.

You can perfectly outline the tasks, major milestones, and timeline for each project

You can perfectly outline the tasks, major milestones, and timeline for each project …but in the end, things happen.

Clients don’t send the information you need  

Clients don’t send the information you need  

A key employee walks out the door  

Clients don’t send the information you need  

A key employee walks out the door  

A technical issue pops up that requires you to rethink the approach  

This can spiral out of control when everyone is simply referring to a color coded spreadsheet and replying to a confusing email thread.

That’s why so many agencies invest in project management software. They need an easy to use interface to track timelines, tasks,

time, and budgets.

They need something people will actually

want to use, which is no easy feat.

We’ve put together a list of some of the top platforms that are specifically made with

agencies in mind.

But first, here are a few things to consider when outlining your process:

1

Is scalability a key issue?

1

Is scalability a key issue?

Is your agency growing fast, and do you want it to grow even faster? Can the tools scale

with you?

2

Is it user-friendly?

2

Is it user-friendly?

Will your staff like using the interface to schedule projects, track their time, and stay

up-to-date on clients’ status?

3

Is it flexible?

3

Is it flexible?

How does the tool integrate with other software your agency uses? Do you want to use billing features, time tracking software, a

CRM, or a marketing automation tool?

4

Does it provide enough customization?

4

Does it provide enough customization?

What reports and features will you religiously use, and does the software allow you to make those the focus of your experience? Do you

need to collaborate with clients from the platform?

5

What features really matter?

5

What features really matter?

There are project management tools that come loaded with everything you could ever want to

use and there are those that focus on one thing. What does your agency really need to make

projects easier to manage?

.

14 Agency Project Management Software Options to Consider

Workmajig brings together accounting, client management, new business, creative, media, traffic, and production departments and their

tasks into one collaboration software platform.

Features include: •  Integration with STRATA and SmartPlus for media billing •  Ability to see all prospects in an agency’s pipeline with an

opportunity widget •  Creates accounts receivable aging reports •  Templates for accurate estimating •  Tracks projects per retainers

FunctionPoint provides tools for multiple

departments, including new business, accounting, client services, traffic, and creative.

Features include: •  File sharing and approvals workflows •  Scheduling and assigning tasks and managing individual

workloads •  Financial reporting and invoicing •  Project and task dashboard for understanding timelines and

profitability of projects

Central Desktop is an online-based

collaboration tool that helps the entire agency stay on-task and informed of a project’s status.

Features include: •  File sharing and approvals workflows •  Scheduling and assigning tasks and managing individual

workloads •  Financial reporting and invoicing •  Project and task dashboard for understanding timelines and

profitability of projects

10,000ft is a visually pleasing project

management and planning tool with an interactive interface.

Features include: •  Drag-and-drop interface allowing managers to adjust

timelines and projects based on evolving needs •  Dashboard allows managers to see each project’s status

based on time, fees, and expenses •  Visual reporting for viewing the big picture of how teams,

clients, and projects are doing against goals

FunctionFox provides three different levels of project management software – from simple

project and time tracking to advanced reporting and project management.

Features include: •  A dedicated account manager who helps agencies set up

the software and provides support as the company grows •  Client- and project-based reporting •  Dashboard so leadership can view profitability •  Custom fields for adding information unique to your agency •  Group and individual calendars

Brightpod has a Trello-like board interface that allows users to track projects, ideas,

and tasks.

Features include: •  Custom workflows for different types of projects •  An editorial calendar for managers whot rack social and

content plans •  Individual dashboards to team members can track their

high-priority items each day •  Log time per task

Clients & Profits provides four levels of its tool for growing and changing

agencies.

Features include: •  Account management tools, such as creative briefs, change

orders, status reports, and a CRM •  Web portal for client access to job status, calendar, and

reports •  Time sheets, approval workflows, and productivity report •  Mult-job, retainer, and media billing

Teamwork is a project management tool that specializes in bringing together

remote workers.

Features include: •  Customizable navigation for showing what matters most to

teams •  Ganntt chart for visualizing milestones and a drag-and-drop

interface for changing project timelines •  Private messaging to individuals or a group and email

integration

Paymo gives agencies the ability to customize the dashboard to see what is most important

to each person in the company.

Features include: •  Customizable navigation for showing what matters most to

teams •  Ganntt chart for visualizing milestones and a drag-and-drop

interface for changing project timelines •  Private messaging to individuals or a group and email

integration

Liquid Planner has a different methodology for project management in that it sets timelines

based on estimates. It then gives you a realistic due date based on best-case and worst-case

scenarios.

Features include: •  Time tracking features integrate with a rate sheet •  Resource management screen for viewing who is at

capacity and who can take on more projects •  Note features for adding obstacles to getting projects done •  Communication boards that are task-specific

WorkZone provides the customization and tools for teams that want something more than a simple task

manager. Agencies can create separate, secure workplaces for different clients or departments, and

you can easily make project templates so that adding a new project is easy.

Features include: •  See the workload of each employee per week to determine who is

overloaded and what work needs to be reallocated •  A dashboard that shows multiple clients and each project for those

clients with a notes section to alert managers to why the project is being held up

•  Image viewer so team members can provide feedback in one location

TrafficLIVE works to give account managers, sales professionals, financial managers, and

leadership the tools they need to service clients more effectivley and be more profitable.

Features include: •  Integrates with MS Project so account managers can easily

import and export project plans •  Visual dashboard shows the breakdown of time spent,

money, over-runs, deadlines, deliveries, and more for each project

•  Native CRM for business development to track clients and prospects

Workbook is a project management platform that allows agencies to customize the software based on what the agency specifically needs. You start with a basic plan

and add features, such as invoicing and billing, vender orders and purchase orders, or CRM and pipeline.

Features include: •  Integrates with MS Project so account managers can easily

import and export project plans •  Visual dashboard shows the breakdown of time spent,

money, over-runs, deadlines, deliveries, and more for each project

•  Native CRM for business development to track clients and prospects

Advantage assigns every account an implementation specialist, so this project management platform is perfect for those who need more in-depth training and suport or are looking for individual consulting.

Features include: •  Preset templates for creating schedules automatically •  Ability to change schedules and tasks for multiple projects

at once •  Burn rate charts and a risk analysis summary to discover

what projects are at-risk •  Agency owner dashboard with views of cash balance,

feeds, and forecasting

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