Project tracking is a huge part of every project managers job. After the planning phase, a project manager has to track every project to make sure that deadlines are met and that the project is going to be delivered on schedule and within budget. There are many different project tracking tools that a project manager can use to get the job done, so keep reading to learn what some of the essential ones are.

What Is a Project Tracking Tool?

A project tracking tools allow a project manager uses to keep track of project timelines, assign tasks, and visualize other project data. Project management software is a project tracking tool that allows project managers to assign and track work using a variety of other project tracking tools within the software. For example, Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and to-do lists are all project tracking tools that a project manager can use.

Essential Project Tracking Tools

Gantt Chart

Gantt charts are a type of bar chart set out against a timeline, and are one of the best project tracking tools a project manager can use. A Gantt chart allows you to visualize complex project information, see the progress of the project over time, and also see the dependencies of different project tasks.

One of the biggest advantages of Gantt charts is that they not only allow project managers to track project progress, but they also show task assignments and progress publicly to the whole project team. This holds everyone accountable and increases productivity of the team because team members can see where they fit in the big picture and how their work impacts others.

Kanban Board

Kanban boards are another essential tool you can use for project tracking to visualize work and workflow. Kanban boards use cards to visually represent work items, and columns to represent stages of the workflow. Cards, or tasks, are moved from left to right to track project progress. The most basic type of Kanban board can have just three columns: “to-do”, “in progress”, and “done”.

Kanban boards are one of the options project managers or individuals can choose as a project tracking methodology within project software. Software development teams often use Kanban boards to track their progress, but they are also popular among marketing teams, HR teams, and executive management teams.

To-Do Lists

To-do lists are one of the most essential project tracking tools for anyone to use, and are one of the best ways to increase your personal productivity. Making to-do lists is one of the simplest, yet most powerful, time management tools. Whether it’s simply writing down a personal to-do list each day to track your individual work, or using a to-do list view in project management software to track team projects, to-do lists are proven to help prioritize tasks and get more done.

To-do lists are a popular project tracking tool to use for projects like design projects, where each illustration or graphic is a task that can be checked off the list once completed. Use a to-do list in project management software to easily assign different tasks to different team members, and track the projects progress as the tasks get completed and checked off.

How Can I Use These Project Tracking Tools?

Project management software, like Workep, is the best place to use all of these project tracking tools in one centralized location. You can create multiple projects and choose from different workflow views to use the project tracking tool that fits your project best. In Workep, the project management platform for G Suite, you can choose from all of the above mentioned methodologies including the Gantt chart, Kanban board, and to-do list views. You can then add team members, assign project and team roles, and assign and track tasks.