What are the most important progect management software tools to know how to use? I've seen many job listings for project managers and they refer to various types of software. I would like to learn
I would like to make myself more marketable by becoming proficient in the best and most used project management tools. What types of software or digital tools are the most important to know how to use? Are there any that are in the most demand in the skill set of project managers? Saving Changes...
Online Community Specialist| PMINewtown Square, Pa, United States
Hello Regina - and welcome to PMI's Online Community! I encourage doing advanced search using specific keywords. This will generate a compilation of similar discussion-related threads. Here are some previous discussions I found that may be of interest:
Tools are across the board. If you check online job descriptions, you might see Jira, ClickUp, Monday.com, Wrike, SmartSheets, MS Project, Asana, etc. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. If you understand project management and/or agile fundamentals, the main learning curve will be how the tool interprets and implements project/work management (some tools are project management tools, some are work management tools with project management features). I also hear from a fair number of people that they are still using Excel to manage their projects (yes, it can work, but it's more time and labor intensive). You might end up using Power BI, Tableau, Looker, Excel, or PowerPoint for reporting, as well, as some project/work management tools are better for reporting than others.
After checking job descriptions to find tools that are commonly used near you, you can usually find a lot of info about the tools on YouTube. For some tools, you can find courses on Udemy, just watch for sales pricing, which can come up every few weeks. Saving Changes...
Aaron makes a valid point on the topic of tools choice. I wanted to add that you could consider two things with each tool in regards to project management. 1) What is it you are looking to answer on your project? This is multifaceted as you may need to have a tool/system that can support multiple different users, levels of abstraction that they require to fulfil their role and degree of scalability. Take for example Jira, it's a powerful suite of tools and is used to track single and multiple projects. It provides solutions to create custom workflows for different teams and users and is fairly standard to gain an understanding of. However it lacks in it's visual features such as reviewing content or making scenarios which I've found people use Shotgun and Excel respectively to fill in that gap. In my experience I've found projects have an agreed solution for large scale distribution but independant teams can integrate tools that fit their needs.
Something I've found useful in my career is to experiment with other tools to discover what they do well and want they don't. Figure out why and how then try to bring it back into your projects workflows as it might answer a question the current tooling cant. For example Block planning is a painful experience in Jira but in Microsoft project it works very well. At the time there was no integration between the two so I ended up creating one using Excel as a bridge.
One last thing to call out is I've found people tend to try one tool when they hear about it and perhaps only for a few days etc. They then capture an idea of all the limitations that tool has based on their experience at the time. It's important to review the tools updates and what new features have been added. For example MS Project was traditionally viewed as a one person tool limiting others access to it but in recent years they have supported the ability for individual teams to create sub-projects that can be integrated into a master project file which allowed scalling.
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Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
It is a hard question to answer because diferent alternatives you have. If you ask me, based on my last work places, I will go for Jira and MS Azure Devops. In fact, both are quit similar. Adding to that, Jira has a version called Jira Align for companies which use scaled agile frameworks. Saving Changes...
Amanda HarrisLeonardo DRSSpace Coast, FL, United States
Hi Regina Grimm, I would say it depends on the type of projects you're managing as well. Many software developers use Jira / Azure DevOps, while marketing teams may prefer Monday, Smartsheet, or Asana. For other projects, MS Project may be preferred. There are lots more tools out there too. I agree with Aaron Porter that knowing PM / Agile fundamentals is key. The hard part will be learning the interface of the various tools. Saving Changes...
If your goal is employability as a project manager, I’d focus less on trying to learn every tool and more on understanding the categories of tools companies use. The most commonly requested platforms I see are:
• Pike - https://usepike.com Worth looking into if you’re interested in consulting, agencies, or professional services. It goes beyond basic task management into resource planning, time tracking, profitability, financial visibility, and operational management, which is becoming increasingly important as service businesses move away from fragmented systems.
• Microsoft Project Still heavily used in enterprise environments, especially for traditional project management, timelines, dependencies, and resource planning. But free if you have Microsoft already.
• Monday.com Growing quickly across SMBs and mid market companies. Known for flexibility and ease of onboarding.
• ClickUp Used a lot by startups and modern teams that want docs, tasks, dashboards, and automations in one platform.
• Trello Simple Kanban based task management. Easy starting point for beginners to understand workflows visually.
My recommendation would be:
Learn one traditional PM tool (Microsoft Project)
Learn one modern collaborative platform (Pike, ClickUp, Monday)
Once you understand concepts like: • tasks • dependencies • milestones • timelines • Kanban boards • resource allocation • reporting • workflows • automations …switching between tools becomes much easier because most platforms solve similar problems in different ways.
Also, many employers care more about whether you can organize projects and communicate clearly than whether you are an “expert” in a specific tool.
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1 reply by Brynn Link
May 22, 2026 3:48 PM
Brynn Link
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truly good advice re: learn traditional + modern, it provides an excellent foundation for any other new tools that may come along in the future.
Saving Changes...
Imran AfzalAuthor| The Strategic PMOCary, NC, United States
One thing I’d caution against is trying to “learn every PM tool.” Most of them solve similar problems with different philosophies, workflows, and target audiences.
What matters more is understanding:
how work flows
how teams collaborate
how capacity and dependencies are managed
how leadership gets visibility and makes decisions
Once you understand those concepts, moving between tools becomes much easier.
If I were prioritizing today from a marketability standpoint, I’d focus on learning a combination like this:
1. Jira (very important in tech/product organizations)
Common across software engineering and SaaS companies
Strong for Agile delivery, backlog management, workflows, and reporting
Especially valuable if you want to work in TPM, Product, Engineering, or modern PMO environments
2. One enterprise planning / portfolio tool
Examples:
Smartsheet
Planview
Clarity
Microsoft Project
These are more common in larger enterprises where portfolio planning, resource management, budgeting, and governance matter.
3. Reporting / visualization tools
At least basic familiarity with:
Excel (still everywhere)
Power BI or Tableau
A surprising amount of project leadership is translating execution data into decision-making visibility.
The biggest mindset shift I’d recommend is this:
Don’t think of PM tools as “task trackers.”
Think of them as systems that help organizations answer questions like:
What are we working on?
Are we overcommitted?
Where are the risks?
Who has capacity?
Are we delivering what leadership thinks we’re delivering?
The best way to learn is hands-on:
Create a sample project
Build workflows
Track dependencies
Create dashboards
Simulate reporting for stakeholders
That practical understanding will make you far more marketable than simply listing tool names on a resume.
Also, many of the major platforms have excellent free or low-cost training resources available. For example, Atlassian University has very good online training for Jira, and there are strong courses/tutorials available through Microsoft Learn, Smartsheet University, Udemy, and YouTube as well.
If it would be helpful, feel free to reach out — happy to share additional guidance depending on the type of PM roles or industries you’re targeting. Saving Changes...
If your goal is employability as a project manager, I’d focus less on trying to learn every tool and more on understanding the categories of tools companies use. The most commonly requested platforms I see are:
• Pike - https://usepike.com Worth looking into if you’re interested in consulting, agencies, or professional services. It goes beyond basic task management into resource planning, time tracking, profitability, financial visibility, and operational management, which is becoming increasingly important as service businesses move away from fragmented systems.
• Microsoft Project Still heavily used in enterprise environments, especially for traditional project management, timelines, dependencies, and resource planning. But free if you have Microsoft already.
• Monday.com Growing quickly across SMBs and mid market companies. Known for flexibility and ease of onboarding.
• ClickUp Used a lot by startups and modern teams that want docs, tasks, dashboards, and automations in one platform.
• Trello Simple Kanban based task management. Easy starting point for beginners to understand workflows visually.
My recommendation would be:
Learn one traditional PM tool (Microsoft Project)
Learn one modern collaborative platform (Pike, ClickUp, Monday)
Once you understand concepts like: • tasks • dependencies • milestones • timelines • Kanban boards • resource allocation • reporting • workflows • automations …switching between tools becomes much easier because most platforms solve similar problems in different ways.
Also, many employers care more about whether you can organize projects and communicate clearly than whether you are an “expert” in a specific tool.
truly good advice re: learn traditional + modern, it provides an excellent foundation for any other new tools that may come along in the future. Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
I'm with Aaron Porter: If you first must understand project management. Although Jira/Azure DevOps/Trello are useful tools in my opinion, they are NOT project management tools. A project management tool should help the PM to manage scope, time and money. As a rule of thumb, the best tool is the one used. As an independent consultant, I change jobs/clients every year. I've seen places that manage projects very well using Excel and teams that spend most of their time on Jira, rather than building something. Saving Changes...
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