Salesforce is primarily a customer relationship management (CRM) tool, not project management software. That said, third-party apps are available through Salesforce’s AppExchange, its marketplace for apps. However, these tend to be lightweight tools that aren’t comprehensive project management software and they’re also expensive.
Let’s look critically at Salesforce, its Salesforce AppExchange and the pros and cons of using the third-party add-ons they have listed there. We’ll also list the key features a project management tool should have and list the best Salesforce project management tools so consumers can make an educated decision.
What Is Salesforce?
Salesforce is online software that provides a suite of CRM tools and applications to help businesses manage their sales, customer service, marketing and other key business functions. Its key features are CRM, sales and marketing automation, analytics and reporting, workflow and process automation, collaboration and its ability to integrate with other tools. It’s customizable, which adds to its flexibility and popularity as an industry-specific solution for financial services, healthcare providers, nonprofit organizations and manufacturers.
Does Salesforce Have a Built-in Project Management Tool?
Now that we understand the value of Salesforce, the next question is whether it has a project management tool or feature built-in to its software. That is, something more than merely having centralized information and data, collaboration, automation and real-time visibility, which misses most of the critical project management tools.
Short Answer: No, Salesforce Doesn’t Have a Built-in Project Management Tool
Salesforce users know that there aren’t built-in project management features. For example, Salesforce doesn’t have a Gantt chart, which is an essential tool that visualizes project timelines, dependencies and critical path analysis. There’s no resource management to allocate resources to specific tasks. There also isn’t the ability to track workloads, manage resource capacity or track time. This means no timesheets, budgeting or financial tracking. Salesforce lacks risk management and issue tracking tools, collaborative task management and project portfolio management. We could go on.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one project management solution, try ProjectManager. This is an award-winning software that has built-in resource management tools, can track all four types of task dependencies and offers risk management. On top of that, ProjectManager is highly collaborative, offers project portfolio management and has a powerful Gantt chart. Try ProjectManager for free today.
What Is the Salesforce AppExchange?
Of course, Salesforce claims that those holes in its project management tools can be plugged with third-party apps purchased on its AppExchange. We’ve already defined this as the product’s online marketplace where users can browse, evaluate and install applications, components and solutions designed specifically for Salesforce. But is this a solution to the missing project management features?
Pros of Using Salesforce AppExchange Apps
What are the advantages of getting project management apps on the Salesforce AppExchange?
- Seamless integration with Salesforce
- Centralized data and reporting
- Streamlined communication and collaboration
- Customization and flexibility
- Time and resource management
- Enhanced task management
- Cost and budget management
Cons of Using Salesforce AppExchange Apps
Some of the pros listed above are barely beneficial. They don’t have the scope of real project management software. While some of those advantages aren’t noteworthy, the list below are deficits.
- Complexity and steep learning curve
- Extra cost on top of Salesforce cost
- Integration challenges requiring additional configuration or customization
- Customization limitations
- Data security and privacy concerns create points of vulnerability for breaches
- Limited support and updates
- Over-dependence on a single vendor
- Inconsistent user experience across apps
- Performance issues, such as slower load times, lag, etc.
Key Features of a Project Management Tool for Salesforce
What should a potential customer looking for a project management tool for their Salesforce app look for? First and foremost, the project management software should integrate with Salesforce. Then it should have these important project management features.
- Timesheets: Used to track the amount of time spent on different tasks. They’re especially important for businesses that need to track work hours for billing clients, payroll purposes or to analyze productivity and efficiency.
- Task & Workflow Management: Helps ensure that each team member knows what they need to do and that the work is evenly distributed across the team. They are used to assign and prioritize tasks, balance workload, update task status and identify dependencies and milestones.
- Resource Allocation and Monitoring: Ensures that the right resources are assigned to the right tasks and projects. Allows project managers to balance available resources to maximize productivity and avoid overallocation or underutilization by scheduling and tracking resources and costs.
- Multiple Project Tracking: Enables project managers and teams to monitor the progress and status of several projects at once. This helps provide an overview of all projects within an organization, ensuring that resources and priorities are managed across multiple initiatives. These are project portfolio management tools.
- Team Collaboration: Facilitates communication and cooperation among team members, stakeholders and clients. These features ensure that everyone involved in the project is aligned, informed and engaged in the project’s progress. Real-time data is critical, as is document sharing and storage. Version control, commenting and having a global search function are also important.
Best Salesforce Project Management Tools Rankings
Now that what is important in project management is clear, as are the pros and cons of seeking a project management add-on in the Salesforce AppExchange, let’s look at real project management solutions that integrate with Salesforce. Below are the best of the best, in descending order.
1. ProjectManager
ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that helps plan, manage and track work in real time. It integrates with Salesforce via Zapier or with its application programming interface (API), which allows users complete customization over its integration experience, rather than an “out of the box” cookie-cutter one offered by so many of the third-party apps in the Salesforce ecosystem. The API is available on all plans offered by ProjectManager and not gated behind some expensive editions as with some competitors.
Manage Tasks, Projects and Workflows
ProjectManager has multiple project views, including Gantt charts, kanban boards, sheet, task and calendar views. This allows project managers to plan tasks on Gantt charts that link all four types of task dependencies, filter for the critical path and set a baseline to track variance in real time. Tasks are assigned, prioritized and shared across all project views and status updates in real time. Teams can visualize workflow on kanban boards, managing their backlog as managers identify and remove bottlenecks that could interfere with workflows. The software has automated workflows with task approval for quality assurance.
Easily Allocate Human and Non-Human Resources
Gantt charts also schedule human and non-human resources, planning when and where resources are needed in the project timeline. Resource availability is set at the beginning of the project, where managers can define PTO, vacation and global holidays as well as skill sets, which streamlines assignments. There is also resource utilization tracking with the team page or the color-coded workload chart, which makes it easier to see who is overallocated or underutilized and then balance the team’s workload to keep them working at capacity without threatening burnout. Secure timesheets make it easy to log hours and give managers transparency into how far each team member is in finishing their work and help track labor costs.
Monitor Projects With Real-Time Dashboards and Reports
There are also tools to track projects, programs and portfolios to monitor a project or multiple projects and keep them on schedule and staying within their budgets. Once the baseline is set on the Gantt chart, plans are saved and compared automatically to actual progress. For a high-level overview of key performance indicators (KPIs), there are project and portfolio dashboards that turn live data into easy-to-read graphs and charts displaying time, cost, workload and more. Customizable reports allow managers to get more details with status and portfolio reports as well as reports on variance, timesheets, workload and more. These reports can also be filtered to focus on progress and shared with stakeholders to keep them updated.
This and the fact that ProjectManager has risk management features to identify the impact and likelihood of a risk interfering with the project and documentation management, which includes unlimited files storage, global search and version control make it the best Salesforce project management tool. Get started With ProjectManager today for free.
Verdict: Best Salesforce Project Management Software from Start to Finish
ProjectManager Pros & Key Features
- Real-time cost and time tracking
- Multiple project views: Gantt charts, kanban boards, sheet, list and calendar views
- Resource management tool
- Mobile app available for Android and iOS
- Free 30-day trial
ProjectManager Cons & Limitations
- Limited customization
- Few native integrations
- No free plan
ProjectManager Pricing
- Team: $13.00 user/month
- Business: $24.00 user/month
- Enterprise: Contact sales
ProjectManager Reviews
- G2 review: 4.4/5
- Capterra review: 4.1/5
2. Mission Control
Mission Control is a project management tool for Salesforce that helps with project tracking and collaboration. It has Gantt charts, kanban boards, time tracking and resource allocation. It integrates well with Salesforce as it is not a standalone software, but an app built for that particular purpose. Users do appreciate that the app is highly customizable.
The issue with this project management software for Salesforce is that it can be complex, particularly for new users or teams that aren’t familiar with Salesforce. While it can be customized, the level of customization can be overwhelming for users who need specific project management workflows. There have also been issues with its integration with Salesforce, in that it’s cumbersome and not seamless. Performance issues have also been noted.
Verdict: Best Salesforce Project Management Software for Customization
Mission Control Pros & Key Features
- Project tracking and reporting tools
- Gantt charts and kanban boards
- Customizable and integrates with Salesforce
Mission Control Cons & Limitations
- Steep learning curve
- Overwhelming for new users and simple projects
- Higher cost for extensive features
Mission Control Pricing
- $39 per user/month, five-seat minimum
Mission Control Reviews
3. Inspire Planner
Inspire Planner is another Salesforce project management tool and one that users find intuitive and easy to use. It streamlines project planning and task management. This simple tool has drag-and-drop functionality and lets users create and manage project timelines, assign tasks and collaborate. This is an ideal tool for businesses seeking a straightforward solution for managing projects.
This is a barebones tool for simple project management. For one, there are limited customization capabilities and advanced project management features. This makes it a poor choice for larger or more complex projects. For example, features such as critical path analysis are either missing or underdeveloped. The tool cannot handle multi-project tracking, resource optimization and advanced reporting.
Verdict: Best Salesforce Project Management Software for Small Projects
Inspire Planner Pros & Key Features
- Intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface
- Seamless collaboration and task-sharing
- Efficient drag-and-drop task management
Inspire Planner Cons & Limitations
- Limited advanced project features
- Fewer customization options than others on this list
- Might not be powerful enough for larger, complex projects
Inspire Planner Pricing
- Standard: $40 user/month, paid annually
Inspire Planner Reviews
4. Project Management Tool (PMT)
Project Management Tool (PMT) is a project management solution found in the AppExchange. It’s a Salesforce project management tool that is designed to support basic project planning and task-tracking needs. This is a simple tool with a user-friendly interface. It can assign tasks, track progress and generate reports. It is a great tool for small-to-mid-sized teams.
With such a generic name, one expects a generic tool, which is what one gets. Its simple interface is perfect for a simple project management tool. It has basic features and lacks the more advanced tools project managers and their teams require for managing projects. There’s also limited customization. All this makes it a tool that isn’t going to help those who have to manage larger projects, especially since there are no Gantt charts or kanban boards.
Verdict: Best Salesforce Project Management Software for Free
Project Management Tool (PMT) Pros & Key Features
- Simple interface, easy to set up
- Cost-effective for small-to-medium projects
- Basic yet functional task management
Project Management Tool (PMT) Cons & Limitations
- Limited advanced features and customizability
- Not suitable for large-scale projects
- Lacks visual tools, such as Gantt charts and kanban boards
Project Management Tool (PMT) Pricing
- Free
Project Management Tool (PMT) Review
- Salesforce AppExchange: 3.7/5
5. Cloud Coach Fundamentals
Cloud Coach Fundamentals is a Salesforce-native project management tool tailored to small and mid-sized teams. It has project tracking and task management capabilities. There are project templates, task lists and budget tracking, which are designed to streamline salesforce project management and keep teams on top of their deadlines and deliverables.
This Salesforce project management tool is basic and not suited for managing projects that are larger or more complex. It lacks resource management, budget tracking and advanced reporting tools. Even those who want to use it for small teams have complained that there are problems setting up the software. Even when set up, the user interface is not intuitive or user-friendly, which is another ding against this tool.
Verdict: Best Salesforce Project Management Software for Small Teams
Cloud Coach Fundamentals Pros & Key Features
- Free version is available for small teams
- Effective project tracking with templates
- Integrates seamlessly with Salesforce
Cloud Coach Fundamentals Cons & Limitations
- Limited scalability for larger projects
- Lacks advanced features and reporting tools
- Reports of setup challenges
Cloud Coach Fundamentals Pricing
- Request pricing
Cloud Coach Fundamentals Reviews
6. Klient PSA
Klient PSA is a professional services automation (PSA) and project management tool that integrates with Salesforce. It focuses on helping service-based organizations manage projects, resources and billing. It’s designed to help businesses track billable hours, resource utilization and project profitability by combining project management with financial tracking capacities.
This Salesforce project management tool is limited in managing projects as it hasn’t developed advanced task dependencies, resource leveling and critical path analysis tools. Even without these advanced features, the tool is hard to learn, so expect to put in time for training. Whatever advanced features it does have will be for an added cost, which can get expensive.
Verdict: Best Salesforce Project Management Software for Service-Based Organizations
Klient PSA Pros & Key Features
- Strong focus on time tracking and billing
- Good for service-based organizations
- Comprehensive financial management
Klient PSA Cons & Limitations
- High learning curve for new users
- Advanced features come with added costs
- Overly complex for basic project tracking
Klient PSA Pricing
- Starter: $15 user/month, billed annually
- Professional: $29 user/month, billed annually
- Enterprise: $39 user/month, billed annually
- Ultimate: contact sales
Klient PSA Reviews
7. TaskRay
TaskRay is a Salesforce project management tool distinguished by its visual project tracking capabilities. This includes kanban boards and Gantt charts. The tool allows teams to plan, execute and monitor tasks, which makes it popular for project and process-based workflows. It’s also a collaborative platform with customer success tracking, which makes it useful for cross-functional teams.
There are, however, limited advanced project management tools. The software is not as robust in areas such as resource management, critical path analysis and project financial tracking. The premium features that are offered will increase the cost of the tool, which could make it prohibitively expensive. While there is some customization, the more complex the project, the less options for customization there are.
Verdict: Best Salesforce Project Management Software for Process Management
TaskRay Pros & Key Features
- Highly visual and user-friendly interface
- Effective for task and process management
- Flexible project views and templates
TaskRay Cons & Limitations
- Premium features might increase costs
- Not ideal for extensive resource tracking
- Customization options may be limited for complex projects
TaskRay Pricing
- Standard: $40 user/month
- Premium: $60 user/month
TaskRay Reviews
8. Peeklogic Connector for Salesforce and Jira
Peeklogic Connector for Salesforce and Jira is an integration tool that enables data synchronization between Salesforce and Jira. It supports collaboration between sales and development teams, designed to span both CRM and software development needs by linking Salesforce records with Jira issues. This allows for real-time data sharing and updates.
This is not a standalone Salesforce project management tool. Its focus means there are limited project management features, such as lacking advanced capabilities like task dependencies, resource allocation, critical path analysis and budget tracking directly within Salesforce. To use the functionality it has requires an expert in Jira, which not every team might have.
Verdict: Best Salesforce Project Management Software for Jira
Peeklogic Connector Pros & Key Features
- Enables seamless Salesforce-Jira integration
- Enhances collaboration between teams
- Supports real-time data synchronization
Peeklogic Connector Cons & Limitations
- Limited to integration capabilities only
- Not a standalone project management tool
- Requires Jira expertise for optional use
Peeklogic Connector Pricing
- $3,000 for the first 10 users annually
Peeklogic Connector Reviews
Related Project Management Software Content
Still looking for the right project management software solution? Below are some recent posts on project management, work management, task and resource management software products.
- Best Project Management Software Comparison
- Best Work Management Software
- Best Task Management Software
- Best Resource Management Software
- Best Project Planning Software
ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.
