How to choose a project management tool for a small team
CS
Small teams often start with an Excel sheet, a shared drive and an endless e-mail thread. It works until the team grows - and then, exactly where clarity matters most, everything starts to get lost. If you are wondering when and how to move to a real project management tool, here are a few things worth focusing on.
1. How many people will realistically use it?
Before you compare features, count how many people will use the tool now and how many will join next year. Many tools charge per user, so the price grows with the team - it is better to calculate that in advance, not after you sign.
2. Do you need to separate work by project, or by client?
If you work on internal things, a simple split into projects and tasks is enough. But if you do jobs for several clients at once, you will appreciate that each project (or client) keeps its own overview - with no risk of anything getting mixed up that should not be.
3. Who in the team should see what?
In a small team nobody worries about permissions at first - everyone sees everything. As soon as more people join (or someone external, such as a temp on a single project), it becomes a problem. It pays to choose a tool right away where you can set who is the owner, who is an admin and who has only limited access.
4. What happens when you need help?
This is often dealt with only when it is too late - you write to support and wait for a reply in an e-mail that gets lost among dozens of other messages. Check in advance how quickly and in what way the tool handles support.
5. What it really costs
Compare monthly prices for your real number of people, not just the base "from" price. And check whether there is a trial without having to enter a card - it saves you from deciding under pressure.
Summary
It is not about finding the tool with the most features, but the one that fits how your team really works. We built KoraGate for exactly this case - projects, tasks, team roles and direct support in one place, from 149 KÄŤ per month, with a 14-day trial without a card.