Guide to 14 Best Workflow Management Systems in 2022

Excerpt: Use best workflow management softwares to manage & improve team workflow. Compare features and prices of tools like Hive, Asana, Kissflow, Pipefy, etc, & pick the one that perfectly fits your business requirements. Or hire a virtual assistant to manage workflow and save much on time & costs.

Workflow management is a relatively new task compared to other tasks like calendar management, appointment scheduling, etc. But, it is one of the most important tasks because -

1. How do you ensure that you streamline all the processes when one of your team members is working from New York, and the other one is in San Francisco?
   
2. Or let's simplify! Even when you operate with a team in the same office, how do you ensure that all work gets done on time, within the shift timings?
   

Managing workflow is significant, especially in the current widespread remote work environment. Workflow management software is a tool to organize workflows, campaigns, projects, and tasks. That's why it is even more critical to understand.

We list some workflow management fundamentals in this blog and inform you about the best workflow management software according to your business requirements.  

We do that by comparing different characteristics that every workflow management system should have. Let's explore the first prominent question.

What is the concept of Workflow Management?

Workflow management is the process of coordinating work inside a group or organization to complete a larger project. The term "workflow" refers to a collection of individual tasks to accomplish, to reach a broader goal in progress, and the "management" component of the phrase suggests that someone or something is in charge of the overall plan.

It is essential to understand that workflow can be a repeatable procedure. It may occur multiple times in a row without you even realizing it. You can use the workflow mapping approach to understand these processes better and continue to improve them.

Three characteristics of the workflow management process are explained here with a quick example:

• Input: What you need or do to start a project. For example, you go to a restaurant and place an order.
  
• Process Evolution: The changes that take place when the task is midway. Please wait for 20 minutes. The chef is preparing your order.
  
• Output: The final outcome of the task. Output can also serve as the start or "input" of a subsequent stage. Please enjoy the delicious meal and if you like, place an order for the dessert.
  

When we think of workflow management software, that is the system to help you complete workflows and manage recurring operations on a broad level view.

What are the must-have components of Workflow Management Software?

Now, you know about the basics of workflow and workflow management. The next step is to learn about the essential components of workflow management software if you want to choose accurate and effective software.

• Well-defined, concise, & repeatable processes: Every workflow management system must be able to take a job or project through a rinse-and-repeat procedure.
  
• Monitoring progress at the pan-organization level: Users must track project or campaign progress over time to optimize workflows in workflow management software.
  
• Seamless integrations with apps: The goal of workflow management software is to ensure that tasks and projects flow smoothly. For this purpose, the software should offer smooth integrations with existing tools.
  
• Analytics and reporting feature: To continue to iterate on a workflow and process, you need to determine how productive and successful you were, which means you must have a reporting feature in your workflow management software.

13 Best Workflow Management Softwares

Considering these essential aspects, let's find out the best workflow management software systems and what they offer.

1. Hive
   

Hive is a new-age process and project management tool - a workable option for teams managing workflows, particularly in the creative space. Some features of Hive that may make it an excellent choice for you are:

• Hive project templates enable clear, specified, and repeatable workflows for jobs and projects.
• Forms and automation features that allow inputs and information to be quickly digested.
• To manage macro-level project progress, you can use a variety of project views such as Gantt charts, portfolios, calendars, and more.
• Forms and automation features that allow inputs and information to be quickly digested.
  

Pro Tip: The software lacks a desktop app or an add-on. Calendar tools are rather basic.

Price: You have to pay $12 for the tool per user per month when billed annually.

2.  Kissflow

Kissflow is a great project and process management tool built to boost productivity, help teams visualize workflows, define responsibility amongst team members, and keep everyone on the same page inside an organization. Here are a few features that make Kissflow an excellent option for workflow management:

Kissflow is a wonderful project and process management tool to increase productivity. It helps teams visualize processes, clarify responsibility among team members, and keep everyone in an organization on the same page. Here are some of the characteristics that make Kissflow an excellent workflow management tool:

• You get fully customized forms to help automate and streamline operations.
• Clearly define roles and duties across the company through access control.
• Reports and analytics help understand the overall workflow.
• It is an easy tool to integrate.
  

Pro Tip: It can improve workflow by making commenting better.

Pricing: Kissflow offers a 14-day free trial and starts at $360/month for up to 30 users.

3.  Shift

Shift streamlines your workflow with an all-in-one browser. It is a desktop app that clusters your email accounts, apps, and extensions. Integrate with your favorite apps, create unique workspaces, and get rid of your email clutter. Shift fits well if you look for a tool that increases productivity. It lets you:

• Search across all of your Mail, Calendar, or Drive accounts.
• Customize your workspace by joining all your email accounts and your favorite web app.
• Mix and match your favorite tools to find the perfect workflow.
  

Pro Tip: it may get unstable and does not offer extensions for some tools.

Pricing: There's a free trial, after which you can start with $99.99/month.

4.  ProProfs

ProProfs Project is an innovative workflow management software that provides real-time updates of the project life cycle. It has an intuitive dashboard to effortlessly manage tasks, subtasks, and deadlines. Enjoy seamless file sharing and be part of discussions anytime, anywhere. The tool helps generate invoices and has an option to customize bills. Further, you can create custom workflows as per your project needs. Team collaboration is a cakewalk with ProProfs. Here are some more features that make ProProfs a good workflow management software.

• Manages cross-functional teams
• Automated workflow execution
• Gantt charts, Kanban board and more
• project development updates
  

Pro Tip: It does not offer much to customize and looks bland.

Pricing: It is pocket-friendly for solopreneurs who can start with a free trial and upgrade later at $19 per month. Teams can start with $49 per month (basic) or $199 per month (Unlimited).

5.  Projectsly

Projectsly by 500apps is a new project management tool with extensive task management and automation capabilities. The application is especially beneficial for remote teams since it facilitates work collaboration and allows project managers to assign and track team assignments without missing crucial milestones. In addition, projects will enable you to automate project planning and manage all parts of a project from beginning to end. Some more features on Projects are:

• Includes Gantt chart to track task progress visually
• Allows automation to create workflows
• Includes Kanban boards to create & track tasks
• Chrome extension available to manage projects from Gmail
  

Pro Tip: Projects do not have any function for storing files online, making it difficult for users to track data.

Pricing: Projects pricing starts at $14.99 per user per month. They do not have a free version, but you can take a free trial.

6.  ClickUp

ClickUp is a workflow management software to help you streamline workflows and project plans while managing your team resources. Teams worldwide can utilize the easy, aesthetically appealing application to keep their work on track. There are several reasons why ClickUp might be the right workflow management software for you, including.

• Automation templates let users create specialized templates to automate portions of their workflow.
• Gantt, calendar, and timeline views are all available for projects.
• Reporting with the ability to create custom dashboards.
• Project views include Gantt, calendar, and timeline view.
• Reporting that allows you to create custom dashboards.
  

Pro Tip: Some users may feel that too many features and options for customization are overwhelming.

Pricing: ClickUp begins at just $5 per user per month for the ClickUp Unlimited plan. You can start with a free plan too.

7.  Smartsheet

Since partnering with 10,000 feet, Smartsheet has become an excellent tool for managing workflow and resourcing across a team. Smartsheet is primarily built in an Excel-like manner, allowing teams to visualize future steps and action items. Smartsheet is an excellent workflow management software because of the following factors:

• It enables workflow automation across projects and tasks.
• Enhanced resourcing capabilities.
• Offers flexible project layouts, including Gantt and table view for task visualization.
• Allows integrations with Microsoft, Google Apps, and other tools.
  

Pro Tip: Even an experienced professional may require advanced training to get used to this workflow management tool.

Pricing: Charges for Smartsheet start from $7/user/month, with a minimum of 3 users and a maximum of 25 users. You can also take a 30-day free trial.

8.  Pipefy

Pipefy is a workflow management software that assists teams in requesting data, carrying out tasks, and reporting success throughout projects and campaigns. Pipefy has become the go-to solution for workflow management for teams globally because of its low-code workflow development approach. A few more features that make Pipefy an excellent workflow management software:

• Easy templates to help organize overall workflows and processes.
• Custom low-code workflows to streamline work.
• When needed, visibility into workflows from throughout the company.
  

Pro Tip: Some of you may find the user interface overwhelming

Pricing: The Starter plan is free, while the Business plan starts at US$ 22 and the Enterprise plan starts at US$ 36.

9.  Airtable

Airtable is an excellent choice for a workflow management tool because of its practical Excel-like framework. The tool can operate as a high-powered spreadsheet, increasingly becoming the go-to workflow management choice. A few more features of Airtable that make it an excellent workflow management software:

• Ability to form a customizable database for all tasks and projects
• adaptable templates that you can apply to various projects
• Grid, calendar, gallery, and Kanban view allow you to glance at projects in a best-suited way.
• Pre-built apps to level up your experience
  

Pro Tip: Some users may find automation and integrations limited.

Pricing: It costs $20 per seat /month when billed annually.

10.  Backlog

Backlog is a fantastic application that combines project management and code management in a single, streamlined location. You and your team can simply manage project progress using Gantt and Kanban, use the bug tracker to track product defects, and use a backlog for team communication with Backlog. In addition, the backlog has a few other features that can make it your choice.  

• Allows file sharing for teams
• Notifications to alert teammates to pending or updated items
• Create a Wiki for team members
• Mobile application to work anywhere
  

Pro Tip: If you are looking for a highly-intuitive workflow tool then Backlog is not for you.

Pricing: You can start with a free plan and upgrade to a starter, standard, or premium plan at $35, $100, and $175, respectively.

11.  Score

Score is an all-in-one workflow management software designed to enable teams to do all their work from one place. It is a viable option for workflow management, considering its single dashboard allows users to follow real-time progress and communicate on related activities. These features of Scoro make it irresistible as a workflow management software.

• Automated flow of business information
• Dynamic dashboards that track real-time results
• 1,000+ integrations with other tools
  

Pro Tip: Some users may find the pricing high for the number of integrations it offers.

Pricing: Scoro has a one-of-a-kind pricing structure, with the basic plan starting at $28 per user per month and any further plans being split into various paths. Their Work Hub plans cost $42 per user per month on the Standard tier and $56 per user per month on the Pro tier.

12.  Monday.com

Monday.com, an award-winning platform, is one of the few workflow solutions that takes pride in its not being a project management tool! Instead, it takes you away from traditional workflow tools, focusing on a structure and view that clarifies the work sequence.

You write tasks on a board and then add the actions ahead to complete them.

The tool provides a variety of perspectives of work, including views by list, geographical map, Kanban board, and others. It also has an excellent project dashboard with a Gantt chart-style overview for keeping track of all ongoing tasks.

Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Jira, GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Typeform, and many more are among the integrations available through Zapier for Monday.com. In addition, customer assistance is accessible by phone or email 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to assist with integration setup.

• Dashboards that allow macro-level views of projects
• Integrations with dozens of platforms like Slack and Google Drive
• Workflow automations to increase efficiency
  

Pro Tip: If you are looking for tailor-made solutions, this tool is not for you.

Pricing: Monday.com starts at $8/user/month and comes with a free 14-day trial. They offer a free plan for up to 2 users.

13.  Asana

Asana is a powerful workflow management program created by one of Facebook's co-founders. With a simple UI and simple functionalities, Asana assists teams in organizing workflows at both the micro and macro levels. This workflow management software can also tremendous process management, including automation. Here are a few more features that make Asana a feasible workflow management software:

• All project information is listed on the project overview page.
• Forms and templates
• approval routing
  

Pro Tip: Features seem overwhelming, and assignments are limited in Asana.

Pricing: The free version of Asana is available for teams of up to 15 people. Asana Premium costs $10.99 per user per month when billed annually.

14.  ProofHub

Some organizations work in silos, but not yours. You have a distributed workforce that takes advantage of the best talent, regardless of where people may be located. You need a solution that works the way you do.

At ProofHub we've engineered a solution to fit into your workflow, allowing you to create more consistent workflow and eliminate some of the frustrations associated with planning and collaboration.

Think of ProofHub as virtual whiteboard on which you can setup your workflow visually and then invite others (like your vendors) in for collaboration. From Agile to Waterfall, ProofHub comes packed with some powerful features that include:

• An intuitive Gantt view shows you all the important events in one place, making it easy to remember what to do next.
• Create new projects, fill out task cards with due dates and attach files instantly using drag & drop.
• Organizes all the project conversation and task in one place.
• Cloud-based solution has a very easy-to-use interface with little to no learning curve.
• Central repository for sharing and organizing documents, tasks, printouts, meeting notes, and more.
• Seamless proofing experience by conferring real-time edit access.
  

Pro Tip: Leverage ProofHub planning capabilities and visual dashboards that support high-level status reporting
Pricing: For learn more about our pricing plans, visit out website.

That's the list to help you improve workflow. We have outlined the plans and critical attributes for the best workflow management software professionals use globally. Hopefully, you can identify the ideal tool from the list to help your organization stay productive and efficient.

However, if productivity is your primary concern - don't you feel that swiveling through options to zero in on the best workflow management software and then setting it up is the slow way to start.

In addition, some workflow automation software can be expensive for bootstrapped startups and small businesses.

But workflow management is essential, so what's the solution? You can hire a virtual assistant.

A virtual assistant can help you streamline the organizational work processes by bringing workflow management best practices to the table.

Credit: Canva

How Virtual Assistants can help you in workflow management

Workflow management systems can majorly enhance productivity, reduce employee frustration, and take you up on the customer satisfaction bar. But, to reduce tedious tasks and speed up response times, you need to put a system in place even for one-time projects/tasks. A virtual assistant can help you by:

• Creating standard workflows to ensure that activities are completed correctly every time.
• Assisting you in providing employees with the ability to operate autonomously by clearly understanding the work expectations.
• Improving productivity and production by increasing efficiency across workflows and reducing bottlenecks (tensive/last-minute situations).
• Helping to streamline communications and collaboration across teams and organizations.
• Increasing alignment by providing updates, emails, and deadline reminders.
  

Some Factors to Ponder Upon

Virtual Assistants for Data Presentation: VAs can help you with clear and sorted data presentations. With the help of multiple workflow management tools like Asana, Process Street, Next Matter, Pipefy, etc., VAs can track the timeline of a particular task or project. Then, they can present proper data sheets to set deadlines for all the tasks.

Optimized Solution: When a virtual assistant for workflow management helps you make the processes smooth, you can have more time to focus on the core decisions of your business. Plus, Virtual assistants are highly-experienced resources, well-versed with different project management tools. As a result, business owners primarily hire them to save time.

Save Costs: Do not take our word for it. Companies can save up to 50% of costs working with virtual assistants. In addition, you save 32% alone on employee benefits when you hire a virtual assistant for workflow management.

Credit: Canva

How to hire a virtual assistant for Workflow Management

You can hire a virtual assistant by connecting with a VA agency like Wishup. At Wishup, you find

• Pre-vetted, pre-trained VAs to help you grow your business: So that you do not have to spend time looking for trained and experienced staff for workflow management.
  
• Hassle-free hiring process: Yes, just schedule a free consultation by mailing us at [email protected], tell us your requirements, and start working with a virtual assistant.
• Instant Replacement: Business owners have full freedom to replace a Wishup virtual assistant with one who fits their business requirements perfectly.
  

Concluding Note
When small businesses hire a VA, it is a silver lining for them. They work with experienced resources without bearing extra office setup costs or employer liabilities.

Workflow management tools are available at your disposal, both the free and paid versions. But, imagine the time you have to spend to figure out these tools. In addition, even the best workflow management tools have some disadvantages, making it difficult for business owners to pick an ideal tool for their business.
This is why we recommend you to let the experts do the job and hire a virtual assistant for workflow management. Plug in right here to get a VA at affordable prices!