LiquidPlanner and Smartsheet are challenge administration instruments that may maintain your software program growth workforce organized and on prime of duties whereas boosting collaboration and effectivity.
Which is the higher PM instrument in your challenge supervisor or developer wants? Maintain studying to seek out out, as we are going to dissect LiquidPlanner and Smartsheet when it comes to their options, professionals, cons, and pricing.
- LiquidPlanner: is good for software program growth groups looking for exact planning with options able to managing complicated tasks.
- Smartsheet: is good for software program growth groups that want working with spreadsheets which might be looking for customizable and scalable PM software program.
Leap to:
LiquidPlanner
LiquidPlanner is challenge administration software program that was made to assist clear up one enormous, widespread downside: Serving to software program growth groups meet their challenge deadlines. In accordance with LiquidPlanner’s web site, solely 16 % of groups obtain that objective. By providing superior options like predictive scheduling and forecasting, the challenge administration instrument hopes to extend that quantity. Supplied you’ve gotten a bigger workforce or group with a while to put money into onboarding to be taught LiquidPlanner’s options, chances are you’ll discover it the best PM instrument for you.
Options of LiquidPlanner
LiquidPlanner has a number of fundamental and superior options to maintain growth groups on observe. Listed here are a few of its challenge administration highlights:
- A number of views
- Predictive scheduling
- Collaboration
- Useful resource administration
- Time monitoring
LiquidPlanner lets challenge managers visualize work through a number of views, together with baseline, board, workload, standing, and Gantt charts. Predictive scheduling is maybe LiquidPlanner’s prime spotlight. It calculates begin and finish dates for duties, takes threat under consideration, and generates real-time forecasts that supply an correct glimpse into what to anticipate with tasks. As adjustments happen, LiquidPlanner will run Monte Carlo simulations to reduce surprises.
Collaboration in LiquidPlanner comes through a change monitoring characteristic. You can even combine with Slack for messaging. Useful resource administration is one other providing of the PM instrument. It has automated useful resource leveling that ensures no builders are over or underworked, plus workload views to see what’s on everybody’s plate. Lastly, LiquidPlanner has handbook and automatic time monitoring.
Execs of LiquidPlanner
LiquidPlanner has a number of professionals as a challenge administration instrument, together with:
- Exact planning by way of predictive scheduling
- A strong Free plan
- Varied views
- Onboarding service
LiquidPlanner takes plenty of the guesswork and uncertainty out of challenge administration by way of its predictive scheduling characteristic that makes challenge managers’ jobs simpler. The Free plan is quite strong, and there are many views to work with. LiquidPlanner’s onboarding service is one other plus that helps growth groups get acclimated with the challenge administration software program.
Cons of LiquidPlanner
LiquidPlanner does have some weak spots, reminiscent of:
- Complicated to be taught
- Integrations are restricted
- Few collaborative options
LiquidPlanner’s extra superior options, reminiscent of predictive scheduling, can take a little bit of time to get used to. As such, some freshmen could discover the developer instrument complicated. Whereas some challenge administration software program provides a whole lot and even 1000’s of integrations with third-party instruments, LiquidPlanner is principally highlighted by its Slack integration. And, in case your growth workforce wants many collaborative choices, you’ll not discover them right here past Slack integration and the change monitoring characteristic.
Pricing of LiquidPlanner
Venture managers and builders have 4 pricing plans to select from with LiquidPlanner. The PM software program additionally has a free 14-day trial that allows you to take its Final plan for a take a look at drive with all of the bells and whistles, and you’ll request a demo of what the developer instrument has to supply. Listed here are LiquidPlanner’s 4 pricing choices:
- Free: No value with restricted options. Will be upgraded later to a paid plan.
- Necessities: $15 per person, monthly through annual billing.
- Skilled: $25 per person, monthly.
- Final: $35 per person, monthly. Quantity pricing can be out there by contacting LiquidPlanner’s gross sales workforce.
The Free plan works for as much as three customers and has many of the Important plan’s options. Go for the Free providing, and you should use it for 10 tasks, six sources, and 300 duties. The Necessities plan was constructed for medium-sized software program growth groups. It options a number of views, workload administration, dashboards, predictive scheduling, priority-based planning, automated useful resource leveling, built-in time monitoring, and extra.
Leap to LiquidPlanner’s hottest Skilled plan, and you’re going to get added options for highly effective planning like customized fields, 50,000 duties, and so on. And, when you select the Final plan, you’ll unlock LiquidPlanner’s prime options, reminiscent of single sign-on, challenge entry controls, open API, and limitless customers, duties, and tasks.
You possibly can be taught much more about LiquidPlanner and its options in our LiquidPlanner Venture Administration Device Evaluation.
Smartsheet
In case your software program growth workforce is most comfy working with spreadsheets, then Smartsheet could also be a great PM resolution, because it provides collaboration and PM options in a well-recognized, spreadsheet-style format for groups of all sizes.
Options of Smartsheet
Smartsheet has a number of challenge administration options to maintain growth groups productive, together with:
- Collaboration instruments built-in
- A number of views
- Automations for workflows
- Superior reporting
- Baselines
- Time monitoring
- Third-party integrations
Groups needing a developer instrument that promotes communication will take pleasure in Smartsheet’s quite a few collaborative options. The challenge administration software program has varieties for suggestions, shareable sheets, studies, and workspaces, file attachments, conversations, reminders, and e-signatures. All of those options may also help promote collaboration inside groups and with outsiders to make sure everybody stays on the identical web page.
Smartsheet has a number of views (Gantt, calendar, grid, and card) for visualizing work, and workflow automation to avoid wasting time on recurring duties. You possibly can publish and share studies with ease too. Smartsheet’s baselines maintain groups on observe and groups accountable, and its built-in time monitoring provides perception into how lengthy it takes to finish duties. The PM software program additionally integrates with over 100 third-party apps for added extensibility.
Execs of Smartsheet
Smartsheet has a number of professionals in its favor, reminiscent of:
- Flexibility with views
- Drag-and-drop automations
- Strong collaboration
- Actual-time reporting
A number of views are a should for many challenge managers, and Smartsheet has them. The time-saving automations are a plus, however the truth that they’re drag-and-drop makes them much more handy. You could have varied methods to collaborate with growth workforce members and stakeholders in Smartsheet, and its real-time reporting provides helpful insights into efficiency whereas being surprisingly easy to generate.
Cons of Smartsheet
Smartsheet does fall brief in a number of areas, reminiscent of:
- Spreadsheet format
- Restricted flexibility
- Excessive value
Though Smartsheet’s spreadsheet format could appeal to some challenge managers and builders, others could discover it outdated or limiting. If you happen to handle an Agile workforce, for instance, Smartsheet might not be a really perfect match, and its lack of Kanban boards may very well be a no-go. Smartsheet also can get dear as you get into its higher-tiered plans like Enterprise.
Pricing of Smartsheet
Like LiquidPlanner, Smartsheet additionally has 4 pricing plans that challenge managers and builders can select from, plus a free trial on its Professional and Enterprise plans. Listed here are the PM instrument’s completely different pricing tiers:
- Free: No value with restricted options.
- Professional: $7 per person, monthly when billed yearly. Most of 10 customers and limitless viewers.
- Enterprise: $25 per person, monthly. Minimal of three customers and limitless editors.
- Enterprise: Contact Smartsheet’s gross sales workforce for customized pricing.
In case you are new to activity and challenge administration or are on a decent price range, Smartsheet’s Free plan could suffice. It really works for one person and two editors and provides challenge administration options like a number of views, dashboards, studies, automations, two sheets, and 500MB of attachment storage.
Software program growth groups needing capability for limitless viewers and superior challenge monitoring and administration can select the Professional plan. It provides limitless sheets, dashboards, studies, and varieties, plus person administration, elevated automations and storage, and e-mail assist.
Smartsheet’s Enterprise plan is advisable for software program growth groups that have to handle tasks with limitless editors. It provides limitless automations and 1TB of attachment storage, sheets, dashboards, and studies that may be revealed, baselines, person, group, and license administration, proofing, a doc builder, exercise logs, and extra. And, when you want PM software program with enterprise-grade controls and safety, select Smartsheet’s Enterprise plan. It provides single sign-on, limitless attachment storage, enhanced assist, work insights, and extra.
You possibly can be taught much more by studying our Smartsheet Venture Administration Software program Evaluation.
What to Search for In Venture Administration Software program
With so many challenge administration instruments in the marketplace, chances are you’ll surprise what particular options it’s best to search for in such software program. A number of the commonest options you need to be included on the minimal are:
- A number of views (Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and so on.)
- Time monitoring
- Varied collaboration choices (chat, conversations, file sharing, and so on.)
- Useful resource administration
- Invoicing
- Automation
- Reporting
- Third-party integrations
You possibly can be taught extra about the perfect challenge administration software program options in our tutorial: Venture Administration Options to Look For.
Options to Smartsheet and LiquidPlanner
Not satisfied both possibility is the precise alternative in your workforce? We now have a number of product round-ups that may enable you to discover different PM options. Our article Smartsheet versus Monday.com compares Smartsheet towards one of the in style PM instruments in the marketplace. Moreover, we’ve an incredible piece that covers the perfect Smartsheet Options.
In the meantime, our Greatest Venture Administration Software program for Builders lists a bunch of PM choices that may definitely enable you to discover an incredible instrument in your workforce.
Closing Ideas on LiquidPlanner vs. Smartsheet</h2
Does your growth workforce encompass principally superior, technical customers with time for onboarding? Then LiquidPlanner often is the proper choose with its superior options like predictive scheduling and forecasting that make planning additional exact. And in case your workforce prefers one thing extra user-friendly, enjoys spreadsheets, and seeks loads of flexibility when collaborating, Smartsheet often is the better option.
