Top Product Management Tools Every Product Manager Must Know

1. Introduction
2. Why do we use product management tools
3. Product development tools and techniques
4. What tools should a product manager know
5. Free product management tools
6. Agile product management tools
7. Conclusion

Introduction

Product Management tools are software that makes a product manager’s work easier. Right from planning to the final product launch, a product manager is responsible for the seamless delivery of goods. To do these tasks effectively Product managers rely on a bunch of tools.

The need for Product Management Tools

Can you think of a product that was developed without the software? Do not say anything random like a comb because it was also made in 3000 BC in Persia. We are not saying it’s impossible to develop products without product management tools, but it’s a little difficult.

Given the time we live in now, where every second corresponds to a new product in the market, we do not have the time to return to black-and-white TV sets when we can use smart home appliances.

Product development tools and techniques

A product’s life cycle consists of several stages. From ideation, product roadmap, user journey mapping, prototyping, managing sprints, customer research to learning launch and delivery, the process of creating a product is very layered. To simplify this task, traditional product managers used tools like road mapping software and development tracking tools.

However, as software became a crucial part of product development, from developing and designing consumer goods to food delivery apps, this trend changed management practices forever.

As newer software and technologies emerge, product management tools also undergo serious changes and become more nuanced. If you have the FOMO as a product manager, here is a list of tools you should check out before developing that next product idea of yours also if you are an aspiring product manager check out our Free Product Management Course.

List of Free product management tools a product manager must know about!

Let’s take a look at the Top free product management tools in the market that you can use. All the mentioned below can be used for any organization type, from startups to the big leagues.

Free product management tools

Coda: Best for all-in-one documentation management

Coda is one of the best product management tools for integrations. It can provide data access in whatever way you wish to see, like graphs, charts, infographics, etc. Below are some salient features of Coda.io:

• Coda is used by giants like The New York Times and Spotify to promote all-in-one documentation for product and planning.
• Coda offers an API system that can be used to integrate with third-party apps.
• It also offers real-time collaboration, document sharing, revision history, and editing features like document locking, etc.

Balsamiq: Holy Grail of Product Management Tools

A user-interface design tool, Balsamiq, is used for developing wireframes( also called mockups or low-fidelity prototypes). One can use Balsamiq wireframes to create digital sketches of ideas for an application or website before writing any code.

Such prototypical wireframes can be used for user testing, getting feedback from stakeholders, or refining the idea of a product before moving on to development.

Balsamiq also offers a free trial period of 30 days before buying the product.

Bitrix 24: Best free CRM tool 

Bitrix is great for communicating/collaborating within the team and external parties. It is an all-in-one free product management tool that lets product teams work on multiple product dimensions on one platform. 

What does Bitrix have to offer?

• Bitrix 24 offers CRM dashboards, lets users build free websites and landing pages.
• It provides a platform to create an online sales and marketing platform for your product.
•  Helps with team communication and workload management.

Taskade: Best for startups

Taskade is beneficial in setting up meetings and has in-built seamless communication tools. The software is compatible with all operating systems like iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux. The primary features of Taskade include:

• Startup-related literature along with business pitch ideas and investor tracklists
• Works along with design thinking processes like mind mapping

One setback with Taskade is that it does not offer Reporting and Analytics. It is also one reason why Trello is a more recognized task management tool. However, Taskade offers a better user rating.

Asana: Best for facilitating Team Management

Asana is a general product management tool, unlike being a dedicated product development app. According to Getapp, more than 100,000 organizations in 190 countries across the world use Asana. Various features of the software include:

• Roadmapping templates, easy attachment and sharing of files, and seamless communication between team members.
• Asana can do it all; digital transformation, marketing campaigns, and a product launch. 

While its free version is available to 15 users (and thus, startup-friendly), you can opt for a premium version for more features like detailed task management, etc.

Backlog: Offers not just code management but also Product Management

Backlog is popularly used for code management but also works well with project and product management. The app is easy to use and is compatible with all operating systems. Backlog is useful in

• Bug tracking besides offering features like Task management, Gantt charts, boards, and Git graphs.
• Has activity feed and watchlists to manage tasks and keep track of deadlines.

Agile product management tools

Before proceeding to the product management tools used in Agile, let’s understand what Agile is. 

Agile or Agile Methodology is a kind of project management process, mainly used in the IT sector for software development. The methodology divides work into smaller tasks that need to be completed in a set period called sprints.

Jira: A must in your resume if you are a Product Manager

Yes, we know you get the reference. Many recruiters ask a Product Manager if she/he is well versed in Jira before considering their candidature. That’s how necessary Jira is.

Jira is a product management tool that has been operating successfully for 15 years now. Used by the PepsiCo employees, the application management tool was initially developed to check for bugs in the program code. It is also used for many aspects of product management, including:

• Scrum boards to manage workflow
• Data visualization
• Delegating tasks
• Customizable templates for product planning

Monday.com: If you use Facebook with ease, you can use Monday.com conveniently

This agile product management tool is becoming increasingly popular with product managers of all generations because of its easy-to-use interface. Some of its features are:

• Helps with assigning tasks with add-on features like milestones, Gantt and Kanban charts, automated processes, etc.

• Time tracking, reporting, integration with third-party apps, and task delegation.
• Integrates easily with other project management tools like G Suite, HubSpot, Teams, etc.

Wrike: Real-time project management Tool

Wrike works well with mid-size and big projects. It is compatible with all operating systems and integrates with over 400 third-party apps. Its free version is also compatible with the likes of G Suite and other task management tools online. Self-built project templates and Wrike- designed project templates are favorite features among many.

Tableau: Biggest Data Visualization Tool

Easy to learn for beginners, Tableau as a product management tool is used by millions of people across the globe. Its interactive reports have made static PDF’s an outdated feature. Tableau can however get a bit pricey for those in the startup stage, however, most big leagues use this product management tool because of its proficiency in data analytics.

Tableau also has an online analytics platform fully hosted on cloud that is easily accessible on both desktop and mobile.

ClickUp: Best Task Management Tool

The software partially uses AI to turn email conversations into in-app tasks and lists out the best from conversations and meetings to develop ideas that can be worked upon. Clickup is used by the likes of Google, Airbnb, and Nike. Some of its features include:

• Customizable templates, task visualization charts, dashboards, flow diagrams, and time tracking.
• Integrates with all primary project management tools besides offering a public API to develop your integrations.

Smartsheet: Named a Leader in Collaborative Work Management by Forrester Research in 2018

According to Getapp, this online product management tool is used by 80,000 businesses in over 175 countries. A cloud SaaS application, Smartsheet is famous for project management, collaboration, and communication. It is suitable for all enterprises. Getapp provides its users with features that include:

• Workflow management, content collaboration, data tracking, and so much more
• Integrates with leading product management tools
• Its API allows developers to integrate Smartsheet with their existing workflows

These lists are not conclusive. Some of the products listed here are well-regarded and rank high on multiple software assessment websites. And others have been mentioned because of their popularity, easy-to-use interfaces, and many other reasons. 

Since there are thousands of product management tools in the market, it is entirely one’s call to choose which one works best for you or your organization.

Conclusion

If you wish to upgrade your toolkit as a seasoned product manager or someone new to the domain, you could consider checking out the Great Lakes Executive Learning PG Program in Product Management and Analytics for everything related to Product Management. From management foundations in marketing management, managerial economics, business finance, data analytics, operations, and supply chain management to specializations in HR, data science, finance, operations management, and marketing management to choose from; the PG program covers everything that is industry-relevant today.

This 6-month online certification program is designed to give a data-driven approach to product management, thus making the program more suitable to this day’s needs.