5 Best Enterprise Project Management Software

Anne M. Carroll Avatar

Written By

Reviewed by

Published

Share this Article:

Our content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click links to our partners. Learn more in our Editorial & Advertising Policy.

A project management software platform for enterprise teams is a software solution that helps large businesses manage projects, track progress, and communicate with team members. By consolidating all of the necessary tools and information in one place, enterprise project management software makes it easier for businesses to stay organized and on track.

While there are a variety of enterprise project management software platforms available on the market, they all share the common goal of helping businesses to streamline their operations and improve their project management abilities. Here are our top picks for 2023.

Our PickBest ForPricing Starts At
Jira logo.

Visit Jira
Best for Software Development Teams Using Agile
Free to try, Free Forever plan available • $7.75/user/month

Read more about Jira


monday work management logo.

Visit monday work management
Best for ScalabilityFree to try, Free Forever plan available • $9/user/month

Read more about monday work management

ProjectManager logo.

Visit ProjectManager
Best for Distributed WorkforcesFree to try for 30 days • $13/user/month

Read more about ProjectManager

Celoxis logo.

Visit Celoxis
Best for Portfolio ManagementFree to try for 30 days • $22.50/user/month

Read more about Celoxis

workfront logo.

Visit Adobe Workfront
Best for Streamlining ProcessesFree demo • Contact Adobe for pricing

Read more about Workfront

Featured Partners

Our Picks

The logo of Jira.

Jira: Best for Enterprise Software Development Teams Using Agile and Scrum

Jira is an advanced project management solution from Atlassian that is designed specifically to cater to the extensive needs of large-scale enterprises with tens of thousands of users. Highly scalable, it supports a vast number of users and projects without compromising efficiency. Jira enables organizations to customize workflows, track tasks, manage resources, and create robust reports to optimize project delivery. 

Its rich feature set includes advanced roadmapping, risk management, real-time reporting, and the capability to integrate with a broad array of other enterprise tools. Robust security measures and dedicated 24/7 premium support further establish Jira as a reliable solution for enterprises. Enhanced privacy features, data residency options, and Atlassian Access for organization-wide visibility and control add layers of security that are especially pertinent for organizations dealing with sensitive information.

Jira Cloud insights screen.

View insights in Jira Cloud. Accessed 8/25/2023

Key Features

By bringing together multiple Atlassian solutions, we find Jira Cloud to be a great tool for enterprise-scale businesses looking to manage work in one system.

  • Advanced Roadmaps: It offers advanced roadmaps so enterprises can plan and forecast with accuracy, giving teams the visibility they need to make strategic decisions. The tool facilitates creating a roadmap across multiple teams and projects, visualizing dependencies, and tracking progress in real time.
  • Scalable and Customizable Workflow Management: Jira Cloud allows for highly flexible workflow management that can scale with the needs of the enterprise, supporting a high number of projects and users seamlessly. Teams can create custom workflows that mirror their actual processes for efficient tracking and management of tasks.
  • Robust Integration Capabilities: Jira Cloud integrates easily with a host of other tools used in project management, development, and communication. Whether it’s integrating with Git for version control, Confluence for documentation, or Slack for team communication, Jira allows teams to streamline their processes and enhance productivity. Jira’s open API also allows for custom integrations to suit specific enterprise needs.

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
• Advanced security and controls
• Intuitive analytics for faster decisions
• Customizations for large businesses
• Thousands of app integrations
• Multiple ways to visualize work, including Scrum and kanban boards
• Complexity due to high degree of features
• Frequent interface updates and changes
• Limited reporting
• Performance issues such as slow load times
• Customizations can be time-consuming and require technical expertise

Why We Picked Jira 

Jira is a mature and widely used product that is highly recommended for project managers and scrum masters managing agile project management teams. Jira offers complete project and product management from planning to release. It was a solid top choice for us, as it’s a familiar tool part of the Atlassian suite of products that many professionals already use—making it easy to adopt on your team. 

Jira’s extensive integration capabilities allow it to seamlessly integrate with other popular tools used in the agile ecosystem, enhancing workflow efficiency and data synchronization. The software’s scalability and flexibility make it suitable for teams of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. Technical and educational resources are abundant, and any issue can be addressed immediately without delaying progress. 

monday work management logo.

monday work management: Best for Scalability

monday work management is a cloud-based enterprise project management solution that promotes collaboration and productivity within teams and across entire organizations. The platform’s ability to centralize all work processes and project details in one location allows for better visibility, management, and streamlined workflow. Its flexible pricing structure makes it ideal for businesses of varying sizes, including large-scale enterprises. 

monday.com’s customizable features make it possible to tailor the platform according to specific business needs, whether it’s task management, project planning, or resource allocation. Its ability to integrate seamlessly with other popular tools you may already be using further enhances the collaborative capabilities. Coupled with robust reporting and analytics, it empowers enterprises to make data-driven decisions, thereby accelerating project delivery and improving overall productivity.

monday work management's project dashboard.

monday work management’s project dashboard. Accessed 8/25/23

Key Features

  • Visual Project Timelines: monday.com provides powerful visual project timelines (such as Gantt charts), enabling project managers to map out project plans, set clear priorities, and monitor progress in real time. This helps in better resource allocation and deadline management.
  • Customizable Workflows: monday.com offers highly customizable workflows that can be tailored to match the exact needs of your projects and processes. This allows teams to create specific workflows that mirror their real-life processes, from simple task tracking to complex project management.
  • Integrations and Automations: The platform provides a robust suite of integrations, connecting with many other tools like Slack, Google Drive, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. This allows for a consolidated view of all project information and facilitates better collaboration. Additionally, monday.com’s automation feature streamlines repetitive tasks, reducing the potential for human error and freeing up time for more critical tasks.

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
• User-friendly interface
• Visual project timelines
• Scalability
• Collaboration tools
• Reporting and analytics
• Cost can become significant as user count grows.
• Learning curve
• In-app notification can become overwhelming
• Limited native Gantt chart capabilities
• Complex pricing structure

Why We Picked monday work management

monday work management presents a strong project management solution for enterprise businesses; its extensive customization abilities, advanced teamwork features, and automation competencies are noteworthy.  It helps enterprise users to manage tasks, facilitate easy communication, and simplify intricate workflows. While it can be a complex platform to navigate, especially for new team members, its intuitive interface ensures a smooth ramp-up and ongoing user experience.  User testimonials emphasize its efficiency in promoting team collaboration, boosting productivity, and centralizing project management tasks on a single platform. Comparative studies and practical use cases underscore that monday.com serves as a solid and scalable enterprise project management tool.

ProjectManager logo.

ProjectManager: Best for Distributed Workforces

ProjectManager is a comprehensive enterprise project management solution expertly designed to handle the planning, execution, and tracking of various projects from inception to completion. Its extensive suite of features includes task management capabilities for task creation and assignment, priority setting, and progress tracking. Interactive Gantt charts enable teams to visualize project timelines and dependencies, thus facilitating efficient management and adjustment of project schedules. With features like real-time team collaboration, document sharing, and commenting, ProjectManager encourages effective communication and coordination.

Enterprise project managers and teams can use ProjectManager to plan and execute large-scale projects, manage resources and timelines, track timesheets, build extensive project roadmaps, and automate workflows all within a single reliable tool.

ProjectManager dashboard.

ProjectManager dashboard. Accessed 7/1/23

Key Features

ProjectManager’s cloud-hosted project management solution includes crucial features aimed at facilitating planning, streamlining operations, aiding team execution, and providing comprehensive reporting on projects at enterprise scale. Key Some key capabilities include:

  1. Interactive Gantt Charts: ProjectManager offers powerful interactive Gantt charts that allow you to plan and schedule projects, set dependencies, and track progress. This feature stands out for its user-friendly interface and real-time updating functionality, which dynamically adjusts the project timeline as changes occur. This not only provides a high-level view of the project status but also enables real-time response to changes, a critical aspect in managing large enterprise projects that may not be as dynamic in other competing platforms.
  2. Real-Time Dashboards: ProjectManager’s real-time dashboards that deliver instantaneous updates on project metrics like task status, team productivity, and budget. This feature offers an edge over competitors as it significantly enhances decision-making and ensures projects stay on track and within budget. Unlike many other tools where reports need to be manually refreshed or regenerated, ProjectManager delivers the most up-to-date information.
  3. Advanced Resource Management: This feature allows for the effective allocation and balancing of resources, helping to prevent burnout and ensure project efficiency. Resource availability and workload charts provide a clear visual understanding of resource distribution. This advanced visualization isa feature that is not as comprehensive in many competing project management tools.

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
• Advanced resource management
• Interactive Gantt charts
• Support and training
• Security
• Cloud-based access from anywhere 

• Complex interface
• Limited advanced features
• Limited customization options
• Cost
• Performance issues when dealing with a large volume of tasks

Why We Picked ProjectManager

ProjectManager is an intelligent solution for enterprise project managers handling diverse and distributed teams. It equips teams with a comprehensive set of features and an intuitive interface to easily plan, carry out, and monitor their enterprise projects. ProjectManager offers interactive Gantt charts, real-time collaboration, and adjustable reporting, providing a complete perspective of project progression and allowing teams to make decisions based on real data. Our research indicates that ProjectManager is effective at streamlining project management processes, fostering team collaboration, and enhancing project overall results well. This positions ProjectManager as a top choice for enterprise project managers looking for help to streamline and manage their work more closely.

Celoxis: Best for Portfolio Project Management

Celoxis is an all-in-one platform for enterprise project management. It’s highly valued for its robust functionality and user-friendly design. Celoxis excels in areas such as task and resource allocation, which can be visualized using Gantt charts and resource load charts, facilitating a clear understanding of project timelines and resource usage.

One notable highlight is its ability to handle complex project portfolios and workflows, so users can manage and control multiple projects simultaneously with ease. Its customizable dashboards and extensive reporting features deliver valuable real-time insights crucial for data-driven decision-making. Integrated time and expense tracking, risk management, and built-in project request tracking are some of its other standout features.

Celoxis’ scalability and adaptability to diverse industries make it a compelling choice for both small teams and large enterprises.

Celoxis dashboard.

Celoxis dashboard. Accessed 8/26/23

Celoxis Key Features

Celoxis offers a variety of features for enterprise project management, including these top stand-outs.

  1. Advanced Reporting: Celoxis offers extensive reporting features with customizable dashboards and report-building capabilities. This functionality goes beyond the standard reporting of many competitors, providing more granular insights into project metrics and key performance indicators. The ability to customize reports allows businesses to extract and visualize the data that is most relevant to their specific needs, fostering data-driven decision-making.
  2. Project Portfolio Management: Celoxis stands out with its robust Project Portfolio Management (PPM) capabilities. It provides tools for managing multiple projects simultaneously, a crucial feature for large enterprises managing complex project portfolios. Many competitors offer project management tools but fall short in providing comprehensive PPM solutions, making Celoxis’ PPM feature particularly valuable for enterprises.
  3. Integrated Time and Expense Tracking: The platform offers integrated time and expense tracking, allowing for precise tracking of project costs and resource allocation. This comprehensive tracking is not standard in all project management tools, and it offers significant advantages for financial forecasting and budgeting. With this feature, companies can maintain control over project finances, optimize resource allocation, and improve overall project efficiency.

Celoxis Pros & Cons

ProsCons
• Powerful reporting
• Integrated time and expense tracking
• Project portfolio management
• Collaboration tools
• Scalability

• Customer support
• Mobile experience
• Customization limitations
• Customization limitations
• Learning curve
• Cost

Why We Picked Celoxis

Celoxis is an enterprise project management solution that excels in managing complex project portfolios, which is a distinct advantage for larger organizations juggling multiple projects. Our research finds its robust suite of features not only provides traditional project management capabilities but also offers advanced reporting and customization, placing it a step ahead of many competitors. Its integrated time and expense tracking feature allows for detailed financial forecasting and budget control, a feature not standard in all project management tools. 

The platform’s scalability makes it an ideal choice for both growing businesses and established enterprises. User feedback also points to the user-friendly interface as a standout, facilitating ease of use despite its broad range of functionalities. Ultimately, Celoxis’ ability to streamline project management processes, foster collaboration, and deliver real-time insights makes it a compelling option for enterprise project management.

workfront logo.

Workfront: Best for Streamlining Processes

Workfront is an enterprise work management solution built for teams to prioritize, assign, and complete projects with speed and at any scale. It has a central dashboard that allows you to quickly launch projects by seeing available resources and using templates and automations to assign tasks. Workfront also has intuitive tools to help users plan and assign work, project templates to launch projects faster, and built-in time tracking and analytics to help teams manage programs and portfolios.

Workfront dashboard view.

Workfront dashboard view. Accessed 7/1/23

Workfront Key Features

The following key features make Workfront a top choice for enterprise project management:

  1. Robust Workflow Automation: Workfront offers powerful workflow automation capabilities, giving users the ability to streamline and automate complex project processes. This feature is particularly relevant as it helps teams save time and effort by automating repetitive tasks, reducing manual errors, and ensuring consistent project execution. Compared to competitors, Workfront’s workflow automation is more comprehensive and customizable, providing users with greater flexibility and control over their project workflows.
  2. Advanced Resource Management: This feature is crucial in maximizing team productivity and ensuring that the right resources are assigned to the right projects at the right time. Workfront’s resource management capabilities surpass those of its competitors by offering robust resource planning, real-time visibility into resource availability, and comprehensive reporting, empowering organizations to make data-driven decisions and efficiently manage their resources.
  3. Collaborative Proofing and Review: Workfront includes collaborative proofing and review functionalities, which facilitate seamless collaboration and feedback exchange among team members and stakeholders. These features simplify the review and approval process, reduce feedback loops, and ensure that projects move forward smoothly. By providing a centralized platform for feedback, version control, and real-time commenting, Workfront’s collaborative proofing and review features  enhance collaboration and faster project iterations and also excel compared to competitors.

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
• Enterprise-level work and project management
• Open API
• Customizable dashboards and reports
• Scalability
• Robust task and project tracking
• No integrated chat or timer
• Extensive time needed to customize for an organization
• Learning curve for new users
• Customization challenges
• Cost

Why We Picked Workfront for Enterprise Project Management

Workfront is a compelling option for enterprise project management due to its robust features, user-friendly interface, and scalability. It has garnered industry recognition and numerous awards for its project management capabilities, highlighting its position as a market leader in enterprise project management solutions. 

We like this option because it is also a familiar and mature tool that many project and program managers are familiar with already. Customer reviews and feedback consistently demonstrate high satisfaction with Workfront. Users appreciate its ability to centralize project management, improve collaboration, and enhance overall project visibility. Workfront’s focus on customer success and support further reinforces its reputation as a trusted project management solution.

\Workfront is designed to meet the needs of enterprise-level project management, making it suitable for organizations of all sizes. It provides the flexibility to handle complex and large-scale projects, enabling seamless growth and scalability as business requirements evolve.



Methodology

The list was long for what are considered to be “enterprise” project management software solutions.

To generate an initial list, we researched the typical needs of organizations and determined the most crucial features and capabilities for large companies and teams that would have 100+ users.

We considered software from 25 different vendors and refined it to a short list based on which candidates best aligned with the needs and priorities of large global organizations with hybrid work teams. We evaluated and compared their top features, pricing plans, pros and cons, what they were touted as “best as” in the industry, plus any unique features that made them stand out from the crowd.

To ensure our recommendations are well-informed, we used several reliable sources to collect valuable data. This included a thorough analysis of the software products’ websites, reading industry reviews, unearthing customer feedback and testimonials, and following discussions within professional groups on social media platforms like LinkedIn. We watched informative how-to videos and demos of each tool, perused blogs, chatted with project and program managers using them, and considered previous knowledge and experience working with some of these tools in the field. Through this comprehensive approach, each software overview provides detailed information and a strong recommendation for you to consider for your enterprise project management tool needs.

FAQs: Key Features & Benefits

  1. Advanced Task and Project Tracking: Look for software that offers extensive automatic task and project tracking capabilities. This feature allows users to monitor progress, identify bottlenecks, and ensure projects stay on schedule, improving overall project transparency and accountability.
  2. Robust Resource Management: Choose software with solid resource management features to effectively allocate and optimize resources. This gives organizations the power to maximize productivity, balance workloads, and know that the right resources are assigned to the right projects at the right time.
  3. Flexible Workflow Automation: Look for software that provides flexible workflow automations. This feature helps streamline processes, reduce manual effort, and automate repetitive tasks, enabling teams to save time, minimize errors, and increase efficiency.
  4. Integrated Collaboration Tools: Select software that includes integrated collaboration tools, such as real-time messaging, document sharing, and task commenting. These tools support seamless communication, encourage collaboration among teams and users, and promote tight project coordination.
  5. Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics: Choose software that offers mature reporting and analytics functionalities. This feature allows users to generate insightful reports, visualize project data, and track key performance indicators (KPIs), supporting informed decision-making and facilitating continuous improvement.

Enterprise project management software provides users with several benefits, including:

  1. Improved Project Organization and Efficiency: Enterprise project management software helps users organize and structure projects effectively, facilitating efficient planning, task allocation, and resource management. This benefit is important as it allows users to streamline workflows, reduce duplication of effort, and enhance overall project efficiency.
  2. Enhanced Collaboration and Communication: The software promotes seamless collaboration and communication among team members, stakeholders, and external partners. This benefit is crucial for effective project execution, as it fosters clear and timely information exchange, encourages teamwork, and minimizes miscommunication or misunderstandings.
  3. Real-time Project Tracking and Monitoring: Users can track project progress in real-time, ensuring visibility into task statuses, milestones, and overall project health. This benefit is valuable as it enables users to identify potential issues, proactively address delays, and make informed decisions to keep projects on track.
  4. Resource Optimization and Allocation: Enterprise project management software users use these tools to optimize resource allocation, so that the right resources are assigned to the right tasks and projects. This benefit is important as it helps maximize resource utilization, avoid overloading team members, and achieve efficient resource allocation across the organization.
  5. Data-driven Decision-making: The software provides access to comprehensive project data, performance metrics, and analytics, empowering users to make data-driven decisions. This benefit is significant as it allows users to assess project performance, identify trends, and implement improvements based on actionable insights, leading to more successful project outcomes.

Expert Buying Advice: How to Choose the Best Enterprise Project Management Solution

Enterprise project management software plays a crucial role in managing complex projects, optimizing resource utilization, and enhancing collaboration within organizations. It offers a wide range of features and benefits that streamline project processes and improve overall project outcomes.

When researching and deciding upon enterprise project management software, it is important to evaluate specific features such as task and project tracking, resource management, collaboration tools, reporting and analytics, and integration capabilities.

Any organization considering this type of tool can expect the ability to scale their project management processes, adapt to changing project requirements, and enhance overall productivity. These types of systems offer a centralized platform for teams to collaborate, track progress, and effectively allocate resources. When choosing enterprise project management software, it is essential to consider factors such as ease of use, training and support options, pricing, and the software’s compatibility with existing systems. By leveraging the right software solution, organizations can gain a competitive edge in today’s dynamic business landscape.

It’s important to thoroughly assess your organization’s project management processes, methodologies, and objectives first. Identify key pain points and areas where improvement is needed to guide your selection process.

Consider the software’s ability to accommodate your organization’s growth and changing project management needs. Confirm the software can scale with your organization, handle increasing project complexity, and adapt to evolving business requirements and budgets.

Search for enterprise project management software that offers seamless integration with the tools and systems your organization already uses, such as document management systems, collaboration platforms, or enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. This integration compatibility and capability will ensure smooth data exchange, eliminate duplicate data entry, and streamline workflows.

Look for a solution that has a user-friendly interface, intuitive navigation, and a short learning curve for new users. User adoption is crucial for successful implementation, so ensure that the software is accessible and easy for team members to use, minimizing resistance and fear, supporting adoption to change, and maximizing productivity.

Consider the level of customer support, training resources, and ongoing assistance provided by the software vendor. Adequate support and training can significantly impact the successful implementation and utilization of the software within your organization.

By taking these factors into consideration, you’ll make an informed decision when shopping for enterprise project management software, making sure that the solution you choose aligns with your organization’s needs, is scalable, integrates well with existing systems, provides a positive user experience, and offers sufficient support and training.


Subscribe to Project Management Insider for best practices, reviews and resources.

You must input a valid work email address.
You must agree to our terms.

Featured Partners

Anne M. Carroll Avatar

Get the Free Newsletter!

Subscribe to Project Management Insider for best practices, reviews and resources.

You must input a valid work email address.
You must agree to our terms.