Comparisons

12 great resource management software picks for agencies

August 25, 2021

9 MIN READ

There's only one way to make sure a project pipeline exploding with tasks and deadlines can be handled successfully: planning.

This is why many successful project managers and agencies use resource management software to organize their workflows. These tools are designed to make sure your team has enough time to complete the tasks on their to-do lists.

Resource management software helps you track your team’s calendars, capacity, responsibilities, and deadlines across the agency. And it helps you stay on top of deadlines by highlighting when someone’s calendar is too full (so you can reassign their tasks).

The best tools will track other important parts of a project too, like progress and budget, to help you land the plane safely. 🙌

A simple way of thinking about resource management is that it gives agencies a 10,000-foot view of their entire project pipeline.

Why is it so critical to have that view?

Burnout.

Survey data from a 2020 Limeade report finds that 75% of employees have felt over-worked or exhausted from their day-to-day duties. What started during those early pandemic days has blossomed into a full-on hiring crisis, fueled partly by ongoing burnout.

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The same report finds that a staggering 58% of Gen Z employees have switched jobs because of burnout. Improving resource management is more important than ever to ensure everyone has their fair share of work — especially in an agency setting.

Today’s leaders must provide teams with transparency in project delegation so that everyone is accountable for their work. The most powerful way to do so? Resource management software.

Say goodbye to burnout

Maximize your resources by spotting when team members are over capacity, so you can pivot workloads, prevent bottlenecks, and avoid burnout.

Try Teamwork.com for free

Must-have features in resource management software

Admittedly, resource management software is a broad category, which means figuring out which software solution is right for your agency can be challenging. Some options may be missing crucial functionalities, while others could drown you in features you’ll never use.

So, how do you find the sweet spot? 🔍 Look for these four feature sets as a starting place. Together they’ll help you solve the most common resource management problems facing today’s agencies.

Resource allocation and capacity tracking: Assign tasks to team members, track their progress, and see when spots open on their calendars for more tasks.
Built-in scheduling and time tracking: Keep an eye on what everyone is working on and how much time they spend on tasks.
Collaboration tools: Get your team to work together seamlessly with a tool that allows @mentions, in-document collaboration features, and simple document sharing and storing. Also make sure the software integrates well into your existing tech stack.
File storage and organization: Ensure all projects live in one place. As your team collaborates on projects, you need software that acts as a centralized hub where every document or asset needed is within the resource management tool.

Of course, there are so many more features to consider, and you’ll find them in dozens of tools and platforms competing for your attention (and your agency’s business).

To help you narrow down your search, we’ve done the hard work and found 12 of the best options out there for your agency.

Let's take a look!

The 12 best resource management tools

1. Teamwork

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Teamwork is a cloud-based project and resource management tool that helps your team work together better.

What does it do?

Teamwork is both project management software and resource management software that’s overflowing with features perfect for agencies of all types and works well with small and large teams.

Inside the platform, team leaders can create detailed task lists, upload project briefs, set deadlines, and assign tasks to team members — all in just a few clicks. The dedicated task management tools allow you to break down projects and see every task and deadline, making it easier to pivot workflows and avoid bottlenecks once work ramps up.

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Let’s say you want your team to work on a specific project, for a single client, and for no more than three hours a day. Using Teamwork, you can instantly see if anybody has a schedule conflict or has clocked in more than three hours on specific client tasks each day.

Unique features

Supports a wide range of project management methodologies and handles complex projects with ease
See all available resources so you can allocate the right resources to the right projects
Built-in time tracking and cross-project resource management enhance insights and planning

Pros

Easier to spot bottlenecks and pivot easily by tracking all your resources and capacity
Resource management templates to allow team leaders to create project plans, new client onboarding checklists, and marketing campaigns quickly
Customizable dashboards to help project managers track and reallocate tasks when needed
Tasks can be assigned to one (or multiple) team members and then given a start and end date
Integrates with other scheduling tools in your tech stack (like Google Calendar, Outlook, and Slack)

Cons

Not ideal for teams looking for a free resource management option (with most of its best resource features in paid levels)
Granular settings and subtask options might not be for everyone (could be overkill for small, simple projects)

Pricing

You can use Teamwork for free with up to five users, two projects, and 100MB of storage. Larger teams can choose from different leveled plans that’ll fit their needs. Common plans are $10 and $18 per user per month, and custom scale-based pricing is available.

Interested in learning more about what Teamwork has to offer? See why Teamwork is perfect for resource management, or if you want to take the software for a test run, sign up for a 30-day free trial here!