LiquidPlanner and Smartsheet are venture administration instruments that may maintain your software program growth crew organized and on prime of duties whereas boosting collaboration and effectivity.
Which is the higher PM software on your venture supervisor or developer wants? Hold studying to seek out out, as we are going to dissect LiquidPlanner and Smartsheet by way of their options, execs, cons, and pricing.
- LiquidPlanner: is right for software program growth groups looking for exact planning with options able to managing advanced tasks.
- Smartsheet: is right for software program growth groups that desire working with spreadsheets which might be looking for customizable and scalable PM software program.
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LiquidPlanner
LiquidPlanner is venture administration software program that was made to assist resolve one enormous, widespread drawback: Serving to software program growth groups meet their venture deadlines. In line with LiquidPlanner’s web site, solely 16 % of groups obtain that purpose. By providing superior options like predictive scheduling and forecasting, the venture administration software hopes to extend that quantity. Offered you’ve gotten a bigger crew or group with a while to put money into onboarding to study LiquidPlanner’s options, it’s possible you’ll discover it the perfect PM software for you.
Options of LiquidPlanner
LiquidPlanner has a number of primary and superior options to maintain growth groups on observe. Listed below are a few of its venture administration highlights:
- A number of views
- Predictive scheduling
- Collaboration
- Useful resource administration
- Time monitoring
LiquidPlanner lets venture managers visualize work by way of 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 danger under consideration, and generates real-time forecasts that supply an correct glimpse into what to anticipate with tasks. As modifications happen, LiquidPlanner will run Monte Carlo simulations to attenuate surprises.
Collaboration in LiquidPlanner comes by way of a change monitoring characteristic. You too can combine with Slack for messaging. Useful resource administration is one other providing of the PM software. 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.
Professionals of LiquidPlanner
LiquidPlanner has a number of execs as a venture administration software, together with:
- Exact planning by way of predictive scheduling
- A stable Free plan
- Varied views
- Onboarding service
LiquidPlanner takes a variety of the guesswork and uncertainty out of venture administration by way of its predictive scheduling characteristic that makes venture managers’ jobs simpler. The Free plan is reasonably sturdy, and there are many views to work with. LiquidPlanner’s onboarding service is one other plus that helps growth groups get acclimated with the venture administration software program.
Cons of LiquidPlanner
LiquidPlanner does have some weak spots, akin to:
- Advanced to study
- Integrations are restricted
- Few collaborative options
LiquidPlanner’s extra superior options, akin to predictive scheduling, can take a little bit of time to get used to. As such, some inexperienced persons could discover the developer software advanced. Whereas some venture administration software program affords tons of and even hundreds of integrations with third-party instruments, LiquidPlanner is especially highlighted by its Slack integration. And, in case your growth crew wants many collaborative choices, you’ll not discover them right here past Slack integration and the change monitoring characteristic.
Pricing of LiquidPlanner
Mission 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 may request a demo of what the developer software has to supply. Listed below are LiquidPlanner’s 4 pricing choices:
- Free: No price with restricted options. May be upgraded later to a paid plan.
- Necessities: $15 per consumer, monthly by way of annual billing.
- Skilled: $25 per consumer, monthly.
- Final: $35 per consumer, monthly. Quantity pricing can also be out there by contacting LiquidPlanner’s gross sales crew.
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 need to 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.
Soar to LiquidPlanner’s hottest Skilled plan, and you’ll get added options for highly effective planning like customized fields, 50,000 duties, and so on. And, in case you select the Final plan, you’ll unlock LiquidPlanner’s prime options, akin to single sign-on, venture entry controls, open API, and limitless customers, duties, and tasks.
You possibly can study much more about LiquidPlanner and its options in our LiquidPlanner Mission Administration Device Evaluate.
Smartsheet
In case your software program growth crew is most snug working with spreadsheets, then Smartsheet could also be a very good PM resolution, because it affords collaboration and PM options in a well-known, spreadsheet-style format for groups of all sizes.
Options of Smartsheet
Smartsheet has a number of venture 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 software that promotes communication will take pleasure in Smartsheet’s quite a few collaborative options. The venture administration software program has varieties for suggestions, shareable sheets, experiences, and workspaces, file attachments, conversations, reminders, and e-signatures. All of those options will 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 experiences with ease too. Smartsheet’s baselines maintain groups on observe and groups accountable, and its built-in time monitoring offers perception into how lengthy it takes to finish duties. The PM software program additionally integrates with over 100 third-party apps for added extensibility.
Professionals of Smartsheet
Smartsheet has a number of execs in its favor, akin to:
- Flexibility with views
- Drag-and-drop automations
- Strong collaboration
- Actual-time reporting
A number of views are a should for many venture 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’ve gotten varied methods to collaborate with growth crew members and stakeholders in Smartsheet, and its real-time reporting affords invaluable insights into efficiency whereas being surprisingly easy to generate.
Cons of Smartsheet
Smartsheet does fall quick in just a few areas, akin to:
- Spreadsheet format
- Restricted flexibility
- Excessive price
Though Smartsheet’s spreadsheet format could appeal to some venture managers and builders, others could discover it outdated or limiting. Should you handle an Agile crew, for instance, Smartsheet will not be a perfect match, and its lack of Kanban boards could possibly be a no-go. Smartsheet also can get expensive as you get into its higher-tiered plans like Enterprise.
Pricing of Smartsheet
Like LiquidPlanner, Smartsheet additionally has 4 pricing plans that venture managers and builders can select from, plus a free trial on its Professional and Enterprise plans. Listed below are the PM software’s completely different pricing tiers:
- Free: No price with restricted options.
- Professional: $7 per consumer, monthly when billed yearly. Most of 10 customers and limitless viewers.
- Enterprise: $25 per consumer, monthly. Minimal of three customers and limitless editors.
- Enterprise: Contact Smartsheet’s gross sales crew for customized pricing.
In case you are new to activity and venture administration or are on a decent price range, Smartsheet’s Free plan could suffice. It really works for one consumer and two editors and affords venture administration options like a number of views, dashboards, experiences, automations, two sheets, and 500MB of attachment storage.
Software program growth groups needing capability for limitless viewers and superior venture monitoring and administration can select the Professional plan. It affords limitless sheets, dashboards, experiences, and varieties, plus consumer administration, elevated automations and storage, and electronic mail assist.
Smartsheet’s Enterprise plan is really useful for software program growth groups that must handle tasks with limitless editors. It affords limitless automations and 1TB of attachment storage, sheets, dashboards, and experiences that may be printed, baselines, consumer, group, and license administration, proofing, a doc builder, exercise logs, and extra. And, in case you want PM software program with enterprise-grade controls and safety, select Smartsheet’s Enterprise plan. It affords single sign-on, limitless attachment storage, enhanced assist, work insights, and extra.
You possibly can study much more by studying our Smartsheet Mission Administration Software program Evaluate.
What to Search for In Mission Administration Software program
With so many venture administration instruments in the marketplace, it’s possible you’ll marvel what particular options it is best to search for in such software program. Among 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 study extra about the perfect venture administration software program options in our tutorial: Mission Administration Options to Look For.
Options to Smartsheet and LiquidPlanner
Not satisfied both possibility is the proper selection on your crew? We have now just a few product round-ups that may assist you discover different PM options. Our article Smartsheet versus Monday.com compares Smartsheet in opposition to one of the in style PM instruments in the marketplace. Moreover, now we have an ideal piece that covers the perfect Smartsheet Options.
In the meantime, our Greatest Mission Administration Software program for Builders lists a bunch of PM choices that can actually assist you discover an ideal software on your crew.
Remaining Ideas on LiquidPlanner vs. Smartsheet</h2
Does your growth crew include principally superior, technical customers with time for onboarding? Then LiquidPlanner stands out as the proper decide with its superior options like predictive scheduling and forecasting that make planning additional exact. And in case your crew prefers one thing extra user-friendly, enjoys spreadsheets, and seeks loads of flexibility when collaborating, Smartsheet stands out as the better option.