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Product managers guide a product from conception to launch and beyond. They’re responsible for defining the product vision, prioritizing features based on customer needs and business objectives, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to ship a product that delights customers. To support these processes and facilitate effective collaboration, product managers use product management tools that help them manage product roadmaps, track progress, and align teams toward common goals.
With product roadmap prioritization software, product managers can weigh different features and decide which ones to tackle first, based on what customers want and what’s best for the business. Project management tools are also a big help, letting product managers split up the development process into bite-sized tasks, hand out responsibilities, and keep an eye on how things are moving along. In this article, we’ll look at 15 product management tools that can help your company develop better products, get teams to work together more smoothly, and ultimately, deliver products that your customers will love.
Product management tools help managers and teams organize, plan, and oversee all aspects of a product’s lifecycle—from ideation to launch to post-mortem. These tools become your control center for managing products. Without them, teams can miscommunicate, duplicate work, and miss deadlines.
They offer features like:
Roadmapping: Visualizing the product’s journey and its future developments.
Task management: Keeping track of what needs to be done, by whom, and by when.
Prioritization: Helping teams decide which features or tasks to tackle based on their impact and feasibility.
Collaboration: Making it easy for teams to communicate, share documents, and keep everyone aligned.
Feedback and data integration: Collecting user insights and market research to inform product decisions.
Analytics and reporting: From tracking progress to analyzing performance against goals, analytics and reporting tools help you make informed decisions based on real-time data.
Resource management: Helping you monitor your team’s time and the project’s resources to guarantee you have everything you need to stay on schedule (and budget).
Your company’s tech stack is likely growing already—do you really need another piece of software? Well, that depends on how much you want to perfect your workflows, communicate effectively, and execute on your product strategy.
If you’re juggling multiple tools, struggling to keep teams aligned, and losing track of progress, it might be time to consider an all-in-one product management platform. Here’s how these tools can benefit your teams and projects:
Streamlined workflows: Automate and simplify daily tasks to reduce redundancy and let everyone know their next steps.
Improved collaboration: Keep all team members on the same page, even if they’re distributed across different locations.
Centralized information: Have a single source of truth where all project documentation, updates, and feedback are stored and easily accessible.
Better decision-making: Leverage data-driven insights and analytics to make informed decisions about the product’s direction.
Data-backed prioritization: Use built-in tools to help determine which features or tasks are most critical to better align team efforts with business objectives.
Increased transparency: Provide stakeholders with a clear view of project progress and challenges.
Efficient resource management: Optimize available resources to prevent overallocation and burnout.
Choosing the right product management software can feel like looking through an endless menu. While you’ll find plenty of good-looking options, you don’t want just any platform—you want one that’ll best fit your startup, team, and product development process.
Here’s what to consider when choosing a product management platform:
Price: Determine your budget and look for software that offers the best value within that range. Consider the upfront costs and also any ongoing subscription fees.
Features: List the features you absolutely need (like roadmapping or task management) and those that would be nice to have. Double-check that the software you choose ticks all your essential boxes.
Scalability: Think about the future of your product and company. The tool should grow with you, handling more complex projects and more users as your business expands.
Integrations: Your software should work well with the tools your team already uses. Check for compatibility with your current tech stack, such as CRM tools, communication platforms, and other software.
Analytics: Look for robust reporting features that can provide insights into your product’s development and market performance.
Collaboration: Find software that improves communication and teamwork, like shared workspaces, comment sections, and real-time updates.
Ease of use: The tool should have a user-friendly interface that your team can quickly adopt without a steep learning curve.
Customer support: Check for accessible support via multiple channels and positive service reviews.
Product management tools can help with everything from roadmapping and prioritization to project management and customer feedback. Here are 15 product management tools that are worth checking out in 2024:
Notion blends notes, tasks, databases, and calendars into one platform. It has a clean, easy-to-use interface and customization features to tailor the tool to your project management and documentation needs.
It’s a one-stop shop for all your assignments, to-do lists, wikis, feedback, and more.
Key features include:
All-in-one workspace: Combines notes, tasks, databases, and calendar views into one cohesive platform to streamline project and task management.
Customizable templates: Provides a wide range of pre-built templates for various use cases—from personal productivity to team projects.
Real-time collaboration tools: Allows product teams to collaborate on documents and projects in real-time to keep everyone on the same page.
Integrated task management: Features built-in task management tools that help users organize, prioritize, and track work as it progresses.
Extensive integration capabilities: Integrates with tools like Slack, Google Calendar, and Trello to improve workflow connectivity and automation.
Airtable combines the simplicity of a spreadsheet with the complexity of a database. It lets users create custom databases with built-in automation and workflows, all without writing a line of code.
It’s like Excel or Google Sheets—except you don’t need to know a bunch of complex formulas, and it integrates with practically every other tool in your tech stack.
Key features include:
Customizable views: Offers multiple views like Grid, Calendar, Kanban, and Gallery to suit different project needs and personal preferences.
Powerful database functionality: Allows users to store, organize, and access data with the functionality of a database but the simplicity of a spreadsheet.
Rich field types: Supports various field types, including attachments, text, checkboxes, links, and more (which can be fully customized).
Automations: Features built-in automation tools that streamline repetitive tasks and workflows.
Robust integrations: Integrates with other applications, such as Slack, Salesforce, and Google Workspace.
Jira (by Atlassian) is probably the most well-known (and perhaps used) product management tool. It empowers everyone, from startups to massive enterprises, to manage complex development projects in a single workspace.
It’s one of the go-to tools for Agile teams thanks to its ability to handle Scrum, Kanban, and other product managment methodologies. Jira helps teams with detailed planning, tracking, and collaboration.
Key features include:
Flexible project templates: Jira provides a variety of templates tailored to different types of development methodologies, including Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches.
Advanced issue tracking: Helps with detailed tracking of all types of work items, including bugs, tasks, and stories, complete with custom workflows to match your team’s processes.
Roadmaps: Built-in roadmapping tools help visualize project timelines and dependencies to make planning and prioritizing work easier.
Real-time collaboration: Allows product team collaboration with features like comments, attachments, and @mentions.
Extensive reporting capabilities: Offers powerful reporting tools that generate actionable insights on project performance, team velocity, and more.
Figma provides a vector graphics editor and prototyping tool. It offers a cloud-based interface for design and workflow collaboration for designers, developers, marketers, and stakeholders. It’s a powerful visual tool that supports everything from graphic design and wireframing to prototyping and product testing.
Figma’s real-time collaboration features make it a favorite for cross-department teams looking to work together.
Key features include:
Real-time collaboration: Allows multiple team members to work on a design simultaneously, providing immediate feedback and changes.
Vector networks: Offers advanced vector editing tools that go beyond traditional pen tools to allow more precise and flexible design manipulation.
Component-based design: Supports creating reusable components that maintain consistency across different projects and reduce the time spent on repetitive design tasks.
Prototyping and animation: Includes powerful prototyping features that allow designers to create interactive prototypes with transitions and animations.
Cross-platform compatibility: Works across different platforms to help users access and edit their designs on any device with an internet connection.
Extensive plugin ecosystem: Provides access to a massive plugins and integrations marketplace.
Confluence (another Atlassian tool) helps product teams create, share, and collaborate on projects with centralized project documentation. It focuses more on collaboration and documentation, while Jira focuses on project management and issue tracking.
Together, they’re a powerhouse for streamlining practically every product management workflow.
Key features include:
Rich content creation: Provides an editor that supports everything from basic text to dynamic content (like Jira integrations) for rich, visually engaging pages.
Structured hierarchy: Lets product teams organize content in a nested structure of spaces, pages, and subpages.
Advanced permissions: Offers detailed control over who can view or edit content to maintain security and appropriate access for different team members.
Real-time collaboration: Allows multiple users to edit documents simultaneously, with real-time visibility of changes and comments to streamline feedback and updates.
Integrated with Jira: Integrates with Jira to let teams link project documentation directly with tasks and issues.
Templates and blueprints: Comes with templates and blueprints that simplify setting up new documents or spaces.
Amplitude is a product analytics platform that provides insights into user behavior to help your team develop data-backed products that optimize user engagement and increase retention.
It’s an excellent platform for learning more about your customers and building features your data shows they need.
Key features include:
Behavioral analytics: Provides detailed insights into how users interact with your product by tracking movements and actions to better understand the user journey.
Real-time data: Presents data in real-time to help you quickly respond to changes in user behavior and market conditions.
Segmentation and cohort analysis: Allows users to create segments and cohorts to analyze specific behaviors and trends within targeted user groups.
Personalized dashboards: Users can create custom dashboards to monitor metrics that matter most to their products.
A/B Testing and experimentation: Supports A/B testing and other experimentation tools to help teams test and iterate on features based on actual user data.
While plenty of product management tools offer built-in communication features, few SaaS platforms do it as seamlessly as Slack. Slack has become the go-to messaging platform for teams and entire companies to communicate.
It has plenty of features (from video calling to direct messaging and channels) to solve pretty much any communication use case you need.
Key features include:
Channels and direct messaging: Offers organized spaces for team conversations with channels, alongside options for private messages and group DMs.
Integration with other tools: Integrates with tools including Google Drive, Trello, and GitHub, pulling information directly into conversations and automating workflows.
Searchable history: Keeps a searchable archive of all your team’s past conversations and files—it’s definitely a form of documentation.
Customizable notifications: Allows users to customize notifications based on their priorities and workflow to help them focus on what’s important without unnecessary interruptions.
Voice and video calls: Includes built-in voice and video calling features to support spontaneous discussions or scheduled meetings without needing an additional app.
Workflow builder: Users can automate routine actions and communications to streamline workflows and increase productivity.
Craft.io’s product management lifecycle tool transforms complex product management challenges into structured processes. From strategy formulation to feedback analysis, Craft.io provides a holistic platform that aligns every team member—from product managers to stakeholders—around the product vision and roadmap.
Key features include:
Strategic planning tools: Helps teams define the product vision and align on strategic objectives to keep everyone on the same page.
Roadmapping: Allows you to create visual product roadmaps that connect long-term goals with daily tasks.
Feedback management: Integrates customer feedback directly into the product planning process to empower user-driven development.
Data-rich insights: Delivers detailed analytics and reports that inform decision-making and help track the product’s real-time success.
Advanced integrations: Connects with other tools like JIRA and Azure DevOps to exchange information across platforms.
ProdPad is an intuitive, easy-to-use product management tool that streamlines roadmapping, brainstorming, and feedback. The platform helps product teams move faster, test smarter, and win more. It makes it simple to document your processes and figure out replicable strategies for working better.
Key features include:
Product roadmaps: Creates dynamic product roadmaps that provide a visual timeline of what’s being worked on and what’s coming next.
Idea management: Allows you to capture and prioritize new ideas to guarantee that valuable insights are remembered and the best ideas get developed.
Feedback loops: Integrates customer feedback directly into the product development cycle.
User personas: Helps product teams define and understand target users to tailor features and improvements.
Aha! is a product management tool that streamlines product strategy and workflow processes. It lets a product manager see the entire product lifecycle from conception to launch, helping you plan everything just right.
Aha! focuses on strategic alignment features to keep every team member focused on delivering outcomes that drive business objectives.
Key features include:
Idea crowdsourcing: Collects ideas from across the organization and allows stakeholders to vote on them to help the best ideas rise to the top.
Feature prioritization: Helps teams prioritize features based on strategic value with roadmapping to align daily tasks with broader business goals.
Customizable workflows: Adapts to any project or product management methodology, whether Agile, Scrum, or Waterfall.
Analytics and reporting: Provides reporting tools that provide insights into progress, performance, and resource allocation.
Monday.com gives you everything you need to build the most flexible, customizable product management tool. Whether you decide to use pre-built templates and workflows or make everything from scratch, it has the user-friendly interface and features you need to tailor it to any use case, industry, or development methodology. It really is the jack of all trades when it comes to product management.
Key features include:
Customizable workflows: Lets teams tailor workflows to their unique processes.
Visual project tracking: Offers boards that illustrate project status, team workload, and timelines.
Automation: Reduces the need for manual work by automating repetitive tasks.
Scalability: Supports teams of all sizes—from a few members to thousands.
Miro is an online whiteboarding platform that lets teams brainstorm, plan, and manage projects in a visual environment. It provides an easy-to-use interface that makes it simple to collaborate and be creative in real-time. It’s great for visual learners and teams using diagrams, sketches, and charts to communicate product ideas and track projects.
Key features include:
Infinite canvas: Provides an unlimited workspace that allows teams to work on multiple ideas and projects without spatial constraints.
Real-time collaboration: Helps team members to collaborate with tools for drawing, writing, and dragging-and-dropping multimedia elements.
Templates and frameworks: Offers pre-built templates and frameworks for everything from agile workflows to mind maps.
Interactive widgets: Includes polls, timers, and voting to make it easier to collect feedback and make decisions as a team.
ProductPlan is a roadmap visualization tool designed to help teams articulate strategic direction and product progress. It lets Agile teams plan with a visual and flexible approach to roadmapping.
Key features include:
Drag-and-drop interface: Simplifies the process of building and adjusting product roadmaps.
Roadmap templates: Offers various templates tailored to different planning needs—from technology roadmaps to marketing and business development strategies.
Customizable views: Allows users to create multiple views of the same roadmap to cater to different audiences.
Scenario planning tools: Helps teams create and compare different planning scenarios (like making a Plan A, B, and C).
Roadmunk is a powerful roadmapping tool for product teams to create pretty, strategic roadmaps. It helps organizations align long-term goals with short-term product development initiatives, keeping everyone’s eyes on the prize.
Key features include:
Visual roadmapping: Creates beautiful, easy-to-understand roadmaps that can be customized to fit any organization’s style and branding.
Timeline views and swimlanes: Offers multiple views for roadmaps, including timeline perspectives and swimlane layouts.
Feedback integration: Allows teams to gather and integrate feedback directly into the roadmap.
Advanced collaboration features: Supports sharing, commenting, and real-time updates.
airfocus offers a modular approach to managing product development. This lets you build the right tool for whatever you need—whether you’re managing a complex SaaS application or a brand-new website design. It also has built-in AI features to streamline drafts, user stories, feedback summaries, and sentiment analysis.
Key features include:
Modular product management: Allows customization of the platform to fit various types of product management needs, from simple task management to complex roadmap planning.
Priority Poker: Allows consensus-building and prioritization through an interactive and engaging method.
Smart scoring system: Uses a weighted scoring system for features and initiatives to help teams make data-driven decisions based on value versus effort.
Dynamic roadmaps: Creates shareable, visual roadmaps that update in real-time as inputs and situations change.
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Optimized performance: Keep your products, services, and applications running smoothly with our high-performance SSD-based virtual machines (Droplets).
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Developer-friendly tools: Access a wide range of developer tools and APIs that simplify cloud computing and make it easier for you to deploy, manage, and scale applications.
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