16 Top Collaboration and Communication Software in 2024

monday.com is a robust product management software designed for effective team planning and communication. It offers a wide range of features that cater to various aspects of project management, including task assignment, progress tracking, and collaboration. For example, Workdocs allows teams from various departments, including sales, finance, and marketing, to work together seamlessly in real-time. They can tag each other on action items, assign tasks, provide feedback (through comments), and keep everything neatly organized with checklists.

monday.com can embed Workdocs directly into boards to integrate them into a larger workflow. Boards help organize and track projects, acting as a virtual whiteboard where teams can collaborate further, ensuring everyone is working towards a common goal.

Additionally, monday.com has over 200 integrations. Teams can use Zoom, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, and Slack integrations for collaboration. For communication, monday.com offers integrations for popular tools like Outlook, Gmail, Zendesk, and Twilio.

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  Allows for real-time collaboration, and changes are visible to everyone.

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  Centralized communication (e.g., comments and mentions)—no need for external communication tools

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  Several visual collaboration tools, such as visual boards and dashboards.

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  Over 200 highly customizable templates for various projects and tasks.

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  New users can easily get overwhelmed with monday.com’s features.

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  Time tracking feature is available in the pro plan.

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  Per-user pricing can be confusing and get expensive in the long run.

Notion is a fully featured workspace that handles all of your task planning and management needs. Teams can use it to create various tools to track progress, from simple to-do lists to detailed Kanban boards.

Notion allows for easy collaboration, as you can create pages and share them with others with a few clicks. Depending on the access permissions you’ve set, team members can come in and make changes, comment on the content, and assign tasks to one another. Notion’s shared calendars can be used to keep everyone updated on important deadlines and upcoming events.

A popular use case for Notion is note-taking, where teams can easily create and share notes from meetings, brainstorming sessions, project documentation, and even research.

Teams can also use it to create a living wiki since Notion allows them to build a hierarchical content structure that’s easy to navigate by nesting pages within pages. With Markdown support, the content is easy to create and as well as format to look appealing and engaging.

Furthermore, tags and filters can make content easily searchable, databases (e.g., tables, boards, lists) can organize information, and media can be embedded for a rich multimedia experience.

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  Greater customization when creating and editing pages, databases, and workflows.

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  Create beautiful-looking pages using Markdown.

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  Multiple views to work with, including Board, Calendar, and Task.

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  The mobile version makes accessing pages and tasks easier.

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  A library of free templates for varied use cases and workflows.

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  The extensive customization options have a learning curve.

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  Working offline can lead to synchronization issues.

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  Complex databases and large pages can cause performance slowdown.

Trello is a project management software designed with Kanban boards in mind. It’s built to fit right into any workflow with its easy-to-setup and intuitive boards that allow you to break it down into simple steps with cards.

In a Trello board, teams can create cards that denote tasks and assign them to each other. They can update the card in real-time by moving it to the right as the task moves through phases until its completion. Cards can encapsulate all the information needed for assigned team members to do their jobs, including attachments, due dates, and comments.

On top of the Board view, Trello has other views that allow you to view your projects from multiple angles. These include Table, Calendar, Timeline, Workspace, Dashboard, and Map views.

Trello can also be used with your team’s favorite productivity apps. For instance, you can configure Trello to send notifications to Slack channels when cards are updated through the Slack Power-Up feature.

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  Intuitive and User-friendly interface.

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  Kanban boards make tracking tasks and projects easier.

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  Cards make assigning tasks and tracking progress more efficient.

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  Unlimited cards on the free plan.

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  Easily automate repetitive tasks with the Butler feature.

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  It might not be suitable for non-Kanban-style project management.

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  Lack of key features for complex project management (e.g., time tracking, Gantt charts, integrated chat, and advanced reporting and analytics).

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  Complaints of poor customer support.

Todoist is a task management application for staying on top of items that need completing in a team’s workspace. The workflow is intuitive: create a task, describe it in detail, set a due date, and assign it to someone. The task can even contain subtasks that contribute to completing the larger task.

Tasks can be tagged with priority flags to mark their importance over others. You can even label the tasks, allowing for efficient organization, categorization, and filtering.

Todoist is available on multiple platforms, including desktop, mobile, and wearables. It even has a handy browser extension that allows you to save websites as tasks, plan your day, and complete tasks directly from your browser.

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  Can easily organize the priority of tasks through flags.

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  Can set recurring tasks.

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  Has a browser extension.

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  Can add comments and attach files to tasks.

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  Can covert emails into tasks.

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  Not as robust at project management as similar tools.

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  Lacks important integrations (e.g., Microsoft Teams and Zoom).

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  Limited Kanban features (e.g., advanced automation and workflow customization and limited custom fields).

Basecamp is a web-based project management tool for remote teams to enhance productivity, collaboration, and communication. It has the usual task management tools (e.g., boards, to-do lists, and scheduling events, deadlines, and milestones), as well as a handy message board for brainstorming, pitching project ideas, and discussing blockers.

Basecamp’s productivity and communication features significantly contribute to its Move the Needle feature. This project visualization tool monitors progress with a needle that moves as team members complete tasks. Once it reaches the end of the meter on the right, the task is considered complete.

Based on factors such as tasks left, milestones, and deadlines, the needle can alert you if you’re on track or if actions need to be taken to move it forward. Further communication to move the needle can be automated through the automatic check-in feature. This regularly sends questions to team members, allowing you to check in on them and the progress they have made.

There’s even a group chat feature that acts as a digital water cooler to foster a sense of community.

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  Has Kanban boards, to-do lists, and reminders.

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  Automatic check-in feature.

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  Message boards and real-time group chats

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  Issues with loading PNGs.

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  Lack of tags and labels.

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  Per-user pricing can get expensive.

Airtable is a cloud-based platform for building productivity apps using AI—no code needed. The apps you build can work with your pre-existing databases, or you can create them from scratch using the Interface Designer.

You can easily link the tables in the database to make them relational so the data can be more actionable across various functions in the organization.

Besides building apps, Airtable enables you to share the databases (called bases) with your team. Collaborators can then edit, update, and analyze them, with the changes they make being reflected live. This ensures that everyone is on the same page with the most up-to-date information they need for data analysis.

These shared bases transform an ordinary database into a real-time collaborative workspace where teammates can leave comments and mentions on particular tables, including their fields and records.

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  A great selection of templates for various project types.

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  Task management features can be customized to suit any workflow.

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  Easy to customize the user interface.

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  Various views, including Kanban, Gantt, Timeline, Gallery, Grid, and Calendar.

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  Advanced features, such as custom views and custom automation scripts, have a steep learning curve.

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  Access to Gantt charts requires a Team plan or higher.

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  The free plan has limited formatting options and record creation capabilities.

Asana is a collaborative workspace where teams can automate workflows and collaborate efficiently. It allows you to create projects with custom fields and automation that streamline work significantly.

An automation example could be a rule that notifies team members when a task is complete or moved to a new section. It can also be a rule that automatically sets a due date when a team member has been assigned to a task.

If you have a successful project or task, you can turn it into a template for future work. This speeds up the workflow and ensures that everything is standardized for future success. You can even bundle the fields, sections, rules, and templates and apply them to various projects to share the best practices across the board.

Asana allows you to stay on top of tasks that need completion with the project dashboard. With the reports on the dashboard, you can get an overview of each project and track progress. You can then zero in on the action items, such as overdue or stalled tasks, and communicate with teams to find out how to move them along.

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  Great collaborations and automation tools.

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  The free version has robust features to support small teams and projects.

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  100+ integration support.

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  Easy for team members to create, share, and collaborate on tasks and communicate in real-time.

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  One of the best systems for managing task dependencies.

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  The notification system can be too distracting.

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  New users can find Asana overwhelming.

Zoho Projects is a comprehensive task management tool for small teams. It enhances productivity, communication, and collaboration by easily creating, automating (through Blueprints), customizing, delegating to team members, and tracking tasks in a central location. Team members can then easily discuss action items within specific tasks and collaborate to deliver everything on time.

Zoho Projects can easily be integrated with first-party apps like Zoho CRM, Zoho Mail, and Zoho Docs, as well as third-party apps like Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft Office. Overall, there are over 40 integrations that ensure Zoho Projects can fit right into dozens of workflows.

Perhaps what makes Zoho Projects even more suited for small teams is its affordability. A team of three can easily manage up to two projects for free.

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  UI can be customized to fit various user preferences.

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  Integration with other Zoho applications and numerous third-party apps.

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  Robust analytics and reporting tools.

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  Comprehensive task creation features, including due dates, attachments, and lists.

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  Email reminders of task due dates.

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  Limited projects on the free plan.

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  Some needed features, like time tracking, project templates, and custom fields, are locked behind premium plans.

Workvivo is a digital workspace for enhancing communication and fostering a productive and positive work culture. It aims to replace the legacy company intranets since it is more engaging for employees with its social media elements. It also has an intuitive interface that makes it easy to pick up.

In a Workvivo social intranet, team members have access to a news feed with social media-like updates for knowledge sharing. It also fosters interaction with community spaces, where team members can collaborate based on shared goals.

Badges and awards allow employees to shout each other out in public for a job well done. This can improve morale and a sense of belonging and accomplishment.

Each team member in a Workvivo intranet gets their very own detailed profile. Others can visit it and discover who among their peers has shared interests and connect.

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  Ease-to-navigate and social media-like interface enhances employee engagement.

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  Integrated social media elements, including news feeds, polls and surveys, direct messages, group chats, recognition tools, and media sharing.

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  Encourages team members to communicate organically.

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  Helps build and foster communities within a business.

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  Loading can be slow at times.

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  Not suitable for small businesses.

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  The mobile app has limited functionality for a true on-the-go experience.

Teamwork is a client management tool that helps teams deliver projects on time and budget. Instead of using multiple tools to handle client projects, Teamwork offers everything you need to successfully guide you through the client life cycle. This includes management, task automation, time tracking, financial reporting, and client feedback.

Teamwork has flexible reporting features that can give you valuable insights that lead to impactful decision-making. You can easily monitor projects, clients, and team members. This ensures nothing falls behind, everyone is being fully utilized, and the billables make sense for your client’s budget while ensuring profitability for your business.

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  Great for client communication and collaboration.

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  Can customize workflows.

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  Free plan has all the essentials to manage a small project and team.

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  Robust collaboration features (e.g., comments, mentions, and file sharing).

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  Offers time and milestone tracking.

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  Performance becomes sluggish with larger projects.

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  Some users, especially new ones, find the interface confusing.

Miro is a web-based whiteboarding app for teams to explore their ideas from conception to completion. You and your team can brainstorm using the infinite canvas, a digital whiteboard for drawing and sketching any idea imaginable without limitations.

Miro offers creative ways to express your ideas, including drawings, sketches, diagrams, or AI-generated mind maps. Members can also add all sorts of media to the whiteboard for inspiration, such as images and GIFs, as well as documents, such as PDFs and spreadsheets, to foster information sharing.

Team members can also leave comments for iterative feedback to improve ideas. It has other interactive features, such as Sticky Notes and timers, to keep team members engaged.

On top of the web app, Miro is also available on desktop and mobile. There is even a Miro app for Windows-based interactive displays. This ensures that teams can stay productive on a wide range of devices.

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  Unlimited space for brainstorming and planning.

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  Simplifies workflow visualization.

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  Dozens of customizable templates.

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  AI assistance when creating boards.

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  Data visualization support.

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  Larger boards can be difficult to search.

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  Complex boards take longer to load.

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  Limited offline access.

Slack is a chat app built for team communication due to its real-time messaging capabilities. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Slack has over 32.3 million daily active users, making it one of the most widely used team communication apps across various industries.

Slack allows teams to have focused discussions based on shared interests in channels. Teams can mimic in-person office chats through huddles, which are live audio discussions between multiple people that can enhance decision-making. Participants in the huddle can also easily share their screens to show and discuss their work with others.

Slack offers over 2,600 integrations in several software categories, including calendar, communication, productivity, CRM, cloud storage, and remote work. For example, you can integrate Slack with your calendar to manage meetings or with Asana to receive task updates.

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  Huddles make it easy to hold meetings with up to 50 participants.

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  Makes real-time communication easier.

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  Integrates with over 2,600 apps.

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  Users can customize Slack (e.g., profile, notifications, sidebar, and theme) to match their preferences.

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  Powerful search functionality.

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  Slack notifications can sometimes be overwhelming, especially for organizations with multiple channels.

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  Video calls don’t always have good quality.

Microsoft 365 is a subscription service platform that provides access to several Microsoft apps and documents to enhance productivity. For instance, you get the desktop version of Office apps, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

You can easily share the documents created in these apps with others for real-time collaboration. For example, you can add collaborators to a Word document, and every one can edit it, with changes reflected in real-time. Also, people can track changes to better review contributions and leave comments for feedback.

When used with Teams, you and your team members can chat and use file sharing to collaborate on documents. Then, multiple people can live edit the documents within Teams. It is a great way to garner real-time feedback on work in progress within a dedicated communication app.

Teams is no longer part of the Microsoft 365 subscription—you will have to purchase a Teams subscription separately (starting at $4/user/month). This subscription unlocks features like unlimited group meetings and the ability to add up to 300 people to a meeting.

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  Teams seamlessly integrate within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

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  Real-time co-editing on documents in Microsoft 365 apps.

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  File sharing and task management within Team channels.

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  Channels in Teams can be customized to meet team needs.

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  1 TB of OneDrive storage space.

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  Need separate subscriptions for Microsoft 365 and Teams.

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  Teams can become sluggish when dealing with large files.

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  Multiple channels and a high volume of messages can lead to notification overload.

Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is a suite of tools by Google designed to enhance a team’s productivity and collaboration. All of them are cloud-based, providing efficient ways for teams to work together.

All team members in a Google Workspace get a custom email address, which they can use to sign in to Gmail and send emails. This ensures effective information sharing and alignment of goals.

Google offers a suite of productivity apps similar to Microsoft Office. These include Google Docs for document creation, Google Sheets for spreadsheets, and Google Slides for presentations. All these tools allow you to upload documents to OneDrive and add collaborators for live editing and commenting.

Google Workspace also includes Google Drive for cloud storage and file sharing, Google Meet for video conferencing, and Google Calendar for time management and meeting scheduling.

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  Enhanced productivity with Google Docs, Sheets, Sheets, and Calendar.

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  Real-time collaboration and cloud-based file sharing.

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  Seamless integration with Google’s suite of communication tools (Gmail, Google Meet, and Google Chat).

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  Creating an account is easy.

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  Google collects data, which might be concerning for some users.

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  Offline access is limited for most apps and tools.

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  No free tier.

Jira is a software developed by Atlassian that allows teams to plan, manage, and track projects. Atlassian primarily creates tools for developers to collaborate on their software development projects, so it is no wonder that Jira is a great tool for keeping everyone on top of milestones and tracking issues in such projects.

Teams can enhance their task management visually through Scrum and Kanban boards. If issues pop up, project managers can use advanced features like the Issue Tracker to find the most pressing ones.

Jira users can also use AI to get suggestions on what they should work on next. Through dependency management, Jira can outline all the steps needed to complete a project, allowing you to be proactive in preventing blockers.

Through shared release dates, the development team and marketing team can seamlessly coordinate to ensure a successful launch.

Jira also has all the key features of project management software, including automated and customizable workflows and third-party integration with tools like Slack and Figma.

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  Highly customizable workflows for a diverse range of team settings.

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  A great tool for Agile methodologies like Kanban and Scrum.

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  Efficient tracking of bugs in a software development project.

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  Built-in time tracker.

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  Requires time and experience to get the hang of Jira.

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  Only works best for software development.

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  Real-time updates need improvement; some notifications can take time to appear.

Workplace is a virtual intranet created by Meta for a team’s internal communication needs. The website describes it as the Facebook for companies. There’s even an AI-curated feed that can update teams based on their historical interactions on the platform.

Workplace’s features include the Knowledge Library, which acts as the homepage, where team members can create, share, and discuss content and files. Everyone can engage in Workplace through reactions, posts, comments, and video calling.

With support for over 91 languages, Workplace significantly minimizes language barriers. This is why Workplace is also an excellent tool for smooth collaboration across regions and for building a diverse work culture.

There are also groups where employees can join teams that best suit their organizational interests. These can be based on things like projects, countries, regions, or even hobbies.

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  Knowledge Library enhances collaboration and communication.

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  Social media elements make collaboration informal and comfortable.

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  Best tool for building a diverse workforce due to multi-language support.

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  Features like comments, likes, mentions, and group chats increase employee engagement.

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  Integrations with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, ServiceNow, and other apps and tools streamline workflows.

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  Workplace has a bit of a learning curve for people unfamiliar with social media.

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  Some users find the analytics to be lackluster.

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  Social media engagement features can sometimes be distracting.