Top 8 Creative Agency Project Management Software in 2023

Project Management Software helps such creative agencies ensure convenient workflows and communicate effectively.

It would be best if you have a creative agency project management software to boost your confidence and productivity, resulting in the project outcome.

Before going to the Best Project Management Tools for Creative Agencies list, let us know What project management software for creative agencies is and How to choose the business management software for creative agencies.

What is a Creative Agency?

A company that employs creative methods to assist clients in achieving their objectives is known as a creative agency. 

A creative agency uses social media, print, market research, product development, branding, ads, campaign creation, lobbying, and public affairs to support the brand's designs and strategy.

Check this: How to Start a Creative Agency And Lead it to Success

What is a Project Management Tool?

It is software used for collaboration and communication among project stakeholders. It helps in project planning, scheduling, tracking progress, and more. 

For instance, managers and senior employees of a company can use it to assign tasks and set deadlines to ensure the timely completion of projects. Calendars, Status Alerts, and Performance Updates on the platform help them track efficiency and productivity. 

Imagine seeking status updates from every single member of a team of 15. What about group communication and sharing ideas, notes, and files? Project management software for creative agencies makes all of this extremely simple for creative agencies. It saves a company a lot of time as well.

Advantages of Project Management Software

• Map project plans
• Setting deadlines
• Sharing documents and reports
• Time-management 
• Communication

What to look for in Project Management Software?

It is essential to align the needs of your team with the creative agency workflow software. A one-size-fits-all approach could be more effective in achieving one's business goals.

• Ease-of-use: A creative team must be trained to use complex technology. It is best to stick with tools that are easy to learn.
• Workflows: Choose software with automated workflows. This will help your team plan, track and submit work on time.
• Flexibility: Often, creative teams need to follow standard project management methodologies. Your software must be adaptable to suit your team's needs.
• Pricing: Only buy expensive software with a few complex tools. You may only use a few of them!

Read More: 6 Free Client Portal Software

Ways to optimize Creative Agency Workflow Process

Optimizing workflow processes is paramount for achieving efficiency, delivering exceptional results, and maintaining a competitive edge. Streamlining the journey from project initiation to delivery requires a strategic approach and the incorporation of modern tools and methodologies.

Here, we explore eight efficient ways to elevate your creative agency's workflow process, fostering collaboration, enhancing communication, and ultimately driving success in the ever-evolving landscape of creative endeavors.

1. Define Clear Processes and Workflows

Establish well-defined processes for each stage of your creative agency's workflow, from project initiation to delivery. Clear workflows ensure that everyone on the team understands their role, reduces bottlenecks, and enhances overall efficiency.

2. Implement Project Management Tools

Utilize project management software to streamline tasks, assign responsibilities, and track project progress. Platforms like Trello, Asana, or Monday.com provide collaborative spaces for teams to manage projects, share updates, and stay organized.

3. Embrace Collaboration Platforms

Integrate collaboration tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams to facilitate real-time communication among team members. Instant messaging, file sharing, and organized channels enhance collaboration and keep everyone in the loop.

4. Leverage Cloud-Based Storage

Store and access creative assets effortlessly by using cloud-based storage solutions such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or Adobe Creative Cloud. This ensures centralized access to files, version control, and easy sharing among team members.

5. Implement Time-Tracking Software

Utilize time-tracking software to monitor project timelines, identify areas of improvement, and optimize resource allocation. This helps in assessing the efficiency of your workflow and making data-driven decisions for future projects.

6. Foster Creative Ideation Sessions

Encourage regular brainstorming sessions to foster creative thinking and idea generation. Structured ideation processes promote collaboration and ensure that the entire team contributes to innovative solutions.

7. Streamline Client Communication

Use CRM software, such as ClientVenue, to manage client relationships effectively. A CRM system allows you to track client interactions, manage projects, and maintain organized communication, leading to improved client satisfaction.

8. Continuous Evaluation and Improvement

Regularly assess your workflow processes and identify areas for improvement. Solicit feedback from team members, analyze project performance, and implement changes to enhance efficiency and adapt to the evolving needs of your creative agency.

How to build Creative Team Org Chart

To build an effective Creative Team Org Chart, follow these steps:

1. Define Creative Goals: Understand what you want your team to achieve, such as generating new product ideas or increasing web traffic. Quantify these goals for progress tracking.
2. Identify Needed Skills: Analyze your current team to identify vacant positions and required skills. Consider hiring creative professionals externally. Utilize online tools like Skillshare or Lynda for skill development. Then, start assembling your team through job ads or by contacting freelancers and consultants.
3. Create Org Chart: Design an organizational structure that suits your company. Options include a centralized creative department to enhance company culture and collaborative brainstorming. However, ensure there's enough talent to handle all project aspects.
4. Establish Policies: Set clear policies regarding roles, responsibilities, and project deadlines. Early policy establishment helps employees manage their workload independently, fostering creative freedom.
5. Foster Collaboration: Encourage collaborative brainstorming sessions. Schedule regular team meetings, provide resources like design software or books, and establish constructive feedback rules.

How to manage a Creative Team

Managing a creative team requires a unique set of skills and approaches to foster innovation, collaboration, and consistent high-quality output.

1. Creating a Supportive Environment: Develop an atmosphere that nurtures creativity and open-mindedness, where team members are encouraged to share ideas without fear.

Ensure the workspace is positive, inclusive, and adaptable to the unpredictable nature of creative work. Emphasize the importance of diversity to bring varied perspectives and ideas. Encourage regular breaks to help rejuvenate creative energy.

2. Setting Goals and Expectations: Clearly outline project objectives and expectations, using tools for integration and management. Establish achievable deadlines that don't stifle creativity. Continually remind the team of the larger organizational goals to provide context and motivation for their tasks.

3. Enhancing Team Collaboration and Communication: Foster an environment that values teamwork across different functions, enhancing creativity and problem-solving.

Set up transparent and efficient communication channels to avoid misunderstandings and ensure everyone is informed. Address conflicts constructively, viewing them as opportunities for growth and resolution.

4. Recognizing and Utilizing Individual Talents: Identify and leverage the unique strengths and skills of each team member, assigning tasks that align with their abilities. Strike a balance between giving them autonomy and offering necessary guidance, trusting them with their tasks while being available for support.

5. Providing Resources and Tools: Support continuous learning and development through training programs and workshops. Equip the team with up-to-date and user-friendly tools and technologies to enhance their creative processes.

6. Feedback and Recognition: Offer constructive, actionable feedback focused on improvement. Acknowledge and celebrate team achievements to boost morale and motivate individuals to maintain high-quality work.

7. Promoting Innovation and Risk-Taking: Create a culture where taking creative risks is encouraged and failures are seen as learning opportunities. As a leader, exhibit the qualities of creativity, resilience, and positivity you expect from your team.

8. Continuous Improvement and Adaptation: Regularly evaluate and reflect on team processes and outcomes. Encourage a mindset of continuous refinement and enhancement of creative strategies and workflows.

8 Project Management Tools for Creative Agencies

1. ClientVenue

ClientVenue is the best creative agency project management software that allows you to manage client requests and execute client campaigns.

It also includes an online management system. Clients can view invoices, request products, and services, submit feedback, and more.

Features

• Templates and standard processes to simplify workflows
• Manage client requests in real-time
• Storage features 
• Simplified invoicing and billing features
• Add custom colors and designs to match your brand aesthetic.

Pros

• This business management software for creative agencies has the best user interface with budget management software.
• You can easily create projects with project timelines using this creative agency project management tools.
• You can design and customize your project templates with this software.

Cons

• There are no such drawbacks found with this business management software for creative agenciesl.

Pricing

Enjoy any of their plans for free for 14 days and cancel anytime based on your preference.

The following are the two most Subscription Plans offered by ClientVenue.

• Professional Plan: $15/month
• Enterprise plan: $25/month.

Suitability

This creative agency project management tool effectively improves client experience using client portal solutions. Further, it will help enhance your agency's engagement with them. Thus, you can reduce the heavy workload to focus more on growing your business.

2. Asana

Asana is the best project management software for creative agencies which is helpful if you're looking to automate collaboration and communication tasks, making it easy to track and discuss readings in real time.

Features

• Organize your projects into lists or kanban boards
• Assign, manage, and add comments to tasks
• Give feedback on pdfs or images by using the "proofing" feature
• Limit access to a project or create a private team for sensitive work
• Gantt Timeline to view schedules and project deadlines.

Pros

• This business management software for creative agencies allows agency teams to develop creative workflows.
• Kanban boards and Gantt charts are in-built key features.
• The time-tracking feature helps to assist creative teams in the file-sharing process.

Cons

• This is the best online project management for creative agency, but it should improve key features for productive business development.

Pricing

Asana offers three main plans. You can access the Basic Plan free of charge and accommodate up to 15 teammates. The other two paid plans are as follows.

• Premium plan: $10.99/month 
• Business plan: $24.99/month

Suitability

This is the best creative agency project management software which can simplify teamwork in a large organization. For example, you must manage a portfolio of projects with many collaborators.

3. Trello

Trello is the best creative agency project management tools with a unique board and card system to manage projects. It is well known for its ability to enable the visualization of a project. It has vital features for creative teams, like calendars, timelines, checklists, maps, and more.

Check This: Project Management with Invoicing

Features

• Create lists and mark task status to ease scheduling
• Boards represent projects, and cards represent tasks within them
• Built-in automation system to run commands and set rules
• Creative project manager software
• Attach files and documents to cards
• Deadline alerts and notifications

Pros

• By using this online project management for creative agency, you can create tasks and share files that can happen within projects.
• This business management software for creative agencies can enable teams to develop time-tracking features for enhanced creative work.
• It can create unlimited projects for creative teams within the project management tools.

Cons

• Resource management should be upgraded for creative professionals.

Pricing

Trello provides three major plans to address the needs of different users. There's a free plan under which you can accommodate up to 10 boards per workspace.

• Standard: $5/month
• Premium: $10/month
• Enterprise: $17.50/month

Suitability

This is the best project management software for creative agencies that offers features suitable for individuals and large organizations. The key is to choose an adequate and sufficient plan for your needs.

4. Monday

Monday.com is the best project management software for creative agencies that allows organizations to customize tools to meet objectives. This may include improving efficiency and productivity and enabling smooth workflows.

 Features

• Kanban software to personalize tasks
• Tools to create custom dashboards and track projects
• Status updates, due date alerts, time tracking, and more
• Real-time data and insights
• Task management and milestone tracking
• Creative project manager software

Pros

• Marketing teams can increase team productivity by using this online project management software for creative agencies.
• It can create unlimited projects and schedule tasks within this creative agency project management tools.
• Each project progress can be monitored using the project tracking feature.

Cons

• This business management software for creative agencies lacks team collaboration compared to other tools in terms of creative project manager software.

Pricing

Monday is quite affordable compared to other platforms that start at $20. It includes five different plans to cater to various groups.

• Free Plan for individuals looking to track their work
• Basic Plan at $8 per month
• Standard Plan at $10 per month
• Professional Plan at $16 per month
• Enterprise-grade features (contact Monday for pricing details)

Suitability

This is the best creative agency project management software if you prefer a colorful and attractive user interface. It contains innovative and advanced project management features. We recommend you take up the 14-day free trial to decide which Plan best suits your needs.

5. Wrike

Wrike is the best project management software for creative agency that is more suited for small businesses and groups. You can customize and manage your boards without much hassle. Gantt charts and critical path analysis can also help you identify problems in your work.

Read Also: Project Management Software with Client Portal

Features

• A unique 'Three-pane view' for task management
• Create forms and assign them to users
• Charts and infographics about project status and team performance
• Pre-made templates 
• Two-factor authentication to ensure online safety.
• Creative project manager software

Pros

• Thisbusiness management software for creative agencies to track resource management along with project management solutions.
• Project managers can take project management tips to enhance business dealings.
• You can get the time tracking feature among all the best project management tools.

Cons

• This project management software for creative agencies requires other tools to increase the standards as a creative project manager software.

Pricing

A free plan is available for teams that are just getting started. Paid plans start at $9.80, which is a good deal considering the versatility and unique features. Here's a list to give you a better understanding.

• Professional: $9.80/month
• Business: $28.80/ month
• Enterprise (contact Wrike for pricing details)

Suitability

Wrike is the best creative agency project management software which shows detailed project awareness. You can access timesheet reports and necessary analytics about your project. Wrike will help in upholding the quality and timeliness of your work.

6. Basecamp

Basecamp is the best creative agency project management tools which includes to-do lists, which are unique compared to other systems that provide task management capabilities. Creative agencies are very accustomed to using this team collaboration tool.

Collaborate with your team members through comments and assign due dates to each item on the list.

Features

• Simple one-page dashboard for projects
• To-do lists, time tracking, and resource planning.
• Well-organized space to share documents and file
• Project schedule with deadlines and milestones
• "The Lineup" can give you a bird-eye-view of your projects.

Pros

• This project management platform represents project progress on the dashboard.
• Gantt charts and Kanban boards are used to analyze agency management.
• Agency teams can assign tasks to digital project managers using this project management solution.
• The digital project manager can assign tasks to agency teams using this project management solution.

Cons

• This project management creative agency has unpleasant email notifications.
• Project templates could be better for creating creative requests.

Pricing

Basecamp has a simple pricing structure. Individuals can access it free of charge. A team plan costs $99 without any limit on how many members can use it. The platform also provides various offers on their plans.

Suitability

This is the best project management software for creative agencies which is highly recommended to creative teams. It fits the requirements of small businesses.

Basic features like a message board and file storage are enough if you don't have complex task management requirements.

Read More: CRM Customer Portal

7. FunctionFox

FunctionFox is the best project management software for creative agency available in three versions- Classic, Premier, and In-house. The features range from time and expense tracking to task scheduling and Communication. Further, In-house teams can create online request forms and various other features.

Features

• Interactive Gantt charts and project schedules
• Internal communication boards
• Comprehensive reports and key data analytics
• Shared group and project calendars 
• CEO Desktop with an overview of project statuses.

Pros

• Client feedback is collected using this project management in creative agency.
• Software solutions like this impact digital project manager careers in creative project management.
• This project management in creative agency includes resource management, task management, agency project management, and team collaboration.

Cons

• You can only create or complete projects with the project manager's access in this project management software for creative agencies.

Pricing

This online project management for creative agency has a reasonable price with various plans to cater to your needs.

• This project management in creative agency has a free plan which can accommodate up to 3 users and two active projects.
• FunctionFox Classic: $5/month
• FunctionFox Premier: $10/month
• FunctionFox In-House: $20/month.

Suitability

This is the best creative agency project management tools which is customizable and contains something for everyone.

If you're an individual looking to manage projects, the free Plan might work great for you, while there is also the option to purchase a plan with additional features best suited for your business.

8. Workamajig

Workamajig is a creative project management software for large-scale functioning. It enables the management of project tasks and freelancers through project schedules. Automated timesheets also help in tracking the time spent on each project.

Features

• Pre-made templates to create schedules and decide budgets for projects
• Personnel management, file sharing, time tracking.
• Tools for resource and traffic management
• Simple features for billing and generating invoices
• Integration with Google and Outlook to manage email and calendars.

Pros

• The creative team uses this online project management for creative agency to track time and manage resource management.
• Everyone on the creative team will have file-sharing access within the project.
• This creative agency workflow software has ability to check 360-degree view of each project.

Cons

• In this project management software for creative agencies, the creative projects do not have a comment option section to receive client feedback.

Pricing

This creative agency workflow software has no free plan, but you can access the one-month free on their paid plans. There are three plans they offer.

• In-house at $41 per month
• Agency at $41 per month
• The Enterprise plan involves custom features.

Suitability

This is the best project management software for creative agency that suits large companies and even global enterprises. Small businesses may find the features too complex. Also, some of their features may serve a few purposes to small enterprises.

Check This: Advertising Agency Project Management Software

Why ClientVenue Stands Out Number #1

The finest project management software, in my opinion, is one that focuses on affordability and efficacy for both people and enterprises. Therefore, I suggest you try ClientVenue, which has many useful functionalities and the best user interface.

ClientVenue offers all-in-one management solutions at a price much lower than other platforms. It also helps you effectively communicate with your team members, clients, and relevant stakeholders.

Check out the best features offered by ClientVenue, which help creative agencies to improve productivity and efficiency.

1. Client Onboarding

ClientVenue makes it simple to integrate new team members swiftly. With the help of the workflow feature, you can quickly set up an onboarding process that your client will become accustomed to.

2. Project Management

With this, you can track the development of a project your team is working on in real-time and make any necessary adjustments. You can keep on course and prevent surprises by doing this.

3. Approvals and Comments

The features for approvals and comments are quite useful to give access to specific fields for external and internal team members. You can also use commenting features to send suggestions and messages privately to individual teams.

Read Also: SEO Client Management Software

4. People Performance Reports

You can use this functionality to create reports to monitor progress and evaluate your team's performance. Doing this allows you to manage your project and make sure it is moving forward.

5. Invoices

Invoice creation and transmission are simple with ClientVenue. PayPal and Stripe are integrated. You can use this function to monitor our clients' payments and ensure we are getting paid on schedule.

6. Timesheets

In the " Timesheet section," you can see a weekly timesheet summary. You can then access the user's data and their daily and weekly work time totals.

7. Daily Standups

The Daily Standups feature of ClientVenue is a fantastic tool for managing your team's progress. You can make sure that your team is making progress and that everyone is on the same page with its daily check-ins.

Read More: Salesforce Client Portal

8. Time Tracking

This function is excellent for keeping track of the time you and your team put into a project. With the aid of this feature, it is possible to view the contributions made by each team member and the amount of time spent on various tasks.

9. Team Progress

You shouldn't be afraid if you have a huge team and are unsure who is working on which team. You may view each team member's status, duties, contact information, and allocated tasks using ClientVenue.

10. Resource Management

Resource Management is an amazing feature offered by ClientVenue which allows the teams to check individual capacity on a particular week. It displays the working hours and days assigned to an individual team member. resource management software for creative teams.

11. List view, Calendar view, and Board view

This digital marketing project management solution for small businesses has a list view, calendar view, board view, and reporting function.

With ClientVenue's excellent project management tool, you can keep track of each project's development at any time and see a 360-degree view of it.

12. Sharing project board to clients

To ensure transparency and provide a real-time status update to your customer, you can share your board using ClientVenue's new capabilities.

Check This: Project Management Software for Marketing Agencies

How is ClientVenue the best option for Creative Agencies?

1. Company Branding

The portal can be modified to match your company's style and color scheme. Onboarding templates should be made to improve user experience.

2. Webpage Customizing

The ClientVenue Preview tool can evaluate the modifications after choosing the signup page layout and relevant brand theme colors.

3. Domain Whitelabel Setup

You can use a white labeling feature to replace the portal's branding with your companies to draw customers compared to all other ccreative agency workflow software.

4. Email Whitelabel Setup

Among all creative agency project management systems, this unique email white labeling feature enables marketing teams to carry out email campaigns for clients and customers.

5. Personalize Theme Colors

Once the website is up and running, ClientVenue allows users to select the colors that best represent their company. You can modify the page any time and save your changes to prevent them from being published online.

6. Storage Space

Data privacy is an essential feature in this storage facility, where customers can set up access passcodes for sensitive files.

With your membership plan, you will receive a free 100GB of storage space, and no other external clients can access your files and data in this ClientVenue Software.

7. Client Portal

Businesses can offer a self-service gateway to their customers thanks to this functionality. Viewing account details, submitting support requests, and keeping track of their progress are all possible with ClientVenue.

8. Services

Using this marketing and creative project management system, you can provide your clients access to the client portal. You can list your company's services so they can get in touch with your marketing team for any particular service.

9. App Integrations

Custom integration is a significant feature of any marketing and creative project management system. Using ClientVenue, you can link several applications to your account, including Custom Webhooks, Slack, Zapier, and much more.

Read Also: Graphic Design Project Management Software

10. Pricing

The most effective and creative agency workflow software are provided by ClientVenue at fair and accessible prices and have very open and transparent pricing policies.

This is the best choice where ClientVenue is providing 14 Days Free Trial on both professional and enterprise plans. If you start with any of the two plans, then you can get additional two months for free.

Read More: SEO Agency Project Management Software

Conclusion

Although you may not find these features in any of the tools, you will be happy with your decision to use this one as your creative agency project management tools for your agency project management.

I recommend you immediately try the Free Trial and Grab the Best Deals at ClientVenue.