17 Best Manufacturing Project Management Software Reviewed For 2024

Wrike is a robust project management platform equipped with team collaboration and communication tools, and is suitable for teams of five or more. 

Why I picked Wrike: This platform has a comprehensive toolkit for project management, but I picked it primarily because of how customizable it is. You can create and organize your project dashboards in whatever way best suits your team. For example, you can choose specific projects to pin on a board and filter only the most important metrics you want to monitor. When you’re tracking your project progress, you can easily switch between a traditional workload view, a Gantt chart view, or a Kanban board view. Cross-tagging allows for improved visibility across teams, departments, processes, projects, and workflows.

Wrike Standout Features and Integrations

One standout feature of this platform is its dynamic form builder. You can set up request forms to manage your intake process, whether it’s from external clients or internal teams. Filled-out forms can be turned into projects for your team to work on, and you can save the forms you build as templates for future use. You can even set it up so that completed forms are automatically assigned to team members to be actioned.

Integrations include Google Workspace, Microsoft Suite, Dropbox, Confluence, DocuSign, ADP, Airtable, Asana, SAP, Slack, Workday, and hundreds of others.

Zoho Projects is a cloud-based project management tool that enables teams to organize their work, manage tasks, and collaborate on projects from inception to completion. 

Why I picked Zoho Projects: Zoho Projects provides tools for planning, tracking, and executing manufacturing projects. For example, the platform includes task management to break down manufacturing processes into manageable units, Gantt charts to visualize project timelines and dependencies, and resource allocation features to assign tasks to workers based on their availability and skill sets. Time tracking and reporting tools also allow for monitoring the efficiency of manufacturing operations and the progress of projects. Overall, Zoho Projects supports collaboration among team members, which is critical in a manufacturing environment where coordination between different departments and stakeholders is essential.

Zoho Projects Standout Features and Integrations

One standout feature is the platform's issue tracking capabilities, which enable teams to report, track, and fix issues that arise during the project. Issues can be categorized, prioritized, and assigned to the appropriate team members for resolution. Zoho Projects also offers resource utilization features, which allow users to view the availability and workload of team members to manage resource allocation effectively. The platorm also features document management, which includes a centralized file storage system.

Integrations include Dropbox, Microsoft Office, Slack, GitHub, BugTracker, Google Apps, Jira, Basecamp, Zendesk, and the rest of the Zoho Apps, including CRM, Invoice, and Analytics.

ProjectManager is a user-friendly, web-based project management tool that’s tailored specifically for manufacturing teams.

Why I picked ProjectManager: I added this software to my list because it’s easy to use and offers all the essential project management features. It comes with a full suite of work view options, including Kanban boards, calendar views, list views, and Gantt charts. But what’s really great about it is that it’s designed with manufacturing teams in mind. For example, the supply chain management capabilities let you oversee project resources and ensure you have the raw materials needed. Workers can submit timesheets from the shop floor, and the software tracks workloads to ensure efficient resource allocation.

ProjectManager Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features include its user-friendly workflow automation capabilities. You can set workflow descriptions, transitions, and approvals with a simple drop-down menu, and implement triggers and actions to complete your workflow. Permission access can also be configured to ensure only the right people can update statuses on each workflow. No coding is required, so you can quickly get your automated workflow up and running no matter your technical expertise.

Integrations include Slack, Trello, Jira, Microsoft Project, Office 365, Excel, and Exchange. You can also connect the software to a paid Zapier account to configure additional integrations.

ProofHub is a product management software that offers team collaboration, reporting, and accessibility features.

Why I picked ProofHub: This software is a good choice for product development teams that include proofing stages as part of their production process. You can plan your projects, assign tasks, and allocate resources through the platform, but the real reason I picked it is because of its launch and delivery capabilities. Concept launches and product launches can be managed, and the proofing tool allows team members to exchange feedback and notes on new products.

ProofHub Standout Features and Integrations

Some standout features include the level of detail you can go into when planning projects. You can set up project categories and assign specific project managers to each project. At the task level, you can create unique task IDs to differentiate one task from another, set dependencies between tasks, and add subtasks to break work down into smaller pieces. Employees get a daily agenda in the platform, and you can see a detailed history of completed tasks so no details slip through the cracks.

Integrations include Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, and Dropbox. An API is also available for building custom integrations.

NetSuite OpenAir is a cloud-based project management solution tailored for professional services automation (PSA).

Why I picked NetSuite OpenAir: This cloud-based suite can support the entire project delivery lifecycle, and provides a spreadsheet-style overview of projects in progress. In addition to project management, the software also has a robust set of features for professional service providers. Project budgeting, expense management, time and resource tracking, and advanced billing and invoicing are all included. You can also automate the billing process to alleviate the manual workload and mitigate human error.

NetSuite OpenAir Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features include the platform’s built-in project status reporting capabilities. These updates help you see if your project is on track or at risk, monitor project expenses, and ensure important deadlines are met. The software also has project templates available to speed up planning. Templates include standardized delivery plans, tasks and other details.

Integrations include Microsoft Dynamics SCR, Microsoft Project, Outlook, and other Oracle and NetSuite products. Other integrations include Sage MAS, QuickBooks, Epicor, Accpac and Sage Pro (SBT), and Peachtree.

Project Insight is a project management software that centralizes all your projects, tasks, collaborative work, and workflows.

Why I picked Project Insight: One of the main reasons I picked this software for my list is just how user-friendly it is. The interface is really easy to use, but also adaptable and scalable enough to suit various types of projects, teams, and business models, regardless of complexity. You can easily plan and track your projects as well as your resource utilization, ensuring no one is over- or under-worked. It also has portfolio management capabilities like intelligent scheduling, capacity planning, time tracking, budgeting, and reporting tools.

Project Insight Standout Features and Integrations

The software’s standout features are all the pieces that make it so integrated with your broader IT ecosystem. Its out-of-the-box integrations, REST API, and automation capabilities are all tailored to provide exceptional connectivity with your other tools. You can aggregate work from your HR software, warehouse management solution, support management platform, DevOps tools, financial software, and your CRM. This makes your project management process and workflows more connected than ever.

Integrations include Jira, QuickBooks, Zendesk Support and Sell, Salesforce, Trello, Office 365, Google Drive, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Microsoft Project, and Azure DevOps, among others.

FactoryFour is a cloud-based manufacturing execution system (MES) tailored for production scaling, tracking, and execution.

Why I picked FactoryFour: This software can be used to configure, capture, and analyze your business operations, including project management, but it also does a lot more than that. I added it to my list because of how it simplifies production planning. You can use the platform’s integrated capacity planning, prioritization, and even real-time production order tracking to inform how you manage your manufacturing processes. You can also set up standardized operating procedures to ensure things run smoothly and consistently.

FactoryFour also provides control to manufacturers, allowing them to enforce process compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) and keep track of every expected production event and unexpected incidents with traceability, simplifying the auditing process. The solution also optimizes order execution by providing tools that you can use to digitally monitor the progress of orders and the production KPIs. FactoryFour allows you to automate scheduling in real time, using configurable logic that is tailored to your production and distribution schedule changes.

FactoryFour Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features include activity tracking, which helps you monitor production statuses and KPIs from a management dashboard. The dashboard is updated directly by operators and personnel on the production floor, providing visibility to those not on the floor. Another cool feature is how the software monitors unexpected events and incidents. This traceability helps you mitigate risks, correct errors, and simplifies your auditing process.

Integrations can be custom-built using the software’s API.

Optessa is an advanced planning and scheduling platform that provides AI-driven solutions for production planning, production scheduling, and production sequencing.

Why I picked Optessa: This software is tailored for manufacturing companies with multiple plants and lines producing high-volume products. I included it on my list because of its features that help you manage your supply chain and optimize production costs, in addition to its robust project management capabilities. Its attribute-based planning and configurable constraint definitions can provide you with the kind of flexibility you need to model your production, supplier, and logistic limits. 

Optessa Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features include the software’s patented production sequencing algorithms. Sequencing rules for different assembly lines are plentiful and they can often vary, and these rules can help reduce production costs while maximizing the average assembly line speed. You can also set up automations for re-planning and re-scheduling processes as needed, based on specific events. This makes for real-time optimizations within your production processes.

Integrations include Microsoft Azure, SAP Analytics Cloud, Oracle APEX, Google Cloud, Microsoft SQL Server, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), among others.

ProductDossier is a professional services automation (PSA) platform with enterprise-level, low-code tools to automate and digitize business processes, including project management.

Why I picked ProductDossier: I added this software to my list because of its pre-configured business process templates for various project workflows, and the built-in ‘business rule engine’ to customize as needed. These templates can even help you manage change requests from clients. In addition to these project management capabilities, the software offers opportunity and proposal management, time and leave management, quality and compliance, and product development tools.

ProductDossier Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features are mostly around the software’s built-in file management capabilities. It’s capable of both managing your files, but also digitizing your existing documents. Proposals, project charters, and other important documents can be collaborated on and prepared within the platform. You can search through your content library and copy content as needed.

Integrations include Oracle, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, QuickBooks, Tally, and Office 365, among others.

Workzone is a robust project management platform. It also offers time tracking, task and resource management, customizable reporting, and document management functionalities.

Why I picked Workzone: This project management platform has all the essential features you’d expect. You can use Gantt charts for a high-level view of project progress and individual to-do lists to keep employees on task. But the platform’s built-in file management system is particularly noteworthy, which is why I’ve included it in my list. It comes with file versioning, commenting, and approval workflows. Documents can be exchanged and managed in the software’s secure environment, keeping project planning and collaboration on the same platform.

Workzone Standout Features and Integrations

One standout feature is the image markup tool included in the software’s file management module. On PDF and image files alike, users can add comments and images to collaborate and communicate on documents. Communications are all documented and stored, making version histories clear and comprehensive. You’ll have a full understanding of how, why, and when documents have been updated or revised.

Integrations include Google Drive, Dropbox, Slack, Toggl, Jira, GitHub, Salesforce, Hubspot, Office 365, and QuickBooks Online, among others