What is Hive? Read on to discover how Hive works—what problems it can help you solve and who uses it, along with a tour of its features, pricing, and integrations. I’ll also explain how Hive compares to similar tools.
What Is Hive?
Hive is an AI-based project and process management tool used by brands like Uber, Starbucks, Google, and Comcast.
Hive was born in 2015 from co-founders John Furneaux and Eric Typaldos’ career-long obsessions with workplace collaboration. The NY-based company is part of CNBC’s Upstart 100, and strives to deliver the best productivity platform for centralized workflow management and insights.
Who Is Hive For?
Hive is a tool built for companies of all sizes in all industries who are looking to improve productivity and process management. Teams powered by Hive include Uber, Google, IBM, Starbucks, Essence, Omnicom, Comcast, and The Economist. Learn more about how the Starbucks design team uses Hive to open stores faster than ever here.
What Challenges Does Hive Help Solve?
Here are a few of the top benefits that the Hive’s powerful project management tool is designed to deliver to project teams.
1. Centralize Team Communication
Teams often communicate through a variety of methods including email, Slack, Gchat or Skype. Hive’s building blocks are “Action Cards,” which represent a task to be completed. Within the Action Cards, you can tag collaborators and team members and attach files for ease of communication. Hive’s native chat is also an easy way for people or groups to chat through any outstanding items, and Hive’s email integration enables seamless and centralized communication amongst teams.
Hive’s in-app email integration
2. Make Your Process Management More Transparent
It can be hard for teams to stay updated on the various moving parts of a project or understand how people are working towards a larger strategic initiative. Hive’s flexible project views and tagging capabilities allow teams to alert each other to upcoming projects, processes, and milestones, providing a macro view of the initiative.
Hive’s in-app resourcing view
3. Collaborate On Your Project In Flexible Project Views
Project management tools often have singular or limited views. Hive’s flexible project views include Kanban, Gantt, calendar, table, and portfolio view, as well as a simple personal to-do list. This allows individuals to view projects in the way that works best for them.
Hive’s Kanban view and layouts.
What’s On The Hive Roadmap?
Since Hive was launched in 2015, the product has continued to evolve. Over the last year, Hive has rolled out several new features, including Portfolio View, the ability to view all of your projects on one screen, a Jira integration, Proofing and Approvals, and user Timesheets. The product roadmap for the coming year includes some exciting improvements, namely:
- Increased collaboration with stakeholders (streamlined approval process, sharing of Portfolio views)
- Enabling efficiency in team meetings (a Calendar integration, advanced Meeting Notes functionalities)
Hive Features Overview
To get an idea of how Hive works, here’s a tour of the main features and how they can help you manage projects.
1. Project Layouts
Organize projects in a Gantt chart, Kanban board, table, portfolio view, or calendar view, and easily switch between each layout. Updates are reflected across all project views so the whole team is informed no matter what option they use.
Hive screenshot showing the Gantt layout in-app.
2. Action Templates
Plan and repeat tasks easily using action templates. Layout all required steps in a reusable action template to assign tasks to the right people, at the right time.
Action template in Hive
3. Action Cards
Access all the information needed to complete a task by assigning team members, attaching files, creating subactions, setting dependencies, and commenting directly on the action card.
Action cards in Hive
4. Hive Mail
Use a fully integrated email inbox to send and receive emails. Schedule and assign next steps directly from an email.
Hive Mail in-app
5. Resourcing
Manage team utilization across specific projects or clients by accurately allocating current and future resources.
Hive’s in-app resourcing
6. Portfolio View
View progress across all projects with Hive’s comprehensive portfolio view.
Hive’s portfolio view.
Hive Vs Monday.com
While Hive and Monday.com are both geared towards productivity, Monday.com lacks the team collaboration components, as it doesn’t have native chat or native email integration, both of which Hive has. Additionally, Hive has robust analytics capabilities, time-tracking, and unlimited guest users, which Monday.com does not.
Screenshots comparing Monday.com vs Hive
Hive Integrations
Hive offers several native integrations to popular tools including Google Drive, Dropbox, Zoom, Salesforce, Slack and more. And thanks to Hive’s partnership with Zapier, there are over 1,000 additional integrations with other useful tools.
Hive Pricing
- Professional: $12/user per month, billed annually
- Enterprise: Call for pricing details
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