Over the years, the field of project management has witnessed remarkable advancements, and one of the key drivers of this evolution has been the development of project management tools. These tools have undergone significant changes, from a sort of simple charts to sophisticated AI-featured digital solutions. The roots of project management tools can be traced back to the late 19th century, with the emergence of the Gantt chart, developed by Henry L. Gantt. Gantt charts allowed project managers to arrange a detailed project’s timeline and track the project’s progress (methvin.org). 

In 1950s, the Critical Path Method (CPM) and Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) were invented. Both methods aid project managers to estimate project duration. Another milestone was the birth of Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in 1960s. Created by the US Department of Defense, WBS breaks projects down into smaller tasks. The mid-1990s and early 2000s brought significant changes to project management tools with the proliferation of the internet and SaaS in 2008. The emergence of web-based project management software allowed team members to access project data and collaborate in real-time from different location (mindmesh.com, financeonline.com). 

The past decade has witnessed a revolution in project management tools, driven by advancements in technology. Cloud-based project management software has become the norm, enabling teams to access their project data from anywhere with an internet connection. Now, modern tools like Wrike, monday.com, Asana, and ClickUp offer a wide range of features, including AI and ML, task management, resource allocation, time tracking, and reporting. 

What features that you are looking for in a project management tool?

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