What’s in the name ‘Digital nomad?’ 

It refers to anyone who can travel the world, have a good time, and stay in touch with family and friends—all at the same time while being productive and making a good living. Working remotely has never been easier with the best project management tools to help you and your team stay organized and at the top of your game. 

The past few years have witnessed a steady growth in virtual teams. Gone are the days when, due to geographical barriers, companies found it challenging to explore a wider employee base in order to find their best fit. Today, physical location no longer matters. Technology has surmounted the roadblock, allowing for a more distributed workforce. Teams can work together seamlessly no matter where they are in the world - All thanks to advancements in collaborative tools and software solutions.

The future has arrived. Employers and employees enjoy more flexibility and are often more productive than on-site teams. In a survey by Polycom Inc., two out of three respondents reported that they were more productive telecommuting than working on site. 

However, the success of managing a virtual team depends on the project management tools you use to track and coordinate your team. Taking advantage of the available tech products allows effective collaboration on tasks regardless of locations and time zones. 

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of project management tools to choose from, making it hard to know the one that is right for you. However, there are important parameters that can help you make an informed choice: Functionality, price, ease of use, and access to support.

Project management software come in different forms and offer various functionalities, including: 

• Messaging
• Time management 
• Task management
• Expense management
• Collaborative editing
• Role-based access
• Document management
• CRM integration
• Gantt chart; and many more

Don’t worry because we’ve made your burden lighter by curating the 7 best project management tools for digital nomads. Here they are:

1. Asana

Asana is a free tool that features a central calendar, which helps coordinate workflow for your team. You can assign tasks, set due dates, and track tasks, projects, and conversations. Everyone can easily see what projects need to be done, the members handling them, and the due dates. It’s easy to identify schedule overlaps and make adjustments accordingly. The tool includes useful add-ons and integrations, such as WordPress, Google Drive, DropBox, and more. You can access the tool on the web, iOS, and Android. 

The premium and enterprise plans for Asana start at $9.99/month per member and are billed annually. 

2. Trello

With Trello, you can collaborate with your team in real-time and get more done. It is a visual planning tool that adopts the Kanban method to manage projects, tasks, and schedules using a system of boards, cards, and lists. Administrators can assign tasks, set deadlines, monitor projects, and add checklists. Communication is quick and easy with the tool’s message function. Commenting on tasks and document sharing is also possible. 

Trello is available on Android, iOS, Mac, and the web. The free plan can serve most project management needs and offers an unlimited usage time. If you would like to enjoy more administrative control and privacy settings, the premium plan starts at $9.99/month/user on an annual payment plan. 

3. Monday.com

Formerly known as Dapulse, Monday.com is an awesome tool for virtual teams. It facilitates easy communication and helps you manage your team’s workload. You can quickly see what your team is working on, via a single dashboard. Create missions, projects, and tasks and designate them among your team members. You can monitor each person’s progress and plan their workload accordingly. You can use the search feature to get progress updates on tasks. 

Monday.com allows for centralized communication. You can mention members, comment on their work, and commend a job well done. You receive notifications on desktop and mobile. Quickly organize files and transfer documents using the drag-and-drop feature.

The basic option starts at $49/month for 5 users. You can get more advanced features by subscribing to any of the Pro, Enterprise, or Standard plans. With the paid plans, you can accommodate up to more than 200 users. 

4. Wrike

If you are looking for an all-in-one collaboration and project management tool, then Wrike is for you. The tool gives you complete visibility of your projects, allowing your team to prioritize tasks. You can create comments on tasks, attach files, and more. The email feature allows for centralized teamwork. It is one of Wrike’s main features. This project management tool is available on iOS, Android, and the web. It smoothly integrates with popular collaboration and communication tools including, Google Drive, Slack, Zapier, Dropbox, Evernote, Salesforce, and more. The price starts from $9.80/month/user for small teams and $34.60/month/user for large teams. 

5. Jira

Jira is designed for software development teams. You can use it to plan, track, and release software. Jira enables your team to manage the entire process of software development according to their individual workflows. You can plan sprints, create user stories, assign tasks to your team members, and create data reports in real-time. In addition to an extensive feature set, the tool smoothly integrates with over 3000 different apps. You can access the tool on iOS, Android, and the web. Jira is available at $10/month per user for small teams of up to 10 members. You can also get it at $7/month per user for growing teams.

6. Podio

Podio is an attractive project management tool that allows your team to create custom applications to meet their unique workflows and business requirements. It is a must-have for your team if you are going for a tool that facilitates a high degree of workspace customization. 

The tool gives access to hundreds of other free apps for CRM (Customer Relationship Management), task management, Gantt charts, data visualization, meeting scheduling, and many more. Podio is available on iOS, Android, and the web. Small teams of up to five people can access the tool for free. If you would like to go premium, the Basic plan stands at $9/month/user, the Plus plan costs $14/month/user, and the Premium plan is only $24/month/user. 

7. Basecamp

Basecamp helps your team keep track of tasks, providing you with such features as calendaring, to-do-lists, and file sharing. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to create projects, communicate, manage tasks, and monitor progress. It has a group chat functionality and message board that makes team communication easy. You can organize and store files using its large document storage system. With the help of over 50 third-party integrations, you can customize the tool to serve any purpose your team needs. You use Basecamp on Windows, iOS, Android, Mac, and the web. The cost falls at $99 per month for an unlimited number of users and projects. 

While these are the best project management tools we can recommend, we are certain that there are more out there that we were unable to mention. For instance, a time tracker with screenshots can help you monitor remote employee productivity. You can easily identify your most productive team members and find a way to motivate those that are not keeping up with set goals. When it comes to ensuring the output and accountability of your team, it all boils down to doing your due diligence in finding the tools that work best for you.