Project Management VS Task Management: A Complete Comparison

Projects and tasks are two different entities in the corporate world. Managing these two different systems requires different approaches. These are known as ‘Project Management and ‘Task Management’. In this article, we’ll have a brief discussion on project management vs task management. You’ll be given a good idea of the core concepts of projects and tasks, project management and task management, and the similarities and differences between them. After you’ve gained a good idea of project management vs task management, you can check the best project management and task management tools recommended by us.

Part 1. Project VS Task

A project is the collaboration of a lot of factors and resources that finally satisfy an end goal. The task is everything needed to be done to accomplish the goal. Projects determine the type and quantity of the tasks to be performed. And the completed tasks shape the resultant project. Ultimately, the project quality depends on the quality of completed tasks.

The main difference between a project and a task is that projects will serve a definite purpose after completion whereas a task is a chunk of work that serves no immediate cause. A task is a small component of a bigger goal. And all of the little components make the project a success.

Another difference between task and project is that projects have fixed start and end dates. But tasks are given a time limit within which it has to be performed. There may be multiple projects interacting with each other in a few aspects. While Tasks can be dependent on one another and completion of a different task may be required before executing the desired task.

Part 2. Project Management VS Task Management: What Are They?

What is Project Management?

Project management is handling various aspects of a project while keeping the final goal in mind. It includes project initialization, planning, control & execution, monitoring, and presenting. Managing tasks is part of managing a project. When managing a project, you need to keep the opportunities, feasibility, resources, and budget in mind.

What is Task Management?

On the contrary, task management refers to handling the aspects of a single task. This means planning, prioritizing, assigning, executing, and completing the task. Concern about objectives or budget is not required in task management. The project manager organizes the whole process and executives will perform their assigned tasks.

Part 3. Project Management VS Task Management: Similarities and Differences

Similarities

There are various similarities between the two activities. These similarities include

You can track progress with both approaches.
You can maintain a timeframe.
Visualize the planning.
Edit a specific portion whenever you want.
Collaborate with team members.
Provide increased surveillance and accountability.
Offer more efficient and organized use of available resources.

Differences

The distinctions between the two are as follows:

Project Management	Task Management
A long-term process.	Short-term process. Deals with day-to-day tasks.
The strategic approach to complete the project successfully.	A task may have a specific goal that contributes to completing the project. That specific goal is kept in mind during making the plan to perform the task.
Project management software is used by business organizations to handle multiple projects.	Task management software is used by executives or for personal use for increasing the efficiency of assigned tasks.
Responsible for handling the whole project from beginning to end. The factors include resources, deadlines, and budget.	Responsible for finishing an exact task within the deadline.
Gives command and maintains order.	Executes the order.
Requires a skilled project manager with technical, leadership, and communication skills.	Requires enough skill to perform the assigned task.
Coordinates multiple projects at the same time.	Submit the required tasks within the deadline. Having an idea about the full project is not required.
A formal and organized approach to maintaining an organization.	Informal productivity solution.
Can function as a task manager.	Only small and simple projects can be managed by task management.

Part 4. Project Management Tools VS Task Management Tools

Doesn’t matter what kind of business you own, a project management tool or task management tool is essential to improve productivity. But which one to use? Here, we will list popular tools for you to choose from.

Before that, you need to know what project management tools and task management tools focus on.

What Do Project Management Tools Focus On?

The core features you should look for in any project management software are that it will let you plan projects, communicate with team members, observe progress, assign tasks, give feedback, and present reports. Obviously, being a project manager, you may be handling various projects at the same time. The project management tool should be able to coordinate all those projects.

What Do Task Management Tools Focus On?

An ideal task management software keeps your notes and to-do lists in one place. You can create a task list, group tasks, and schedule those tasks. It will help strategize and schedule the tasks assigned to you. You’ll be able to maintain a constant workflow with efficient use of available resources.

What Are Popular Project Management Tools?

Trello

It is a cloud-based project management software and it is the control panel for maintaining your every project. You can manage multiple projects, visualize plans, communicate with team members, attend meetings, give feedback and prepare reports. The Kanban Board allows you to manage your project on a board which makes it easier for you to maintain multiple projects and track progress. The team members can comment on the cards to share their opinion. You can eliminate the hassle of repetitive tasks with the automated ‘Butler’ feature and send documents and texts through your inbox. It is an easy tool to control the workflow by assigning tasks, setting deadlines, and giving feedback.

Reading: Microsoft Planner VS Trello: In-Depth Reviews

Asana

It is a cool software to keep your business on track. It offers a customizable dashboard for better tracking of the projects. You can set tags to tasks and subtasks so that you can sort them per requirements. The communication functionality not only allows to type texts but also allows to start a video call. If you need, you can use it get to record video clips of important meetings for later checking. A special feature that Asana has is ‘Task Dependency’. If you set a dependent task that is at a halt due to another task, Asana will notify you so that you can start to work on the dependent task when the other task is completed. Its cross-indexing feature helps you avoid repetition by assigning the same task to different places. The software has a reputation for providing security services. It is a good choice if there is any sensitive information.

Reading: 6 Best Free And Paid Asana Competitors You Can Choose

What Are Popular Task Management Tools?

Todoist

The software is most suitable for personal use. You may sync with third-party apps for enhanced flexibility. The software offers a voice command feature that provides you with a more comfortable scheduling experience. The app offers hundreds of templates to choose from. It can help you create tasks with ease. It is also a collaboration tool as it allows you to share the workload with others.

Although it is better for personal use, it does not mean you cannot use it for business. If it is used for business projects, the administrator can delegate tasks directly to members. And the members will receive notifications and emails if there is any update.

Any.do

Any.do offer a user-friendly interface. The software features have similar functions to Todoist. You can customize the badge according to your preferences and use the search bar to look for any desired result. Another noteworthy fact is, that you can also check the completed tasks in one place. This is nothing special at first thought. But in our hectic modern life, sometimes disappointment grasps us. This little function can give you more motivation.

What Are Popular Tools for Project and Task Management?

ClickUp

ClickUp is a great project and task management tool. You can not only manage single and multiple projects but also manage your work or personal tasks. It offers a dashboard, Gantt, Timeline, Calendar, and other views to help you follow up on your projects and tasks better. To save your time creating one project, it provides templates for different purposes, allows you to import Excel, CSV, and Google Sheets, and permits you to transfer your projects from other competitors. As a productive tool, it can work to automate your projects and tasks and integrate with different tools.

The purpose of ClickUp is to achieve the goal of “One app replaces all”. So it also offers many team collaboration features like documents, whiteboards, and chats.

Monday.com

Monday.com is the same as ClickUp. It also offers templates, different views, automation, documents, and integrations. What makes it different is that it provides 5 different software based on your business scenarios. Each app will have different pre-built templates and tutorials for your specific business. And Monday.com tries its best to help you improve your working efficiency by providing different templates like tons of automation templates.

Final Words

Both project management and task management are essential for increased productivity. You may have a clear idea about the differences and similarities when comparing project management vs task management. And there are minor differences between project management tools and task management tools, you can pick up the one you need according to the introduction in this article.