There are dozens of project management solutions that help teams track progress, monitor deadlines, and streamline project planning. But your ad agency needs more than the basics — much more.
Ad agencies and marketing teams need project management software tailored to their unique workflows: tools that support team collaboration, integrated visual proofing, and ease of use. Most importantly, they need software that seamlessly connects with the creative tools they’re already using.
With the right tools in place, your agency can make smarter real-time decisions, boost profitability, enhance the quality of your output, and tighten up your project forecasting.
Let’s explore what makes a great ad agency PM platform — and show you seven of the best tools for creative teams.
What we'll cover
Table of contents
How to choose the best ad agency project management software
Not all project management software solutions are designed to fit the same needs. Some are designed for large enterprises, while others cater to specialized industries like software development, manufacturing, or construction. Each of these tools is built to meet specific needs that might not align with the demands of a creative agency.
So, what does that mean for your ad agency? Simply put, some project management solutions will fit your business better than others. As you evaluate your options, prioritize purpose-built tools that support creative work.
Integration with collaborative proofing software
Ad agencies invest considerable time and effort perfecting assets for clients, and the proofing processes involved can become complex. To streamline these workflows, many agencies rely on collaborative proofing software like Ziflow, which helps simplify and optimize asset reviews.
When selecting a project management solution for your agency, make sure it seamlessly integrates with your preferred proofing software. (Not quite convinced this integration is valuable? Stick around: We’ll dive deeper into the benefits later in this post.)
Ease of use
In creative project management, teams often consist of a large group of creatives who don’t want to spend their days in Excel spreadsheets or complex systems. They want to focus on their craft, not on using technical software with an unforgiving learning curve.
While enterprise-focused project management suites offer advanced capabilities, they can overwhelm your team. Aim for a balance — look for intuitive, user-friendly tools that include features you need without the complexity. The easier it is to learn and use, the more likely your team will adopt it.
Collaboration and communication
The work your ad agency produces requires constant collaboration on visual media, copy, and more. It’s not like assembly line manufacturing, where the outputs are consistent and measured by concrete standards.
You’ll need a project management tool that supports communication about the intangibles — quality, feel, effectiveness — throughout the project lifecycle.
Look for a solution that facilitates detailed communication, helping you keep teams aligned and clients informed.
Resource management
If your ad agency is like most, your creatives often juggle multiple projects and clients at a time. And, the more projects and clients you have, the higher the chances of your team members wasting valuable time on mundane tasks. In fact, a Wrike study found that 72% of employees think they could complete at least 30% more work each day with the use of automation tools. Optimizing resources and reducing manual tasks frees up your team to focus on more impactful work.
Effective resource management features in your project management software can help you allocate time, skills, and availability across multiple projects more efficiently.
With more visibility into workloads and potential bottlenecks, you can better distribute tasks, avoid burnout, and ensure deadlines are met without sacrificing quality. The right tool will allow you to maximize your team’s strengths while maintaining a balanced, sustainable workflow.
Reporting and analytics
While creative deliverables may not be as measurable as repetitive non-creative tasks, they still need to be tracked.
Choose project management software with comprehensive reporting and analytics features to monitor performance, team productivity, and ROI. Armed with clear data, you can make informed decisions and refine your processes moving forward. Ultimately, this helps your agency stay competitive and deliver higher-quality work.
The 7 best project management software for ad agencies
To help you choose the right project management software, we’ve compared the top solutions and narrowed them down to seven options that are best suited for ad agencies and the unique work you do.
1. Asana
Asana is a popular general-purpose project management tool known for its ease of use. Team members can quickly view all assigned tasks using multiple formats (list, board, calendar), while managers can organize those tasks into projects. Asana also offers plenty of automation options to cut down on manual work.
This solution shines in fast-moving projects and works well for teams collaborating with freelancers or external vendors who need access to project information. However, it can be less effective for managing more complex projects with multiple dependencies or interconnected components.
2. Teamwork.com
Teamwork.com is built specifically for creative agencies and client work. Originally developed by a creative agency that couldn’t find a project management solution that fit their creative workflows, Teamwork.com offers features that are well-suited to ad agencies.
This software is flexible and robust, supporting everything from simple agile projects using Kanban boards to complex, interdependent projects using Gantt charts and other views. Its integrated time-tracking module, which ties directly into client billing, simplifies both managing time and invoicing.
With a wide range of automations and powerful templates (many specifically designed for creative teams), Teamwork.com helps reduce manual tasks, allowing your team to focus more on creating and less on managing projects.
3. Trello
Trello is one of the pioneers of lightweight cloud-based project management, known for bringing the digital Kanban board approach to the masses. For simple projects and task management, Trello remains transformative: just create tasks on cards, organize them into phases, and drag and drop. Its simplicity and intuitiveness make it a favorite among nontechnical users and, well, anyone who doesn’t speak project management.
Trello has also been in the game longer than most, so it has a comprehensive library of integrations and automations. Like Asana, Trello may not scale well for more complex projects. But in terms of simplicity and ease of use, it is the clear winner.
4. ClickUp
ClickUp is a bit of a polarizing pick — users tend to either love or hate it, and those feelings are often strong.
ClickUp’s biggest advantage (and perhaps its downfall) is its near-infinite configurability. You can build almost anything you need in ClickUp, but that also means you have to build it yourself (or get help from others).
Ad agencies will appreciate its proofing features, threaded comments, and in-platform chat. It also allows you to invite clients into your workflows, although configuring these features may require some effort.
For larger agencies with the technical resources to customize their setups, this software offers robust features that can handle projects of virtually any complexity.
5. Wrike
If you’re a small agency, feel free to keep scrolling. Wrike likely isn’t for you.
But, if you’re a larger agency (one that isn’t turned off by the term “enterprise software”), Wrike should be high on your list of considerations.
While not exclusively designed for creatives, Wrike includes many powerful features like customizable briefs and request forms, visual workload management, project portfolio management, and extensive proofing tools.
With over 400 native integrations (including the biggest industry names) and strong workflow automation, Wrike is a top choice for ad agencies that need both creative-friendly tools and enterprise-level power.
6. Basecamp
Basecamp is ideal for small to midsize teams and acts as a central hub for project management, messaging, and cloud storage. It differs from most other options we’ve reviewed in that it offers a straightforward, one-page dashboard for easy project management.
If you’re looking for simplicity and social features like Basecamp’s campfire (a real-time group chat), this option would be a good fit.
However, if your environment is too complex for a single dashboard or if you prefer traditional or agile project management approaches (like Gantt charts and Kanban boards), Basecamp might not be right for you. It also lacks many of the automations and integrations found in other platforms, as it’s designed to be more of a one-stop shop.
7. monday.com
Monday.com is a hybrid platform combining elements of project management software and customer relationship management (CRM) software. It’s ideal for ad agencies with active sales teams that need to visualize prospects and sales processes similarly to how you’d visualize project work.
monday.com’s versioning and annotation features, while not as advanced as dedicated creative proofing tools, are a great addition for those in creative fields. Other key features include timesheets, resource planning, and workspaces for file sharing, all of which make it a solid choice for digital marketing projects.
Why integrating project management and collaborative proofing software is essential for ad agencies
Project management software is key to improving performance and consistency for creative teams and ad agencies, but it’s only part of the equation. Equally important is client proofing software, which creates a collaborative space for stakeholders to review and approve creative deliverables.
The real magic happens when you integrate the two. By choosing a project management solution that integrates well with Ziflow, you’ll unlock greater synergy and enjoy benefits such as:
- Streamlined creative workflow: Keep everything within the same ecosystem, reducing duplication, manual tasks, and version control issues.
- Maintaining high-quality creative output: Measure and evaluate creative assets while staying connected with the broader project.
- Reducing approval bottlenecks: Integrated approvals allow project managers to keep approvals moving without delays.
- Faster time to market: When all approvers can collaborate in one space, you eliminate information gaps and speed up the approval process, helping you deliver faster.
Streamline your client review and approval with Ziflow
The right project management tool can transform your agency’s productivity, while also enhancing output quality and consistency — especially when paired with a creative proofing platform.
Ziflow is the ideal collaborative proofing solution to integrate with your chosen project management software. Its industry-leading proofing capabilities empower creative teams to collaborate more effectively across all content types, and it integrates seamlessly with the tools featured here.
