Categories   >   Strategic Planning Software
Last Reviewed: November 13th, 2024

Best Strategic Planning Software Of 2024

What is Strategic Planning Software?

Strategic Planning Software is an instrumental tool employed by organizations to precise, implement, and manage their business strategy. It's designed to inoculate strategic alignment, mitigate planning errors, and streamline the planning process. The software's central capabilities include goal setting, action planning, progress tracking, and hinging corporate strategy with operational tactics. Emerging features, such as AI-enabled analytics and dynamic scenario planning, provide deeper insights and increase strategic agility. While it benefits all industries, it's particularly valuable for complex, competitive sectors such as finance and healthcare where strategic alignment can significantly affect outcomes. Notwithstanding, many solutions might neglect certain aspects of strategic planning like people and culture, requiring complementary tools. The key takeaway? Strategic Planning Software, though not a 'cure-all', dearly enhances strategic alignment, decision-making, and operational performance, making it a superb investment for organizations serious about successful strategy execution. Its value lies in its capacity to integrate strategy throughout the organization, enabling agility and resilience in turbulent times.

What Are The Key Benefits of Strategic Planning Software?

  • Streamlines strategic planning
  • Enhances strategic alignment
  • Promotes goal clarity
  • Improves decision-making ability
  • Enables progress tracking
  • Facilitates efficient action planning
  • Offers AI-enabled analytics
  • Aids in dynamic scenario planning
  • Strengthens operational performance
  • Supports business resilience
Read more

Overall

Based on the latest available data collected by SelectHub for 56 solutions, we determined the following solutions are the best Strategic Planning Software overall:

Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project
Start Price
$10
Per User, Monthly
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Why We Picked Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project remains a robust project management software, praised for its intuitive interface and comprehensive feature set. Users appreciate its Gantt charts, resource management capabilities, and integration with other Microsoft products. However, some find its advanced features overwhelming and its reporting capabilities limited compared to specialized project management tools.

Project differentiates itself with its ease of use and integration with the Microsoft ecosystem. Its intuitive interface makes it accessible to users of all skill levels, while its integration with tools like Microsoft Teams and SharePoint streamlines collaboration. These strengths make it an excellent choice for teams heavily reliant on Microsoft products.

Microsoft Project is best suited for small to medium-sized businesses and teams that prioritize ease of use and Microsoft integration. Its intuitive interface and comprehensive feature set make it a valuable tool for managing projects effectively, while its integration with other Microsoft products enhances collaboration and productivity.

Pros & Cons

  • User Friendly: The platform’s functionalities are intuitive and easy to use, as noted by approximately 80% of users who mention the system’s usability.
  • Project Scheduling: Approximately 81% of the users find its project scheduling capabilities helpful.
  • Feature-Rich: Approximately 81% of the users who mentioned features said the system provides everything required for proper project handling. It can handle complex projects, create Gantt charts, project timelines and reports.
  • Customization: Nearly 61% of users who mentioned customization said its customization options were helpful. It integrates with ClearQuest seamlessly and 67% of users find its integrations helpful.
  • Support: Support is responsive, knowledgeable and helpful, as reported by 100% of reviewers who mention support.
  • Templates: Approximately 80% of users who mentioned templates find them to be helpful as they display data in an organized manner.
  • Learning Curve: Nearly 96% of the users that mentioned accessibility think that the software has a steep learning curve.
  • Efficiency: About 72% of users that mentioned efficiency said the software improved their process optimization.
  • Collaboration: Close to 83% of the users who mention collaboration said that Project does not facilitate collaborative processes well.
  • Cost: Approximately 94% of the users who mention cost think that its price is prohibitive and that the software is very expensive for the features it offers.

Key Features

  • Resource Management: Set up teams for success by requesting resources. Heat maps help identify overworked or underused resources. Lets managers project usage, monitor progress and address issues using analytics.  
  • Portfolio Optimization: Models different scenarios using tools like analysis scatter charts. Weigh project proposals against strategic business drivers with organizational cost and resource constraints in mind. 
  • Reports: Offers a number of reports that include a dashboard, progress and cost that provide insight into project metrics. Individual reports include burndowns, project overviews, critical tasks, cash flow, earned value, late tasks and more. Create a customized report from four template types: blank, chart, table and comparison.  
  • BI Capability: Connect with business intelligence apps like Power BI Pro to gain visibility across portfolios. Supports data aggregation to gain comprehensive insights. 
  • Proposal Evaluation: Gather project ideas, use standardized processes to evaluate them and funnel project charters and business cases to management for review and approval.
Clarizen
Clarizen
Start Price
$30
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
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Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
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Why We Picked Clarizen

Clarizen is a sophisticated project management solution with oodles of appliances such as task creation, status reporting, status tracking, time tracking, project management, reporting, change history and more. It offers extensive collaboration tools to keep users and their teams on the same page and integrates with CRM applications, Salesforce, Jira and other software. It's pliable enough to meet your business needs and has an efficient customer support team to address all issues. Although many users noted the slow speed of the system, users say it's an effective program.

Pros & Cons

  • On-Par Customer Support: According to 100% of users, Clairzen's customer support is quick, helpful and fast in responding to and resolving mishaps.
  • Adjustable: When discussing how customizable Clarizen is, 96% of users said it was highly configurable to meet their business demands.
  • Abundant Features: Clarizen's features include time tracking, project management, status tracking, change history, meeting notes and more as stated by 62% of users.
  • Effective Collaboration: Nearly 81% of users say Clarizen has effective collaboration capabilities including social collaboration and tagging teammates on particular tasks.
  • Integratable: Clairzen integrates with social media, Salesforce, Jira, CRM software and other programs as reported by 72% of users.
  • Sluggish Pace: Of the users who discussed Clarizen's performance, 81% of users said it has a sluggish operation speed and occasionally freezes.
  • Difficult Learning Curve: Roughly 50% of users stated Clarizen has a steep learning curve.

Key Features

  • Slide Publisher: The Slide Publisher tool allows you to quickly create PowerPoint presentations for customers using real-time project data. Your company branding can also be added to these presentations through a customized template. 
  • Financial Management: Clarizen’s financial management feature includes the ability to track expenses on different levels, whether it be at the employee level or by department. Payments can also be linked to projects to help ensure that development budgets stay on track. An Excel Import feature is included, which allows you to import data from Microsoft Excel and add it to aspects such as work items and cases. 
  • Social Collaboration Platform: The social collaboration platform gives you the ability to track the customer lifecycle as it pertains to completed work, customer conversations and attached files. It’s a key component to the request management capabilities of Clarizen, which helps you track work orders. Information such as customer name, priority and due date are included in these documents. 
  • Clarizen InterAct: Clarizen InterAct allows you to collaborate with others on the file, task and project level. Employees can update project status, flag issues and discuss project developments via email. Graphs and project plans that include real-time insights as to project status are also available via email. 
  • Integration With Popular Tools: Clarizen can integrate with popular tools such as Google Docs, Jira, Box, SharePoint and ServiceNow. It contains a large amount of APIs that can help you integrate programs that you currently use with Clarizen. 
  • Mobile Accessibility: Clarizen’s mobile app, which is available for iOS and Android devices, is relatively comprehensive and allows you to take whatever you were working on with you on the go. Some of the tasks that you can complete through the mobile app include submission of expenses, communication with colleagues and entering of tickets. It’s also a great way to provide customer service due to its client response functionality. 
  • Task Management: The task management tool allows your employees to prioritize any duties that they are assigned, whether they be project-related or not. Employees have their own workspaces where they can view their specific projects so that they don’t get bogged down in a master view that shows what everyone’s working on. Project managers can look at how projects are progressing across the company and can also reassign or add resources to tasks to ensure efficiency. 
OpenAir
OpenAir
Start Price
$399
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
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Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
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Why We Picked OpenAir

OpenAir, a project management software solution, has received positive feedback from users for its ability to streamline project management processes. Users appreciate its user-friendly interface, flexibility, and comprehensive features that enhance efficiency and organization. The software's task management, resource management, collaboration tools, and reporting capabilities have significantly improved project outcomes for many businesses.

Compared to similar products, OpenAir stands out due to its ease of use and adaptability to various project types and sizes. Users have highlighted its intuitive design, which allows for quick adoption and minimal training time. Additionally, OpenAir's flexibility enables businesses to customize workflows, dashboards, and reports to align with their specific needs. This adaptability is crucial for organizations with diverse project requirements and evolving processes.

OpenAir is well-suited for businesses of all sizes seeking to enhance their project management practices. Its scalability and comprehensive features make it an ideal choice for small teams, large enterprises, and everything in between. The software's ability to centralize project information, facilitate collaboration, and provide real-time insights empowers teams to make informed decisions, optimize resource allocation, and deliver projects on time and within budget.

Pros & Cons

  • User Friendly: The system is easy to use and intuitive, as noted by approximately 86% of users who mention the system’s usability.
  • Time Tracking and Expense Reports: Approximately 90% of the users reviewed think this feature increases their productivity and effectiveness.
  • Customization: Nearly 75% of the users reviewed find this feature to be quite robust.
  • Reporting: About 57% of the users reviewed find its reporting capabilities to be helpful and informative.
  • Support: Nearly 67% of the users reviewed think the support offered by OpenAir is helpful.
  • Cost: Nearly 100% of users who mentioned cost reported that OpenAir’s offerings were too expensive for smaller businesses or prohibitive.
  • Implementation: The physical implementation process misses the mark, and can be difficult according to 70% of reviewers who mention implementation.
  • Intuitive Interface: Nearly 65% of the users reviewed think that the interface is not intuitive and that administrative tools are limited.
  • Bugs: Approximately 100% of users that mentioned bugs or slowdowns think that the system is clunky and disrupts work.
  • Integration: Nearly 60% of the users who mention integration think that integration between OpenAir and NetSuite is not seamless. Also, Microsoft Projects importing is not smooth.

Key Features

  • Time Tracking: Customizes timesheet approvals by client and project, supports multi-level and project-based approvals and lets users track leave and vacation time. View who is in or out of the office to schedule meetings and appointments. Add notes and descriptions to each input, and sort time by billable and non-billable hours.  
  • Project Management: Users can view the complete status of a project to keep tasks on-track and reduce the potential for errors or incomplete deliverables. Develop “what if” project planning scenarios to adjust margins, billing rates, pricing and staffing. Also supports Gantt charts, project status summaries and exceptions reports.  
  • Reporting/Dashboard: Dashboards reflect KPIs on initial login. Present profit margins, resource utilization and projected vs. actual budgets as graphs to make development of actionable insights faster and easier. Build reports using drag-and-drop tools. 
  • Resource Management: View labor resource allocation and deploy staff members to different projects based on experience, skills, availability and more. using the resource management tool. Deploy labor resources from across the globe, attribute work back to the correct project teams and bill labor resources in the appropriate currency.  
  • Expense Tracking: Integrates with workflows like project accounting and invoicing to expedite the expense management cycle, including expense submission, approval and reporting. Expenses are tied directly to projects, eliminating confusion regarding where an expense came from and who should be billed.  
  • Invoicing: Supports multi-currency and multi-taxation requirements such as PST, VAT and GST. Manages finances from the time a bid is prepared to the time an internal charge-back is issued. Project profitability is tracked on a case-by-case basis due to the complexity of measuring ROI for diverse projects. Revenue recognition is conducted separately from project billing. 
Jira Portfolio
Jira Portfolio
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Key Features

  • Data-Driven Agile Roadmaps: Prioritize and organize initiatives by team to build a roadmap to include multiple Jira projects and teams. Visualize targets and scope release dates to view in a portfolio.  
  • Resource and Capacity Planning: Schedule and assign resources to teams considering their availability and skill sets. Add virtual hires like new contractors or members to view impacts on velocity. 
  • Schedule Optimization: Even when the details are not known, advanced scheduling optimizes user’s roadmaps and predicts release dates.  
  • Estimation Comparisons: Estimate the team’s target end and start dates, velocity and long-term plans. View original estimates and compare them to current estimates to gauge team performance.  
  • Real-time Forecasts: Loads Jira issues dynamically and estimates release dates. Keeps plans up to date to let users track progress and help teams deliver on time.  
  • Roll-Up Reporting: Analyze plans by scope, releases, themes, capacity, sprints and schedules. Provides cross-project and cross-team visibility with roll-up reporting. Lets users share embedded reports with their stakeholders. 
Daptiv
Daptiv
Start Price
$29
Monthly
Company Size
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Deployment
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Why We Picked Daptiv

Daptiv, a project portfolio management (PPM) solution, has received positive feedback for its ability to enhance project management processes. Users appreciate its comprehensive features, including project portfolio management, resource management, project planning, collaboration tools, and reporting capabilities. The software's ease of use and configurability have been highlighted as key strengths, allowing businesses to tailor it to their specific needs and workflows. Daptiv's visual tools, such as Kanban boards and dashboards, provide real-time insights into project status, resource allocation, and overall portfolio performance, enabling informed decision-making.

However, some users have noted that Daptiv's user interface may not be as intuitive as some competing PPM solutions, and its reporting functions may require additional training to fully utilize. Additionally, the software's cost may be a consideration for smaller businesses or those with limited budgets. Despite these drawbacks, Daptiv's strengths in configurability, comprehensive features, and real-time insights make it a valuable tool for project management offices (PMOs), project teams, and business leaders seeking to improve project outcomes and align strategy with execution. Daptiv is particularly well-suited for organizations with complex project portfolios or those requiring a high degree of customization and flexibility in their PPM solution.

Pros & Cons

  • Adaptable: Daptiv PPM is highly configurable, allowing users to tailor the platform to their specific needs and workflows. It accommodates various project management methodologies, including Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches.
  • Resource Management: Daptiv PPM excels in resource management, providing tools to allocate resources effectively, track utilization, and forecast future resource needs. This helps prevent overallocation and ensures projects are adequately staffed.
  • Portfolio Management: The platform offers robust portfolio management capabilities, enabling organizations to prioritize projects, track their performance, and make data-driven decisions about resource allocation and project selection.
  • Reporting and Analytics: Daptiv PPM provides comprehensive reporting and analytics tools, allowing users to gain insights into project performance, resource utilization, and portfolio health. This data can be used to identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions.
  • Usability Challenges: Daptiv's interface can be cumbersome and overwhelming for new users due to its complexity and lack of intuitive design. Navigating through the various features and functionalities may require extensive training and familiarization, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • Customization Limitations: Daptiv's customization options may not be as flexible as some users require, particularly for organizations with unique or complex project management processes. Adapting the platform to specific workflows or industry-specific needs could be challenging, potentially hindering efficiency and user adoption.
  • Reporting Constraints: Generating comprehensive and insightful reports in Daptiv can be a complex task, often requiring advanced technical skills or reliance on IT support. The reporting capabilities may not provide the level of detail or customization that some users expect, limiting their ability to effectively analyze project data and make informed decisions.

Key Features

  • Portfolio Management: Gain visibility and handle projects across methodologies while aligning them to business strategies. View data, mitigate risks, enhance velocity and boost capacity. Users can evolve, tweak and adapt their portfolios with robust capabilities. 
  • Powerful Analytics: Gain in-depth insights through analytics and executive dashboards to maintain the pace of strategic initiatives. Understand crucial business operations to enhance profitability and efficiency. Leverage AI to get real-time dashboards while uncovering new trends and opportunities. 
  • Resource Management: Match projects with the right employees to drive efficient project delivery. Get increased visibility into all workstreams for competitive advantage. Select projects based on resource readiness without having to go through detailed project timelines. 
  • Initiative Alignment: Users can design programs and projects to drive their businesses forward. Align project initiatives and goals with business strategy. Prioritize new projects according to strategic goals with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality. 
  • Outcome Management: Manage outcomes by delivering projects on time and within budget allocations. Get thorough insights into project status, resource utilization and potential hurdles to meet desired results. 
  • Financial Management: Leverage integrated financial management abilities for projects to gain a well rounded operational visibility. Streamline invoicing and financial reporting to ensure the production and utilization of reliable and consistent data. Control finances throughout the customer lifecycle and boost financial performance to drive profitability. 
Scoro
Scoro
Start Price
$26
Monthly
Company Size
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Deployment
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Platform
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Why We Picked Scoro

Scoro comes equipped with a control center that allows users to create, transfer and assign tasks. It also generates alerts automatically from the calendar. It is user-friendly, and the interface is intuitive. Its advertising management tool is also quite helpful. Many users find the cost prohibitive, and it does not support Gantt charts. Integrations with Outlook and QuickBooks aren't smooth.

Pros & Cons

  • User Friendly: The system is easy to use and intuitive, as noted by approximately 96% of users who mention the system’s usability.
  • Interface: Nearly 73% of the users that mention the interface think it is quite intuitive and easy to navigate.
  • Control Center: Approximately 81% of the users reviewed think that the Control Center’s many features are useful and increase efficiency.
  • Timesheet Tracking: About 54% of users who mention time-sheet tracking find it helpful for organization and work tracking.
  • Cost: Nearly 100% of users who mentioned cost reported that Asana’s premium offerings were too expensive for smaller businesses or as prohibitive.
  • Integrations: Available integrations are not seamless, as reported by 64% of reviewers who mention integrations.
  • Mobile App: Almost 100% of the users who mention the mobile app think it is difficult to use and does not add value. They prefer the web version of the software.
  • Reporting: Nearly 55% of the users who mention the reporting feature don’t find it useful. It does not offer Gantt charts.

Key Features

  • Project Management: Manage budgets, a project portfolio and planned tasks from one central page. Allocate billable and non-billable work and stay aware of the team’s progress in real time. 
  • Work Scheduling and Tracking: Has a planner that provides a visual overview of deadlines, individual employees’ workload, open slots and potential over-bookings. Link projects and events with a shared team calendar. Manage tasks by priorities, deadlines, statuses and projects using task lists.  
  • Financial Management: Automate invoice reminders, send invoices as PDF files and keep track of purchases and costs with financial management features. Advanced capabilities include forecasting, budget scenario comparison and the option to set multi-currency custom rates based on team members, clients or projects.  
  • Customer Relationship Management: Manage customers with an intuitive contact list. View communication history, invoices, projects, quotes, orders and contact information on one page. Search, sort or filter contacts based on location, latest activity and more.  
  • Quoting and Sales: Compiles quotes, sends them as PDFs and converts them into purchase orders. Provides an overview of the sales funnel.  
  • Reporting and Dashboard: The dashboard displays real-time company data like KPIs, actionable items and conversions. Generates financial reports and displays what the team is spending time on, missed deadlines and unassigned tasks. 
Jira
Jira
Start Price
$10
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
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Deployment
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Platform
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Why We Picked Jira

Jira is an agile-based project management platform that caters to a vast range of industries thanks to its all-in-one functionality, customization and flexibility. It allows users to fully customize workflows, issue types, fields and automations.

After watching a few tutorials, I personally found it quite simple to create my own projects using the templates and modifying it to meet my needs. Although some of the automation actions and issues have some programming language involved, it’s not a huge roadblock and I created and tested multiple automations successfully.

Task (or issue) management was on point, with multiple views, custom workflows, task assignment, in-card collaboration and time tracking and custom fields. It offered comprehensive (but not overly advanced) reports and a helpful summary dashboard.

Sprints were intuitive and easy to execute, and I especially appreciated the drag-and-drop feature for planning. Some users mentioned a learning curve, and I would agree, as I relied on videos to guide me through some parts of the setup lest this test take weeks not days.

Overall, Jira is a match made in heaven for agile enthusiasts and users who want a flexible, customizable project management platform and don’t mind getting into the weeds with learning courses and tutorials.

Pros & Cons

  • Functionality: Users appreciated the ability to customize workflows, issue types and fields and the flexibility to navigate complex projects and problem-solve.
  • Collaborative: The system helps users collaborate with other teams, projects, and stakeholders and efficiently bridges gaps between remote teams, noted reviewers.
  • Integrations: Reviewers liked the extensive integrations with most third-party modules like Slack, Bitbucket and more to complete workflows and processes.

What Users Like

  • Customization: “We were able to tailor the workflow to fit our specific needs, which greatly enhanced our efficiency. For instance, we created custom issue types that aligned with our unique project phases, making it easier for team members to understand their tasks at a glance.” - Balázs Keszthelyi, Founder and CEO at TechnoLynx
  • Project Visualization: “[Jira’s robust roadmapping and dependency tracking capabilities are] invaluable for coordinating multiple product launches. Also, the premium version's Advanced Roadmaps feature lets us visualize our entire product pipeline so that's from sourcing to launch, but you've got to invest time in learning the system, and I think for smaller operations, it might be overkill.” - Dennis Sanders, Founder and CEO of Burning Daily
  • Task Management: “Jira has given us the structure to break down our complex workflows into clear, manageable steps, which was exactly what we needed as we expanded our customer base. With Jira, we can create specific 'boards' for each client’s SEO campaign, where every task is detailed and assigned to the right team member. Each board has phases, like keyword research, content writing, and on-page optimization, with clear deadlines. Having this setup has helped us catch any bottlenecks early. If the content team takes longer to deliver, for instance, we can adjust the timeline for the next steps right away instead of rushing it.” - Mushfiq Sarker, CEO of LaGrande Marketing
  • Lags: Reviewers noted that the system sometimes lags and takes time to load, especially for multiple projects and large data sets.
  • Learning Curve: Its UX can feel complex, and it takes time to set up, customize and use to its full ability. An internal Jira expert may be required, according to some users.
  • Administration: Users mentioned that the system is difficult to administer, and its back-end is hard to manage.

What Users Dislike

  • Slow Loading Time: “Its interface moves like molasses.” - Dennis Sanders, Founder and CEO of Burning Daily
  • Learning Curve: “We had some initial challenges with team members who were not familiar with the platform, which required additional training sessions to ensure everyone was on the same page. However, once they became accustomed to the interface, the benefits outweighed the initial hurdles.” - Balázs Keszthelyi, Founder and CEO at TechnoLynx

Key Features

  • Agile Boards: Manage your tasks, or issues using Scrum and Kanban boards with custom statuses, fields and transitions. Create new issues using the button below each status. You can view projects using a list, board or timeline view.
  • Reports and Insights: Get insights into where your team is at throughout every stage of the project by generating custom reports like the average age report, created vs. resolved issues report and sprint report. Manage workloads with the time tracking report, user workload report and version workload report. Use the summary view to monitor activity, status overview, priority breakdown and related projects.
  • Collaboration Features: Communicate with team members and assignees directly on the issue card with comments and mentions. Attach files, view card activity and add descriptions for additional instructions. Integrate with Outlook, Slack and other communication tools.
  • Custom Automations: Build custom automation rules by setting a trigger with the option to add an action, a condition or a branch. Get a helping hand by searching for triggers related to what you want to automate and selecting recommended actions and conditions.
  • Sprint Management: Use the Scrum option to run sprints. Fill in project details like name, duration and scope and add tasks and drag and drop them to your sprint using the backlog. Complete your sprints and auto-add pending tasks to the backlog or to a new sprint and run a sprint report for insights.
  • Task Management: Manage tasks by creating customizable issue cards under each status or by importing issues from CSV files. Add assignees, due dates, time tracking, comments, descriptions, teams, labels, status and priority to issues. Move tasks from status to status using transitions and workflow automation.
  • Customizable Workflows: Create custom workflows for your tasks and subtasks by going to project settings and clicking on issue types. Set statuses based on the type of task you’re completing or from the project template you select. Automate actions by setting rules for transitions from one status to another.
Asana
Asana
Start Price
$10.99
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
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Deployment
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Platform
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Why We Picked Asana

Asana is a work management platform designed to help users organize and streamline operations with a user-friendly, customizable interface, automation and AI. Key features include the ability to create custom fields, deadlines, and subtasks, utilize various project views like Kanban boards and timelines, and leverage AI for summarizing tasks and drafting workflows. During my test of the software, I liked how easy it was to create a task by email and create project and task summaries using their AI tool.

Customization was also a win. I built a task template for my Content Creation project with custom fields, relative due dates, assignees and a bulleted checklist. However, head’s up, adding task templates to existing tasks requires creating a new task with the template and merging it. Hands down, workflow management was one of my favorite parts of testing Asana. Adding in new sections (without having to go to the list view) and creating custom rules for transitions with a little help from their version of prompts was a breeze.

Collaboration is another plus, with in-card comments and mentions, an inbox, group and individual messaging in platform and guest accounts with custom permissions for external users.

On the downside, if you don’t have access to a free trial of the paid version (like I did), the free version may not be as effective. You won’t be able to access AI features, certain project views and resource management. The setup also isn’t exactly intuitive, and you may need training plus multiple visits to the help center to conceptualize your project and pick the right template.

Overall, Asana is a fantastic all-in-one project management solution for users looking for a flexible tool with AI assistance and don’t mind springing for one of the paid plans.

Pros & Cons

  • User Friendly: Reviewers appreciated that the system is easy to use and intuitive with a clean UI, even if you’re new to projects.
  • Overall Functionality: Workflows and automation, task management and collaboration are everything you’d look for in a project management system, according to users.
  • Customization: Users liked the customization options for unique team needs, projects and workflows.
  • >Cost: Users mentioned Asana’s paid plans were too expensive for smaller businesses making it difficult to upgrade from the limited free version.
  • Set-Up: Getting started can be overwhelming with so many customizations and task options. Users said you may need extra time to implement it effectively.
  • Advanced Features: Reviewers noted some features like AI, advanced project views, resource management and multiple task assignees require expensive plan upgrades.

Key Features

  • Task Management: Create tasks with custom fields, deadlines, tags, subtasks, dependencies and descriptions during setup, adding tasks to the section you want when you create your first project or forwarding an email to [email protected]. Save time by converting your custom tasks into a template you can apply to new tasks and using AI to summarize tasks and draft subtasks. Switch between list, board, timeline, calendar and Gantt views to optimize visualization and drag-and-drop tasks between sections.
  • Project Planning and Scheduling: Kick your projects off with a plethora of templates ranging from product rollouts to hiring pipelines, or import your project from a spreadsheet. Convert tasks into milestones on the card and add details about why it’s a milestone. Add tasks to multiple projects and organize strategic initiatives by creating a portfolio where you can track the updates of all your projects.
  • Resource Management: Keep track of what’s on everyone’s plate by switching to the workload view. Drag and drop tasks to manage timelines and assignees and assign custom values like hours or points to tasks to accurately factor in employee effort.
  • Sprint Management: Hit the ground running by applying the sprint template to a new project. Add custom fields, use the timeline tab to map out sprint tasks and deadlines and set start and finish dates in the project view.
  • Collaboration Features: Add updates, questions and notes into the description. Comment on cards with mentions, files, lists, code blocks and even AI assists. Send messages directly to individuals or teams using the inbox. Keep your clients in the loop by creating guest accounts and sharing specific tasks and projects with them.
  • Reports and Insights: Tap into a bird’s eye view of your project by clicking on the dashboard tab where you can monitor overdue, complete and incomplete tasks and burnup charts and create custom charts with their AI tool. Visit the reporting tab to view trends, progress, resourcing and work health.
  • Custom Automations and Workflows: Build a workflow that’s a perfect fit for your project in the workflow tab by adding sections for each step in the process with custom transitions and rules when tasks are moved. Add custom automations and rules from scratch, use the options provided as a starting point or get a helping hand from the AI studio. Check out the automations we built in depth below.
Clarity PPM
Clarity PPM
Start Price
$60
Per User, Monthly
Company Size
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Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
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Why We Picked Clarity PPM

Clarity PPM, a project and portfolio management (PPM) platform, has attracted attention for its ability to streamline project delivery and resource allocation. The platform's features, such as task boards, scorecards, and financial analysis tools, enable users to efficiently manage projects, programs, and finances. Clarity PPM's drag-and-drop road-mapping tool expedites the creation of business initiatives and budget allocation, while its in-app collaboration and mobile timesheets enhance team coordination. The platform's integration with business intelligence (BI) software and Microsoft Excel grids for budget management further solidifies its position as a leading PPM solution.

Users consistently highlight Clarity PPM's user-friendly interface and comprehensive project management tools as key strengths. The platform's ability to split hours across multiple projects and generate robust resource allocation reports is particularly valuable for managing complex workloads. However, some users note that data exporting can be cumbersome and the user interface appears outdated. Clarity PPM's centralized setup, financial transparency features, and project control capabilities differentiate it from competitors. The platform's scorecards facilitate objective analysis and comparison of requirements across portfolios, while its billing and invoicing controls enhance financial management. Clarity PPM's end-to-end project control, encompassing cost, schedule, and status management, empowers users to effectively oversee project execution.

Clarity PPM is ideally suited for medium to large businesses seeking to optimize project delivery, resource management, and financial oversight. Its scalability and comprehensive feature set make it a valuable asset for organizations with complex project portfolios and diverse teams. The platform's ability to provide insights into application portfolios, facilitate strategic decision-making, and track key performance indicators (KPIs) aligns with the needs of businesses focused on growth and efficiency. Clarity PPM's flexibility in deployment options, including on-premise, cloud-based, hosted, and SaaS, caters to varying IT infrastructures and preferences.

Pros & Cons

  • User Friendly: The system is easy to use and intuitive, as noted by approximately 73% of users who mention its usability.
  • Functionality: Clarity PPM offers a robust suite of successful project management tools, as reported by 88% of the users who mention the product’s functionality.
  • Customization: About 58% of users noted that this system’s customizations help bridge the gaps between remote teams and user coordination.
  • Integrations: Available integrations help add value to the base product, as reported by 80% of reviewers who mention integrations.
  • Reporting: Nearly 68% of the users who mention the reporting feature think that resource allocation reporting is robust.
  • User Interface: Nearly 88% of users think that the user interface is outdated, and navigation is cumbersome. Its look is cluttered, and users have to merge each task’s time frame to move timelines.
  • Cost: Nearly 85% of users who mentioned cost reported that Clarity PPM’s offerings were too expensive and prohibitive to upgrades.
  • Learning Curve: Approximately 100% of users who mentioned the learning curve think that Clarity PPM is difficult to learn.

Key Features

  • Strategic Roadmaps:  Offers hassle-free investment planning to eliminate organizational fatigue. Plan investments with the simple drag-and-drop feature and a multi-dimensional roadmap.  
  • Budgeting and Forecasting: Helps organizations stay on course with their investment targets with functions such as grouping and charting on spreadsheets. Customize the investment types and period to fit business requirements. 
  • Consolidated View of Staff Performance: Provides a consolidated view of personnel, the projects they are handling and their availability. Simplifies scheduling and employee task allocation with the help of features like telescoping and pinning.  
  • Drag-and-Drop Tool: A drag-and-drop roadmapping module accelerates an organization’s digital transformation. Create new business initiatives and allocate budgets with just a few clicks. Allocate, define and track resources and teams across portfolios.  
  • Information Access: Provides access to data required for a detailed analysis of a company’s application portfolio. Make smart business decisions in potential investments, consolidation, development and retirement of applications. 
  • Portfolio Standards and Metrics:  Set portfolio standards and metrics that help assess portfolio investments against existing business indicators, including break-even analysis, ROI, revenue enhancement and quality improvisation. Offers pre-defined KPIs and an advanced analytics module for deeper insight into the company’s performance.  
  • Data Extraction: The data extraction module lets users extract data from its platform to third-party applications.

COMPARE THE BEST Strategic Planning Software

Select up to 2 Products from the list below to compare

 
Product
Score
i
SelectHub’s Analyst Rating is based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Strategic Planning Software, user reviews, and our own crowd-sourced data from our free software selection platform. Scores are periodically updated via ongoing selection projects and user activity within our platform.
Start Price
Free Trial
Company Size
Deployment
Platform
Logo
Microsoft Project
$10
Per User, Monthly
Yes
Small Medium Large
Cloud On-Premise
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Microsoft Project
Clarizen
$30
Per User, Monthly
Yes
Small Medium Large
Cloud On-Premise
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Clarizen
Mavenlink
$45
Per User, Monthly
Yes
Small Medium Large
Cloud On-Premise
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Mavenlink
OpenAir
$399
Per User, Monthly
No
Small Medium Large
Cloud On-Premise
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
OpenAir
Jira Portfolio
Still gathering data
No
Small Medium Large
Cloud On-Premise
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Jira Portfolio
Daptiv
$29
Monthly
Yes
Small Medium Large
Cloud On-Premise
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Daptiv
Scoro
$26
Monthly
Yes
Small Medium Large
Cloud On-Premise
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Scoro
Jira
$10
Per User, Monthly
Yes
Small Medium Large
Cloud On-Premise
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Jira
Asana
$10.99
Per User, Monthly
Yes
Small Medium Large
Cloud On-Premise
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Asana
Clarity PPM
$60
Per User, Monthly
Yes
Small Medium Large
Cloud On-Premise
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android
Clarity PPM

All Strategic Planning Software (56 found)

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Microsoft Project

by Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is a robust project management software designed to assist professionals in planning, managing, and tracking projects effectively. It is particularly suitable for organizations that require detailed project planning, resource allocation, and progress monitoring. The software offers comprehensive features such as Gantt charts, task dependencies, resource leveling, and budget management. Key benefits include improved project visibility, enhanced collaboration, streamlined task management, and efficient resource allocation. Its user-friendly interface and customizable templates make it accessible to users of all skill levels. Compared to similar products, Microsoft Project stands out with its advanced features, integration with other Microsoft applications, and extensive support resources. Pricing varies depending on the specific version and licensing options. Microsoft Project offers flexible pricing plans, including subscription-based models and perpetual licenses, to cater to different business needs.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 or less
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Clarizen

by Clarizen
Clarizen
Clarizen (now known as Planview AdaptiveWork) is a project management and professional services software that manages projects and simple updates with up-to-the-minute status using smartphones anytime, anywhere. It automatically shares project-related information with key stakeholders and updates any changes made across teams. It includes proprietary analytics and management tools for live insights about departments, projects and businesses. It manages individual and team projects with collaborative tools for project managers, and coaching for groups.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Mavenlink

by Mavenlink
Mavenlink
Mavenlink merged with Kimble PSA in 2021 to become the Kantata Professional Services Cloud. For more information, visit our Kantata review.It enables services businesses to manage and execute projects at each stage of the lifecycle. By uniting project and resource management, team collaboration, accounting, and business intelligence, it enables organizations to streamline planning and delivery. Includes the option to purchase expert services that cater to companies in the professional services space. When choosing the primary package, businesses work with a team comprised of a manager, a business consultant, a BI consultant, a technical consultant and a training expert.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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OpenAir

by NetSuite, Inc.
OpenAir
OpenAir by NetSuite, Inc. is a comprehensive software solution designed to streamline project management tasks. It is particularly well-suited for businesses looking for an all-in-one platform to manage projects, resources, and expenses efficiently. One of the key benefits of OpenAir is its ability to enhance project delivery through improved planning and resource allocation, making it a valuable tool for organizations aiming to optimize their project management processes. The software boasts popular features such as time tracking, expense management, and invoicing, which collectively contribute to its robust project management capabilities. When compared to similar products, users often highlight OpenAir's seamless integration with other business systems and its scalability as significant advantages. Pricing considerations for OpenAir typically involve a subscription model, where costs are based on the number of users and the specific features required, allowing for flexibility to suit various business sizes and needs.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: good
Cost Breakdown
$100 - $500
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Jira Portfolio

by Atlassian
Jira Portfolio
Portfolio for Jira is an agile road mapping software that is deployable on the cloud. It is offered as a part of Jira’s Premium software, and lets users create strategic roadmaps, use saved views and filters to view real-time data and keep track of progress. It helps predict delivery timelines, plan manually and auto-schedule issues. It manages blockers and bottlenecks by managing dependencies across projects and teams. It integrates with Jira seamlessly and provides visibility across multiple teams. Its reports feature provides users with a graphical view of all the aspects of the plan.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 or less
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Daptiv

by Compuware
Daptiv
Daptiv, developed by Compuware, is a sophisticated software solution designed for project portfolio management (PPM), catering primarily to businesses seeking to streamline project oversight and resource allocation. It stands out for its adaptability to various industries, making it an ideal choice for organizations of all sizes looking to enhance their project management capabilities. Among its key benefits are improved project visibility, enhanced collaboration among team members, and more efficient utilization of resources. Daptiv's popular features include dynamic scheduling, time and budget tracking, and real-time analytics, which collectively contribute to a more informed decision-making process. When compared to similar products, users often highlight Daptiv's user-friendly interface and comprehensive feature set as significant advantages. Pricing considerations for Daptiv typically involve a subscription model, where costs are determined based on the number of users and the specific features required, allowing for scalability and flexibility to match the organization's needs.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Scoro

by Scoro Software
Scoro
Scoro is a cloud-based system for small to mid-sized businesses that is available as a mobile app. It manages projects, clients, invoices and tracks business results. It has budgeting and forecasting capabilities. Its security is handled on many levels and allows different user groups to access rights. It improves speed and delivery It is customizable and can integrate with other applications. It integrates with modules like Toggl, Slack, Asana, Jira, QuickBooks Online, Xero Accounting, Microsoft Dynamics Salesforce, WooCommerce and more. It also integrates with file management modules like Dropbox, FTP and Google Docs, support modules like Zendesk and Freshdesk and payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal. Users can also create their own integrations and submit them to the marketplace.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: excellent
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Jira

by Atlassian
Jira
Jira is an all-in-one solution suite that helps organizations manage projects with agile methodologies, customization and collaboration. It helps teams track, plan and release projects and supports Kanban, Scrum or hybrid workflows. Managers can plan and prioritize their team’s assignments in a fully-visible environment that tracks performance as progress is made.It’s supported by over 3,000 modules that can be customized to enhance user experience. It’s accessible via internet-connected mobile devices and helps manage projects on-the-go. It integrates with tools like Azure, GitHub and Bamboo while remaining scalable for operations of any size.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 or less
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Asana

by Asana
Asana
Asana is a cloud-based project management platform designed to help teams of all sizes manage and organize projects with customization, automation, AI and collaboration. Users can build custom workflows, templates and tasks, and visualize projects in multiple ways, including list, timeline, calendar, Kanban and Gantt views.You can also build and trigger automation rules when tasks are moved or status or priority is changed. Stay aligned with goals, locate risks and hit project deadlines with reports and collaboration tools. Connect with other solutions using its open API and native integration with dozens of apps.Our Research Process for AsanaTaking software at face value for a product page review is so passe. Luckily, with a little help from my company’s email address, I got a free trial of Asana’s Advanced plan for 30 days.I set up a dummy project for content creation, complete with the stages and automations we currently use, so I’d have a more apples-to-apples comparison of a real-world project.Additionally, I tested some “standout” features our researchers suggested and investigated the pros and cons users mentioned on review sites.To learn the ropes, I visited the help center, watched demo videos and scoured Reddit for shortcuts. This webpage is the result of a week of dedicating all my working hours to living and breathing Asana.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Clarity PPM

by Broadcom
Clarity PPM
Clarity PPM, developed by Broadcom, is a comprehensive software solution designed for project portfolio management (PPM). It is particularly well-suited for large enterprises and organizations that require robust tools to manage complex projects, resources, and investments. One of the key benefits of Clarity PPM is its ability to provide users with clear visibility into project performance, resource allocation, and financials, enabling more informed decision-making. Among its popular features are project management, time tracking, resource planning, and portfolio analysis, which collectively help streamline operations and improve efficiency. When compared to similar products in the market, users often highlight Clarity PPM's scalability and the depth of its features as significant advantages. However, it's worth noting that the software comes with a price tag that reflects its enterprise-level capabilities, with costs typically based on the number of users and the extent of functionality required. Payment terms are usually structured on a subscription basis, offering flexibility to organizations according to their needs.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: good
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Basecamp

by Basecamp
Basecamp
Basecamp is a cloud-based solution for team collaboration and management. It allows users to create to-dos, assign them to one or more people, add shared and searchable file attachments and more. It makes it easier to stay organized when there are multiple concurrent projects, each with its own team and needs. Streamline project communication by keeping specific teams together, with all project-related files in one location. It gives each project its own separate space, avoiding clutter and other confusion between projects.It is suitable for all sizes of teams like SMBs to groups in large companies. Subscriptions are scalable, with levels for different storage amounts and number of users. It also offers a free tier and application for iPad/iPhone and Android.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Planview

by PLANVIEW
Planview
Planview is a cloud-based work and resource management software application that helps companies transform their processes from strategy to delivery. It lets enterprises accelerate on-strategy delivery, adapt to changing work environments, create an innovation culture, realize agile at scale and make the product shift. It delivers a comprehensive set of modules that include innovation, portfolios and lean management, strategic and financial planning, lean and agile delivery and enterprise architecture. It is designed for addressing the requirements of mid-market to global enterprises.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: good
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Smartsheet

by Smartsheet
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is an enterprise-level SaaS management application that helps teams streamline processes through collaboration, project planning and task management. Users can set up tasks using a grid view, similar to a spreadsheet with automations, formulas, comments and mentions. It provides templates for projects and automations that can be modified and saved as a template to save time. Project views include a Kanban board, Gantt chart, timeline, calendar view, card view and a custom dashboard.Its file and sheet sharing capabilities, comment feature and conversations remove team and data silos and give stakeholders insight into project details. A user-friendly interface helps managers and team members boost adoption rates, maintain consistency and increase efficiency.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 or less
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Celoxis

by Celoxis Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Celoxis
Celoxis is an online solution that manages diverse and complex project portfolios. It helps users manage resources, budgeting, revenue forecasts, time-tracking, expense management, team collaboration and reporting. It can be implemented on-premise or as a cloud-based service. It is customizable and integrates seamlessly with third-party modules like Excel and Outlook. It is also bundled with a notification center that helps users view all notifications in one location.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Sciforma

by Sciforma Corporation
Sciforma
Sciforma Vantage is a project portfolio management software designed to aid PMOs with strategy, reporting and executive tasks. Critical PPM capabilities include portfolio and program management, work and collaboration management, idea and demand management, time tracking, and resource management. It also offers a suite of reporting tools for managers and executives.Additionally, Vantage is robust and scalable, helping businesses minimize risks and maximize benefits. It offers a flexible interface and users can tailor the platform to diverse needs.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Primavera P6

by Oracle America
Primavera P6
Oracle Primavera P6 is a project management software application that facilitates the planning, management, and control of projects across various industries. It caters to organizations that handle intricate projects involving multiple stakeholders and dependencies, particularly in construction, engineering, and oil and gas sectors. Primavera P6 offers a suite of functionalities spanning project scheduling, resource management, risk management, and cost management. By leveraging these features, organizations can reap significant benefits such as enhanced project visibility and control, reduced project costs and risks, and improved project efficiency and productivity. The software's notable features include Gantt charts and dashboards for comprehensive project visualization, resource leveling and allocation for optimizing resource utilization, risk assessment and mitigation strategies for proactive risk management, and cost tracking and forecasting for informed financial decision-making. While Primavera P6 proves to be a powerful tool for project performance enhancement, it is a complex application that demands specialized training and expertise for effective utilization. Additionally, the software's pricing varies based on the organization's size and project complexity, often involving a significant investment. Pros Powerful project management capabilities Scalable to handle large and complex projects Wide range of features for planning, scheduling, and tracking projects Integrates with other Oracle products, such as Primavera P6 EPPM and Oracle Primavera Unifier User-friendly interface that is easy to learn and use Cons Expensive Steep learning curve Can be slow and cumbersome to use Not as user-friendly as some other project management software Limited reporting capabilities
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$1,000 or more
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Planisware

by Planisware
Planisware
Planisware is a management-focused system that offers various features, including cost scheduling, risk management, collaboration and more. Its machine learning capabilities enable faster and more accurate project movement. Customers can increase end-to-end visibility and improve decision making using analytics and reports. It can manage resources, portfolio prioritization and cost control from one integrated location. It is suitable for businesses of all sizes.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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InPhase

by INPHASE LIMITED
InPhase
InPhase is an end-to-end scalable platform that enables organizations to make the most out of business data, improve decision-making and troubleshoot issues. It generates and delivers easy-to-interpret data insights to relevant stakeholders faster through dashboards and automated routing. Organizations can avert crises, anticipate outcomes and prevent wasted efforts using robust KPI monitoring and predictive analytics. Easy to customize, use and scale, it offers optional ready-to-use packages to facilitate various business processes. It also provides data consistency, mobility, communication and team planning modules to enable remote collaboration across devices. The vendor provides onboarding in days and offers extensibility through development to tech-savvy users.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: excellent
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Project Insight

by Project Insight
Project Insight
Project Insight is an enterprise web-based solution that serves as a centralized hub to delegate tasks, monitor productivity and collaborate at every stage of the project cycle. Users can formalize the process for internal project requests or submit project proposals to clients with customized forms.It emphasizes project prioritization, collaboration, resource allocation and management, reporting and scheduling to help managers with better decision making. It serves project-based industries like market research, networking hardware company, healthcare organization, heavy industry and more. It also provides a free edition with modules that can be added at an extra cost.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 or less
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Confluence

by Atlassian
Confluence
Confluence is a shared workspace that helps businesses prepare, organize, collaborate and review project documents. Organizations can access information, resources and collaborate on marketing campaigns and product launches through its open modules. It can be deployed on-premise and hosted on the cloud. It offers a centralized repository to access content according to project requirements. Employees can publish and access company data in a central location. Administrators can restrict access to confidential information and allow collaboration within closed groups. It lets employees prepare research reports, meeting notes and product requirements and managers edit and share feedback in documents. Businesses can delegate tasks to every employee and monitor changes.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
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$10 or less
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Buyer's Guide

Strategic Planning Software Is All About Linking Planning and Execution for Critical Decision-making

By Pragya Singh, Technical Writer and Market Analyst at SelectHub

Strategic Planning Software BG Intro

In a rapidly changing market, businesses require the capability to respond to different situations quickly. Strategic planning software goes beyond the task management functionalities offered by traditional PPM applications by focusing on business management and strategic execution.

These applications design roadmaps to measure progress toward end goals while increasing profitability and sustainability. They help overcome process challenges, boost project management and align with company objectives.

Executive Summary

  • Strategic planning software operates as a command center to drive company-wide strategies.
  • These systems offer advanced functionalities for organizations to adapt to changes rapidly.
  • They measure employee performance against business mission achievement.
  • Modern systems provide collaboration features and dashboards for in-depth strategic insights.
What This Guide Covers:

What Is Strategic Planning Software?

Strategic planning software is a suite of applications that helps businesses identify short and long-term goals and priorities. Users can choose paths to reach desired goals while measuring progress and tracking all information in one place.

Advanced solutions offer organizational charts to map hiring plans and performance management capabilities to monitor employee progress. They link planning and execution while providing intelligence and confidence to make crucial decisions.

Efficient strategic planning software helps:

  • Strategists, founders and board members lay out the business vision.
  • Track progress and status against key milestones for crucial programs.
  • Model trade-offs between investment proposals and other decisions.
  • Execute organization-wide changes.
  • Make dynamic adjustments to opportunities.

Primary Benefits

Strategic Planning Software Categories

Implementing strategic planning software can benefit your business in the following ways.

Strategic Planning Software Primary Benefits

Drive Enterprise-wide Strategy

These solutions design top-down strategic plans based on business requirements. Organizations can align programs, applications, projects, technology and people while translating strategic delivery at cross-functional levels.

Manage Funds

These solutions maximize ROI from strategic initiatives. They create investment-centric approaches to integrate strategy and corporate financials while boosting performance. Managers can rank investments based on how well they align with corporate goals.

Model Trade-offs

Strategic planning software optimizes resource and fund allocation for cross-functional projects. Businesses can compare proposed decision trade-offs, evaluate funding alternatives and prioritize initiatives.

Measure Performance

These solutions track progress against strategic goals by offering real-time visibility into portfolio, program and KPI performance. With in-depth insights, organizations can balance financials, drive alignments, resolve obstacles and deliver crucial initiatives.

Optimize Resource Utilization

They create capacity for transformation and innovation by optimizing resource utilization. Strategic planning systems decrease expenses through streamlined reporting and automating repeatable processes.

Improve Team Collaboration

These systems drive processes and management plans through improved team collaboration across enterprises. They empower complex organizations to set objectives, define roadmaps and measure progress via financial planning and capacity-building functionalities.

Key Features & Functionality

Strategic Frameworks

These solutions design and implement strategic frameworks. Users can also implement popular frameworks like balanced scorecard, theory of change and objectives and key results.
Strategy Maps and Custom Fields

Strategy maps help create templates, customize rules, and personalize terminologies and relationships for various business elements.

You can add customized fields like formulas or parameters to planning processes.
User Management

Strategy teams can add users to execution teams. These systems help share updates and plans with teams via emails and in-app messages.
Integrations

These systems integrate with popular third-party modules like CRM, ERP, marketing automation and BI.
Mobility

These solutions provide access on-the-go through mobile apps. Teams can plan work and allocate resources and finances across programs and portfolios.

Software Comparison Strategy

With the global strategy management software market growing at a CAGR of 13.3%, finding the right fit can take some time. Find a system that plans and offers visibility into critical strategic projects.

It should provide the knowledge and analysis required to make crucial investment choices. Your chosen system should align your company’s strategic objectives, investments, resource capabilities and financial limitations.

It must connect planning and delivery by translating broad goals into specific objectives like workable roadmaps, attainable targets and coordinated delivery.

Cost & Pricing Considerations

Implementing a scalable strategic planning solution that will support your long-term objectives is essential.

Since most products offer monthly subscription plans, set aside money for the new system while considering how much you can spend each month.

The Most Popular Strategic Planning Software

To simplify your software search, we’ve curated a list of popular systems in the market.

Clarizen

Clarizen is a comprehensive work management platform that offers configurable workflows, team collaboration and cross-functional project management. It boosts team communication, project tracking and progress updates.

It offers seamless collaboration and a configurable UI and automates repeatable tasks. Organizations have complete visibility into project status to make smarter decisions.

Clarizen

Clarizen supports multiple work styles by integrating with popular third-party project management solutions.

Planisware

Planisware connects organizational strategy with products, finance and application. Companies can manage and prioritize project portfolios through simulations and scenarios.

It uses resource scheduling, capacity planning and time tracking to offer team visibility. It also provides reporting, dashboards, knowledge management and sustained team engagements through social networking channels.

Planisware

Planisware uses advanced techniques to compare investments against strategic axes.

Workfront

Workfront is a work management system that connects siloed teams. It plans, assigns, executes, delivers and measures work progress for organizations and teams of all sizes.

Teams can automate processes, locate bottlenecks and deliver measurable results.

Workfront

Workfront defines goals, links daily tasks to strategies and maps requests.

 

 

Questions To Ask

Use the following questions to initiate internal discussions about aligning strategy and execution:

  • What strategic challenges do I face currently?
  • Is there a gap between planning and execution?
  • Will I handle complex and cross-functional programs in the future?
  • Who will use the new application?
  • How much budget can I earmark?

Strategic Planning Software Key Questions To Ask

Once you know your organizational requirements, you can ask vendors the following questions:

  • Will the solution establish a link between planning and delivery?
  • Will it help accomplish high-level objectives?
  • How big is the learning curve?
  • What pricing packages do you offer?
  • How friendly are your training and support plans?

In Conclusion

Strategic planning is an ongoing process that demands continuous adjustments for delivering strategic objectives. Strategic planning software helps organizations achieve agility while adapting to change.

Moving away from cumbersome spreadsheets and adopting these solutions offers you real-time insights into variables that impact execution. These applications prepare organizations to adapt to rapid changes while fast-tracking strategic delivery.

Product Comparisons

Additional Resources

About The Contributors

The following expert team members are responsible for creating, reviewing, and fact checking the accuracy of this content.

Pragya
By Pragya Singh
Technical Content Writer
Pragya Singh is a Technical Writer and Market Analyst at SelectHub. She writes content for Project Management, PPM, Time and Attendance Management and Employee Scheduling. An avid reader and writer she studied English Literature at the University of Delhi (India). In her leisure time, she likes to dabble with poetry, is glued to an interesting book, looks for book recommendations, makes random backpacking plans or is hooked to a sitcom. She occasionally indulges in outdoor sports and getting into debates about current and world politics, entertainment and everything else.
See Full Bio
Joan
Technical Research By Joan Akash
Senior Analyst
Joan Akash, a Senior Research Analyst at SelectHub, holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management with a specialization in Marketing. Her expertise as a researcher and reviewer spans diverse software categories, including Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, Live Chat, and Help Desk. Beyond her professional pursuits, Joan is spiritually driven, with a passion for teaching children and a penchant for reading biblical blogs and crafting poetry.
See Full Bio
Manan
Technical Review By Manan Roy
Principal Analyst
Manan is a native of Tezpur, Assam (India), who currently lives in Kolkata, West Bengal (India). At SelectHub, he works on categories like CRM, HR, PPM, BI, and EHR. He has a Bachelor of Technology in CSE from The Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology, a Master of Technology from The Institute of Engineering and Management IT, and an MBA in Finance from St. Xavier's College. He's published two research papers, one in a conference and the other in a journal, during his Master of Technology.
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Hunter
Edited By Hunter Lowe
Content Editor
Hunter Lowe is a Content Editor, Writer and Market Analyst at SelectHub. His team covers categories that range from ERP and business intelligence to transportation and supply chain management. Hunter is an avid reader and Dungeons and Dragons addict who studied English and Creative Writing through college. In his free time, you'll likely find him devising new dungeons for his players to explore, checking out the latest video games, writing his next horror story or running around with his daughter.
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