Project Management vs. Task Management

In this brief article, I would like to explain the difference between project management, task management, and ticketing software, as these terms are often used imprecisely by software vendors.

Project Management

Project management tools distinguish themselves from task management software and ticketing software through the following features:

• Tasks can be structured hierarchically and not just broken down into simple subtasks.
• Projects can be hierarchically structured to any depth.
• Tasks can depend on each other, and these dependencies can be visualized accordingly (Gantt view).
• There is the ability to distinguish between a baseline plan and a current plan.
• Resource planning is available.

Project management software is generally more complex than issue tracking software and therefore requires more time to learn. Good project management software should offer a superset of the functionality of task management software.

Task Management Software

Task management software can do much of what project management software offers. Task management software and issue tracking systems are not sharply distinguished from one another terminologically. The latter term is used primarily in software development. Modern issue tracking systems usually support the Scrum methodology popular in the software development world. For this, project and task hierarchies are not needed, and the planning aspect is largely eliminated through the time-boxed approach and short release cycles.

Task management software differs from project management software primarily in the following ways:

• Often better support for software development processes
• Easier to use
• Little support for project planning
• Poor support for large, hybrid (agile/traditional) projects
• No logic for handling dependencies

Ticketing Software

Ticketing software is often used in the helpdesk area and is then referred to as helpdesk software or service desk software. The focus is on processing queues in which customers have submitted tickets. The following features are helpful:

• Distinction between agents and clients
• Automatic assignment of tickets to queues
• Support for workflows with escalations and SLAs
• Reports on process metrics such as average response time
• Ticket creation via email, web application, and phone

The Bottom Line: Project Management, Task Management, and Ticketing Systems

In short: Project management software offers far more capabilities for traditional project management than task management software. Issue tracking systems are particularly popular in software development. Simple ticketing systems like Freshdesk are not suitable for project management purposes.

Further Topics in Task Management

Further recommended topics in the area of task management include the 4 most important task management methods.