Any project, either big and sophisticated or small and easy, must be well managed to succeed. To optimize work processes, not miss any important details, monitor work progress, in other words, to keep everything under control, many managers reach out to different project management solutions. Due to strong demand, today, there is a great variety of corresponding apps and tools. Oleh Sadykow (Co-Founder at DeviQA – leading software testing company) says, “Still, statistics have shown that two solutions stand out from this variety of choices and hold leading positions. These are well-known Trello and Jira. Most users recognize them as the most helpful tools for their business management. However, it is not so easy to choose one of these two options. Both tools provide outstanding features and good opportunities that can streamline work processes. Although they have much in common and even belong to the same company now, they also have a range of key differences”. So let’s consider the issue in detail.
Target users
Jira Software was developed initially for specially IT teams, while Trello has a significantly wider target audience because it can help to manage almost any project in any industry.
Supported software development methodologies
Jira Software provides various dashboards for Scrum, Kanban, their combination, and other agile techniques. Trello, on the other hand, has been designed in the form of only a Kanban board.
Hosting
Taking into account various aspects and business requirements, you may need cloud or otherwise on-premises solutions. If your company needs an on-premises software, Trello is definitely improper for you, as it is available only as a cloud-based service. In its turn, Jira Software offers either cloud-based or self-managed versions. Applying for the self-managed option, users can choose between server and data center.
Project management features
In terms of standard project management features, Jira Software seems to lead the way. Apart from the standard management of tasks and documents, it also provides time tracking features, generation of comprehensive reports and charts, as well as bug tracking and management.
Customization
Both tools can be easily customized with needed features to meet the unique requirements of each team and project.
Usability
When it comes to usability, Trello is definitely easier to learn and use. It is rather intuitive due to quite a simple user interface. Anyone can start work in this system on the fly. As for Jira Software, it is pretty complicated as it offers all possible features that you can only imagine. It is strongly recommended to get acquainted with the user guide and watch some tutorials before starting so you can really take advantage of its usage.
Integrations
During the working process there may be a need to receive data from other systems and applications, like a version control tool, build tool, deployment tool, code repository, etc. and use it in your project management tool. Trello’s library offers a lot of integration connections. As for Jira Software, it possesses an incredibly extensive library of tools and apps for integration.
Mobile apps
Both project management solutions offer Android and iOS mobile applications providing their users with an opportunity to collaborate with team members and settle issues being anywhere, at any time, and using a favorite device.
Team size and project complexity
Due to its simplicity and set of the most standard features, Trello is more suitable for small teams and rather simple projects. When it comes to more sophisticated product development and large teams, it is better to utilize Jira Software because it provides all possible features and is perfect for extremely complex project management.
Task management
Task management is a major function of the tools we are considering in this article.
In Trello all project tasks can be easily managed with the help of cards, lists, and boards. These elements can be created and managed according to users; wishes and needs. It is possible to assign a card to a certain team member, assign deadlines, and attach needed files. The only disadvantage of this tool is the absence of pre-built workflows.
Jira Software uses another attitude to task management, still with some similar features. Using Jira for task management, you can use different pre-built workflows to develop software. But custom workflows can be created as well. As is the case with Trello, tasks and cards can be created, assigned, dragged and dropped across columns.
Conclusion
Either Jira or Trello are recommendable, helpful, and highly customizable product management tools that can considerably improve your company’s work. Both deserve consideration. Which to choose depends on your team size, work style, project complexity, and personal preferences. That is why you should conduct a thorough analysis, weigh all the pros and cons, and decide whether Trello or Jira is more appropriate for your team tool.
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