Wrike Project Management Review: A Simple Software Tool?

Is your company a mid- and large-sized company? Do you need a tool to collaborate on projects easily? Companies of all sizes can benefit from project management software tools, including Wrike. This software tool has been around for some time. This Wrike project management review will discuss how you can maximize its benefits and make your business run smoothly.

What is Wrike?

Wrike is a project management software that helps teams collaborate and improve productivity. It provides a nice alternative to using spreadsheets, or eliminating the need to use email back and forth.

Founded in 2006, it was self-funded and started out as a beta version for some customers. After several years, it launched their Enterprise system. With this system, businesses had more features to choose from.

Over the years, Wrike has received investor funding to grow the service. Most recently, Citrix systems acquired it for around $2.25 billion (Wrike is now a Citrix company).

Headquartered in San Jose, California, they also have offices in Australia, Ireland, and Russia. They serve more than 20,000 companies, along with over 2 million users. Also, they have received multiple rewards over the years, including commercial innovators of the year (2018). 

I will outline some of their key features in the remainder of this review. Additionally, I’ll discuss whether it is a valuable project management tool or not.

An Overview of Wrike

Wrike Key Features

Dynamic request forms: Planning made simple

Wrike offers request forms for team members to make collaboration easier. Whether that’s for scheduling or assigning tasks, they assist in planning tasks before everybody starts working on a project. It helps avoid work conflicts. If needed, it’s easy to reschedule or reassign responsibilities.

Turbocharge processes: Custom workflows

Workflows are made up of statuses, which consist of four groups:

• Active

• Canceled

• Completed

• Deferred

There is a default workflow available for all users. For business and enterprise accounts, custom workflows are available along with an option to specify tasks for a specific user. Also, you can create workflows to address a team’s needs and see statuses updated as well.

Streamline collaboration: Keep your team on the same page

In any project management tool, collaboration is a significant component. With constant collaboration, Wrike allows users to update task descriptions and comments.

Also, the symbol “@mentions” to identify others with different tasks. It’s similar to using mentions on a social feed on Twitter. Collaboration certainly helps keep team members on the same page without having unnecessary meetings.

Real visibility at a glance

Wrike has a straightforward dashboard setup in their software, making it simpler to view assigned tasks and your team’s schedule. Whether you need to check work through a specific project or check a team member’s plan, it’s all there.

Also, it helps users save time from checking up on other tasks manually. This feature helps keep time in utilizing other resources through a “birds-eye” view of managing jobs.

Can Wrike improve the workflow of your business?

Wrike can be a great tool for any type of project management work. It can help with planning assignment, improve communication, and have more collaboration between teams.

Absent a software tool such as Wrike, it may be challenging to keep information in one place. If you’re used to saving spreadsheets (and they’re all over the place), it can get a little disorganized sometimes.

Can Wrike help keep your business more efficient?

With this type of project management tool, Wrike has easy integrations with some common tools. Wrike is compatible with a lot of common business tools, including:

• Google Drive/Gmail
• Microsoft Teams
• Slack
• Salesforce

Along with that, they have a desktop app where you can use it right from a PC or Mac. So it’s easier to use it when organizing paperwork, or working on big projects.

Who is Wrike designed for?

Wrike can be used by any type of business. But as mentioned earlier, it’s best suited for mid-large size companies that may have complex projects and tasks to complete.

If you manage a large team, staying on top of the latest communications isn’t easy. When you need to send a message across your team, be sure it goes out promptly. While teams are working together, it can help make the workflow run smoother because it has improved communication methods.

Pricing

Wrike offers a few plans that are suitable for all types of businesses. They do offer a free plan if you have a small team (i.e. less than five members).

Regarding the other plans, they come with a 14-day free trial. The prices are shown at a monthly cost, and they’re billed on an annual basis. Here are the following plans:

Free	Professional	Business	Enterprise
Centralized task management (between 1-5 users) FREE	Project planning and team collaboration (between 5-15 users) $9.80/month	Customized platform for any team or case (between 5-200 users) $24.80/month	Enterprise grade security and scalability (unlimited number of users) Contact customer support for pricing details

Also, they have some add-one features to help make your workflow run smoother. Some of them include the following:

• Wrike Integrate

– Make custom integrations and automations with multiple cloud applications

• Wrike Two-Way Sync

-Two-way syncs with tools such as Jira & Github

• Wrike Lock

-Get keys to encrypted data- obtain data access control and audit features

• Wrike Marketing Insights

-This feature gives you advanced marketing tools to try out; also, it gives you insights on multiple ad platforms and social media networks

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Customized workflows
• Multiple charts for establishing timelines of tasks assigned and completed.
• Collaboration tool: easier to instantly communicate with others you work with.
• Free version available

Cons

• Slow setup of software- takes a while to download and get the program up and running.
• A little learning curve- especially for beginners in project management software.
• Not available offline- can be used through mobile phones and tablets, but need an internet connection for the software.
• Too many upsells

Is Wrike Worth Giving A Try?

Rating: 3/5

Wrike is a well-established project management tool that has helped companies achieve their goals. As listed on their website, they have partnered with major companies to improve performance management.

Along with having neat features, there are drawbacks to the project management tool. Some of the downsides include not being so user-friendly, and the slow setup to installing on a desktop computer.

It is a learning curve for those who are not familiar with project management software. So it will take time to understand how managing tasks through the system works.

My thoughts

Wrike first came to my attention a couple of years ago. Using it myself, I found it to be very easy to learn and navigate. It was something that I would boast about- it was a very useful tool back in those days.

Looking back on it a few years ago, I have noticed some things have changed. Recently, some of the things in my account looked a little confusing to me.

Furthermore, I know some users who are concerned about the new updates. It was even mentioned to me that customer service is not as good as it once was.

There is so much more I could say. It might have to do with Citrix acquiring it in 2021, when major changes started occurring to the project management software.

Wrike seems to be less effective than it used to be. Therefore, I’m not using it so much anymore; moreover, I advise giving this software tool a pass.

Final Words

Wrike project management tool is more suited for mid-size to larger companies. However, it can be beneficial for smaller companies as well. So if you don’t want to invest in anything yet, Wrike may be the best choice at the moment. 

There’s a free version available if you’re the only one using it (or if you have a few people working with you). If you’d like to try out their features, you can sign up today for a free 14-day trial. 

Regardless of the choice you make, it can help make running your business more efficient. Wrike gives you access to some of those things if you’re big on team collaboration and efficiency. You can start using it today.

Your Turn: How effective is Wrike as a project management tool?

I would like to know your thoughts on Wrike in general. Do you think Wrike can be a great tool for managing your projects?

What is your favorite aspect of this software tool? Are you able to use it easily or does it sometimes challenge you? Are there any ways to make Wrike a better project management tool?

Feel to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. I look forward to reading your responses, and I’ll gladly respond promptly.

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Eric is a content writer and the site owner of notimekillers.com. He takes great pride in helping people manage their time and grow their businesses. Eric is a firm believer in time freedom, as he believes in taking ownership of time. 

“Time is your most important asset. It can be your best friend or worst enemy. How you use your time can shape the future you desire to have.” In his leisure time, Eric loves to write and read whenever possible. He enjoys going for long walks outdoors while doing in-home workout videos every week. You can follow Eric on LinkedIn.