manufacturing project management software
Manufacturing teams lose time in predictable places: engineering changes arrive late to production, schedule risks surface only in weekly meetings, and project updates sit in disconnected systems. Operations checks ERP, engineers check GitHub, planners check spreadsheets, and leadership gets conflicting status snapshots. That context switching creates avoidable delays, overtime, and expensive rework.
This guide is for project managers, engineering managers, technical leads, decision makers, and upper management in manufacturing organizations that need better execution control. If you are evaluating the best project management software for manufacturing, the goal is not more dashboards. The goal is faster coordination between engineering, operations, and shop floor teams.
You will get a scenario-based shortlist, realistic tradeoffs, setup expectations, migration tips, and a rollout approach that can start in 30 minutes and scale over 60 to 90 days. For dev-heavy environments, you will also see practical GitHub workflow examples.
Best manufacturing project management software comparison table
| Tool | Pricing | Strengths | Limits | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HighFly | $0 solo, paid plans from $10/user/month | Lightweight PM layer, built-in automations, GitHub workflow alignment | Not a full ERP or deep MES replacement | Engineer-to-order and mixed technical/non-technical teams |
| ProjectManager | From ~$13/user/mo (Team), ~$24 (Business) | Portfolio visibility, scheduling, dashboards, resource tracking | ERP-level inventory and costing usually require integrations | Multi-project and multi-site coordination |
| Epicflow | Contact for quote | Resource-constrained planning, bottleneck visibility, forecasting | Requires reliable effort estimates and disciplined updates | High-mix job shops and contract manufacturing |
| Asana | Free; paid from ~$11/user/mo (Starter), ~$25 (Advanced) | Easy adoption, clean boards and timelines, strong automation basics | Limited manufacturing-specific capacity planning out of the box | Small manufacturers and hardware startups |
| NetSuite | Contact for quote; implementation extra | ERP plus project and financial alignment in one platform | Longer implementation and higher total cost | ERP-centric and scaling operations |
| Wrike | Free; paid from $10/user/mo (Team), $25 (Business) | Cross-functional collaboration, approvals, dashboard flexibility | Can become complex without workflow governance | Manufacturing with design and marketing workflows |
| Smartsheet | From ~$19/user/mo (Business), Enterprise custom | Spreadsheet-style adoption, reporting, and process automation | Needs clear standards to avoid inconsistent sheet design | Teams moving from spreadsheet-heavy operations |
| DELMIAWorks | Contact for quote; implementation-partner led | Manufacturing-centric ERP and production process alignment | Can be oversized for smaller PM-only use cases | Regulated or process-heavy manufacturing operations |
Pricing and packaging change frequently. Verify current plans, contract terms, and feature limits on each vendor page before purchase.
HighFly for engineer-to-order manufacturing teams
Real setup time
Most teams can launch a useful pilot in 20 to 40 minutes. Create one board per product program, define statuses for design, validation, build, and release, then add a risk field and owner field. This structure works well for manufacturing project management software where engineering and operations need shared visibility on active changes.
Workflow example
Firmware and automation code live in GitHub while operations tracks readiness and dependencies in HighFly. When a pull request merges, linked tasks update automatically and supervisors get notified if the change affects build schedules. This removes duplicate reporting and helps teams catch production-impacting changes sooner.
Pricing and limits
HighFly starts free for solo users, with paid plans from about $10 per user/month. It is lightweight, easy for technical and non-technical users, and includes built-in automations that save coordination time. Teams still use ERP or MES for deep inventory, purchasing, and costing controls.
Migration tip
Start with one engineer-to-order project and map existing GitHub issues into a shared manufacturing workflow. For adjacent patterns, review git integration project management tools and project automation for teams.
ProjectManager for multi-site production visibility
Real setup time
Teams can configure a pilot in a day if project templates and owner roles are clear. Use Gantt for line-level scheduling, boards for execution teams, and dashboards for leadership reporting. This combination helps manufacturers who need one view across plants without forcing every team into the same interface.
Workflow example
A central PMO tracks project milestones across two facilities while local supervisors update task progress by shift. Resource dashboards surface overload risks by role and work center, letting managers rebalance before due dates slip. This improves cross-site coordination for best project management software for manufacturing use cases.
Pricing and limits
ProjectManager offers published tiers and per-user licensing with feature differences by plan. It supports strong scheduling and reporting, but ERP-depth workflows often need integrations. Verify current plan details on the vendor page before rollout.
Migration tip
Import active projects only and standardize status names in week one. Vendor reference: ProjectManager.
Epicflow for high-mix job shops
Real setup time
Epicflow setup usually takes a few days because teams must define resources, bottlenecks, and capacity assumptions clearly. The value appears quickly for shops juggling overlapping custom jobs and constant priority shifts. Teams with disciplined updates see better load balancing in the first month.
Workflow example
A contract manufacturer uses resource load dashboards to detect machining bottlenecks before they become missed deliveries. PMs rebalance work center commitments weekly and flag high-risk orders automatically. This structure helps manufacturing project management software perform better in constrained environments.
Pricing and limits
Epicflow pricing is commonly quote-based and implementation scope affects total cost. The platform is strong for resource-constrained planning, but teams with simple, repetitive production may not need its full depth.
Migration tip
Pilot with one product family and three to five representative orders first. Vendor reference: Epicflow.
Asana for small manufacturers and hardware startups
Real setup time
Asana can be operational in under an hour for small teams. Create one project per product line, define a simple status model, and add only four custom fields in phase one: owner, priority, due date, and blocker state. This keeps initial adoption light while providing better structure than spreadsheets.
Workflow example
Engineering, purchasing, and production coordinate through shared milestones while each function keeps a filtered view of relevant tasks. Weekly reviews focus on blocked items and dependency risks. This improves alignment when teams are searching for best project management software for manufacturing without heavy enterprise setup.
Pricing and limits
Asana offers a free tier and paid business plans. It is easy to adopt, but it is not purpose-built for detailed machine-capacity planning or deep manufacturing costing. Many teams pair it with ERP and scheduling tools as operations scale.
Migration tip
Lock one template and naming standard before inviting all departments. Related guide: asana task tracking.
NetSuite for ERP-centric manufacturing operations
Real setup time
NetSuite projects usually require a structured implementation track, often several weeks to months depending on scope. The advantage is tight alignment across projects, procurement, inventory, and finance for teams that need one enterprise backbone.
Workflow example
A manufacturer launching a new product line links project milestones to purchasing and financial controls, then tracks schedule variance against cost outcomes in one reporting environment. Leadership gets stronger governance while operations maintains traceable execution data.
Pricing and limits
NetSuite is quote-based with licensing and implementation services that vary by modules and users. It can be expensive for teams that only need lightweight project coordination. Verify solution fit and total cost of ownership before commitment.
Migration tip
Migrate core master data and project templates before broad process automation. Vendor reference: NetSuite.
Wrike for cross-functional manufacturing and commercial teams
Real setup time
Wrike pilots typically run in one to three days for first workflows. Teams can set up custom request forms, approval stages, and reporting views that support production, packaging, and launch coordination in one workspace.
Workflow example
Operations, quality, and marketing teams coordinate label updates, packaging changes, and release deadlines with approval trails. This helps organizations where product changes touch both factory execution and customer-facing content.
Pricing and limits
Wrike provides free and paid plans with expanded automation and reporting in higher tiers. As workflow count grows, governance is important to prevent excessive complexity and inconsistent status definitions.
Migration tip
Create one shared taxonomy for approvals and handoffs before scale-up. Vendor reference: Wrike.
Smartsheet for spreadsheet-heavy manufacturing teams
Real setup time
Teams with strong spreadsheet habits can often onboard quickly because the interface feels familiar. Initial setup takes a day or two to define templates, dependencies, and dashboard summaries that decision makers can trust.
Workflow example
A planning team tracks order readiness, supplier dependencies, and quality checks in linked sheets while leadership monitors weekly delivery risk in roll-up dashboards. This model reduces manual status consolidation and makes existing spreadsheet work easier to operationalize.
Pricing and limits
Smartsheet uses published business plans with advanced features in higher tiers. It works well for structured collaboration, but it still requires governance to avoid local customization that breaks consistency across teams.
Migration tip
Standardize field names before importing legacy files and keep one template owner per department. Vendor reference: Smartsheet.
DELMIAWorks for manufacturing-centric ERP process control
Real setup time
DELMIAWorks rollouts are typically implementation-led and can take longer than lightweight PM tools. Teams needing deep integration between production planning, quality, and ERP controls often accept this timeline for operational depth.
Workflow example
A regulated manufacturer tracks quality gates, production milestones, and resource constraints in one governed environment, then uses reports to support audits and corrective action reviews. This is useful where traceability requirements are strict.
Pricing and limits
Pricing is commonly quote-based and tied to modules plus implementation scope. It may be heavier than needed for organizations that only want project-level coordination without broader ERP modernization.
Migration tip
Run a phased rollout by plant or product line to reduce change risk. Vendor reference: DELMIAWorks.
Implementation roadmap and common pitfalls
30-day pilot for smaller manufacturing teams
Week one: define success metrics and select one active project. Week two: configure templates and automations. Week three: train by role and enforce status conventions. Week four: evaluate metrics and decide scale-up. Keep scope tight to avoid pilot drift.
60 to 90 day rollout for mid-sized operations
Expand by workflow, not by department count alone. Start with engineering-to-operations handoffs, then add procurement and quality gates. Integrate ERP or MES data in phases so teams can validate data quality before broad automation.
Dev-heavy workflow automation example
If your manufacturing projects include firmware, test automation, or internal software, sync engineering signals directly into project status to reduce context switching.
name: Sync manufacturing change status
on:
pull_request:
types: [closed]
jobs:
sync-project:
if: github.event.pull_request.merged == true
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Notify project layer
run: |
curl -X POST "https://api.highfly.app/v1/integrations/github/sync" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${{ secrets.HIGHFLY_API_TOKEN }}" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"repo":"${{ github.repository }}","pr":"${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}","workflow":"mfg-change"}'Common rollout mistakes are predictable: over-customizing before real usage, ignoring shop floor feedback, and integrating poor source data. Teams that avoid these three issues usually cut status prep by 2 to 3 hours per project weekly. For related implementation patterns, see complete guide integrations dev teams and project status tracking examples agile teams.