App Review: Wrike

I remember the first operational plan I built. I evaluated the maturity of a given business process using a detailed template derived from the Capability Maturity Model (CMMI). Based on 300 observations, the plan suggested around 40 activities spanning multiple teams. It was a big deal. But it was in Excel.

I used an obscure plugin to generate a Gantt Chart. Worse, Excel and Gantt would not synchronize my changes.

I didn't know at the time, but my plan needed Wrike. "Wrike" now!

Exploring the app

My observations are based on the "Teams Plan" that I've tried.

Wrike does not carry all-encompassing ambitions. It does not feel like an app aiming to anchor a digital transformation or usher in a brand-new era of working in the work-from-home paradigm. It's a project management app, and proud of it!

I found creating tasks and subtasks straightforward using a standard List view. This is also the menu brought by default in the mobile app.

Project Managers will enjoy the app's convenience for task creation and review. There is no weird side-scrolling to view an immense kanban board. Users rather click on tasks to view subtasks and can change status with a swipe, which I loved.

Wrike's full value comes from its impressive "views" feature, which is market-leading. The Kanban board's use of screen real estate allows users to understand easily the project's status. The Gantt chart view is Wrike's "A-HA!" feature, with drag and drop components that save dozens of clicks. I created 80% of my project using the Gantt Chart and was amazed by how well the other views were reflected. See images below:

Recommended Use Cases

Wrike offers some pre-made templates for Marketing and IT Requests. I think Wrike shines when asked to do, well, as I said above, operational plans based on the CMMI to improve and standardize a process. That might be too niche. Nevertheless, I think a portfolio manager would love Wrike's capacity to display a 360 view of many projects and tasks.

Limitations

When clicking a task, a panel opens on the right of the screen with an annoying loading time. Such delays frustrated me since my tasks were relatively bare: what is taking so long?

I struggled to distinguish how Wrike would transcend project management. By that, I mean it gives project managers what they want but not what they didn't know they wanted. I wish Wrike could use its impressive view feature to build a new type of chart based on its years of research and expertise. I would love a template for puppy training since their evolution doesn't follow Gantt Charts very well.

Do I look like the subtask type?

Pricing

Pricing begins with a limited free tier and scales to $10-$25/user/month. I think it is ridiculous to offer 2FA only on the Enterprise plan. The Pro Plan offers some interesting options for marketing teams such as a Request module, Creative Cloud extension and in-app editing. I appreciate the strategy of "upselling" based on specialty features rather than more equivocal choices such as the ability to build custom statuses.

A quick note on support: I provided in-app feedback during my mobile evaluation and got an answer within minutes from their Success team. Bravo!

Verdict

The best Gantt Chart app in the business does what project managers want it to do, and does it well. Its versatility can accommodate diverse teams such as marketing and software development. Now let's see whether Wrike can reinvent the wheel.