Best Project Management Tool for Salesforce Users: What to Look For

Updated October 2, 2026

TL;DR: choosing a project management tool for Salesforce users

• Core Salesforce has no dedicated project management product. Teams either bend standard objects into project tracking, install a project management app from the AppExchange, or connect a standalone tool through an integration.
• Native apps keep project data inside Salesforce and inherit its permissions. Integrated tools keep data outside Salesforce and rely on a sync that has to be maintained.
• Weigh five things: where the data lives, templates and automation, resource management, reporting from Salesforce data, and fit for the type of work.
• TaskRay is a Salesforce-native managed package built for post-sale delivery and customer onboarding. It is the best fit when the work starts after a deal closes and the data must stay in Salesforce, and not the right fit for non-Salesforce teams, software development sprints, or full PSA billing.

Best project management tool for Salesforce users: what to look for

Project management is essential for businesses looking to stay organized, hit deadlines, and deliver results. For Salesforce users, the best project management tool needs to be deeply integrated with Salesforce’s CRM capabilities while offering flexibility, automation, and powerful reporting features. This guide covers whether Salesforce has a project management tool built in, what to look for when you choose one, how Salesforce-native apps differ from integrated tools, and where TaskRay fits for Salesforce-native, post-sale delivery.

Does Salesforce have a built-in project management tool?

Not in core Salesforce. Sales Cloud and Service Cloud don’t include project management out of the box. Salesforce Labs offers a free Project Management Tool (PMT) on the AppExchange, but most teams that run real delivery on Salesforce either install a purpose-built project management app from the AppExchange or connect a standalone project tool through an integration.

Standard Salesforce objects handle a simple task list, but they were not designed for project work, so they lack templates, Gantt timelines, dependencies, and resource management. That is why most teams that run real delivery on Salesforce reach for an AppExchange app or an outside tool. The choice between those two, native app versus integrated tool, is the decision that matters most, and the next two sections break it down.

What to look for in a Salesforce project management tool

Weigh a Salesforce project management tool against five criteria before you commit:

• Where the data lives. A Salesforce-native app stores projects as Salesforce records, so there is no second database and no sync to maintain. An integrated tool keeps project data in its own system and syncs a copy back, which can drift or break.
• Templates and automation. Look for reusable project templates and the ability to launch a project automatically when an opportunity closes, so no one rekeys account data into a separate tool.
• Resource management. Check whether the tool shows team capacity, workload, and skills, and confirm which edition includes it, because resource planning is often gated to a higher tier.
• Reporting from Salesforce data. A native app lets executives build delivery dashboards in standard Salesforce Reports without paying for a separate BI tool or exporting and reconciling data by hand.
• Fit for the work. Match the tool to the job. Post-sale delivery and customer onboarding, software development sprints, and internal ad hoc work are different problems, and no single tool is best at all three.

Native vs integrated: two ways to run project management on Salesforce

There are two categories of Salesforce project management tool, and they behave differently.

Salesforce-native apps run as managed packages inside your Salesforce org. Every project, task, and milestone is a Salesforce record, so the app inherits your permission sets, sharing rules, and field-level security, and project data sits next to the account and opportunity it belongs to. TaskRay, Inspire Planner, and Cloud Coach are examples of Salesforce-native apps.

Standalone tools with a Salesforce integration, such as Asana, Monday.com, Smartsheet, or Jira, keep project data in their own platform and connect to Salesforce through a connector or iPaaS layer. They are strong general-purpose tools, but the integration is a moving part: the sync can break, data can go stale, and you maintain a second permission model. For teams whose priority is keeping delivery data inside the CRM, that trade-off is the deciding factor.

Where TaskRay fits: seven reasons Salesforce teams choose it

The rest of this guide explains why TaskRay is the best fit for Salesforce users who need native, post-sale delivery, and closes with an honest note on when it is not.

1. Native Salesforce Integration

As a native Salesforce app, TaskRay is built directly into the Salesforce platform. This means it works natively with Salesforce features and tools without a third-party integration to maintain.

Key Advantages:

• One Data Model: TaskRay shares the same data architecture as Salesforce, ensuring that all project and customer data is stored in one place.
• No Data Silos: Since everything resides within Salesforce, there are no isolated data systems. Your teams can easily access and update project information alongside CRM data, such as accounts, contacts, and opportunities, providing a complete 360-degree view of your business processes.
• Single Interface: Users don’t have to jump between platforms to manage tasks or check project statuses. Everything is managed within Salesforce, reducing friction and enhancing productivity.

2. Tailored for Salesforce Users

TaskRay was designed specifically for Salesforce users. It offers a familiar interface and uses Salesforce’s powerful tools, such as Chatter and Lightning Experience.

• Familiar Salesforce Interface: Salesforce users will appreciate TaskRay’s user interface, which mirrors Salesforce’s look and feel. This reduces the learning curve for new users and ensures consistency across the platform.
• Chatter Integration: Teams can collaborate directly within Salesforce using Chatter, Salesforce’s real-time communication tool. TaskRay integrates Chatter into its project management workflows, allowing users to discuss project updates, share documents, and resolve issues without leaving the platform.

3. Comprehensive Project Management Features

TaskRay gives teams the project management tools to plan, execute, and monitor customer-facing delivery, from a single onboarding checklist to complex, multi-team implementations.

Core Features:

• Task and Project Templates: TaskRay allows users to create reusable templates for common projects, reducing setup time and ensuring workflow consistency.
• Visual Project Management Tools: TaskRay’s interface includes Gantt charts and Kanban boards, giving project managers multiple ways to visualize tasks, milestones, and dependencies.
• Custom Fields and Objects: Because TaskRay operates within Salesforce, users can customize it to fit their business processes. This flexibility allows you to create custom fields, objects, and reports tailored to your project needs.

4. Customer Onboarding and Implementation Management

One of TaskRay’s standout features is its focus on customer onboarding. For companies that rely on successful customer onboarding and implementation processes, TaskRay provides the tools to standardize and speed up these workflows.

• Customer-Centric Project Tracking: TaskRay allows Salesforce users to track customer progress at every stage of the onboarding process. This ensures that nothing slips through the cracks and that each customer receives the attention they need for a successful launch.

5. Scalability for Growing Teams

Whether your organization is managing a handful of projects or handling complex, multi-departmental initiatives, TaskRay can scale to meet your needs.

• Team and Resource Management: TaskRay allows users to assign tasks and manage team roles, ensuring that everyone knows their responsibilities and deadlines. On the Standard and Premium editions, resource management tools help teams track workload and adjust project timelines as needed.
• Multi-Team Collaboration: TaskRay makes it easy for different teams to collaborate on a single project. By linking tasks to Salesforce records such as accounts or opportunities, TaskRay keeps everyone on the same page, regardless of department.
• Cross-Project Oversight: Project managers and executives can track multiple projects simultaneously through TaskRay’s customizable dashboards and reports, providing a real-time overview of project statuses, bottlenecks, and KPIs.

6. Powerful Reporting and Analytics

Salesforce’s native reporting tools are well-known for providing detailed insights into customer relationships, and TaskRay also fully utilizes these capabilities for project management.

Real-Time Project Reporting:

• TaskRay’s reporting tools allow users to create custom reports on key project metrics, such as task completion rates and resource utilization. These reports can be scheduled to run automatically, ensuring that stakeholders receive regular updates on project performance.
• TaskRay also offers a suite of built-in TaskRay analytics tools, such as Portfolio View, Template Performance, Insights, and Resource Analytics (Premium edition)
• TaskRay also supports Salesforce’s powerful dashboard functionality, providing project managers with a visual overview of key performance indicators. Dashboards can be customized to highlight the most important information, whether it’s tracking task completion, monitoring resource allocation, or identifying at-risk projects.

Salesforce CRM Analytics for advanced insights:

• TaskRay data can be integrated with Salesforce CRM Analytics for organizations needing deeper insights into project performance. This allows users to use predictive analytics and AI-driven insights to improve project workflows and decision-making.

7. Ongoing Support and Customization

TaskRay’s support covers configuration, customization, and troubleshooting. TaskRay holds 4.3 out of 5 from 161 reviews on G2, and reviewers repeatedly describe support tickets being resolved within a day or two.

• Customization Options: Customization is a key reason Salesforce teams choose TaskRay. From custom templates to configured automation workflows, TaskRay can be tailored to each team’s onboarding and delivery process.

When TaskRay is not the right fit

TaskRay is built for a specific job, and naming the boundary is more useful than claiming it fits everyone. TaskRay is probably not the right tool if:

• You are not on Salesforce and have no plans to move there. TaskRay’s whole advantage is living inside the Salesforce org.
• You need software development lifecycle management with sprints and issue tracking. A tool like Jira is built for that.
• You need a full professional services automation suite with billing and time-and-expense management. A PSA such as Certinia is a closer fit.
• Budget is the primary constraint and a lighter, general-purpose tool is acceptable.

TaskRay is the strongest fit when the work starts after a deal closes, the data has to stay in Salesforce, and the team runs repeatable customer-facing delivery such as onboarding, implementation, or rollouts.

Why TaskRay is the best fit for Salesforce users

TaskRay is built for Salesforce users: it runs natively inside the Salesforce platform. Its native integration, project templates and automation, focus on customer onboarding, and scalability make it the strongest fit for businesses on Salesforce looking to standardize their project management processes. By using TaskRay, organizations can maximize the value of their Salesforce investment and run more predictable, on-time projects.

Find out what better customer delivery could look like for your team. Request a TaskRay demo today, or book a call if you have questions first. To compare options, start with TaskRay’s Salesforce project management solution and customer onboarding solution.

Frequently asked questions

Can you use Salesforce for project management?

Yes, but not well with standard Salesforce alone. Standard objects can hold a task list, but they lack templates, Gantt timelines, dependencies, and resource management. To run real project delivery on Salesforce, most teams add a Salesforce-native project management app or connect a standalone tool through an integration.

What is the best project management tool that integrates with Salesforce?

The best tool depends on where you want the data to live. Salesforce-native apps keep project data inside the CRM and inherit its permissions, while integrated tools connect an outside platform through a sync. For post-sale delivery and customer onboarding that must stay inside Salesforce, TaskRay is a strong fit; for general team collaboration outside Salesforce, an integrated tool may be enough.

What should you look for in a Salesforce project management app?

Look for five things: whether project data lives inside Salesforce or in a separate synced system, reusable templates and automation, resource and capacity management (and which edition includes it), reporting built from Salesforce data without a separate BI tool, and a fit for your type of work, whether that is onboarding, delivery, or internal projects.

Is TaskRay a native Salesforce app?

Yes. TaskRay runs as a managed package inside your Salesforce org, so every project, task, and milestone is a Salesforce record. It inherits your permission sets, sharing rules, and field-level security, and needs no separate database or integration to maintain.

What are the best Salesforce tools for managing projects?

The main options fall into two groups: Salesforce-native project management apps that run inside the org, such as TaskRay, and standalone tools such as Asana, Monday.com, or Smartsheet that connect through an integration.

How much does TaskRay cost?

TaskRay does not publish pricing. It offers Starter, Standard, and Premium editions, all quoted through sales, and a free trial is available. Confirm the current trial terms and edition features with TaskRay before you commit, because the feature split between editions changes.