The Best Self-Management Tools for Your Organization

Implementing self-management is a great way to foster a sense of ownership, empowerment and accountability among teams. However, you need to have the right tools to reap those benefits. Fear not: we’ve got you covered! Whether you’re looking to practice holacracy, sociocracy, teal or scrum methodologies, there are several self-management tools that will help you do just that!

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the 14 best self-management tools that are either all-in-one or best-of-breed solutions (i.e, tools that are specialized in certain areas). Let’s get started!

All-in-one self-management tools 

First things first, let’s get a look at all-in-one self-management tools. These are probably the most practical you can get, since they incorporate all the features that self-managed organizations need, such as meeting templates, role mapping, project management and process documentation.

1. Holaspirit

Holaspirit is a self-management platform that improves transparency, agility and performance within organizations of all sizes.

Our solution helps you document roles, responsibilities and processes, to make sure that your employees have the information they need to do their jobs and make decisions on their own. With Holaspirit, you can practice sociocracy, holacracy, teal, scrum and lean methodologies, and many more. 

Key features:

• dynamic organizational chart to map circles and roles, as well as the responsibilities, accountabilities, skills and metrics associated with each role
• OKR (objective and key results) module that helps you align your company’s and teams’ goals
• templates and automated reports for governance and tactical meetings 
• co-editable publications to document team processes and company policies
• possibility for members to make proposals and process tensions using the principles of consent-based or integrative decision-making
• comprehensive tasks feature to help you organize your project with kanban boards, view your assigned tasks and check if specific deadlines are met
• tracking of the time spent in each role

Strengths: 

• user-friendly and intuitive interface for both users and administrators
• many customization options for creating your organization’s structure (role templates, customized fields, activation and deactivation of apps, etc.)
• adapted to all self-management frameworks and decision-making processes 
• translation add-on that automatically translates your organization’s roles and circles 
• platform hosted in the European Union and ISO 27001 certified

Weaknesses:

• mobile app with limited capabilities
• it can take a bit of time to deploy the tool and get everyone onboard with the new working methodology

‍Pricing: starting at €2/user/month + platform access fee of €79/month.
Freemium plan and free trial available. Check out all our plans here.

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2. Glassfrog

Glassfrog is a platform that helps organizations level up their self-management and agile practices. Among all-in-one self-management tools, this one is particularly adapted for teams that want to practice holacracy by the book, and create more transparency through clear roles, policies and rules. 

‍Key features: 

• organizational chart that helps you define roles and responsibilities
• governance and tactical meeting templates
• possibility to create tensions and import them into a meeting
• features to define goals, check-lists and metrics for your team

‍Strengths:

• feature that allows you to create and visualize your organization’s rules 
• role templates to facilitate the creation and allocation of roles
• possibility to enroll members into an automated holacracy program 
• integration of Slack, Asana and Jira

‍Weaknesses: 

• tool mostly adapted to holacracy, and not so much to other self-management frameworks such as sociocracy or teal
• lack of flexibility and customization for organizations that don’t necessarily want to practice holacracy “by the book”
• not very user-friendly and intuitive to use
• very limited project management feature (no kanban view, no deadlines, no description, no assignments, etc.)
• no OKR tree to clearly visualize your company’s and teams’ goals
• mobile app with limited capabilities

Pricing: starting at $6/user/month. Free plan available with limited features.

3. Peerdom

Peerdom is a self-management tool that helps you get a clearer picture of your company’s structure and eliminate silos between teams. It’s mainly used as an organizational chart software, but it also allows you to activate additional features for project management, documentation, and so on.

Key features:

• mapping of your organization’s circles and roles, and description of each role’s responsibilities and purpose
• possibility to hold elections in order to choose a role holder
• definition of strategic goals using KPI and OKR frameworks
• tracking of time engagement per role
• network app that allows you to invite another organization on Peerdom
• pages app for capturing notes 

Strengths: 

• journal feature that allows you to see all new activities across your organization
• draft feature that lets you map out your organization in a protected space, and publish it only when it’s ready
• possibility to send or request feedback from your peers
• possibility to add your personal mission statements on the tool

‍Weaknesses:

• pricing can get expensive if you want to activate different features (and not just the organizational chart)
• no feature for running meetings
• limited project management feature (no kanban or list view, no tasks or sub-task, no associated metrics, etc.)
• no effective way to document processes and policies
• no feature for discussing tensions or submitting proposals
• no mobile app

Pricing: starting at €5/user/month

Collaboration and documentation tools

Collaboration and documentation tools are a great way to improve teamwork and share information among self-organized teams. Those tools can include various features, such as chatting, video conferencing, co-edition of documents, wikis and content pages.

4. Talkspirit

Talkspirit is an all-in-one collaboration and communication tool that can help you share information with the right people at the right time (whether it be synchronous or asynchronous), and make teamwork more efficient.

Key features:

• chatting and video conferencing
• online collaborative suite that allows you to store, share and co-edits documents
• content library for documenting processes, policies, user guides and FAQs
• newsfeed and home page organized by audience 
• possibility to create different channels to share information and collaborate with team members
• shared calendar that allows you to plan meetings and book the resources your need
• user directory that helps you identify each member’s role, skills and expertise

‍Strengths:

• all-in one collaborative platform that’s quite easy to use and deploy
• features that are constantly evolving (soon it will merge with Holaspirit, so you can experience the benefits of both self-management tools on one platform)
• allows you to share different types of content (videos, images, text posts, polls, check-lists) with a specific audience, and see who’s viewed which information
• great tool for engaging employees and creating a sense of community
• platform hosted in the European Union and ISO 27001 certified

Weaknesses:

• limited organization chart feature (it only allows you to create a hierarchical chart)
• no specific features for practicing self-management frameworks such as holacracy, sociocracy or teal

Pricing: starting at €5/user/month for up to 100 users (and upon request for larger organizations). Free trial available here.

5. Notion

Notion is a collaborative workspace that allows you to centralize knowledge, manage projects, take notes and create interactive presentations. It also integrates an AI assistant that can help you brainstorm, write and find information faster. 

Key features:

• beautiful wiki pages to document all your knowledge, processes and guidelines
• project management feature with kanban and timeline views
• creation and co-edition of different types of documents: meeting notes, business plans, pitch decks, performance reviews, user persona, etc.
• OKR tracker templates

Strengths:

• many documentation templates available to help you save time
• AI add-on that can help you create content (project proposal, Q&A, meeting summary, etc.) and autofill tables
• integration with many other collaboration tools, such as Slack, Asana, Trello and Zoom

Weaknesses: 

• no organization chart feature to design your organization’s structure
• no feature for managing a decision process 
• no meeting template adapted to self-management frameworks (you will need to create your own)
• no integrated communication features (such as chatting and video conferencing)

‍Pricing: starting at $8/user/month for small groups. Free plan available with limited features.

6. Nestr  

Nestr is a collaboration platform that helps self-managing organizations gain clarity on who does what, as well as communicate and collaborate together to achieve their purpose. Like other self-management tools, it can help you achieve greater agility and alignment within your organization.

Key features:

• organization chart that allows you to create circles and roles, and define responsibilities and accountabilities for each role
• creation of workspaces to facilitate collaboration between different roles and circles
• project management feature with kanban boards that helps you track what’s done and what needs to be done
• personal to-do lists
• instant chat messenger

Strengths:

• great tool for organizations that need both governance and collaboration features
• integrated text feed within each workspace that allows everyone to post comments
• AI assistant that can help you create a starting structure based on your website

Weaknesses:

• no video conferencing or chat room features (the messaging app only allows 1:1 conversations)
• no feature for running efficient meeting
• no specific documentation feature for capturing processes and policies
• limited project management feature (it’s not possible to create tasks and subtasks within a card, or to add metrics to achieve)
• no feature for defining and tracking OKRs

Pricing: starting at $4/user/month for start-ups, communities and DAOs. Free plan available with limited features, but only for personal use.

Data visualization tools 

Let’s now move on to self-management tools that are specifically designed for data visualization. These can be used for creating organizational charts, mapping processes and workflows, brainstorming with your team, creating strategies, or even building skill matrices. 

7. AgyleOS 

AgyleOS is a people and culture platform that helps you build and visualize your organization, manage employees’ skills and drive engagement. This self-management tool is particularly useful for HR managers who need to map the skills and key performance indicators associated with each role.

Key features:

• interactive organizational chart to visualize your organization’s structure and teams
• skill matrix and skill gap tool to effectively manage your employee’s skills 
• 360-degree feedback surveys
• goals feature that allows you to track team performance over specific periods of time
• kudo wall to acknowledge your individual and collective achievements

Strengths:

• AI-powered skill gap analysis that provides recommendations for bridging skill gaps
• detailed mapping of hard and soft skills required for each role, that can facilitate recruiting and onboarding of new talent 
• customized dashboards that allows you to visualize your team’s key metrics and skills
• survey templates for collecting employee feedback

Weaknesses: 

• tool mostly adapted to organizations that want to practice the agile methodology, and not so much to those who want to practice holacracy, sociocracy or teal
• the organization chart can only be built using flow charts (and not circles, like in other self-management tools)
• no project management or documentation features
• no feature for tracking the time spent in a role

Pricing: available upon request

8. Lucidchart 

Lucidchart is an intelligent diagramming solution that helps organizations diagram their people, processes and systems, and create a more visual workspace. The application’s diagrams can be used to map processes and workflows, create dynamic org charts and improve data visualization.

Key features:

• creation and co-edition of diagrams, from the most simple to the most complex ones
• creation of process maps to improve and scale processes within your organization
• feature for making your own organization chart, and overlay it with metrics from your HR systems
• diagram templates for different types of uses (brainstorming, reporting, creating strategies, planning projects and OKRs, etc.)

Strengths:

• user-friendly platform that helps you visualize and understand complex data
• comprehensive diagramming feature, with many customization options
• integration with many collaboration tools such as Google Workspace, Atlassian, Microsoft Office and Slack

Weaknesses:

• creating your own diagrams can take some time and training if you’re not used to this type of software
• no pre-made templates adapted to self-managing organizations (no tactical and self-governance meeting templates, no org chart template for structuring your organization into circles, etc.)
• tool not adapted for organization that want to document processes and manage projects without using diagrams

‍Pricing: starting at €9/user/month for a team usage. Free plan available with limited features.

9. Miro

Miro is a visual collaborative workspace that helps teams collaborate together, build clear processes and workflows and manage their project. It’s a great tool for self-managed teams that want to aggregate their resources in one place, and visualize the big picture.

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‍Key features:

• whiteboards and mind maps to help you brainstorm and express your ideas in a variety of ways (drawings, diagrams, text, images…)
• creation of process maps and technical diagrams to document your best practices and workflows, and communicate it to your team
• creation of retrospectives to help you understand what worked, what didn’t worked, and what you can improve to get better
• wireframe templates for quickly building website pages and product screens 
• creation of timelines and kanban boards for project management

‍Strengths:

• good tool for creative activities and workflow visualization
• quite easy to use and to implement 
• many customizable templates for meetings, brainstorming, process mapping, project management and OKR planning
• specific templates for agile teams

‍Weaknesses:

• no templates for organizations that want to practice holacracy, sociocracy or teal (no tactical and self-governance meeting templates, no org chart template for structuring your organization into circles, etc.)
• it may take time to learn about all the different features
• it can lead to scattered information (as your project’s data is spread across different boards)
• it’s not adapted for organization that seek to capitalize knowledge, manage complex projects and/or clarify roles and responsibilities

‍Pricing: starting at $8/user/month. Free plan available with limited boards and features.

Project management and OKR tools

Among self-management tools, there are also specific solutions for project management and OKR planning (which is a key aspect of many methodologies). Read on if that's what you're looking for!

10. Asana

Asana is a project management tool that helps you set goals, manage resources, build workflows and track work from start to finish. No matter the complexity of the projects you’re dealing with, this tool will do the trick!

Key features:

• creation of tasks, subtasks and milestones to organize projects with multiple steps and contributors
• validation process for approving and requesting changes within a project
• tracking of company and team goals using the OKR methodology
• creation of workflows and automations to gain time
• workload management and time tracking of tasks

Strengths:

• comprehensive task management features: time tracking, rules, custom templates, custom fields, dependencies, etc.
• many project views available: kanban board, gantt chart, timeline, calendar and list
• integration of AI to help you write goals and create smart workflows
• goals can be connected to the project you work on

Weaknesses:

• the tool can be difficult to use for new users, so they’ll probably need some training to use it to its full potential 
• it doesn’t fully support holacratic or sociocratic management structures (for example, projects can only be assigned to teams or individuals, but not to a circle or a role)
• pricing can be expensive for large companies
• you can’t assign multiple people to the same task
• it requires integration with other communication tools to discuss about your projects

Pricing: starting at €10.99/user/month. Free plan available for individuals and small teams only.

11. ClickUp

ClickUp is a collaboration and project management tool that offers a range of features including task assignments, document sharing, goals tracking and dashboards. It aims to centralize all work and tools in one place for better productivity and collaboration.

‍Key features:

• customizable tasks with various statuses, priorities, and assignees, to help you stay organized and flexible 
• integration of work schedules and calendars.
• built-in document editing and storage capabilities
• personalized dashboards that allow you to track the progress of your different metrics
• instant messaging feature that allows you to chat within a group or just 1:1
• creation of whiteboards to facilitate brainstorming

Strengths: 

• specific features for agile teams (sprint dashboards, sprint targets, etc.)
• tasks can be linked to the goals you want to achieve and measured using key results
• reduces the need for many tools, as it centralizes many features in one solution
• AI feature that helps you generate summaries, create action items and elevate your writing

‍Weaknesses:

• user interface isn’t very intuitive, which makes it difficult to find some features
• it doesn’t fully support holacratic or sociocratic management structures (for example, projects can only be assigned to teams or individuals, but not to a circle or a role)
• not adapted to large organizations
• customer support isn’t always very reactive
• limited features on the mobile app
• the platform can be a bit slow

Pricing: starting at $7 for small teams. Free plan available for personal use only.

12. Perdoo 

Perdoo is a goal management platform designed to help self-managing organizations effectively align their goals and track progress. It focuses on implementing the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework to improve clarity and performance.

Key features:

• creation and tracking of OKRs and KPIs for your company and your teams
• check-ins to easily share your progress with team members
• 360° performance reviews that take into account OKR progress, as well as employee engagement
• planning of 1:1 HR meetings
• kudos feature for recognizing your peers’ contributions

Strengths:

• great tool for creating and OKR roadmap and connecting different types of OKRs (company and team OKRs, long term and short term OKRs)
• ensures visibility and alignment of goals across the organization

Weaknesses:

• tool mostly not adapted for larger organizations
• it can only be used for goal management, and not for project management
• it doesn’t fully support holacratic or sociocratic management structures (except for the OKR feature, everything else is missing)
• there aren’t many customization options
• integrations with other tools are limited
• limited features on the mobile app

Pricing: starting at €9/user/month. Free plan available with limited features.

Meeting management tools

Last but not least: let’s talk about meeting management solutions! These self-management tools are specifically designed for improving meeting efficiency and fostering participation. Here are two platforms worth mentioning. 

13. Decisions

Decisions is a meeting management platform specifically that enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of meetings. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Office 365, providing tools for agenda setting, decision tracking, and actionable meeting minutes.

‍Key features:

• creation, co-edition and sharing of structured meeting agendas
• automatic agenda and meeting recap generator using a smart assistant
• possibility to create and assign tasks, and take notes during meetings
• meeting evaluation tool that allows you get insights from all participants

Strengths:

• compatibility with Office 365 tools
• meeting analytics: engagement score, feedback score, time spent in meeting, etc.
• customizable agenda templates that allow you to create your own structure
• possibility to vote for a decision during a meeting (particularly useful for self-managed teams that use a consensus decision-making process)
• automated follow-up of the decisions made and the tasks created during meetings to ensure accountability

Weaknesses:

• the platform doesn’t fully support organizations that practice self-management frameworks such as holacracy or sociocracy (for example, it doesn’t have tactical and governance meeting templates)
• you can only use it with Microsoft Teams
• task management and tracking needs to be done on another tool since it doesn’t integrate a comprehensive feature for this
• it can be a bit complicated to use for non tech-savvy users
• you can’t synchronize it with your other calendar tools

Pricing: starting at €9.90/user/month for small teams only

14. Adam.ai

Adam.ai is an all-in-one meeting management solution that helps you manage the entire meeting lifecycles, from initial scheduling to follow-ups. It allows you to share information before, during, and after meetings, and to generate valuable insights using artificial intelligence. 

‍Key features:

• built-in video conferencing feature
• scheduling of recurring meetings and synchronization with your other calendars 
• automated meeting agenda, transcript and summary, with highlight of key information
• possibility to create agenda items, launch polls and assign tasks during meetings
• booking pages to streamline your scheduling process
• action tracking and follow-up

Strengths:

• possibility to co-edit notes during meetings, and react to agenda items using comments and likes
• creation of meeting spaces to keep your meetings organized by project, circle or team
• guests can access meeting content and be assigned tasks
• you don’t need to implement a specific video conferencing tool to use this solution

Weaknesses:

• no templates for tactical and governance meetings (but you can ask the AI to create it for you)
• task management features are quite limited (you only have access to a check-list of actions)
• there aren’t many integrations available
• pricing is a bit expensive

Pricing: starting at $15.99/user/month. Freemium plan available for very small teams only.

To conclude

Whatever solution you’re looking for, you now have a good overview of the best self-management tools available on the market. If you’re only looking to implement a solution for a specific use case (such as collaboration, project management or meeting management), a best-of-breed tool might be the best bet for you. But if you prefer to centralize data on the least amount of tools possible, then all-in-one platforms like Holaspirit will be more adapted. 

Want to know more about Holaspirit? Contact our sales team to discover our platform and get some tips on how to implement self-management in your organization 😉 

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