Workload or Productive for an IT department?
Choose Productive if you run an agency or services firm and want projects, budgets, time, resources, and invoicing in one tool. Choose Workload if you run an internal IT department: net capacity, conflicts, timesheets, and committee reporting, with no client billing — 14-day trial, from €59/month.
Features by plan
Jira Tempo, Azure DevOps, and Toggl integrations from the Professional plan
The Starter plan includes the full trial and CSV import; native integrations start on Professional.
Compare plans →Workload vs Productive
Productive is an all-in-one agency management platform: projects, budgets, time tracking, resourcing, and invoicing. Workload is the System of Record (SoR) for IT capacity planning — plan, allocate, timesheet, govern, report.
Last updated :
Productive and Workload at a glance
| Criterion | Productive | Workload |
|---|---|---|
| Use case | All-in-one agency management | Internal IT department capacity |
| Client billing | Yes | No (internal showback / valuation) |
| IT capacity and conflicts | Generic resource planning | Net capacity, conflicts, arbitration |
| Timesheet | Built-in time tracking | Jira Tempo, Azure DevOps, Toggl, Clockify (Professional) |
| Target audience | Agencies and services firms | IT departments and IT PMOs of 20–500 people |
Workload is for you if…
- Internal IT department or IT PMO, not an agency
- No client billing to manage
- Capacity per team and skill, conflicts across projects
- Jira Tempo / Azure DevOps integrations and executive reporting
Productive is a better fit if…
- Agency or services firm that bills its projects
- One tool for budgets, time, resources, and invoicing
- Profitability per project and client
- No internal IT portfolio to arbitrate
Frequently asked questions
Is Productive suited to an internal IT department?
It is built for agencies that bill projects. For an internal IT department, Workload targets capacity, conflicts, and portfolio arbitration.
Can you migrate from Productive to Workload?
Yes via CSV: teams, projects, allocations. Billing and client budgets are not carried over.
Does Workload replace an agency tool?
No. Workload does not bill clients; it steers internal IT department capacity.
Does Workload offer a free trial?
Yes — 14-day free trial with no credit card at simpleworkload.com/register. CSV import on Starter (~30 minutes for first setup).
Do you need Jira to use Workload?
No. Workload runs standalone with CSV/Excel import (Starter). Jira Tempo and Azure DevOps integrations are on the Professional plan.
What IT team size is Workload built for?
CIO and IT PMO teams from 20 to 500 people. Below 15 staff Excel may suffice; from 30–50 onward a dedicated tool typically pays off quickly.
Can you migrate from Excel or an existing PPM?
Yes. Workload offers CSV/Excel, Sciforma, and MS Project migration kits with guided wizards. Most IT departments migrate teams and projects in hours.
Does Workload replace full enterprise PPM?
Not at multi-BU PPM parity. Workload is the tactical IT capacity layer (teams, allocations, conflicts, timesheet) — often alongside Sciforma/Planview or replacing Excel.
Which timesheet integrations are available?
Jira Tempo, Azure DevOps, Toggl, and Clockify (Professional plan). Workload compares planned vs actual for CIO reporting and PvA variance.
How does Workload handle intelligent allocation?
Transparent 0–100 scoring (skills ~60%, availability ~40%) with conflict detection — no opaque ML on your data. Generative AI may enrich explanatory text only.