Any college student who has ever participated in a group project knows how hard it can be to keep everyone on the same page and working together. Aside from the fact that each person has their own ideas about how to proceed, you’ll likely face problems of time management (there’s always someone who waits until the last minute to do their part, throwing off everyone’s game), as well as visibility. You might not know until the due date just what the other members of your team have done. The main issue for most students is that it’s extremely difficult to coordinate when every member of the team has a different schedule of classes, work, and studying to contend with.

This can not only make it hard to set up meetings to work on group projects, but even getting in contact with other group members may be problematic. Enter Trello, an iPhone application made for project management. It is ostensibly meant to be used by businesses and contract workers as a means of collaboration, but there’s no reason that college students can’t find a lot to love in this freebie, especially when facing the hardships of completing group projects.

What Trello offers users is a multi-faceted approach to project management that includes both to-do list type features and a communications hub. Consider the problems you might face when working with a group in your average college course. Setting up meeting times can be a problem unless you are given class time, since everyone has different schedules. And when the group isn’t meeting regularly, people might forget what their tasks are or fail to understand their role in the group. This can lead to major problems where the cohesion and polish of the finished product are concerned. But Trello can keep everyone on track and ensure that all group members are on the same page and keeping up.

For starters, each person in the group will have their own to-do list that outlines their contributions to the project. Additionally, the whole group can access a comprehensive listing that details exactly who is working on what, helping to increase visibility for all team members. And items can be checked off as they are completed. Tasks can also be given individual deadlines so that everyone is completing work in a timely manner. For example, you might want to set milestones so that you can cross-check each other’s work long before the due date in order to make changes and ensure that all of the pieces fit together to create a seamless whole by the end. And of course, users have the ability to post comments and updates for everyone in the group, so when changes occur or new information is available, everyone can receive instant notification.

For you own part, you can use Trello to track multiple projects for your classes, whether they are solo gigs or group projects, keeping all of your tasks and deadlines straight so that you never find yourself cramming to get things done at the last minute. But of course, the many other features offered by this app that allow you to tackle group projects more efficiently and effectively are likely to be the cherry on top, so to speak. Whether you attend a community college or the University of Southern California, you’re probably going to have to complete group projects periodically. With Trello on your side you can reduce your stress and increase your potential for success in such situations.