Project management is tough when you’re running your own business and trying to keep track of several different projects at once. I’ve used Outlook and it’s task request and calendaring functionality, but after syncing with services like Plaxo and duping all my appointments and tasklists I wanted something web-based so it would be available anywhere exactly the same. No more dupes, no more redundancy and confusion.
Now, I’ve toyed with project management software and groupware before, mainly in the form of free options like dotProject, but everything I’ve tried like that is so cluttered. As tight-fisted as I am, I am more than willing to pay for something I’ll actually use like ClientExec, for example. Since I read the Signal VS. Noise blog, I was somewhat familiar with BaseCamp and decided to give it a try.
In short here’s the good and the bad.
The good:
- The interface is very slick, clean, and Ajaxy. There are some nice drag and drop features and the overall look and feel is very pleasant and user friendly. One thing that was bad about dotProject was that it was just so clunky looking. This often the problem when engineering types design things that people need to use.
- It’s easy to keep various projects and people separate. Right now I have five separate projects going and each project has a different arrangement of people who can access each one. I certainly don’t want them to be able to view every project, just the ones that allow them access to.
- Projects have their own syndicated RSS feeds. This allows you to keep an eye on what’s going on as people login and close out tasks. The feeds are password protected for your security.
- You can see when people last logged in to check their messages and task list.
The bad:
- For what it does (task management, project management) it’s too expensive. Free options like dotProject have tons more functionality and cost nothing. I would venture that this service is geared to those without their own webhosting yet to use some of the advanced features like file uploads requires offsite ftp access, so that isn’t a good argument. I can’t justify why it’s so expensive. It really possesses a limited range of application.
- The only data export option is to XML. I want to be able to export my tasks, milestones, and contacts to Outlook or CSV.
- You cannot copy file entries, tasks, or messages into other projects. This sucks.
Verdict
If my clients and partners actually end up using this regularly I will keep it. It’s that simple. I have a hunch that email will continue to be the primary method of communication and tracking. After all, if someone wants to check to see if something has been completed they’re more likely to just email or call and ask me versus checking my online task list and milestone calendar. As long as they keep adding features I’ll consider renewing, but I have until the end of October to make that decision.
Here’s a little hack if you want to upgrade to one of the business-level accounts. If you sign-up for the basic paid account ($12 a month) and then upgrade to a higher level of service, they won’t actually bill you for the upgrade until the first month has gone by. So you basically get a free account upgrade for a month. That’s worth $12 at the very least.
I have tried Basecamp mainly because I had heard about it so much on blogs, articles, etc. I had used AceProject for a while and I was curious about the “To Do” type thing in Basecamp. The interface simplicity is awesome, the way milestones are displayed is nice and it allows unlimited users, no matter which package you subscribe to.
However, I decided to get back to AceProject for several reasons. In project management, I think features like Gantt charts, task reports and time tracking are necessary. I feel Basecamp is like a giant “reminder” software. I did not find any access levels (admin, normal user, etc.), any reports, no data import/export… These features are all available in AceProject… and more! I need that.
The bottom line, Basecamp is not for me, thank you.
You might want to take a look at AceProject: http://www.aceproject.com
Basecamp was OK, but their customer service left something to be desired. I switched over to OnStage and would recommend it.
For the price that it costs I am rather upset that when I complete a milestone it does not show up in a project members folder as completed. I am also very upset that i cannot erase my to do lists… and I’m sure if I spend more than just a few hours with it I will find many many more problems with it.
@ $149/month … it should not have these bugs.
Well, I tried Basecamp and cancelled my account. It seems all right at first, but when you actually start using it you find out that first, it lacks basic project management features, like Gantt charts. Second, that $12 for just 250Mb of storage space and just 30projects is awfully expensive! There are so much better and cheaper tools out there. I personally switched to Wrike. It has more functionality and it’s just $5 a month!
Projjex.com is a great new site that does a fabulous job of project management. It’s completely browser-based, really easy to use, and has a free version. Cool videos too – I love it!
We’re using YouFig (www.youfig.com)… where community admins have access to all aspects of the community, see who’s doing what, which is really important to us as a company, on top of all the applications (documents, spreadsheets, videos, pics, files, calendars, gmail/outlook integration, groups) that YouFig offers… and they’re not charging for it. Definitely recommended.
So did you continue using Basecamp?
Hi,
My biased 2c: Maybe give Apollo a go.
http://www.apollohq.com
I can’t say that we fixed all your “bads”, but we are definitely working on it :D With a low price, you get both project management and CRM (!). Apollo comes with timers, cases&deals, calendars, and it has a fantastic, AJAX interface…
Thanks a lot!
Merc.