Why Basecamp Beats eProject for Online Project Mgmt (and why it doesn't)
It was years ago that the company at which I was SalesForce Admin decided they wanted me to also become the Go-To person for the new eProject software service they were purchasing. A consultant came in to train me and one of the PMPs for a week and then went home each day to work on our config based on the info we had shared and his experience with other clients.
As a SalesForce.com implementer myself now, I definitely know the value of having a consultant guide a business through the implementation of a complex piece of software. But should project management be considered in that category? Having no background with MS Project (to which I would compare eProject, in terms of its Gantt chart focus, etc.), I never did really groc eProject. Neither did any of the Product Managers who came to me in that first month with questions about how to get the reports they wanted out of the system. And that's what you get for $50 per user per month.
Now let's turn our attention to Basecamp. I set up a Basecamp account for my consulting business in about 20 minutes -- that includes 3 minutes deciding which service plan I wanted, 2 minutes entering all my information, 10 minutes watching the introductory video, then 5 minutes uploading my logo and customizing the defaults to my liking. Here's what that first customization screen looks like:
It's a small image showing a wide screen, so you may not be able to read all the type, but I'm sure you can see that it's a pretty simple setup. Within just minutes you upload your logo, choose which default items you want to delete (click the trash can beside them) or add (type into the little box then click "Add" button). You can also customize display colors and add unlimited additional users. Did you hear me right? I said UNLIMITED additional users, both from within your company or if you want you can allow access by your clients.
I chose the $50 monthly account which is the lowest amount that gets you time tracking. There is also a free account you could use to try it out, though it won't give you a chance to test the time tracking feature. All Basecamp's accounts come with the first 30 days free, so I would suggest doing the $50 account for the first few weeks so you can explore all the features, then downgrade to a cheaper or free plan if you don't think you really need the time tracking (or in the case of the free plan, don't need considerably more features, such as file storage, multiple users, or multiple projects).
For all you Gantt-heads, you are probably stuck with MS Project, eProject and their ilk. The Basecamp approach is entirely different. Once you've created a project (also very intuitive process), here's a screen you will see for tracking milestones:
As you can see, this is quite different from a Gantt chart. The idea behind Basecamp is to focus on organizing how people interact and share information (verbal info and files) on a project so that everyone knows what they are responsible to do when, how what they do or don't do affects others, and what others are doing and when they did it. So instead of a sole project manager who is responsible for herding cats (I mean managing project participants), everyone on the project shares that responsibility. Social rules apply and no one wants to be so obviously revealed as the one person who keeps pushing the project back when everyone else is working together well.
Basecamp does allow tasks to cascade with dependencies, just like in a Gannt, but if you really need to show all your project timelines and milestones within a Gantt chart, Basecamp won't be the solution for you. It presents the information more in the week appearance of a calendar than a full spreadsheet view that can show large numbers of items across a long time period.
But for those who can adopt a different way of thinking about what it means to manage a project for successful delivery, here's one last screenshot, Time Tracking:
Basecamp consists of To Do lists, Milestones, shared files, Time Tracking, Messages, Writeboards, and if you use 37Signals' other product, Campfire, integrated Chat. By combining these features it aims to keep everyone synchronized with each other so that milestones are known and achieved on time and within budget. If you are new to project management or open to an innovative approach, you will be joining the ranks of USA Today, Addidas, and Warner Brothers (a few of Basecamp's many customers) in opting for what I think is a great online project management solution.
I tell all my clients about Basecamp and for any that want it without investing the minimal time it takes to set it up I'll do it for them for a charge of about 100 bucks. It's always the case that I'm already familiar with their business process from designing whatever other service I'm providing them, so it doesn't take me long to translate that into a customized project management solution. There are 2-3 minute videos within Basecamp on each object's screen, and the system really is pretty intuitive, so most users self train, but with a few clients I've also tacked 30 minutes of Basecamp training onto whatever training I am already doing for their users, just to make it a seamless process.
Whether you dive into Basecamp on your own or have someone help you, you will be glad you did. Even if you decide to stick with another service to get your Gantt fix, for just $50 a month for unlimited usage, I would urge you to check out Basecamp and see how you might integrate its benefits. If you do, please come back and post a comment to let others know how you are working between the two and how it's going.
As a SalesForce.com implementer myself now, I definitely know the value of having a consultant guide a business through the implementation of a complex piece of software. But should project management be considered in that category? Having no background with MS Project (to which I would compare eProject, in terms of its Gantt chart focus, etc.), I never did really groc eProject. Neither did any of the Product Managers who came to me in that first month with questions about how to get the reports they wanted out of the system. And that's what you get for $50 per user per month.
Now let's turn our attention to Basecamp. I set up a Basecamp account for my consulting business in about 20 minutes -- that includes 3 minutes deciding which service plan I wanted, 2 minutes entering all my information, 10 minutes watching the introductory video, then 5 minutes uploading my logo and customizing the defaults to my liking. Here's what that first customization screen looks like:
It's a small image showing a wide screen, so you may not be able to read all the type, but I'm sure you can see that it's a pretty simple setup. Within just minutes you upload your logo, choose which default items you want to delete (click the trash can beside them) or add (type into the little box then click "Add" button). You can also customize display colors and add unlimited additional users. Did you hear me right? I said UNLIMITED additional users, both from within your company or if you want you can allow access by your clients.
I chose the $50 monthly account which is the lowest amount that gets you time tracking. There is also a free account you could use to try it out, though it won't give you a chance to test the time tracking feature. All Basecamp's accounts come with the first 30 days free, so I would suggest doing the $50 account for the first few weeks so you can explore all the features, then downgrade to a cheaper or free plan if you don't think you really need the time tracking (or in the case of the free plan, don't need considerably more features, such as file storage, multiple users, or multiple projects).
For all you Gantt-heads, you are probably stuck with MS Project, eProject and their ilk. The Basecamp approach is entirely different. Once you've created a project (also very intuitive process), here's a screen you will see for tracking milestones:
As you can see, this is quite different from a Gantt chart. The idea behind Basecamp is to focus on organizing how people interact and share information (verbal info and files) on a project so that everyone knows what they are responsible to do when, how what they do or don't do affects others, and what others are doing and when they did it. So instead of a sole project manager who is responsible for herding cats (I mean managing project participants), everyone on the project shares that responsibility. Social rules apply and no one wants to be so obviously revealed as the one person who keeps pushing the project back when everyone else is working together well.
Basecamp does allow tasks to cascade with dependencies, just like in a Gannt, but if you really need to show all your project timelines and milestones within a Gantt chart, Basecamp won't be the solution for you. It presents the information more in the week appearance of a calendar than a full spreadsheet view that can show large numbers of items across a long time period.
But for those who can adopt a different way of thinking about what it means to manage a project for successful delivery, here's one last screenshot, Time Tracking:
Basecamp consists of To Do lists, Milestones, shared files, Time Tracking, Messages, Writeboards, and if you use 37Signals' other product, Campfire, integrated Chat. By combining these features it aims to keep everyone synchronized with each other so that milestones are known and achieved on time and within budget. If you are new to project management or open to an innovative approach, you will be joining the ranks of USA Today, Addidas, and Warner Brothers (a few of Basecamp's many customers) in opting for what I think is a great online project management solution.I tell all my clients about Basecamp and for any that want it without investing the minimal time it takes to set it up I'll do it for them for a charge of about 100 bucks. It's always the case that I'm already familiar with their business process from designing whatever other service I'm providing them, so it doesn't take me long to translate that into a customized project management solution. There are 2-3 minute videos within Basecamp on each object's screen, and the system really is pretty intuitive, so most users self train, but with a few clients I've also tacked 30 minutes of Basecamp training onto whatever training I am already doing for their users, just to make it a seamless process.
Whether you dive into Basecamp on your own or have someone help you, you will be glad you did. Even if you decide to stick with another service to get your Gantt fix, for just $50 a month for unlimited usage, I would urge you to check out Basecamp and see how you might integrate its benefits. If you do, please come back and post a comment to let others know how you are working between the two and how it's going.
Labels: Project_Management, Recommended_Apps, SaaS
posted by Dutton at
10:24 AM
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