Basecamp HQ
Basecamp is an amazingly simple Project Management tool that connects your employees with the tasks and milestones at hand. Basecamp allows you to enter specific Projects that you are working on and it then creates an area in which you can collaborate on that project. You can bring in people from multiple companies across the globe to work on any number of your projects. Project areas are broken down into standard sections:
- Overview
- A snapshot of everything dealing with that project.
- Messages
- A very effective message board for that project's players to us to collaborate with one another.
- To-Do
- Where all To-Do items are assigned to your team players and organized by sub lists, that you specify.
- Milestones
- Organizes all the milestones (large events) for the project. You are even able to tie them to To-Do lists.
- Writeboards
- A writeboard is similar to a message except it can be edited by anyone in the project, great for drafted proposals and such.
- Time
- Allows you to track time spent on the project, by employee. (Only in Plus accounts and higher).
- Files
- Houses exactly that, files. Organized by date and who uploaded them.
Pros
- Enables quick and easy collaboration on any type of project.
- Simple and intuitive design, (almost anyone can use it if they know how to turn their computer on).
- Unlimited user accounts.
- All managed on BasecampHQ servers, so no hassles for you to worry about.
- The option to use 128-bit SSL on your Basecamp site (Free on all account types).
- The Trial account is free, forever (which I highly recommend if you are unsure).
- There is a $12/month Personal account (not listed on the pricing page), which you can access when upgrading from a Trial account.
- You are able to customize the logo on your site and the color scheme.
Cons
- All non-trial accounts are not free.
- Stylistic customizations are very limited.
- Limited storage space (although the limit is generous).
- Limited number of users (unless you get the Max Account).
Recommendation
Basecamp is great for teams of any shape and size, the trick is determining which solution is best for you. I use the Free Account (which only allows you to manage 1 project) to manage this site. However, I do work for a company that has enough work to warrant the Plus Account. The best way to determine which type is for you is to examine the features along with your average active workload (how many projects does your organization work on at one time?).
Whether you simply use the Free version or buy the top of the line account, I recommend Basecamp strongly. It enables simple and effective project management and collaboration. The company I know that uses Basecamp is very happy with what it has done to reshape and simplify the website design and development process from start to finish. It is worth every cent.
