tool spotlight - Basecamp
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
I just discovered the coolest project management system! I didn’t know it but I had been looking for this for the last three years. It’s called Basecamp and it can help you manage your projects, organize to-do lists, set milestones, even share information with collaborators in a flexible and adaptable manner. This web-based application offers several monthly packages ranging in price from $0 to $24/month on up. The more you pay, the more projects you are allowed to create. All packages include a free 30-day trial.
I’ve been using it to clearly delineate all my projects in development - a few new Journey of Transformation products, a self-coaching program I’m planning to release next month, a special campaign I’m envisioning for April, and a few more. [Yes, I dismissed a few ”ducks” (projects)!]
For each project, I made to-do lists, in some cases, several lists. Boy was that helpful to be able to do a brain dump and have it all in one place! Then I set-up milestones indicating completion dates for the major stages or each project.
Once I was done I could see all the milestone on one calendar, which helped me see whether I’d set-up realistic timeliness or if I’d be splitting my attention between too many things (something I do sometimes!).
Of course you could do all this with a regular calendar and notebook, but there’s something so elegant and visual about this system. Plus I hate erasing things when I make changes!
There some are other bells and whistles that I’m still learning about (file sharing, whiteboard, granting access to collaborators/partners), but even if you only use the to-do lists and milestones I think you’ll be surprised at how much mental clarity you create! Check it out!
