Collaborative Project Management Using Basecamp

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Collaborative Project Management Using Basecamp
Tito SierraNCSU LibrariesDLF Fall Forum
2008Project Managers Group MeetingNovember 14,
2008
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Outline

• What is Basecamp?
• Our Experience Thus Far
• Features and Pricing
• Strengths and Weaknesses
• Best Practices

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What is Basecamp?

• Web-based project management tool
• Tool for the Project Team
• not just the Project Manager
• Emphasis on collaboration tools
• not just schedules and tasks

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Why Basecamp?

• Basecamp takes a fresh, novel approach to
  project collaboration. Projects dont fail from
  a lack of charts, graphs, stats, or reports, they
  fail from a clear lack of communication. Basecamp
  solves this problem by providing tools tailored
  to improve the communication between people
  working together on a project.
• http//www.basecamphq.com

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Our Experience Thus Far

• Using it for the last eight months
• Projects
• Many web development projects
• Grant proposal
• Search committee work
• People
• 30 user accounts in our organization
• 3 user accounts outside NCSU

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Features

• Messages
• To-Do
• Milestones
• Writeboards
• Files
• Dashboard

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Messages

• Project blogging with email

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To-Do

• Assigned tasks grouped into categories

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Milestones

• Lightweight project scheduling

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Writeboards

• Document-level wiki with versioning

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Files

• File storage with versioning

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Dashboard

• Activity summary across all your projects

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Features We Dont Use

• Chat
• Real-time web based chat
• Useful for distributed teams
• Time tracking
• Logging hours people spend on tasks
• Useful for consultants

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Pricing
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Pricing
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Strengths

• Collaboration tools
• Writeboard, pervasive commenting
• Communication tools
• Messages, RSS feeds, milestone calendar
• Document management
• Project-based file storage, versioning
• User interface
• Hosted service

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Weaknesses

• Lack of task management tools
• No prioritization outside of ordering
• No dependencies tracking
• Limited scheduling functionality
• Not for managing deployed projects
• Hosted service
• Subscription fee ()

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Emergent Best Practices

• Open task assignment
• In meeting task assignment
• Writeboards for technical docs
• Organize work around milestones

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Thanks!

• Tito Sierra
• North Carolina State University
• tito_sierra_at_ncsu.edu

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More Information

• Basecamp
• http//www.basecamphq.com/videos