Lets talk Basecamp

Project Management tools are a necessary, and often evil, part of our business. With so many choices and so many things to consider, how does one choose the best, most effective one? One of my favorite forums is Basecamp. It is incredibly simple to use, and an efficient way to keep all communications, files, and downloads between the client and your company in one convenient place. Emails are sent with each Basecamp comment, and you as the message sender, decide if all participants, select participants, or even no participants receive a notification email.

Basecamp is updating often to stay current or even ahead of the game in the Project Management world. Announcements of what is new are right on their site and super easy to access. Members of your team or clients can be added with zero problems, and client access can be turned on or off at your discretion. It is also possible to grant client access while keeping certain comments, lists, or “whatever” not visible to the client. Every comment or thread has a box you can check that says “don’t show this to the client”. Brilliant!

“Superpowers” can be given to anyone that you desire on the project whether they are a client or an employee. Multi-project access, admin capabilities, and the ability to create projects can be assigned to the person(s) of your choice.

Messages, to-do lists, creating templates, file access and calendars are right at your fingertips. Projects are easily editable and even interchangeable if necessary. Lists can be moved from one project to another with a simple click. All projects can be Archived and then do not count against your account’s project limits. Reactivation is also a snap as the Project settings link is on the bottom left of each project’s homepage. Easy peasy!

Do you need to have Basecamp on your iPhone? No problem, there is an app for that. Of course. This is 2015 after all 🙂

In conclusion, I truly feel this is one of the greatest Project Management tools on the market. Cost-effective for your business, clear paths for use that even a tech noob such as myself can figure out, and a strong communication tool for clients during a project. Basecamp reduces my daily grind stress in the office, and most assuredly, the stress of clients. Win-Win!