Web Developer Tools #1 - BaseCamp
Inspired by the prior article I have decided to share my list of tools which I use on a daily basis to be more efficient, manage my time, or to just make development easier. I will discuss each tool individually rather than list them in one article.
Tool #1 - Basecamp by 37Signals
Basecamp by 37Signals is an excellent online project management and collaboration tool. Its strengths lie in the components which allow you to list tasks, edit documents, share ideas, and mostly communicate with your clients. If all your communications are shared within basecamp you will not have lost emails and there will be no disputes of who sent what, and when. You can even use it to show lack of participation by team members. The tool is ideal for working with distant clients or those who are too busy to take your phone calls.
Features:
Users - You can use Basecamp just to organize yourself, but better yet you can add users from your company or your clients company and any 3rd parties working on your project. Each user can be notified when the project is updated via email. User permissions can be set to allow or block access to certain features.
To Do lists is probably the simplest of the components. You can assign tasks to yourself or any other person who has been given access. Task can be sorted by assigned party. Task can also be grouped by a master task. Once a task is complete it can be checked off and a record of the completion time is recorded.
Messages - A much better alternative than email. A message can be started then commented on by the users. I find it very useful when making edits to pages, to discuss alternative layouts, general discussions, or to expand upon a to-do list item. Message updates are also mailed to the users.
Milestones - A good calendar application if you have strict deadlines or wish to keep track of when things are due or were delivered.
Writeboards - This is an online document editor which allows all members of a team to track and save changes. You can see who edited what and compare the document variations. 37signals offers Writeboards as a standalone application if you need just this feature. The free version of basecamp only allows 2 writeboards while paid versions allow unlimited use.
Chat - the chat room is good for online meetings and quick discussions. I prefer to use the messages or writeboards for content discussions however. Since it is updated in realtime both parties can see changes and make comments.
Overview page - The overview page provides an at-a-glance view of new messages, to-dos, writeboard changes, and milestone updates. You can also see the users and when they last logged in or if they are online.
Document storage - Paid versions of Basecamp allow you to upload and share documents such as images, spreadsheets, or pdfs. I like to keep a copy of contracts and sla’s here to hold everyone accountable.
Cost: A single project can be managed for free, but if you have several concurrent projects there are paid alternatives. At the time of this writting a 3 project basecamp configuration is only $12 month. A cost you can pass on to your clients or write off on your taxes.
What is missing? The only thing missing is a spreadsheet like component where you could store billing info or other data with your clients. For that I like to use Smartsheet which will be discussed at a later time.
Overall basecamp will keep you better organized, help you facilitate communications with your clients, protect both you and your clients interests, and document your progress (or lack thereof). At the end of a project you can look back and see just what you have accomplished and how much effort it took to get there. I recommend learning this tool for yourself before introducing it to clients. While most of it is intuitive it can be a bit overwhelming for technically challenged folk.
In the unlikely event that your client should refuse to pay you, you will have excellent documentation of their involvement with the project and their discussions which show their level of satisfaction as the project progressed.