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Sep 14, 04:27 am: It turns traditional project management on its head.

Not sure what traditional project management is. Stripping down and greasing up and wrestling a gantt chart to the ground?

I’ve been using basecamp to manage a couple of projects and got a note that said the above from one of my co-workers. And I couldn’t quite figure out what she meant. And then it hit me.

I mean, in basecamp anyone can create a todo, a list, a category, a milestone, a message and anyone can assign something to anyone else. Anyone can mark things down as done. The one unique thing the project owner can do is invite new users. But once you invite them you trust them completely and they can take charge and contribute to the management of the project as well as too the project. And that, well, that is turning traditional I-tell-you-what-to-do on its head. Pretty damn amazing. The tool. It’s just an artifact of being change.

update: Should have known. Basecamp weighs in on this exact issue:

Conventional wisdom is that it’s the sole project manager’s role to shield everyone from the chaos of a project. Usually this happens via a desktop software application that’s overseen by this single project taskmaster. We think there’s a better way. Basecamp democratizes project management and makes it a team effort. Basecamp lets everyone get involved in managing a project. The thinkers, the builders, the managers, and the client. Of course the degree of control is up to you.
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Marnie Webb  | 

Comments made

  1. Alec

    Basecamp isn’t bad, but the problem with starting to use it is that one is totally locked in. It takes a certain amount of time (lots) to one’s clients and suppliers to use it.

    So basically one takes on a $288 to $1188/year annual expense in perpetuity.

    What’s worse is that the 37signals team has shown themselves to be ungrateful and unreliable partners – there is no referral/rewards program for all the people who helped them build Basecamp. Worse – after one year of evangelising for them, the early adopters reward was a 25% to 100% price increase.

    The latest trouble is over time-tracking. Existing small clients are forced to upgrade from $24/month to $48/month plans to use it. People are not happy. A word of warning to all. Expect more of the same from 37signals.
    Sep 16, 11:30 am

  2. marnie webb

    I’m gonna say that I’m a fan of the folks at 37 signals. My experience so far has been that team members and clients come more quickly up to speed on basecamp—quicker than any of the other PM tools I’ve typically thrown at them. And, importantly, it takes me less time. That means I’m billing less to my cleints (for setting an Excel spreadsheet to manage a project for example or a MS Project file—even with pretty robust templates). So, the cost trade-off is a good one when I factor in my own time.

    I do think being able to get data out is important and is usually something I check earlier on. Thanks for bringing it up.
    Sep 16, 01:02 pm

  3. KC

    I’m a core member of dotProject – a web-based PM tool – so I’m totally biased, but that has been the single biggest complaint that I’ve heard about Basecamp.

    keith
    Sep 16, 02:32 pm