Project Management Software Comparison

Basecamp

Basecamp is a great project management software that offers a few different levels for different purposes. As a student and now as a project manager, I’ve utilized both the educational level as well as professional level of the platform, that varies depending on how many users there will be. Basecamp focuses on targeting entrepreneurs, freelancers, small businesses and groups inside large organizations through the different levels and tiers that are offered. The different levels help to tailor the experience and the tools to the purpose. Educators require different tools than a large scale company. What’s great about this educational stepping stone is that it allows for students to be working in and be familiar with the program before they enter the workforce.

This tiered system also allows for basecamp to be incredibly user friendly because it meets the needs of a group without becoming overwhelming. The communication through the system is similar to slack in that you can have large group messaging through the “campfire” or private messaging through “pings”. These are great as you work through collaborative projects, however, the options for a thread conversation isn’t there so discussions can become a little messy. If you’re running with traditional project management styles, Basecamp is a great resource to be using because of the task lists and milestone tracking.

Teamwork

Teamwork is a great project management resource but offers so many features and tools that it gets a little overwhelming. It focuses on supporting companies that have projects to manage or may be having difficulty coordinating their teams and projects with agile methods. What makes it stand out is that it serves as an all-in-one system, meaning that it that allows for widespread communication, progress tracking, milestone markers, time and expense tracking. Teamwork also offers customizable features on a per-user basis, this allows for filtering of projects so that everyone who needs complete access to a certain project has it, but can work without the distraction of unnecessary or unrelated projects not assigned to them.

Teamwork can be easily customized to fit your company or client needs as well. Internal communication resources can be utilized, although I personally have not used them in working environments, it’s easy to see the value that is offered with the ability to update a status.

Slack

Slack is ideal for constant communication in and outside your organization but there is no option for tracking a project’s progress. It really focuses on creating the ideal digital communication space rather than overall project management. That makes it great for a variety of methods and systems but it’s typically seen as an addition to another service. Slack allows for connecting individual companies’ channels together so you always have access to immediate communication across companies, which is great for fast paced projects. It’s also seen as a valuable resource for communication across resources that aren’t in the same office.

Files and conversations that are shared through Slack are saved so you can always go back or search for what you need. There’s also an extensive list of apps that you can integrate into your Slack channels like Zoom, Google Drive, Zapier, even Adobe Creative Cloud, that will send reminders and keep your day on track and running smoothly.

Milanote

Milanote is amazing in the sense that you can create and collaborate across (what they call) boards. It has so much versatility in creating and developing the momentum or direction for projects, however, it really falls short in that it really only focuses on design management rather than overall project management. However, that can be easily overlooked when you can show your client or team the whole idea from start to finish in one easily navigated and understood board. These boards allow for links and previews to be added, comments to be posted and lists to be created in one place. It works well having it all together to be shared digitally, allowing access from anywhere with wifi.

Working with a remote company, I’ve found that a combination of these tools is what really helps us be the most successful. We’re in Teamwork and Slack constantly while our design team is utilizing Milanote as well to collaborate on moodboards and share those visions with the client. Slack is ideal for us when it comes to creating a company culture while being spread out across the Lower 48. Of course we’re able to communicate across all channels and teams and even with clients but it’s also a great source of “water cooler” chat. Everyone at Little Taller will admit that we live and die by teamwork. All of our deadlines, milestones, progress, and time is logged there. There’s probably not one program that fits every need or desire of your business but there’s more than enough options to compile what you’re looking for.

If you’re looking to compare other management systems check out capterra.com. It allows you to select and compare systems while filtering for what features you’re specifically looking for.