Basecamp Review

Much has already been written about Basecamp by 37signals. I have been using it for the past two months to help me keep the development of this website organized.

Basecamp is a project management tool. Essentially, it is another in a long line of organizational tools. Do we need another organizational tool?

I often have told myself that if I can’t get myself organized using a simple day planner (or a simple calendar), then I shouldn’t shell out the money for expensive software or a palm pilot etc. Since Basecamp offers a free version, there was no harm to the wallet for trying it out.

Basecamp provides a Dashboard that provides an basic overview of all the projects in the account. Entering the project page, the user is provided with five distinct areas: Overview (sort of like the dashboard but only for this particular project), Messages, To-Dos, Milestones and People.

Being that I do not have a team of people working for me nor any clients, I cannot speak to the collaborative functionality that Basecamp offers under the People section. Milestones keeps track of key dates and integrates with any calendar that uses iCalendar technology. Messages is used to send and keep track of notes for all team members. I used it mainly to make notes for myself.

I skim over these other parts because it is mainly the To-Do’s section that I have used and is in some ways the core upon which all the other components are built around.

The To-Do’s section is a collection of one or more lists. That is it. Lists. Sort of a let down isn’t it? However, organization is really nothing more than a list. Does organization really need to be anything more? Kudos to the Basecamp people for following the KISS principle: Keep it Simple Stupid.

There is amazing power in a simple list. Basecamp has made it extremely easy to create lists, add items to lists, reorder items on lists, reorder the lists themselves, delete items, complete items (i.e. check items off), etc.

I know people are still thinking, that’s it? It is just a big To Do list collector?

Here is the catch with ALL organizational tools: they are highly dependent on the ORGANIZER. NO TOOL will KEEP you organized if you yourself fail to use the tool. That is the power of Basecamp. It is simple. It is not tedious to maintain. It is not complex. It is not cumbersome. However, simplicity has a second edge as well. One does have to be a little more savvy and creative to use lists for maximum efficiency. Again, the onus is on oneself.

There is one key improvement I would make to the To-Do lists. I would love to be able to add the same item to multiple lists. For example, I want to create a list entitled “Things to do Today”. I want to be able to drag and drop items from other lists onto my “Today” list. Checking an item off either on the Today list or the original list would complete the item on all the lists it was included. Now we are talking about some real organizational power, yet keeping it within the realm of simplicity.

Other minor improvements: flag items of importance (Yes, I could move it to the top of the list, but that doesn’t scream at me “THIS IS IMPORTANT” as a different color or a little flag next to it would. The Dashboard and Overview screens could be improved. I find it hard to place exactly what bothers me about them, other than they could be tremendously more helpful than they are.

I have discovered that my original question “Do we need yet another organizational tool?” is misguided. My question should be turned into an imperative: We need simple organizational tools. Most organizational tools get fall into misuse because of two problems. Either they are too complex or too cumbersome. Basecamp is simple and lightweight.

For the beginning web developer it is handy tool to begin to organize the development of websites. Make lists of bugs, articles to write, sites to review, tools to implement, changes to make, etc. I have opened up Basecamp every work day for the last two months. I think that is a record for me and my usage of organizational tools.

Keep in mind Basecamp is not for organizing email, or contacts or anything of that sort. It is project management made simple. The project to manage could be your very own life. Once I am able to upgrade and add a second project I plan to do just that. Finally! Well, I hope to anyway.

UPDATE July 12, 2006:
There are a few other functions I wish Basecamp included. I wish I could print a list. I wish I could export a list. I wish I could backup my lists. I wish it took me only one click to get to my list instead of two. I still recommend it as a tool to consider. One just has to find a tool that indeed works for you.

[tags]basecamp[/tags]