Just what system are you using to keep track of your tasks at work? Which system are you using to make sure that your entire team is always on the same page on assignments? Are you tracking everything well or do you find yourself struggling to keep track of things frequently?
Maybe you find yourself having difficulty keeping all of your team members working on the things that they’re supposed to be responsible for. And that’s why you’re looking for a method of time and task tracking or organization (or all of the above). That’s where you may have come across Basecamp and now you’re wondering if it’s best for you.
In general, Basecamp is a simple to use system that’s designed to help your entire team stay on track and collaborate on different projects. It’s inexpensive, integrates with different systems that you may already be using and it lets you set up anything and everything from tasks and deadlines to even files and announcements. It’s a type of project management app but more than that it’s a collaboration tool that you can use to accomplish different tasks and make sure that you’re always on the same page with your team.
- Easy setup
- Flexible system
- Flat monthly price
- Unlimited users
- Integration with apps
- Easy collaboration
- Tracking for tasks and deadlines
- Storage for files and announcements
- Timelines
- Dependencies & milestones
- Tasks & subtasks
- Drag & drop
- Baselines
- Critical path
- Multiple projects & workspaces
- Diverse exporting options: Excel, image & PDF
- Public snapshot sharing options
- Team collaboration options: Notification & task assignment
- Custom view & fields
- Custom color options for progress bars
- Risk & priority
- Estimated & actual cost
- Gantt & workload view
- Ready-to-use templates
Basecamp has some really great features that you’re definitely going to want to check out more closely. These include all of the collaboration features. In fact, that’s one of the best things about this system because it lets you interact with your team to get things done. You can talk to the people on your team, send announcements and even send files and further information so that everyone is on the same page every step of the way. That makes it easier for you to know where everyone stands on their part of the project and whether your full project is moving forward.
Another good aspect is that you will only pay one monthly rate no matter how many people are actually on your team. So, you pay $99 per month or $999 per year for a team of absolutely any size and for any number of projects that you might need to work on. That means you can get all of the features including 500 GB of storage and no limits on the different features and other capabilities of the platform. That makes it a whole lot easier for you to get your work done.
You’ll also like that the whole thing is easy to set up and quick to get started. You can set up an organization name for the account and enter your personal information. Then you can set up some of the basics for your projects. Once you get there you can choose to set up a card-style system or a list based system. Either way, you’ll get a sample setup that will help you decide just how you want things to look and how you can set up your own tasks and projects as well. You can even set up a template if you have a common style of project that your team does frequently.
For all the good features that you’re going to find, there are a few not-so-great things as well. For example, if you’re looking for a true project management system that’s not really what Basecamp is for. Sure, you could set up your projects and you may be able to get a better idea of how to keep track of them and all but you’re not going to have all of the features that you would get with a true project management system. Instead, this one focuses a bit more on the collaboration and interaction between the members of your team.
The pricing can be good if you have a large team and you need to get a lot of work done, but if you have a small team or if you’re only working on a few projects then you may not actually need all that you’re paying for. Some platforms are available for as low as $5 per user, per month, which means that if you had a small team you’d be paying quite a bit more for this system. Not to mention you still wouldn’t have a true project management program and might need something else to help with that.
Finally, there’s the prospect of siloing with a lot of the different tasks. So, when you start out you have to select where you want to go and then another subcategory and another and another. By the time you get all the way through the process and into where you want to be it’s another long slog to get back out of it. You don’t have a lot of menu options or easy ways to get from deep within a project to back out of it and working on the next task. It’s a long process to get through where you want to go, which can be time consuming.
So, if you’re looking at Basecamp and wondering if it’s really the right way to go for you then you might also be thinking about alternatives. After all, there are plenty of different project management systems out there that can help you and your team to collaborate on projects and get things done, right? Absolutely. And one of the ones that you should be taking a closer look at is Instagantt, where you’ll find all of the features that you need and then some.
For example, Instagantt is a Gantt chart that is first and foremost a project management system. You’ll be able to set up as many projects as you want, with as many team members as you want, and make sure that everyone is aware of what’s happening at the same time. You can set up different projects and individual tasks inside each of those projects and you can even set the different people who are responsible for each task. Add in the fact that there are even options for assigning start dates, deadlines and dependencies and you’re going to have everything you need for your projects.
You’ll be able to customize everything about the system to make sure it works for you and your team, not to mention the project you’re working on. You can even set up templates so you no longer have to start everything from scratch to get set up and ready to go again. All you have to do is create a template that the team can follow when it’s time to create the next project or task.
You’ll only have to pay for the users that you want on your system as well and that gives them access to absolutely everything about the platform. So, for $7 a month for a single user or $5 per month, per user, you get full access to everything that Instagantt has to offer. There are no higher levels, no tiers, no add-ons. You don’t have to worry about running out of space or projects or anything else. You just pay your fee and you’ll have access to everything. That’s even better for smaller teams or those who have odd numbers of teams and don’t want to pay for the ’10 -20 users,’ ’20-50 users,’ or ‘50+’ users that many other systems have.
Options and features are always important when it comes to working with a project management service. And that’s what you’re going to get with Instagantt. Any of the services that you don’t get automatically you’re going to have no problem adding on because Instagantt is compatible with many of your favorite apps and programs. You can integrate them together and then you’ll only need to update one in order to get your updates carried over throughout all of the different platforms that you use.
How often have you tried to implement something new and not everyone on your team is comfortable with it or not everyone can really understand how to use it? Well, that’s not going to be a problem with Instagantt because the entire system is designed to be as user friendly as possible. There’s no learning curve and whether your team is tech-savvy or not they won’t have a problem figuring out how to keep track of their tasks, upload information, ask and answer questions and anything else that they need to do. That’s going to make it easier for you to implement.
Gantt charts in general are a great option, and they’re going to make sure that you have tracking for anything and everything that you need. Whether you need to set up tasks and subtasks or you need deadlines and dependencies or you’re even looking to set up different options for different team members, you can take care of it here. You can color code different tasks or projects and pieces for different members of your team. You can even communicate directly through different tasks and overall projects so the right people are getting the information that they need to get things done.
And, on top of all of this, you can collaborate. Because everyone has access to the platform at the same time it means that everyone is able to work together to get things done. Whether you actually need to send messages back and forth or you want to send files or you’re just making sure everyone is on the same page with the tasks that still need to be done, you won’t have a problem doing it all with Instagantt. It’s all super simple and it’s designed to be done instantaneously, so there’s no waiting around for a response.
Are you ready to make a decision about the type of project management software that you want to use? Well, you absolutely should be. Make sure that you take a look at what each of these platforms has to offer and at what your team is actually going to need. After all, you don’t want to find yourself with a platform that’s great, but doesn’t actually take care of your team needs. Whether you need more collaboration or more project management services is going to be entirely up to you.
Basecamp has some great collaboration tools and it can make things very segmented for you, but it can also get a little more difficult to keep on top of things, which might slow you down. On the other hand, Instagantt can absolutely help you maintain all of your projects and tasks. If you’re looking for Gantt charts and a way to make sure that your team is always on the right track with their next task, this is definitely the way to go. You can keep everything running smoothly and make sure you don’t miss a thing along the way, which is important for any type of business.
Start managing your projects efficiently & never struggle with complex tools again.
Start managing your projects efficiently & never struggle with complex tools again.