We love Basecamp for Project Management. It helps us stay sane but more importantly we’re able to deliver a world-class solution to our clients in the most efficient way possible…every time, repeatedly, and consistently.
Things get done quickly and correctly.
What does this look like….
Templates!
These are KEY. We have comprehensive Project Templates with dozens if not hundreds of To-Do items grouped in lists that ensure we don’t forget anything important.
This is similar to airplane pilots who work off of checklists which ensure nothing important is missed and takes human error out of the equation as much as possible.
To-do lists
- Capture everything! If we think of something that must be done or the client points something out it must be captured in the moment. If adding it directly to Basecamp isn’t possible at that precise moment, we at least write it on a piece of paper to capture on Basecamp later.
- Items at the top of list should be addressed first. This might be a function of what is most important or just low hanging fruit.
- Add a descriptor at the beginning of the task like: [SERVICES] or [ANALYTICS]. This really helps make the lists more visually manageable and allows quick grouping of similar tasks and addressing them more efficiently in “batch” fashion.
- Almost always a task should be “assigned” to someone so responsibility is clear.
- A due date can help prioritize when something must be addressed by. For us we use these are more like drop-dead or must-be-done-by dates.
Communication
Knowing that progress is being made and on which items is key for our team as well as for clients.
Basecamp interacts so beautifully with email. You get an email with a comment about a task and you can reply to it with an email without even having to go to Basecamp.
Have any Basecamp tips to share? Drop them in the comments, we’re always keen to improve.