Projecturf Blog

When considering which project management software is the best fit for your needs, it is important to consider many things. This article addresses three of the top project management suites available in today’s market and gives a brief overview of the features each has to offer.

First off, all three products were built in-house by Web Design & Development Agencies to collaborate and manage projects with clients. As you may already know, Basecamp was built by 37Signals and released early in 2004 with the “less is more” motto to help companies become more efficient. Goplan was made by Webreakstuff and released to the public in 2007 to help manage projects with a slightly different vision in mind than 37Signals had. Latest to the scene, Projecturf (only released a few weeks ago) comes from Rareview Interactive, an interactive design and development agency in Los Angeles. Projecturf brings with it several unique differences and a new approach in effectively managing projects.

Below is an outline to show some differences, as well as a grid and screenshots to see each product in its truest form. It should be noted that these features are what is available now from each site, but the policy on adding features varies by company. Basecamp, although their core usability still remains the same, releases new features based on numerous customer requests/complaints on their forum. Goplan appears less narrow in terms of what they agree to add on to their product and have included a roadmap as an attempt to not sideline their customers. Rareview had been adding new features to enhance the user experience throughout the beta testing, and plans to continually update the product features based on requests while also keeping the design and UI clean.

x = Yes
Blank or - = No

* All Plans = all paying plans<
** Design Section = specifically created for design agencies and can be turned on/off
*** Development Section = specifically created for developers and can be turned on/off

SET UP AND USE

Basecamp – Requires that you set up global companies and associate contacts. From there you can click a box to add people to various projects. There is a personal dashboard with a milestones calendar for three months, To-Do’s, and latest activities on three separate tabs. At the project level, you can access messages, milestones, etc. As an administrator you have the ability to change anything (other than account specific data) or anyone’s data, while everyone else has “user access” control. You can have multiple admins within your own company while you can hide sections from client companies.

Projecturf – Includes a separate address book for the admin in which contacts can be imported and used on any projects. Each project contains a contact page where anyone can add people to that specific project as users. From the project’s settings page, you can select an unlimited number of project managers and project team members. The administrator has global access over everyone and manages the account and billing information, whereas project managers can edit team members’ data and project settings. The project page includes an overview of all milestones in a calendar format; and the project dashboard includes latest activities, project briefs, and announcements. You may hide certain sections if you choose not to use them.

Goplan – Set up a project by choosing a name and a unique identifier for that project. After creating your project and picking which sections you need, contacts are added at the project level. Access levels are global for the project administrator, while everyone else on the project is set as a general user but may be modified with permission to only certain sections. Included in the Goplan package is a ticketing system to manage issues and for bug tracking. You may also use their blogging section, which is a stab at collaboration beyond a chat room.

UI, DESIGN, FEATURES, & SCREENSHOTS

Breaking it down a little further, Projecturf is the simplest tool to use and most client-friendly because of the user interface, design, global address book, multiple system integration, and the simple list views that allow you to see the project area when editing or adding to a section. Basecamp and Projecturf both allow the users to add photos, customize a URL, and change the system colors (a recently added feature to Goplan). Projecturf includes a contact card for each user that can be viewed from most sections, and includes a timecard on all paying plans, whereas Basecamp limits that feature to the more expensive plans. Goplan has a nice UI and a clear emphasis on bug tracking and tasks.

All three project management products have integrated calendars, notes or messages, and permissions. However, I find a big difference in the design, layout, and complexity of each. For one, both Projecturf and Goplan include a simple text editor for users while Basecamp doesn’t unless you want to program. The major selling points for our product, Projecturf, are the design style, unique icons (sleek, creative, fresh) the straight-forward interface, additional sections for agencies and developers, and the unlimited storage on all paying plans. Basecamp provides several important features such as milestones and tasks, but it’s not as user friendly and clean looking. Goplan has a very functional user interface and bug tracking system. It is a tool with a lot of potential, but needs a few important additions – more usability with comments, time tracking, and milestones.