37signals Product Blog

Software developer calls Basecamp "the single most important piece of project management software"

Don Schenck owns the software development company Xceeda, Inc. In Project Management, he discusses how he collaborated with others on a recent project using Basecamp.

Basecamp is, arguably, the single most important piece of project management software ever created.

"Wow, Don ... that's quite a statement!"

Yeah, well, you use Basecamp and you'll become an evangelist as I am.

Basecamp allows all the important parts of a project -- artifacts, messages, schedules, etc. -- to be stored in one place. Any "stakeholder" (BUZZWORD ALERT!) can access the project's information from anywhere: Computer, iPad, phone. Even a Windows-based machine.

(*zing!*)

As you might imagine, the old-school owner of the creating company (NOT me) was opposed to the idea. "We have Microsoft Project" ... "It's in the cloud" ... "We don't have a process in place" ... all the excuses -- and that's all they are -- you would expect.

Nixed. Shot down. Kicked to the curb.

So, like any good self-starter, I purchased my own subscription to Basecamp and started using it.

I invited the client to join my project. They did, immediately, and are already liking it.

Today, while working with an ancillary party (the usability experts), they asked me to make the latest copy of the prototype software available to them.

"No problem. I have an online project management software that I use ..."

"Basecamp?"

"Yeah! How'd you know? Did Kristy tell you?"

"No, I've used it before with _____. It's great."

So, despite the best efforts of the owner, we're using Basecamp, collaborating on this project, communicating and sharing "stuff" via one, central location.

The full piece.

Marketing agency lists tools to keep you organized

Marketing agency True Hero asks, "As business grows, client lists expand, taxes are due, and calendars filled up, how do you keep organized?" The answer is a list of tools to keep track of people, places, and things — and Highrise, Basecamp, and Backpack make the cut.

1. Highrise is Customer Management, Assistant, White-Board, Email, To Do all in one. TrueHero recommends Highrise to all our clients. It’s a one stop place for answers when responding to sales managers, accounts and reps. Each user can see who talked to the client last, when and what was discussed. Schedule a meeting, Task or Follow-up by Company, Brand or Client. You don’t have to bother Bob on his vacation for Client X’s info – it is right there in Highrise. Easy, efficient, and effective. Love this tool and it’s inexpensive...

3. Backpack is part of 37signals like Highrise. If you have the $99 package, Highrise, Backpack, and Basecamp is included. No need for Google Calendars – Backpack has a group calendar. A great alternative to mass emails, notifications and group organization. The 37signals tools work well together – one place, one app, easy.

The rest of the list includes tools like MailChimp, Mint.com, and Quickbooks. Check it out.

eBook offers tips to reduce your workweek and recommends Basecamp

"Get out of #Jail Free Card" by Mark White is a $9.99 eBook that promises to reduce your workweek from 70 to 40 hours.

Mark White has spent two years testing the methods in his new book, and now he’s made it available to workaholics worldwide.

This short book is designed as a tool rather than as an armchair diversion. It shows you the faster, easier, natural way to take back your life.

One of the tips in the book is "No Phone Calls," which mentions Basecamp:

I am not the type of person who uses the phone a lot. I’ve learned very early to transfer complete business related communication to email. Written trace of a correspondence is much more practical, because you can keep track of who said what and when. Tools like Basecamp just brought it up to a higher level.

Basecamp and Highrise lead off "7 Indispensable Web Tools Every Ecommerce Merchant Should Be Using"

eCommerce Hacks lists 7 Indispensable Web Tools Every Ecommerce Merchant Should Be Using. Basecamp and Highrise lead it off.

1. Basecamp – Free/Subscription (Subscription starting at $24/mo)
The product of 37signals, BaseCamp is a wonderful project management tool that’s fully web-based, so you never have to install any programs onto your computer. In basic terms, what Basecamp will do for you is to keep track of what you need to do, when you need to do it and assign tasks to anyone who is involved in the project. Because everything is hosted on servers, you can access Basecamp from where ever you have an Internet connection. Once you figure out how Basecamp works, it becomes an indispensable tool in your everyday work-flow. With Basecamp, collaborating with others is made easy and keeping track of important events is automated with their notification system which emails or texts you of upcoming events.

2. Highrise – Free/Subscription (Subscription starting at $24/mo)
Highrise is also a product of 37signals and is a easy to use contact management web tool. OK, so what’s contact management? Simply put, it’s a Rolodex that you can access on the Internet. What makes this better than a Rolodex is that anyone who has the right credentials can access the information through the Internet and catch up on the latest information about contacts. For example, if you contacted one of your key customers, you can enter their information along with a summary of your conversation and set reminders or next actions based on the last conversation. When it’s time for the next follow-up, anyone in charge of the customer can read the last summary to get a good idea of what was discussed prior to contacting them.

See the full list.

PC Magazine: "Basecamp is the simplest, fastest, and most scalable project management service available"

Basecamp is the Editors' Choice winner of PC Mag's "The Best Free Online Project Management Software."

Basecamp secures the Editors' Choice designation for its integration with existing technologies, dead-simple setup, and orbit inside 37signals' constellation of products and services...

With over 3 million active users, Basecamp is the benchmark of free online project management developed by 37 signals. It helps small businesses and large businesses, from wedding planners to hedge fund managers, to get and stay organized. While other online services heap on the features—and complexity—Basecamp remains, after nearly seven years of service, the simplest, fastest, and most scalable service available.

Read the full article.

Lab.SixtyFive offers smart tips for small companies getting started with Basecamp

Lab.SixtyFive is Gregor McKelvie's blog "inspired by smart business, good design and people who can get things done." Recently it offered up some thoughtful tips on how a small company can get more out of Basecamp.

One thing he advises when starting out: Get people to use the global to-do list.

I think for project managers it’s a great tool. You’ll instantly take to it and begin to live in it (rather than in email). The problem is getting others to take a similar approach, as it’s not their role to be organised. It takes change. The first thing I’d recommend is to encourage people to use the global to do list. If users slowly get used to seeing a list of things to do in one place then it makes getting off to a good start in the morning a bit easier.

Also, start getting people used to posting messages.

The first thing that many people do – especially the project managers is create to do lists. That’s because they are “organising”. Whilst you need to do this, I think a great place to start getting users used to the change is using the message board. It’s simple and people understand adding comments. When you start using Basecamp you should be thinking “how do I collaborate” not “how do I organise”.

And bring Basecamp and Highrise into project meetings for reinforcement.

I use Basecamp and Highrise in meetings and discussions all the time. Clients use it too. To make it work, you’ve got to build it into everyday processes. For example, in project meetings project Basecamp on to the wall or display it on screen. Put notes into Basecamp and assign tasks in the meeting. This is a good visual mechanism for people to see that Basecamp is where they need to go if they want project information – or to see who is doing what.

Read the full piece.

Do you have a tip for how to use a 37signals product? Let us know.

An in-depth introduction to Basecamp from Flash & Flex Developer's Magazine

Flash & Flex Developer's Magazine has a new issue out on Project Management. On p. 20-29, there is an in-depth look at how to get started using Basecamp. It's a good, no-nonsense primer for anyone who wants to learn the basics of Basecamp.

The following information will not only review features, but also touch on how we should use them. This is to help not only manage projects, but also to be more aware and efficient in getting things done correctly.

Here's a sample page:

Download the entire issue (email required).

Macworld looks at how Spootnik bridges Basecamp and OmniFocus

OmniFocus is a native project manager for Mac, iPhone, and iPad that you can bridge to Basecamp with a product called Spootnik. Macworld recently explored the connection.

Spootnik can sync Basecamp with just, say, an iPhone or iPad (no Mac version is needed as an intermediary), or with every type of Apple-made device you can throw at it. It also provides a separate Web interface for editing your OmniFocus tasks in a browser.

You can customize which Basecamp projects and task lists you synchronize, as well as how often Spootnik should sync. Basecamp projects become folders in OmniFocus, and Basecamp task lists become to-do lists under each OmniFocus project folder. If you assign tasks to team members in Basecamp, their names become contexts in OmniFocus for yet more organizational power.

Read the full piece.

"Low stress, ahead of schedule" newsletter comes off without a hitch due to Basecamp

FliteHaus designer Jess Anderson just finished up a newsletter for Triad Isotopes and attributes the project's success ("Low stress, few changes, completed ahead of schedule even! Woohoo!") to using Basecamp to manage the project.

Stephanie, from Triad, and I are able to set calendar goals, create todo lists, message each other, and upload files. All in one spot! Sooooooo much better than having emails scattered here and there!

By using the project milestones, we were able to choose realistic goals and set due dates on a calendar we both use! No excuses for late content or work! Everyone is looking at the same thing! You can also integrate the milestones onto your iCal to make life even easier. The todo lists are great for keeping things moving and everyone on track. Or keep them private and make them for yourself! Instead of searching for various emails in my inbox, all my correspondence for this specific project are all together, making it so much easier to access. File sharing is organized and simple. Stephanie uploads content to me, and I upload proofs for her. All these features are in one place for each specific project! Love it!

Another great thing about Basecamp, you can download a few third party apps for your iPhone and iPad that integrate seamlessly with it! These are great for meetings and on-the-go, and keep things easily organized and accessible!

All in all, Basecamp has become an invaluable part of our everyday work flow, and we are using it with more and more of our clients with positive responses!

"From Idea to Web Start-up in 21 Days" author calls Basecamp critical for managing communication

Jason Glaspey of Urban Airship (and previously of Bac'n) talks about using Basecamp in his various projects:

Been using Basecamp for years and years and been part of several startups, some small and failed, some medium and profitable, some large and funded. Throughout all of them we've used Basecamp.

Last year, we started and sold a company called Bac'n. The site sold real bacon online. We'd have about 600lbs of bacon at any given time in our freezers, and we had a fun project to work on during our full-time jobs. Since then we've sold the company and started Urban Airship, which is doing great and we're having a great time.

The interesting part of the story is that in 2009, while talking about our experience creating the company in three weeks, we were asked to write a book about our experience. So, we did: From Idea to Web Start-up in 21 Days: Creating bacn.com [Amazon].

I held the first copy in my hands last week. And in that book, we discuss using Basecamp and how it was critical to working with vendors and managing communication and tasks between us who all worked at different places. We also talk about how 37signals was inspiration to our methods and agile development.

Our current company, Urban Airship, is a young, 17-person startup with the vast majority of our team being engineers. They of course have all sorts of ways to communicate and keep track of their code. However, this has also meant that we have worked with a pretty strong list of vendors for everything from copywriting, design (print and web), and to a few other positions with contractors in other cities. Keeping track of us all has been a struggle at times. We use a variety of tools, such as Dropbox to keep some things easy to share and synced on the desktop; but when there are comments needed and versioning, Basecamp works wonders.

We're currently reconfiguring our website, as well as the backend admin interface for new features and updated messaging. So sending feedback to and from our designers and site developers, while also allowing our team on-site to communicate and provide feedback, while always keeping track of the current designs and workflows, has become super simple with Basecamp.

Also, Urban Airship was one of the first companies to join the Portland Incubator Experiment and Basecamp is how all the companies, past and present, communicate within that space. We've used it to plan and host events, sell vehicles used in the Chalkbot campaign during the Tour de France, and to remind each other when it's time to get a new keg.

There's pretty much no part of our business that Basecamp hasn't touched at least once.

Sorry if our tale is a bit non-linear, and involves a bunch of quasi-connected companies. But that's part of how today works, and it's a testament to Basecamp that it's one of the few threads that we've used in each situation.

Do you use a 37signals product in an interesting way? Let us know.