Turning an idea into a completed project can be challenging at the best of times. It requires planning, action, assignment, prioritizing, accountability, time-management, and the vision to keep track of the “bigger picture” at all times.
We like to think of these project management elements as being a part of your process to plot a plan. Kind of like charting a course from a starting point to a destination.
Some people use whiteboards to mark up what needs to be done to complete a project. Some like to itemize their task list in a notepad. Some like to use smart phone apps to keep track of their to-do lists.
But to truly keep track of your project vision by setting tasks, measuring against project milestones, assigning to different project members, prioritizing with due dates and deadlines, “checking” off what’s been completed, and maintaining a visual representation of what’s been done and what’s to come, usually requires fairly sophisticated software.
Project management software and systems are considered the “gold standard” when it come to pushing a project from inception through to successful completion.
Some of the better known solutions include stand-alone software like Microsoft Project, and many of the SAAS solutions such as Basecamp, Zoho Projects, and Freshbooks. There are also many open-source solutions available including ProjectPier and Redmine.
And what do we like to use?
Collabtive is an open-source project management solution that offers a broad range of features and methodologies to set goals, milestones, and tasks, allocate these to various team members, set completion deadlines, all with a built-in messaging system. Not to mention the ability to set up unlimited projects with unlimited users.
And the most important thing? It’s easy to use, easy to understand, and gives a fantastic birds-eye view of your project at any time. We love it and so will you!