Basecamp...
I'm going to be honest here, I'm not really sure why I've decided to add a review of this tool.
On the surface, it seems to be great for collaboration between various team members. But in fact, what I find myself thinking, as I go from one screen to the next, is that this tool requires full commitment from all team members. And I can totally see them getting sucked into the app more than doing actual work.
✔ I like the overall structure.
✔ I like that every project has its to-dos in one place, along with the files.
❌ But files that are attached to a specific to-do don't appear in the general files area. So I'd have to go looking for them if they weren't uploaded to the general area. And I might have multiple copies of the same file in the project.
✔ I like that all chats can happen within the app, and I don't need to go externally to Slack or Whatsapp. And I like that the history is part of the project or team forever. Easy to find.
❌ But I'm on those other tools anyway. So it's not really saving me anything. And I really don't like the 'campfire' option.
I understand that chatting is part of the company culture and it has tons of value.
But the structure of this app is one that pulls you in. As I mentioned above, I can see people chatting away and getting sucked into the app rather than work.
I don't like that every time I want to go into a section, it opens on top of or instead of the previous section. It means I see the pieces but can't see details within the big picture.
I have this problem on other tools, but here I see it most of all.
The tool gives you some samples to work with but otherwise, you're pretty much on your own. You can save templates (in the business model, not the free model).
I didn't see any way to create dependent tasks. And the schedule is separate from the to-dos.
It's just not my vision of how to manage a project.
The timeline needs to be integrated to the schedule and not just a separate list.
I see their schedule option as more of a milestone or event list than anything else.
Their automatic check in feature is cool. But if used incorrectly, I can see it being either annoying (at best) or wasting a lot of time. It's asking everybody questions on a regular basis, and EVERYONE can see what the answer is.
If your team is big, people could potentially be wasting a lot of time reading emails and messages that are just not relevant to them.
I get the mindset. And for certain business cultures, this tool may be right.
But for small businesses, this tool is just over the top with too many potential pitfalls.
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