Selecting A Project Management Software Solution

Josh Shultz

09.24.2014

Six months ago Derek and I set out to change the world find a new project management solution for our creative agency. Little did we know a seemingly simple task would turn into a labor of love.

The Dilemma

For years, the NJI team used the Basecamp Classic project management software. It fit our needs perfectly; but like anything else in an industry that evolves quickly, our needs changed.

In order to figure out what our needs were, Derek conducted a thorough series of internal stakeholder meetings. Similar to what we do with our clients during the Discovery phase of a project, Derek sat down with members of the NJI team (not this guy) and asked them questions about workflow, time-tracking, communicating with team members and other needs as it related improved project management.

After the stakeholder interviews, our list of possible solutions was boiled down to four.

The Proposed Solutions

Asana
“New” Basecamp
Teamwork
Wrike

Our Needs

Must haves

–Organize projects by client
–Track time
–Clean, intuitive design and layout
–Organize projects by tasks & task lists
–Upcoming milestones
–New comments and messages
–Easily exportable to other formats
–Keeps team members informed of announcements
–Secure pages
–Advanced reporting feature
–Advanced search

Not-so-must haves

–Incorporate dependencies
–Drag-drop reordering of tasks and lists
–Ability to export data
–Time estimates
–Github integration

After testing each solution, conducting multiple meetings with division directors to present our findings, we decided that wasn’t enough. We needed a spreadsheet to help us visualize our needs.

[table id=2 /]

We didn’t put the spreadsheet together with the thought of ever sharing it, but quickly realized it might serve as a useful tool for other agencies looking for new project management solutions – plus, sharing is caring.

The Verdict

In the end, we chose Teamwork – and we’re thrilled with our choice. Not only does Teamwork all of our needs, but it’s a very nimble solution that makes us even better at our jobs. Teamwork is intuitive, easy to use and perfect for our agency. It also has advanced time-tracking built into the app and allows users to generate helpful reports that allow us to better predict production needs.

If you or your firm is looking for a project management solution, give us a buzz; we’d love to chat with you.

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