Moving from Basecamp to ActiveCollab

by admin on September 27, 2011

The need for constant and time efficient interaction between clients and project managers/service providers such as web developers creates the need for a communication medium which is more efficient than emailing.

Here we will look at basecamp versus activecollab as two such medium:

Basecamp provides the answer to this need as it allows for organized and archived conversations as well as it maintains a centralized collection of project files through features such design files and specs. The project management team and their clients use Basecamp as the tool through which they collaborate. Worker to worker and worker to client conversations may become necessary once a project is started and it is important that they be able to keep track of this communication if efficiency and expediency is to be achieved. A huge part of this process most times requires the sending of a number of files back and forth between the conversing parties.

The services provided by Basecamp becomes even more essential when a project manager has a number of projects undergoing active development. The magnitude of communication which will take place benefits from Basecamp’s ability to keep conversations organized and archived as well as centralizing the huge number of files which will need to be moved across cyber space.

The prices for each plan package are reasonable and the site is easy to use. With this entire positive the site has its limitation which makes it unable to adequately achieve total customer satisfaction. There is a limit on the number of active accounts clients are allowed to have going at any one time. This can prove to be a challenge and a setback for clients who have active projects which surpass the account limit.

This account limitation adopted by Basecamp may be their way of forcing clients to upgrade their accounts which would mean more money for them but in the same breath it may cause clients to question their offers and their capability to facilitate their need. It presents a sort of potential win/lose situation for the client more so if clients decide to move on to another provider.

An alternative provider disgruntled clients of Basecamp may choose to move on to is ActiveCollab. There are a number of project management tools online which gives project managers the option to shop around. ActiveCollab is a self hosted site which allows clients to pay a one off license fee and an optional support fee from two years up. The self host feature allows project managers to have better control over their projects as opposed to the site controlled feature at Basecamp. At ActiveCollab project managers can take corrective actions if the site becomes too slow. Having this control over their data on ActiveCollab  is a plus as opposed to the frustration these project managers experienced at Basecamp .

The self-hosting feature is easy to install and configure with an approximate 10min processing time for this to be done. Maintenance is also hassle free as ActiveCollab do not require this of the client. The site also comes equipped with subversion integration which is a great feature that makes life easier for developers. Project managers who have their source codes stored in subversion will find it beneficial to integrating their project management tool and their source control.

The ticket feature offered by ActiveCollab is a welcomed one for many project managers. This software presents some satisfactory features in addition to being cheaper than Basecamp. The self-host aspect of the site has been a winner for the site even though there may be a few glitches. The UI issues present and some things showing up where they are not relevant are not enough to take away from the fact that the site is continuously improving their product offering. The glitches experienced can be overcome with a little effort.

That said ActiveCollab like Basecamp does have its challenges which project managers will have a problem with. Some project managers find the site to not be intuitive enough and not worth the yearly renewal. Some clients have also had problems with the site and project managers will no doubt have to bear the satisfaction and comfort of their clients in mind when the considering the switch between the sites. The final decision in the basecamp versus activecollab arguement may really lie with the satisfaction of the client.

Next we will look at FeedCamp, a more pricing-flexible option to Basecamp.

Tagged as: 37signals, ActiveCollab, Basecamp, Project management

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