Tools for Project Managers
The best thing about the tools listed below is that they are either free or inexpensive.
Web Design Projects
Conceptshare.com: A great website for online collaboration around visual designs. We used this resourceful site in designing the new 380+ page second.org.
WebSort.net: A easy and helpful site for working through taxonomies, information architecture, etc. We used it to ‘survey’ key staff on how they would group information together on our new website.
FreeMind: Looking for an easy tool to draft a sitemap or brainstorm some ideas. FreeMind makes it easy!
Issues/Bug Tracking
SourceGear.com: They offer two companion, Fortress and Vault. Fortress provides issues management/bug tracking with email notifications. Its companion Vault, provide version control and is a helpful tool for any software development collaboration.
Overall Project Management
BaseCamp: 37Signals provides this very popular tool. I give it an A+ on usability though I think its functionality is a bit lacking. If you are looking for tool that non-technical people can use and who will ‘own’ parts of the project…this is a good tool to consider.
LiveScribe.com: I got this about 5 months ago and this is a MUST HAVE for any project manager. This fancy pen holds up to 100 hours of audio and syncs it with your handwritten notes (special paper included). It allows you to touch any written word and begins playback of the meeting at the very moment you wrote that word or note. Confused? Watch the video. With this tool, I have preserved every conversation, decision, creative session, etc. After the meeting, I then share my notes with audio with those who attended and those who missed the meeting…all over the web.
ProjectManager.com: Though I have never used this and I have not read any reviews on it, but the demo video looks impressive. Check it out and let me know if you have used it or know anything about it.
PMToolBox.com: Not a tool per se, but a helpful and resourceful website that gives you plenty of info on project management.
Data Migrations
CleanUpData.com: From the folks at DabbleDB, this tool is simply awesome and a time saver. If you are responsible for a data migration or data cleanup, you will need to take a look at this.
If you know of any other tools or would want to share your experiences with any of the tools mentioned, please drop a comment for others.
About Equip Them
Equip Them focuses on technology as tools for evangelism and spiritual formation in the church and family. It is the personal blog of David Drinnon, pastor and Director of Information Technology and Websites at Second Baptist Church, Houston, TX. The opinions and views expressed on this site are his own and do not necessarily represent those of his church.
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