Basecamp for Project Management - Review

Recently we used Basecamp to manage a web build for a client and we found it to be one of the easiest-to-use project management tools.

Basecamp is an online project management tool that allows you to keep all the communications for your projects in the one place and if you currently rifle through emails looking for bits of communication and attachments associated with your projects, then Basecamp is by far the better option.

Basecamp provides a very effective way of setting project milestones, checklists and communications.   The trick to making Basecamp a success we found was to get people into the habit of using it for all communications relating to the project including any outside communications such as action points discussed in meetings and notes made from telephone communications etc.

One of the features of basecamp is the opting out of notification when they are irrelevant to you and the ability to create multiple to-do lists per project.  As an example, for our web build project, we were able to create, assign and track separate checklists for the Chinese, Korean and English versions of the builds and tick each action point off as they were completed.


Here is a good Basecamp introductory instructional video we found on YouTube: 

If you currently use email to manage projects and to transfer assets and if you are unfamiliar with using project management tools, we would recommend Basecamp to any company looking to get organised, streamline business processes and keep projects moving in the right direction.

For all of your more complex projects where you need to manage multiple stakeholders, deadlines, resources, management of assets and signoffs, we would definitely recommend integrating basecamp into your project planning and delivery.

Social Media Management

The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) recently released ‘best practice’ guidelines for brands on social media (http://www.aana.com.au/data/AANA_in_the_News/Guideline_261112.pdf ). In light of this we decided to create an article on social media (SM) management.

To successfully and effectively monitor SM campaigns you must first establish exactly why they need to be monitored.  It’s also imperative to fully understand the brand involved and the language people use when discussing this unique brand, (especially when they are limited to just 140 characters).

A Good SM monitoring tool allows you to listen, analyse, engage and evaluate.  It should also grant multiple admin users access to link the company  via Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Google Analytics.

Some of the more popular social media tools are HootSuite, TweetDeck, Posterous and Bitly.
Key Features to look for:

Dashboard Interface – Providing high level analysis. 
Syndication Functionality – Of all social media mentions / conversations. 
Feed Monitoring - Especially from Twitter and LinkedIn. 
Scheduling Tool - Create and schedule status updates. 
Suggestions Tool – Who to follow? Based on past interactions. 
Reporting Tool – Covering follower status, engagement and traffic levels.

The Facebook component of our recently launched Dental Care Network (DCN) Website  has been particularly successful; regular posts on the DCN Facebook Page in conjunction with a supporting digital media advertising campaign has manifested into a ‘Social Hub’ where DCN can connect and liaise with the community in a fun and meaningful way.

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas and the team at M&a are celebrating with a bit of festive cheer! The decorations are up and the cheer is spreading round the office! The M&a offices will be closed for our annual Christmas break from Monday 24th December re-opening on Monday 7th January. We wish you all a safe and happy holiday and look forward to a successful 2013!