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Ask HN: Any web app suggestions for project management?

25 points by sidmitra ↗ HN
We have a split team over the globe. So we needed to manage tasks/ documents etc. We started with google groups for discussion. Currently i was trying out Google sites for the same.

I would like to start with something free, since the team is small enough(6-7) right now. Any suggestions for something better?

16 comments

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aranganath
Pivotal Tracker (http://www.pivotaltracker.com/)

Disclaimer: I work for them.

stuff4ben
I like what I see. Can I download it and install it on a local machine? For personal projects it seems fine to go with your hosted solution, but I'd like to introduce it to our company. However they won't let proprietary info be hosted somewhere else.
mileszs
From their 'Help' section:

---

Is it possible to host my own copy of Tracker?

We do not offer a self-installed version of Tracker. However, a dedicated instance may be possible for organizations with a large number of users. Please email us at tracker@pivotallabs.com for details and pricing information.

---

I really, really like PT for agile or semi-agile or aspiring-agile teams.

lancrey
I've been working with ClockingIT, the interface is good and easy to understand, you can use the hosted version or setup on your own server. http://www.clockingit.com disclaimer : I don't work for them :) it's a full opensource , created with RoR
adnam
Redmine/Mediawiki etc + budget web host
stuff4ben
Give Redmine (http://www.redmine.org/) a look. While it doesn't have a great website, after installing it on my Mac, it blew me away in terms of features and functionality. It's very similar to Unfuddle.com (or maybe I have it backwards).
mtarnovan
We switched to Redmine from Trac and so far I'm pretty impressed. So yeah, give Redmine a try.
boundlessdreamz
Another shout for redmine. It is mostly oriented around issue management but there are tons of plugins which add functionality
kirubakaran
If your team knows Emacs, you may want to try org-mode (sync-ed by, say, git). I am not kidding. The notes-centric approach, instead of the usual task-centric approach, will completely change the way you work and collaborate for the better.

I can't stress this enough.

sidmitra
Sounds intriguing. Although most of my team is not emacs based, but i personally will take a look.
jbr
Project management is a fairly broad domain and includes a bunch of different tool types. If you're using sites, you might be interested in pbworks (was pbwiki) or 37signals basecamp. Pivotal tracker provides a very focused (and thus intentionally restrictive) workflow that expresses their agile development philosophy. Similarly, thoughtworks mingle is shaped for their flavor of development. Personally, I think that managing documents and tasks are two very different domains unless the documents are directly linked to a task.

--- There's also the issue of how tasks are prioritized and how new ideas are merged into the work queue. Stormweight is a product in private beta that allows your team to merge their preferences democratically for brainstorming and team decisionmaking. Email contact@stormweight.com if you're interested in the beta. [Disclaimer: I'm a co-founder and chief engineer at Stormweight]

blurry
Since you already have your team on gmail I would suggest this:

1. Add Tasks from Google Labs to everyone's gmail account

2. Add same to Google Sites (you can insert gadgets into pages, just make sure you add Google Labs Tasks and not other task apps also from google)

What I really like about this setup is the ability to create tasks from emails with 1 click, so you can keep track of the whole conversation from the individual task itself.

It's not the prettiest setup but it does have the ability to share conversations, create multiple projects and structure tasks hierarchically - which to me is all you need. And hey, it's free and builds on what you already have.