Project Management: Master Task/'To-Do' List

[Karl Ottenstein]

Do any of you have suggestions for software for maintaining a master project 'to do' list?

We're not looking for charting/scheduling/etc (e.g., Microsoft Project), simply a multi-user database of open project issues that can be accessed by anyone to add items, revise, or query. From big things down to the trivial things like "Saw that X needed to be fixed (but it wasn't in my workspace)", or "Somebody needs to sign in as TL to do x ...".

Email/verbal communication with the appropriate team member works until a team member is sick, on vacation or otherwise out of the office and other members need to know what was on that person's list to get the project out the door. A centralized list also lets a project manager see all open tasks at any time.

Personally, I've only done solo work, so haven't had to look into this management issue. I assume there are decent off-the-shelf solutions...?

What do some of you do?

Thanks,
Karl

[Eduardo Rolon]

Some Options,

MS Project Alternatives

http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omniplan/

http://www.merlin2.net/

Task Management
http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnifocus/

Organization

http://www.basecamphq.com/

[Eduardo Rolon]

Another One

http://www.liquidplanner.com/

[Brad Elliott]

Are you looking for a wiki type system? I haven't used these but they may be what you want.

http://www.wetpaint.com/
http://www.springnote.com/en

They are web based but everyone can access them from anywhere.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Thanks, Eduardo!

Basecamp seems like the closest from those you list. Being web-based, it is accessible from PC as well as Mac and anywhere. But, I would prefer to see this kind of data on a company server and have more reporting, archive, etc options. Wouldn't want to be dependent on somebody's web site uptime and responsiveness.

Basecamp allows filters by 'topic' (list) or the person to which a task has been assigned. But, I'd like a solution that has fields that filter the list by other arbitrary tags - such as DD vs CD, tasks requiring Team Leader exclusive access, tasks requiring PM review, etc, etc...as well as being able to assign multiple people to a task, so that it filters into the lists of all affected people. So...something a little beefier than Basecamp.

The firm that I'm asking on behalf of uses Windows, so the Mac options that you listed won't work for them.

Hope to hear some more ideas. 😉

Thanks again!
Karl

[Karl Ottenstein]

Thanks, Brad - and for the other link, Eduardo.

Yeah, the wiki thing would be good for group editing of specs, etc - but not for having a dozen people manage to-do lists, and it definitely cannot support querying that list in dozens of ways... and I prefer not to go with anything web-based. (Wiki editing usually gives a user exclusive access to the page being edited for some short period, too, and immediate responsiveness as would be the case in Basecamp is needed IMHO for a centralized task system to be used without complaint.)

Thanks,
Karl

[Eduardo Rolon]

There's always

http://www.archioffice.com/

Have not tried it but it is based on Filemaker AFAIK.

[Anonymous]

It's a solid architectural office solution...
And the next version will be web-based not hosted (installed in your own server).
I'm looking forward to see it!
This will be my next buy.

[Anonymous]

I know its been a while since this post and you've probably found a solution but for what its worth to you or others.....

Our office is headed in the direction of using a web app with forums. One forum is dedicated to training questions, much like this forum but specifically dedicated to our office standards. This way when a person asks a question they do it on the forum and the BIM mgr replies via the forum so that when they decide not to take notes on the response and ask the same question 2 days later, they have a location to reference. Also they can share it with others who have the same questions later rather then the BIM mgr performing the broken record act.

Another forum will be dedicated to changes made to the template, standards, library part additions/changes. THis is also where people will post information like "This detail/object was created for this project and the PM thinks it will be used again frequently, please evaluate it for proper location". (Office library, standard template, remain in project library etc. or does it stay an attribute to be imported when needed...)

There will also be a forum for each current project. All project team members are responsible for posting all information, scheduling information particularly, (for some reason our small firm of 12 can't talk to each other about deadlines....) so that a new team member can be brought up to speed momentarily by browsing the forum. THis eliminates, I don't have access to that info because..... which is another scapegoat for our 12 person firm.

THere are a lot of particulars that have to get worked out still (such as incentives for checking and consequenses for not using) but this is where we are headed. Any feedback would be great! Have you done this, will it work, won't it work, why etc......We are still in the development phase so this is the time to make changes.

[Rob]

Do any of you have suggestions for software for maintaining a master project 'to do' list?

We're not looking for charting/scheduling/etc (e.g., Microsoft Project), simply a multi-user database of open project issues that can be accessed by anyone to add items, revise, or query. From big things down to the trivial things like "Saw that X needed to be fixed (but it wasn't in my workspace)", or "Somebody needs to sign in as TL to do x ...".

Perhaps Mark-up tool in AC is supposed to be this kind of thing. However I have not used it to this extent.