mediableep

If you’re like most church communication teams, project management is probably the last thing on your mind; between last minute deadlines and three weeks of work to to cram into one Thursday, it just doesn’t make sense for most teams to sit down and hash out a formalized game plan.

We all know we need to do better at this, but unless you’re lucky enough to have a hardcore project manager on staff with you, using industry standard tools like Basecamp just seem to add to the work that needs to be done. So what do we tend to resort to? The trusty “to-do” list.

With this in mind, two new (and free!) project management systems have entered the market over the last year, and (in my mind at least) they’re both awesome… Take some time today to check out Do and Asana.

My team gave both of these systems a test drive last week, and although we’ve decided that Do works a little bit better for us, both systems are amazing tools to keep your team on the same page with minimal effort. Here are some notes from our trials…

Both Systems

• Both systems work in a very similar fashion: Each project is basically just a shared to-do list, with each task containing conversations, relevant files, a due date and individual assignments.
• They’re both easily understood and super-easy to manage.
• Your team can work however they prefer; an individual can update their tasks directly in the web app, or simply respond to the emails that each system generates.

Asana – Try It!

• Love using keyboard shortcuts? You’ll love Asana.
• Offers iCal output for project and task due dates.
• Offers a high level view of every individual’s tasks from all projects (helpful for seeing who has too much on their plate).
• Interface is a little more sparse and intimidating.
• Mobile app is a little sluggish and lacks push notifications.

Do – Try It!

• UI is much more attractive, and includes profile pictures for your team members.
• Integrates directly with Google Apps for attaching files to projects and tasks.
• Mobile app is gorgeous, stable and includes push notifications.
• You can take notes within the app and create tasks from your notes.
• Activity feed for projects gives you a high level view of current progress.
• No high level view of all of your team member’s individual tasks.

This sort of project management may not seem exciting, but I cannot tell you how much of a difference it has already made on our team in a matter of days. Give them both a shot and see how they work for your team… I doubt you’ll be disappointed.