Yakoob on 14/3/2013 at 05:32
OK so I've been looking for a good tool to organize tasks for my game Postmortem (spreadsheets only get you only so far!) and have been having a hard time finding something that fits my needs. May be a long shot to ask TTLG but figured why not.
Basically looking at SCRUM-like development, so need a way to make tasks with various (searchable) custom fields (type, department, priority, estimated complexity/hrs) and then a way to arrange them either on an overall "timeline" or groups representing individual sprints. Being able to have multiple users with assignable tasks would be nice to. So basically, a fairly customizable or project-geared virtual notecard board.
here's what I looked at so far:
* Trello - good for creating and managing tasks BUT majorly lacks in terms of task customiziation (no tags, only 6 pre-defined labels, no custom fields, no time estimates)
* ChilliProject / Redmine / Track / Mantis - good for task creation and assignment, but lacking in terms of timelining, grouping and visualization. Cumbersome to use for non-coders, and in some cases requires Ruby
* PivotalTracker - almost exactly what I need, except it automatically forces tasks into sprints based on its own estimates, which wouldn't be too bad if it had support for separate departments (right now a sprint treats all tasks equally even if they are done by different people at different velocities)
* GanntProject - nice graphic capabilities but becomes really cumbersome with many tasks spread across a long timeline (numerous weeks/sprints); not easy to "move" tasks around or customize them. Plus, mainly desktop non-collaborative solution
* Jira + Grasshopper - looks good too but also isn't free so holding off on that for the time being. I got a webserver but couldnt host their flat-fee solution myself (no spare PC that can run reliable 24/7).
I think I'll stick to Trello for the time being and as the needs grow maybe consider Jira?
demagogue on 14/3/2013 at 05:49
I've been using
TodoList, but I'm not very sophisticated with it. Just simple grid tree of tasks and subtasks.
I've seen
TaskCoach get good reviews for being customizable & it looks good. e.g., the review "Posted by Brad Konia — 2010-07-18" (
http://sourceforge.net/projects/taskcoach/) here.
jay pettitt on 14/3/2013 at 07:02
At risk of upsetting managers everywhere, Ganttish project management tools suck for planning new projects.
Jay prefers almost anything else, but especially large unwieldy spider diagrams.
Thirith on 14/3/2013 at 08:49
We've started using Taskbox at work, but I'm not a big fan of it. (Mainly because each task can be assigned to one person only.) Then again, I think that most of these tools depend so much on the users learning how to use them best, which means asking people to change their habits. Without this, they're all pretty much useless, even if some are better at getting users to learn and adopt new habits.
faetal on 14/3/2013 at 10:21
Quote Posted by jay pettitt
At risk of upsetting managers everywhere, Ganttish project management tools suck for planning new projects.
Jay prefers almost anything else, but especially large unwieldy spider diagrams.
Seconded. I've done my share of project management and Gannt just has you hammering square pegs into round holes.
