Freelancers & Independent Tech Consultants: what do you use for project management?<p>I would like something that can handle some client communication, enable online discussions, and keep files & notes together so I don't have to search my inbox for them.<p>I think Basecamp is too cluttered. Pivotal Tracker isn't what I want either - it seems focused on keeping teams of developers organized for very complicated projects. Asana is too focused on tasks, and I don't think my non-tech savvy clients could figure it out.<p>What do you recommend?
Stop looking for your "dream tool" because it's a form of procrastination. Most tools are feature cluttered given the tasks that most of us have to do.<p>Honestly you'd be amazed what taking out one hour a week and a .txt file can do for your life. Another low-tech tool you can use is to print out a calendar and pencil in dates.<p>The reality is that "project manager" is a job title, so either you take time for it or pay someone to do it. It's also hard for people doing the work to manage themselves -- and this isn't a new observation but something that Drucker was writing about eons ago.
I built Planscope (<a href="https://planscope.io" rel="nofollow">https://planscope.io</a>) specifically for freelancers and consultants.<p>I wanted:
* To know how scope changes affected overall budget
* My clients to know what tasks they were spending money on
* Stupid simple and a no-brainer for clients
* Integrated time tracking<p>Planscope does all this and more. Check it out, and if you have any questions drop me a line: brennan@planscope.io
I really like Redmine. It's got source integration, a wiki, a task manager, multi-project support, can email notifications, has different user levels and great permission configuration, and also provides time-tracking out of the box.<p>IIRC, it also has a forum and other features that we never used.
I don't know how complex you want it to be, but the tool I've been using for almost 10 months now is pretty great. I think you should take a look at Paymo ( <a href="http://paymo.biz" rel="nofollow">http://paymo.biz</a> ) maybe it's up your alley.
Have you tried the new Basecamp? I never got to appreciate the old one but the newest version I've been a happy user for a couple of months now. It supports all the things you need and I personally think the UI/UX is amazing.
Try Breeze (<a href="http://letsbreeze.com" rel="nofollow">http://letsbreeze.com</a>), it's a Basecamp and Trello hybrid, plus adds some extra stuff like budgeting, reports and time tracking.