Life at Basecamp – six months in

From Errin Hogan

Great article… yet you failed to openly acknowledge the fact that there
ALREADY ARE API based Accounting tools out there… see:
http://www.basecamphq.com/extras

I realize that most likely none of these did exactly what you needed… yet
we've found HUGE success for a TON of micro-business' (1-5 member teams)
with the entire productline from 37 Signals.

Yes I'm a fan boy… yet just wanted to write to make sure you shared the
complete picture with your complaint.

Thanks,

Errin Hogan
http://www.TouchTricks.com — the world's FIRST 'virtual magic kits' for the iPhone
& iPod touch

From Daria, Palo Alto, CA

The story that you tell in this article looks very familiar. I've heard it many times from our clients. They say that they start from Basecamp and the tool actually helps them grow. But then Basecamp becomes not enough, so they turn to Wrike. It’s an integrated web-based application that has more project management functionality. Wrike is like a next step for them, as it has Gantt charts, all kinds of reports, and it is connected with email.
Very soon we are releasing the task dependencies feature, the one that you say you missed in Basecamp.
It's a whole new trend in small business. People start adopting Web 2.0 advantages with simple tools like Basecamp, but then they outgrow it, and look for full-featured web-based applications, as they don't want to lose the collaboration component.

From Richard, Oxford, UK

We have used basecamp for over a year now. We are a small business in the UK and have run 500 projects through it. We love it but recognise the issues you raise. We now have a suite of online tools to run our business; basecamp does the project management, highrise does the CRM, Harvest tracks the time and can bill (it does link to basecamp) but we prefer to use Freshbooks for invoicing.

From Lenee Brewster, Tempe, Az

Harvest is actually a web app, so you can access it anywhere. It works especially well with macs because you can install a widget for your dashboard, and that makes it even easier to use. You can also have different rates for different people.

So while Harvest is not directly related to Basecamp, they work well together. It just requires that people pay attention to what they are doing and for how long. And like I said the widget makes that easier.

From Aspen Co

Lenee,
Isn't Harvest just a stand-alone time tracking program that only pulls client contact info from Basecamp? I cannot see any real integration of Basecamp tasks to Harvest time tracking.

From Mike, Bloomington, IN

To be honest I think the premise of your article is misguided. It sounds like you haven't outgrown basecamp at all, but rather you've hired someone that is resistant to grow into basecamp. I do think you can outgrow basecamp, but we've had 5 times number of folks successfully using it that you do– so I don't think you are there yet.

Do you really need to track things in the way Linda is suggesting? What was falling apart before her first day that justifies the less collaborative, less flexible, more command oriented project management style she is suggesting.

I'm guessing Linda has the poisonous 'this is the way it's been done before mindset'. Lot's of accounting and ops folks think that way and it can be valuable. But it needs to be tempered by you as an entrepreneur. If you are "spending more money tracking a job than the job itself" — Don't.

I've done it both ways: decentralized collaboration and a more centralized accounting style. Bottom line– collaboration recognizes that deadlines and dependencies change –every day.

Linda's approach may make her feel like every penny is accounted for, but that will only be true in her books. Everyone else will be left with a print out of a week old gantt chart, and uncertainty about what to do. You're looking for some help organizing things. I promise, you won't feel more organized when this happens.

I bet you just need a time tracking app. There are several great tools that integrate with basecamp and accounting packages. Harvest is a great suggestion. Sundial might even do it. Advances in web services and APIs mean one provider doesn't have to do it all.

Help Linda understand the value in this new approach. If she can't and you still want to be agile, you may have to face the fact that she may not be a good fit for you organization.

From Martin Shin, Pittsburgh, PA

Harvest is good but there's no integration to Basecamp. It does have the option to export to Quickbooks which should cover most SMB's.
The address is getharvest.com

From Lenee Brewster, Tempe, Az

We use Basecamp, and all its additional programs, here at Keane Creative. We love it because it keeps us all organized and on the same page, especially when we are traveling.

The accounting answer you are looking for is Harvest. Harvest is a time tracking program that is very easy to use and really helps with billing.