Which project management service is better for you- Basecamp or Notion? If that is a question you have been thinking of late, you are at the right place now! Here, we take a close look at what makes these workflow management services special along with their advantages and disadvantages.

Basecamp

We are naturally driven to things that are unique. And if that uniqueness is combined with functionality, all the better. Such is the case with Basecamp, at least how the different pieces of information are presented on the platform. For in this project management software, you get clusters called camps. Each camp is a distinct unit of information, and each comes with six tools which you can use to manipulate the information. Some of these tools are similar in nature to the ones that you get in other workflow management platforms.

However, there are two specific tools that are quite special and which ought to be discussed here. One of these tools comes with the rather whimsical name, campfire. The tool is used when team members need to discuss with each other in real-time, the idea being synonymous with how folks who gather around a real-life campfire would talk with each other.

This tool brings two advantages. One is that enabling real-time communication also supports efficient teamwork. For instance, a team member can call upon another to clarify a doubt so that he or she could proceed smoothly with the task they have been doing. The second advantage is that it saves time, by freeing you up from having to go to another service that is dedicated to communication each and every time you want to discuss something with a team member.

Now, we shall move on to the second tool included in a camp that is of distinctness. This tool is called check-ins. If you have assumed it has something to do with those office meetings we have all come to call ‘check-ins’ you have guessed correctly. By helping you schedule posts which could be sent out to team members in a periodic manner, it frees you up from routine status meetings, so that you could attend to more important matters.

Having discussed those two special tools, it should be said that the biggest factor that makes Basecamp stand out from other project management services is another- the hill chart. In fact, the hill chart is unique to this workflow management service.

You must surely be familiar with to-do lists. These lists which we maintain to keep track of tasks are doubtless useful. But there are instances when they fall short of meeting their intended purpose- for example, in the case of large and complex projects.

You could say that a hill chart is a 2-in-1 chart. For it incorporates two parts- the uphill and the downhill halves. In the former, you are still trying to understand how best to perform a task. In the latter, you have decided on how to do the task but are yet to finish doing it. By simply looking at a hill chart, you can know to what extent a task has progressed- is it still in the early stages or is it now close to execution. 

Notion

There are certain features without which no project management service is useful, let alone complete. These include the features which help you create and maintain tasks or their equivalent and track them. The good news is all such features are very much present in Notion. And the service is obviously built on solid software infrastructure, for you don’t have to grapple with problems like the tool crashing frequently.

On the flipside, Notion’s interface leaves a lot to be desired. Many parts of the software feel cluttered compared with many other workflow management tools. The layout often leads to confusion- so much so that it can slow down performing a task efficiently. That kind of time investment is totally uncalled for, especially since one reason we use these services is so that we could save time. But if you can spare this extra amount of time which the service inadvertently demands of you, then, you would Notion rather useful. 

Which of these project management services should you use?

For straightforward and relatively simple projects, Notion is a useful project management service. If, on the other hand, your project is complex and involves a higher number of tasks, Basecamp could be ideal.  

What’s missing in Basecamp and Notion?

In order to evaluate the time required to deliver a project, you should be able to measure the time team members spend on their tasks accurately. Unfortunately, that’s one feature which is missing from both Basecamp and Notion.

The project management service, I’m Productive, meanwhile, helps you do that. In fact, the tool even comes equipped with an AI that gives you an accurate prediction of when the project can be delivered. You just need to click on a button to get that estimate. You can learn more about I’m Productive by visiting their website.