Project/Task management for web development

[2457244]

So what do you guys use, I really need some software to help me out with project and/or ticket management because all my projects are running late and never get done at the original due date as of late.

I have been searching and testing demo's out for a while but I don't believe there is one solid app that fits a web developer.
Too many simple ToDo or look-at-us-we-try-ToDo-everything apps around in my opinion. This entire category is filled with so many junk. Same goes for al those plain/lean teksteditors.

It would be ideal to have an app that fits between Merlin/OmniPlan { HERE } Things/OmniFocus. The first two are just overkill and complicated or have a heavy learning curve for my business. If your job is being a projectplanner or manager Merlin and OmniPlan are the best around but if you're not those Gantt Charts and all the features become overkill very fast.
Things and OmniFocus are more ToDo apps but each app lack functionality in their own way which makes them less 'go to apps' - plus they are way too expensive for what you get in the end if you want the complete package with iOS and Pro features.

Things for Mac and iOS I really like as a foundation I have to say, for some reason if you start those apps you know you have paid good money but you clearly see where that money went. It does lack the progress percentage circle at the end of the projects and tasks that OmniFocus has, that's a real bummer, it really feels like a 2015 Note taking app in a new or different style. Other side around, OmniFocus looks to be more solid and complete but in the end, having to press a Sync button manually each time to sync your data to your iOS device ?? Hello, developers it's 2015! Things handles this way better, all syncing goes automatically, as soon as you complete a task it's also up to date on all your devices no buttons to press.

So what are you guys using and why?

 

[Phil A.]

I use Jira which is a huge suite of programs that cover everything from project management through time management / tracking and issue reporting / help desk. It may be overkill for a lot of people and has a pretty steep learning curve but it's really powerful and very useful if you're dealing with multiple clients at a time

If you want less than 10 licenses, it costs $10 for each bit as long as you host it yourself (otherwise it's $10 a month): I set it up on an old laptop I put linux on and it works great

 

[960design]

I looked at lot of 'kits', and found the same as you, none did exactly what I wanted. So, I wrote my own ticket / tracking system. I figured, I'm a developer, I should probably develop for myself every once in a while.

Clients can log in and see their site in its current state, see the development notes, click a 'Make A Change' button at the bottom of any of their web-pages to make recommendations. If I'm working on it at they time they log in, they can even see the changes as they happen and chat with me.

You could do the same. Start simple and build exactly what you need right now. Then slowly upgrade it over time. Soon you'll have a perfect tool for your workflow, plus you don't have to worry about license, upgrades, bugs ( well, you will have to worry about bugs, but there's no wait for a fix ). Good luck!

Let us know what you decide, I'd be curious as to what is out there now.

 

[2457244]

@960design,

Yeah that's probably going to be the only solution. I just wished there was a native Mac app because web based project often can be a bit 'slowish' when it comes to updating or posting data compared to native apps on your computer.
Things for Mac and iOS is really done great from the ground up, it's just that it's really a ToDo app without any options or views that let's you track your overall progress. Anything else they do very good.

I was thinking about using bbPress forum software and alter it's core foundation a little. Customize it so forums become projects and topics become tasks or tickets, replies will stay the same and become the comments form to respond to tickets.
Close, move or merge topics is already part of the core it just has different names at this moment because it was created to be a forum plugin. With a bit of CSS you can customize it so it doesn't look like a support forum at all.

Interesting..

 

[campyguy]

I've got a couple of suggestions, from a longtime PM and Merlin/OmniGroup app user. First, check out the new app that Project Wizards put out a few months ago - I'm still getting the hang of it while I still have Merlin on my Mac. I have one free (no, really) and one not-cheap solution that my connects use. I would steer you away from Merlin and anything that Omni Group puts out - IMHO you need scheduling/management/tracking/nagware software, just like most of my connects. I'm self-driven and task/deadline-oriented and have kept everything from document revisions to bridge construction projects on point, but that never stops me from asking what others are using as you have.

The "free" option that several of my connects is using for "ticketing" and the whole bit that goes with it is the Open Source Service Management project solution (OTRS Free - http://www.otrs.com/software/). Frickin' powerful stuff, and it's been around for about 15 years and it's cross-platform (including Linux). I'm considering using that product for a new business venture I'm entering into.

The not-necessarily-cheap solution is Daylite, which has also been around for many years as a OS X solution and CRM product. This product is powerful and packaged for what you're looking for IMHO. I have a custom Merlin template set up to emulate what Daylite is but the manpower that went into it cost me more in my own time that I would have "saved" a bunch of time if I'd gone for a single-user Daylite solution. I'm leaning toward using Daylite for my new business venture - it's so integrated into the workflow that I'm anticipating and there are so many canned "templates" I can utilize. I may also be able to get my head around the new Merlin Project app, which has mindmapping built into it now.

 

[960design]

I just wished there was a native Mac app because web based project often can be a bit 'slowish' when it comes to updating or posting data compared to native apps on your computer.

Look into SPA ( single page apps ). You can build web applications that truly rival native apps speed, yet have the power of internet behind them. With just a little bit extra design effort and thought, the app can be setup to run offline ( without internet ) and sync up when available.

Now, I sound like a commercial. Best in class acceleration, crash protection and low emissions!

 

[JimPitchford]

You can try Actio, available on the Mac App store. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/actio-app-for-action.-one/id994990008?mt=12
It is what I use for my App development.
The good stuff is that you can define multiple projects (and share them with others as files) and unlike many of the other task managers you can build your work-breakdown-structures as deep as you like.
It has fairly extensive filtering so you can filter by status, flag, or owner - allows you to focus on only the bits that are priority at any time.
DragNDrop allows you to reorder your tasks quite easily.
You can add multiple notes to each of your tasks - so its good to see how the development is coming on - or for storing code snippets etc.
It doesn't have a ticket tracking system or task completion %, but it does have a pretty good search facility across all fields, so you could easily add your ticket numbers into the text and then find them again.