

Ask HN: Project Management Software or Google Docs? - krauses

I'm working for a startup in the travel industry and I've been thrown into a project management role. I've been using Google Docs to manage the development backlog but it's getting pretty messy. Wondering if anyone has any insight on whether or not moving to something like Rally Software or a different SaaS project management tool would be overkill or a good move for a small dev team (3 coders and 1 designer)?
======
dko
Definitely a project management tool, even at a team your size. As a project
manager, features that facilitate multi-issue tracking, prioritization and
estimation will soon become invaluable.

And plus, getting everyone used to a tool early and making it part of the
development process would pay off in the long run. Especially when the team
expands.

------
rdhn
Use the right tool for the job.

Google Docs is not project management software, so you waste time and energy
setting it up to do what you need. I've just moved to project management
software and found that because it is structured to manage a project, it gets
out of the way and lets me think about what the project needs.

------
badkins
I use trac. It has ticket/backlog management, a built in wiki, subversion
integration, and it's free. I highly recommend it.

------
jister
We've used Google Docs before for project management (my boss is a Google fan)
and honestly man, it's a pain.

