Why on earth does Highrise have the ability to give deadlines to tasks, while Basecamp, the PROJECT MANAGEMENT system does not? It’s laughable.

Any chance this will be implimented into Basecamp?

I don’t find it laughable. The milestone is the dated item and the tasks are tied to that – thus inheriting that deadline. Having individual deadlines on tasks for me would be redundant and a nuisance.

It is a paradigm that not everyone is comfortable with but I don’t view it as a missing feature by any means.

scoblitz – I’m with you on that one.

I don’t find it laughable, either. But I agree that there ought to be due dates assignable to To Dos.

There is enough voice on this forum to indicate interest in this feature. I would (and have) ask that this become at least an option, much like it works in Highrise.

I would also second that. My partner is time oriented so prefers Highrise’s style, while I’m more spatially and hierarchically oriented so prefer Basecamp’s. It can be an alternate view of the To Do’s that replicates the Highrise one.

Although due dates for to-dos would be a good thing IMO, I could agree with having milestones as the dated item and to-dos undated if I weren’t forced to put a “list” between the two.
“Lists” to me represent a completely different dimension (like, e.g., the resources used for accomplishing the milestone, but they can also be used for a completely different milestone as well). I’d rather use tags for to-dos, and attach to-dos directly to (dated) milestones.
That’s what has driven me out of my paid Basecamp account, and I would be glad to see it repaired.

Without dates, 37signals can call it “To-Dos” or “Bananas” for all I care. It’s not a task manager. A task manager must have the ability to assign priorities and deadlines. Simple. So rather than yell at 37signals to make what they’re calling “To-Do” into a task manager, we simple use what they call “To-Do” as a list manager. Examples: What supplies do we need to bring to the meeting? What documents still need to be prepared? Who should we invite? On some projects, we don’t use the “To-Do” tab at all. I’ve simply informed our team to think of “To-Dos” on Basecamp as “Checklists” and we’re all much happier.

We use completely separate applications for task collaboration since 37signals has for whatever reason, decided that they do not want to incorporate task management into Basecamp. We like the messaging/file management, we like the simple design, and we like the milestones, so that’s why we have a paid account.

I agree 100% with this much requested feature. It is really the only needed missing feature in our minds. Limits our ability to properly manage projects.

A task manager must have the ability to assign priorities and deadlines. Simple.

hmmm… create tasklist.. and assign it to a milestone with a due date… set priorities by dragging and dropping (eg items at the top are highest priority).

There is your priorities and deadlines.

DaRKoN, that’s a workaround, not a feature. Not every task in a project that has to be done by a certain date is associated with a milestone. Not every task in a project belongs in a grouped list. When I start working I need to see a list of what needs to be done today. Basecamp doesn’t make this view possible as other task managers do. The 37signals folks (and their fans) will say “if you can’t do it our way, you’re doing it wrong.” So be it.

You can stick feathers on a cat, but that isn’t going to give you a chicken. I’ve found peace with Basecamp by embracing what it does, without trying to turn it into something it is simply not.

I can understand the arguements against having this, but I, like many others, would like the feature. There are times when, despite milestones, certain tasks need to be completed by a certain time to allow other tasks to move ahead.

I’m no project manager so correct me if I’m wrong, but “Milestones” are gauges to see if we are on target, not due dates per se. Seems to me that including all tasks together under one Milestone date implies that all those tasks have to be completed by that date, when in fact some of the tasks are dependent on others being accomplished well BEFORE that date…

Danno, you are dead on. That’s exactly what the word and implementation implies. You’ll find, though, that many people will undoubtedly respond with “don’t get hung up on the word ‘milestone’.” And, that it’s just a due date for something/anything.

I cannot agree with this.

People make to do lists usually around a series of tasks that need to be accomplished for a larger goal. Many times, those tasks in that to do list have individual due dates that must be met prior to the larger milestone.

Yes, you can create many milestones for many task lists. But if I want to have deadlines for my tasks, I have to make a milestone for each, AND a task list for each (since I can only assign a to do list to a milestone).

What I cannot understand is the lack of consistency in workflow. If Highrise has it, why can’t Basecamp? (sorry for the simplistic question, but it’s a valid one). If it’s technically difficult, I’ll buy that as a reason (for now). But I don’t see how this arrangement can be thought of as a feature.

Andrew, one thing that I like about BC (and so far, Highrise) is that I can mold it as I need it. That is one of the main features of those products. So, on the one hand I understand the desire for people to use Milestones” in a broader way (I’m using Highrise’s Companies in a broader way than most might).

But your point is well made about needing to make many entries. Perhaps, (and this is only a suggestion), perhaps using To-Do’s for things that have no specific due date and Milestones for those which do, would be beneficial. After all, if the important things don’t get done by a specific date, it won’t matter what you call it – it will still be late ;-)

Nevertheless, I think Judi is right – we should not try to make a To-Do list work like a task list…

A task manager must have the ability to assign priorities and deadlines. Simple. So rather than yell at 37signals to make what they’re calling “To-Do” into a task manager, we simple use what they call “To-Do” as a list

+1. The lack of any true task management system in Basecamp is a glaring defect.