ForumsQuestionsUse ToodleDo for team projects?


Use ToodleDo for team projects?
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office_1312068316

Posted: Jul 30, 2011
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Does anyone here use ToodleDo where one project manager would assign different projects to multiple team members?

I'm not sure if it's the right tool, and it would be helpful to get setup advice from someone who is already using it in a similar way.

For example: Can Notebook messages be stored with the project and would this replace regular email between the project manager and team members?

Thanks,
Michele
JCarl

Posted: Jul 30, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
http://www.toodledo.com/forums/3/10629/-52019/corporate-use-of-toodledo.html

We use it in a corporate environment as you will see in the post. I think that Toodledo is a great product for individual management and a good value for corporate. There are many other products available that usually charge $30-$50 per month per seat. Toodledo will need to improve their collaboration which I know they are committed to in order to widen their appeal to the corporate environment. To elaborate a little further on my corporate use if you are on a budget prohibiting the more corporate intense products I still would recommend the following:

1. Obtain dummy email and Toodledo Pro account for as many department levels as you desire to divide. This then provides Department or Segment or Team, then Folders, then Tasks, then Subtasks.

2. Invite your participants including yourself to share as collaborators in the dummy account. You will have to create Folders and some of the other fields in the dummy account but afterwards their would be little access as you would see everything in your account as would others who you give Folder permission.

3. You can have dummy account forward changes to anybody you want through the email.

4. I then use Tags using the initials of the employee.

5. I then have created Advanced Searches on the dummy database as follows:

1. Recently Added
2. Recently Modified
4. Recent Notes
5. Search by Tag or combination of Tags

All are available in standard Toodledo views but Advanced Searches let you specify the timeframes.

In the end it is a decent inexpensive team but will not be robust in emails. The trade off is that Toodledo has a great new interface and with the set up I specified their will be very rapid navigation etc. Notes will be limited to task content notes and the Notes that can by sorted by project.

I am sure I have given you way more than you asked but this is a corporate approach.
JCarl

Posted: Jul 31, 2011
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One other point addressed to Toodledo. If Toodledo would allow Collaborators to Add Folders there would be nearly no need to log into the dummy account. I am really hoping this happens soon.
office_1312068316

Posted: Jul 31, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
Thanks for the reply. I read your post and your explanation above but I can't follow what you're saying. It sounds like you're not really happy with it for a number of reasons, though.
JCarl

Posted: Jul 31, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
No actually I actually like the clean look, rapid navigation and a number of other features. It is weak in email collaboration. I also like the GTD built into it. Yes I have done some workarounds but For the cost it is a pretty good system. Just depends if you want to pay more for any number of others that may have better formal collaboration features but will have their own level of complexity and issues. How big is your team, number of departments, number of simultaneous projects
office_1312068316

Posted: Aug 01, 2011
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Me (company owner), one project manager, 7-10 contractors, external clients.

At any given time, we have 40-60 active projects (we produce books), each of which has 3-5 sub-tasks (editing, cover design, typesetting, proofreading) and each sub-task goes through 3-10 proofs or drafts. So at minimum that's 360 things to keep track of. Each project typically generates 100-200 emails before it's complete.

Right now, we're saving emails to the job folder and keeping lists in Word, so we know who has what and when they're expected to finish. Add in unexpected rush requests from the client and it's abundantly clear we're reacting, not managing.

But the real issue is that none of us have ever worked in a large corporation, so the very concept of scheduling and collaborating is unfamiliar, and we're trying to teach ourselves something we don't know. And losing our minds in the process. :-)

We started looking at AtTask.com, but as you noted, it's very expensive for a company our size. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.
Salgud

Posted: Aug 01, 2011
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Would be happy to talk to you offline. Have more than 30 yrs experience in Project Management, managed projects up to $250,000,000 of all kinds, taught PM at the university level, consulted for years. Let me know if you're interested.

This message was edited Aug 01, 2011.
office_1312068316

Posted: Aug 01, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
That would be lovely.

My email address is [email protected].

Phone is (602) 866-3226 (Pacific Time). I'm available for a call Tu/Wed/Thu after 1:00pm and all day Friday (except noon-1:30) or any other time of your choosing.

Thanks,
Michele
JCarl

Posted: Aug 01, 2011
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Salgud,

I would like to get your perspective and share some thoughts with you also. Email me if you would be available to have a chat. Here is one of my lesser used email addresses that I will monitor. [email protected].

Thanks

Jim
office_1312068316

Posted: Aug 04, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
We decided to test drive Copper. I'll be in touch if this doesn't work out.

I appreciate both of you for offering to help.

Thanks,
Michele
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