I’m no stranger to project management programs. I’ve been using Basecamp for about a year now, and really enjoy it. They are great for simple projects and setting to-do lists. But what if you have a highly-technical project, such as coding an entire website? Well today I was turned onto a new tool for managing development projects by my friend Mark (Blog | Twitter).

Introducing Springloops

Springloops was designed to allow developers to work together on a programming project by providing an interface displaying real-time changes. With so many web designers working remotely, it’s important for developers to have a central workspace to collaborate on a project. I often work with graphic designers or developers all over the country and can see a real use for this tool.

As programming can get very complicated, Springloops comes with a variety of tools – such as tracking changes to documents and tracking the progress of edits, which cuts down on redundant changes. Coding by committee has the tendency to destroy progress and Springloops aims to reduce the effect by allowing coders to quickly build upon the work of other users, making the process much more efficient. Mistakes can be undone quickly, and previous revisions can be called up easily in the event anything has gone wrong.

Practical Uses:

• Coordinate the launch of your company’s new website with the outsourced development team
• Display your programming progress with a client and encourage feedback
• Create a solid working environment for your small programming business and maintain a working repository for all previous projects

Insider Tips:

• Narrow down changes by day and compare revisions – as old revisions are not lost, you can see if these improvements are a net gain or loss
• Use the development server to track changes, rather than putting a strain on your own systems
• Integrate with the popular project management tool, Basecamp, to manage non-programming aspects of the project

What I liked:

• Springloops is a good programming management tool for every type of developer
• Free for three projects and not overly expensive for larger customers
• Invaluable for people who build fleets of websites with other designers
• Nothing else quite like it on the web
• Integrates with existing project management tool Basecamp

What I Didn’t Like:

• Complicated for novices
• Site should have more explicit instructions on how to use each feature of the service

Alternatives:

• CollabTRAK – www.collabtrak.com
• Clocking IT – www.clockingit.com
• Liferay – www.liferay.com
• OpenGoo – www.opengoo.com
• ProjectPier- www.projectpier.org

Cost:

• Free for 3 projects/one server
• Up to $96 a month for unlimited projects/30 servers per project

Do you use a tool for Project Management? If so, what do you use? Do you like it? Do you dislike it?