danwtmoon

I use Drop.io for it's real time, collaboration features on projects. If you are using it too then take a look at the Manager product which gives some great functionality for managing all of your drops.

This post is inspired by @seanprice who recently asked:

"How do you manage projects either single projects or mulitple at the same time either personal or professional ones?" (Twitter: http://twitter.com/seanprice/status/7314573214)

Firstly, systems. For me Drop.io and Box.net jump to the front of my mind.

As background, both Drop.io and Box.net are designed for simple sharing and collaboration. Drop.io is built around drops which are realtime repositories of content which can then be shared, embedded, commented, downloaded and much more. Box.net is visually more analogous to a traditional files and folders system with much the same features as Drop.io but via the OpenBox eco-systems of integrations allows for use within structured business workflows.

For example with Box.net it is possible to collaboratively author an agreement which, from Box, can be issued digitally via Echosign and the final signed copies be stored within Box making it a workflow hub. Other notable integrations include Salesforce, Google Apps, Zoho

With Drop.io the collaboration functionality is equally there but inherently being designed around the drop, the workspace sits relatively outside the wider business workflow.

And so to specifically answer @seanprice's question I would suggest that if for repeatable or always similar project workflows, especially within an established business environment of process and policy, the answer is Box.net. For everything else, be it small, larger, ad-hoc, personal or professional, then Drop.io.

The second part of the answer is processes. Which to follow / learn from?

Project management I believe has long suffered a schizophrenia of being about the personality of people whilst also having the cold regiment of repeatable, scalable process. Some project managers are successful for managing people, others for managing the process.

In context of the social collaboration environment business are moving in to, I believe the people principle of project management will take a lead over success through process. Especially when considering the versatile tools such as Drop.io and Box.net which do not need nor care for a set process.

So to answer @seanprice, the process for successful projects is to not rely on one. Instead focus on the facilitation of communication and collaboration. Within such an environment, inherently all the data needed to tweak and nudge productivity in the right direction, towards the team's common goal, will be available. Applications such as Milestone Planner from @socialoptic are a good example of this. The app is a gantt chart but the real feature of the app is bringing out the communication across the project team.

So for me, the processes and systems, either personally or professionally for project management are:

Human and collaborative (for which Drop.io and Box.net are ideal).

For further reading:

Box.net for Project Management - http://www.box.net/solutions/project-management
Drop.io - http://drop.io/blog
Milestone Planner @socialoptic - http://socialoptic.com/