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.