<p>Marty and Eric provide ideas and resources for your consideration is using project management software</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Why move past email?</strong></p><p>Email buries decisions/files in long threads.</p><p>Slack (real-time chat + threads) + a project manager (kanban/tasks/timelines) make work visible, searchable, and faster.</p><p>Slack is already common in higher ed for communication and collaborative learning; pairing it with a project manager levels up coordination.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>30-minute starter kit</strong></p><p>Create a Slack workspace; invite your class/research team with university emails.</p><p>Channels (starter set): #announcements, #general-questions, #project-alpha, #helpdesk, #random.</p><p>Norms (pin these in #announcements): use threads, tag with @, add short TL;DRs, react for quick status.</p><p>Project manager: Set up a board with lists/columns → Backlog → To Do → Doing → Review → Done.</p><p>Task template: Goal, owner, due date, checklist, attachments, link to reading/IRB doc.</p><p>Connect Slack ↔ project manager: enable the integration so task updates post to the right channel.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Teaching use cases</strong></p><p>Team projects: each team gets a Slack channel + its own board; require weekly “Done” screenshots.</p><p>Office hours: scheduled Slack huddles; post a recap thread.</p><p>Peer feedback: students comment on tasks; instructor summarizes in Slack.</p><p>Late-work transparency: a Blocked list with reason + next step.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Research use cases</strong></p><p>Protocol to practice: one task per milestone (IRB, recruitment, analysis, manuscript).</p><p>R&Rs: a “Review → Revise → Resubmit” lane with checklists for each reviewer note.</p><p>Data hygiene: Slack for coordination only; store data in approved drives; link rather than upload.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Accessibility & equity</strong></p><p>Encourage asynchronous participation; clear headings, short paragraphs, alt text for images.</p><p>Prefer threads to reduce noise; summarize meetings in a single recap post.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Privacy, policy, ethics (esp. counseling/education)</strong></p><p>No PHI/PII or client details in Slack or the project manager; share links to secured storage instead.</p><p>Align with FERPA and IRB guidance; pin a “What NOT to post” note.</p><p>Set channel/board permissions; remove access at term/project end; export/archive if required.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Adoption playbook (4 weeks)</strong></p><p>Week 0: Announce tools + 5 rules (threads, TL;DRs, owners, due dates, recap posts).</p><p>Week 1: Move announcements to Slack; first sprint (one deliverable on the board).</p><p>Week 2: Turn on Slack↔PM automations; introduce the Blocked ritual.</p><p>Week 3–4: Gather feedback; prune channels/labels; codify norms.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Asana </strong><a href="http://asana.com/"><strong>Asana.com</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p>Free 10 members 3 projects</p><p><strong>Monday </strong><a href="http://monday.com/"><strong>Monday.com</strong></a><br></p><p><strong>OpenProject — </strong><a href="https://www.openproject.org/"><strong>https://www.openproject.org/</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p>Pros: Full suite (Gantt, Agile boards, time tracking); mature docs; robust Community Edition. Cons: Heavier to administer; some advanced features gated to Enterprise. </p><p><strong>Taiga — </strong><a href="https://taiga.io/"><strong>https://taiga.io/</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p>Pros: Clean Scrum/Kanban workflow; easy start; open source. Cons: Best fit for agile use—fewer “classic PM” features than larger suites. </p><p><strong>Redmine — </strong><a href="https://www.redmine.org/"><strong>https://www.redmine.org/</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p>Pros: Very mature; flexible trackers/wiki; huge plugin ecosystem. Cons: Dated UI; Ruby stack setup can be fiddly. </p><p><strong>Leantime — </strong><a href="https://leantime.io/"><strong>https://leantime.io/</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p>Pros: Designed for “non-project managers” (inclusive UX); simple boards/roadmaps; self-host downloads. Cons: Smaller ecosystem than Redmine/OpenProject. </p><p><strong>WeKan — </strong><a href="https://wekan.fi/"><strong>https://wekan.fi/</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p>Pros: Trello-style Kanban; easy install options (e.g., Snap); MIT-licensed. Cons: Kanban-only; limited built-in reporting. </p><p><strong>Kanboard — </strong><a href="https://kanboard.org/"><strong>https://kanboard.org/</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p>Pros: Ultra-light, minimal Kanban; quick self-host; solid docs. Cons: Project is in “maintenance mode”; fewer advanced features. </p><p><strong>Plane (Community Edition) — </strong><a href="https://plane.so/"><strong>https://plane.so/</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p>Pros: Modern UI; issues/sprints/roadmaps; AGPLv3 CE. Cons: Still evolving; smaller academic user base. </p><p><strong>Nextcloud Deck — </strong><a href="https://apps.nextcloud.com/apps/deck"><strong>https://apps.nextcloud.com/apps/deck</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p>Pros: Kanban tightly integrated with Nextcloud Files/Calendar; mobile apps available. Cons: Requires a Nextcloud instance; not a full PM suite.</p><p><br></p><p>Email:[email protected]</p><p>Website: ThePodTalk.Net</p><p><br></p>
