Freedcamp Project Management Software Review

Freedcamp: Interesting Project Management Software

Freedcamp is an interesting software for general task management and project management in teams. Freedcamp attracts users with a free entry-level version, which is only suitable for very simple task management. Freedcamp only becomes a true project management tool with the paid Business and Enterprise versions.

1. General Functionality

Operations

Freedcamp is offered exclusively as Software as a Service (SaaS) in the manufacturer’s cloud.

The manufacturer guarantees compliance with European data protection standards. Data is normally stored in the USA. Upon request and for a larger usage quota, data can also be kept in the EU.

Projects and Project Types

In Freedcamp, tasks are managed in projects. There is no concept of “project types”. Central changes to existing projects are not possible. However, it is possible to create projects from project templates.

Items and Item Types

In task and project management, almost everything revolves around “items”. In Freedcamp, you can create “lists” that correspond to an item type, such as “Tasks”, “Action Items”, and “Bug Reports”.

These lists can be extended as needed, but the corresponding items do not differ from each other in terms of their handling, attributes, or behavior.

Item Hierarchies

Freedcamp offers exactly one hierarchy level in the free version. In the paid versions, real sub-tasks can be created, so that project structures and Work Breakdown Structures can be represented.

The type of subordinate items can be restricted depending on the type of the parent item. This means, for example, that it can be prevented that an item of type “Car” is subordinated to an item of type “Engine”.

Notifications

Freedcamp has a simple notification system that is configurable within certain limits. When, what, and to whom notifications are sent can be configured.

Email notifications are based on non-configurable templates. There is an @-mention function and a reminder function.

Access Permissions

Freedcamp has a simple, level-based permission system. Permissions are fixed to the levels. It is not possible to define custom levels. However, there is the option to grant users and teams access to “applications” for projects. Applications include, for example, task lists, discussions, milestones, attachments, or logged efforts.

Attributes

In the paid versions of Freedcamp, custom attributes can be configured without programming via the web interface.

A comprehensive selection of attribute types is available, such as labels, person selection, or date fields. Additionally, the behavior of standard attributes can be sensibly adjusted, e.g., the default value for a start or end date.

Input Forms

In Freedcamp, custom input forms cannot be defined.

Dependencies

In project management and task management, items are often related to each other. For example, a task cannot be started before another one is completed. Or an item cannot be closed before a dependent item has been completed.

Freedcamp offers basic support for defining dependencies or links.

Dashboards

The system offers its users an overview page (cockpit, dashboard).

Each user has the option to use preconfigured dashboards or to assemble their own dashboard from an extensive list of dashboard tiles. However, there are no dashboard templates, and dashboards cannot be centrally assigned to users by system administrators. The following dashboard elements are available, among others:

• My items
• Number of items in state X over time
• Activity stream
• Predefined filters

Reporting

In Freedcamp, there are no report templates. Reports can be created in Freedcamp in Excel and PDF formats.

User Management

Synchronization of Freedcamp with a directory server is not available. Freedcamp can be integrated with CAS for true single sign-on. The system supports two-factor authentication.

User Interface and Usability

The software offers a clean, organized, and modern-looking user interface. Regular users can get started relatively quickly without training. Context-sensitive help supports you when something is not immediately obvious.

For configuration, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic concepts of Freedcamp. There is material available in the form of tutorials, videos, slide sets, and user manuals. Training sessions are also offered.

The user interface can be customized by enabling “applications” to meet user requirements. The available menu items can be individually configured for each user or user group.

The online help is only available in English.

Interfaces and Extensibility

Through a comprehensive REST API, nearly all functions available in the user interface are also accessible in Freedcamp. For example, users can be managed, projects can be created, modified, and deleted, or queries can be executed.

Freedcamp cannot be extended by users; there are no suitable interfaces for this.

2. Task Management

Delegation

The Freedcamp task management software supports the delegation of items including follow-up. The delegator maintains the relationship to the item, and the follow-up date is personal to them. The delegator has an overview of the items they have delegated.

Deputy Function

In Freedcamp, it is not possible to assign deputies to users.

Recurring Tasks

Some tasks and deadlines repeat cyclically, e.g., every first Monday of the month. Handling such task series can be very helpful and time-saving in task management.

Freedcamp allows the creation of recurring tasks just as you would expect from good calendar applications.

Time Tracking

Freedcamp allows tracking efforts (time and money) for each item and assigning them to accounts. Accounts can be grouped into cost centers and released for projects.

There is the option to use timers in the application to automatically log the time spent. Reports provide an overview of who was working on which activities during any past time period.

Getting Things Done Method Support

The Getting Things Done method is a proven approach to personal work organization. It allows personal categorization of items such as personal follow-up dates or personal marking of items as favorites.

Freedcamp unfortunately does not support the GTD method, meaning personal markers or follow-up dates are not possible.

RACI Matrix Support

For task management and project management, the RACI method defines four item-specific roles through which project participants can be related to a task. Normally, roles are assigned for a project, not for an individual item. For example, there is a project manager or a Scrum Master for the entire project. RACI, on the other hand, allows roles to be assigned on a per-item basis (see this article on the RACI matrix).

The Freedcamp project management software unfortunately does not offer the ability to model a RACI matrix.

Workflows

Workflows in task management systems are typically represented in two forms. The first method always relates to the workflow of an item that passes through various stages. The second method involves defining task sets and then processing them.

Freedcamp has no workflow functionality, neither the first nor the second variant.

3. Project Management

Programs and Portfolios

In many organizations, projects run within the framework of programs, portfolios, or product areas. Here, groups of projects must be able to be consolidated to maintain an overview.

A basic prerequisite for program or portfolio management is the ability to group and hierarchically arrange projects.

Freedcamp unfortunately does not offer support for program and portfolio management.

Sub-Projects

Larger project initiatives with many items cannot be adequately structured solely through the hierarchization of items but must be split into sub-projects. The sub-projects may require different processes, e.g., for hardware and software development.

Multi-Project Reports

All queries and reports can span multiple projects and sub-projects, which can be freely defined through corresponding filters.

Work Breakdown Structure

Before a project plan can be created, the activities to be performed or the work products to be created must be structured. To represent such a product structure or Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), items must be able to be arranged hierarchically to any depth.

Freedcamp only supports one hierarchy level with sub-tasks. This means WBS or project plans cannot be created.

Interactive Gantt Chart

Freedcamp offers a beautiful interactive Gantt chart in the paid versions. The critical path can be displayed, and dependencies can be interactively set and modified. The completion percentage for a task can also be entered interactively.

Resource Planning

Resources of different types can be managed and assigned to items. There is a view where resource utilization over time is displayed, and overallocation or underallocation becomes immediately visible. Resources can be organized by project or department affiliation.

Employee Availability

There is no way to represent employee availability in the system and take it into account during resource planning.

Project Progress

In Freedcamp, there is the ability to measure project progress through the number of completed tasks relative to the total number of tasks. Additionally, for open tasks, it is possible to specify the estimated remaining effort until completion.

This provides a rudimentary, low-effort form of progress monitoring in Freedcamp, which is however not sufficient for more demanding project management.

Agile Project Management

For software developers, integrations with source code management systems like Git and Subversion as well as with CI/CD servers like GitLab and Jenkins are missing.

Alternative Solutions

Besides Allegra, ClickUp is also an interesting alternative to Freedcamp. You can find a ClickUp review here.

Discover the comprehensive project management software Allegra for yourself and book a free live demo.