Subscribe to the NetworkYouth Ministry Basecamp Experiment Update
I told you a few weeks ago that our High School Ministry (HSM) was about to launch an internal team tool called Basecamp. Here’s some posts about it here on the blog. I wanted to give you an update on the success so far:
Some get it, some don’t - the tool is super easy to use, but for some it creates an uncomfortable new workflow. Most people previously have Outlook open and track information through that, but our email volume has decreased very much to the point where Basecamp has to be checked at the very least daily. My problem is that I measure an element of productivity and build trust by the use of the tool, so when people don’t post thoughts or respond when asked directly, I question performance.
There’s a fear to create new messages - it seems that I create about 90% of the new messages in the system. I like it on one hand, because it allows me to really push direction fast and furiously, but it also creates a culture where people respond to me rather than being innovative and posting new thoughts/ideas/directions to the site on their own. I’m hoping as we grow more comfortable with the tool and bond as a team (including thick skin for idea stoning) more and more posts will be made by someone other than me.
Milestones are intimidating to create - milestones are these general deadlines created for each project. So far, I might be the only one that has created them. And while I’m OK with that in the short run, I hope others will post their milestones publicly so we can all work together to hit the big deadlines for the student ministry.The whole point of the tool is to bring us together to help reach other, but in order to do that niche information has to be shared with all.
All in all, I’m please with the usage so far, and I hope to see it really increase as people continue to get more and more familiar with the tool. Basecamp is a whole new way of doing ministry and teamwork – one that I really, really like.
JG
Sounds sweet Josh. But is posting new thoughts on this software, asking others to update on it, and even putting up deadlines using it going to decrease the amount of interaction between staff? And, if so, is that worth the productivity that it may produce?