Unfuddle is a project management web application. And no, it’s not just another project management application. I like to think of it as Basecamp for developers. Actually, I like it much better than Basecamp. Joshua gave us his thoughts on that and all things Unfuddle.
Developed by a two man team, Joshua Frappier and David Croswell, the reason why Unfuddle is so successful at it’s execution is because it was built by software developers for software developers. Yea, I realize there’s a “hair replacement commercial” ring to that statement, but it’s true - both Frappier and Croswell built the application because they saw a need for a project management application specifically for developers (something they both know very well - being software developers themselves).
For all the hype and praise Basecamp receives I actually never found it supported my project management needs. I’m very fond of Basecamp’s simple UI(user interface), I appreciate its attention to usibility, and I share in the 37Signals “Getting Real” ideology, but Basecamp’s functionality doesn’t make the cut for what I do for a living - I develop web apps. And athough there’s an army of Basecamp true believers, I also know (after attempting to do so) it’s really not the best tool to manage software development projects. Unfuddle, on the other hand, seems to be the shoe that fits most comfortably.
What Unfuddle attempts to do best is help developers get back to developing, and boy does that ring pretty in the ears of developers frustrated with the chores of configuring and managing the various aspect of the software project management life cycle. Unfuddle provides just about everything you’d need to manage a successful development project - code repository, time tracking, reporting, task assignments, bug tracking, issue management, messages, milestones, etc. All of this functionality is nicely delivered in a very simple to use and very well designed UI.
Even with all the project management functionality it provides you’d think it would be a good tool for just about any project, but as Joshua will admit Unfuddle isn’t meant for everyone. That’s why the comparison between Basecamp and Unfuddle really isn’t fair. It’s really meant for small software development teams - a niche market that garners attention.
Joshua was kind enough to spend a few moments talking about the recent feature upgrades Unfuddle released, their new blog, open source projects and Unfuddle, and how a team of two developers built the Unfuddle product. Thanks Joshua.
While creating this interview I listened to: Sigur Ros, The New Amsterdams, and Old Crow Medicine Show.
Name, age, least favorite aspect of Project Management, and when you sleep at night you dream about?
Joshua Frappier. 27. Project management tools are only as good as the discipline applied when using them. My least favorite aspect of Project Management is having seen so many projects fail because of lack of discipline, regardless of the tools they use.
When I dream, I see myself standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at me. Why am I the only one who has that dream? - props to “Real Genius”
In 5 words describe Unfuddle.
Clean, Easy Software Project Management
“Unfuddle is for developers. There are so many small development teams out there that simply do not have the time to do development ‘the right way’”
Your role at Unfuddle is? Also, how many people did it take to build Unfuddle, who are they, and what were their roles?
Unfuddle started as and continues to be a team of two. I am a founder, lead developer, creative designer, accountant, janitor as well as responsible for brewing the coffee. My partner, David Croswell, although primarily a graphic designer, fills as many of the above listed roles as I do. Being a team of two means that there is no aspect of the company or product from which you are exempt.
With web-based Project Management tools being an already very crowded space, why should I care about UnFuddle?
Unfuddle is not a project management tool for the masses. The two most prominent features of Unfuddle are bug tracking and Subversion source control. These are tools that the average person knows nothing, nor should know anything about.
Unfuddle is for developers. There are so many small development teams out there that simply do not have the time to do development “the right way”. They know they should take the time to create a code repository, configure a Bugzilla or Trac instance, secure it all up and make it available to their clients. But who has time for all of that when you are just trying to get a project done already?!
Unfuddle makes doing software development “the right way” a snap.
What does the feature roadmap look for Unfuddle and what feature(s) are you most excited about in the next release?
Well, as you know, we just released our first major update to Unfuddle just this past weekend. It is the result of responding to months of customer feedback. Some of the major feature updates include multiple projects per account, custom reporting, and time tracking.
As we already begin looking towards our next release, there are number of ideas still on the whiteboard. They include a full-featured wiki, off-site Subversion repositories, and some architectural considerations like OpenID integration.
Is it safe to say the Unfuddle is Basecamp for developers?
That would be a wonderful compliment - Dave and I are big fans of 37signals and the awesome work they do. However, it is clear that Unfuddle is its own product, targeting a niche market with tools designed specifically for software developers.
How often are new features introduced into your application? How can users stay up-to-date when new features are introduced, and how can they suggest new features and find out the Unfuddle feature roadmap?
One of the joys of developing web-based applications is that we are continually pushing updates out to Unfuddle. Previously, we emailed our users regarding changes, however, we just launched a new blog on our site (
http://unfuddle.com/blog) that will serve as the primary means of notifying our users of any new features and changes.
Giving our users the opportunity to send us feedback has been of utmost importance to us since day one. There are prominent links on all pages of Unfuddle encouraging users to send us their thoughts. Unfuddle would not be where it is today if not for the quality feedback we have been getting from our customers.
I noticed now that for users to gain access to a project they need to be a member of Unfuddle. This requires manager’s of Unfuddle projects to create each and every individual user that needs to access a project. The drawback I see here is for open source projects. Unfuddle is a great tool, and has many features that applications like
CodePlex and
Sourceforge don’t provide (or don’t do well), but by neglecting the open source community don’t you feel you’re neglecting a large majority of your audience? Do you plan on providing anonymous access, or even full-blow access to those people creating open source projects? I see huge potential in that space.
I agree. However, we also felt that as a small company, it was very important for us to focus first on a market that we understood well - the small software consulting firm. There are a number of large and highly qualified players in the open source space. We felt like the small, closed source project had been neglected.
What obstacles did you face when creating Unfuddle? Lessons learned?
Well, there were a number of obstacles… sleep deprivation, days without a shower because we’ve been too busy doing what we love, lack of sleep, seeing our girlfriends far less than we wanted, insomnia. Have I mentioned that worked around the clock and didn’t get enough sleep while creating Unfuddle?
But seriously, the biggest obstacle was and continues to be building a product that is so good that it puts food on the table and pays off student loans.
How many projects have you used Unfuddle for yourself (if any) and does your team use it internally?
We built Unfuddle to meet our own development needs. As a team, use it every day on every one of our projects, not the least of which is Unfuddle itself. One of the best days for us at the beginning was when Unfuddle became self-hosting.
Has any project you have ever worked on ever made it to “production” (aka live) on time?
Unfuddle actually launched ahead of schedule. One thing that I have discovered about myself is that the more I enjoy a project, the more likely it is to come in on time.
Favorite websites you must visit every day?
If you could kill the term “web 2.0″ how would you do it?
Web 2.0? What’s that? Some sort of new protocol? Maybe Unfuddle should look into supporting it?
We’re always looking for good/new music. What are you listening to these days?
Well, we are both rather esoteric in our taste. How about “Béla Fleck & The Flecktones: UFO Tofu” or “Delirious?: The Cutting Edge”.
The opposite of Unfuddle is?
It’s either “Befuddled” or “FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt)”.
