Basecamp Protocols

To help you keep things organized and to help us all stay on the same page.

Pro Tips

• To track your To Do's check My Stuff: My Assignments. 

• You can "unsubscribe" from a thread at any point.
  
  

Common Functions

• Pings: quick questions, side/private conversations. DO NOT USE to assign a TD

• To-Do's: Action items, Comm Logs

• Messages: FYI's, important information

• Docs & Files: docs, instructions, project details, uploads, etc.

• Campfires: group questions or ideas. Not for important communications (make a todo or message for these) Campfires go out to the whole team; know your audience!

• Please do NOT use Pings, Message Boards, or Campfires for any request that requires action. Create a To-Do.

To Do's

• Find the best list  - Lists are ways to group types of assignments together within a project/team (i.e. by person/role, discussion/inception vs. activation, etc.)

• Use "Misc" if one doesn't apply or ping the person to ask where it could go

• Please include your manager in all to-dos - Your manager needs to know what is happening in their department. It is their job to decipher how to complete the task and reach out to the appropriate resources to get the job done. They may choose to reassign it, but please let them handle it.

• If you feel that the to-do is time-sensitive and needs to be taken care of sooner than you think your manager will see it, in the notes of the to-do, @mention the department manager or person you feel is appropriate to handle the task. 

• State the to-do in the form of a task to be completed. - A good rule of thumb here is to begin every to-do with a verb. For example, "Make", "Consider", "Write", "Charge", "Update", "Look into", "Order", "Fill", "Review"... etc. It's easy to mark a task complete if it is stated as an action item.

• Always assign a due date. - This ensures that the person assigned to it will be notified until it is complete. Without a due date, the to-do can get buried and overlooked. If the person it is assigned to feels that they cannot complete it in time, they may update the due date and let you know in the comments why they had to push it back.
  
  
  

Creating a new Project or Team (for managers only)

• Please add "Managed by YOUR NAME" to the Project/Team description. 

• The creator is responsible for facilitating any Campfire discussions (questions may go unanswered) and ensuring the project is closed out/achieved.

• Only add people as necessary.

updated 11/15/24 dar