Business-Management Tools for the Beginner

Action Method's concepts should be familiar to the creative world, as they come directly from a paper-based management tool branded as the Action Method and are part of a larger creative community including Behance Network, Creative Index and several others.

And there is lots to like here.

Behance does a nice job of laying out easy-to-use Web-based forms for entering data, like action steps, reference material and other information. The code also gets credit for nudging you down the logistical path of defining how you enter that data. Action steps, for example, are defined as always to be entered as verbs, such as "call," or "follow up with," etc. There are nice definitional concepts like backburners, which are all those brilliant ideas you have. And there are discussion features, basic calendaring and some customer support. And I liked a few other Web-based collaboration touches. There is a neat chat feature branded as a "Nag." And another chat function branded as "Appreciate." Both critical parts of the small-business life. And the project-view mode does a decent job of rationally laying out what is ahead in your business.

The best part is you should be able to be up and running for at least the active gigs in your small business in just a few hours. And that, in and of itself, is a major step forward.

So props to Action Method Online.

What you don't get

The package doesn't offer truly powerful project management software. Action Method is, to be blunt, relatively primitive by modern project management standards. It does not readily support centuries-old management concepts like Gantt charts, dependencies and waterfalling. Nor is it anywhere near the cutting edge of business management tools like, say, LiquidPlanner.com or RationalPlan. It's also not meant to be used with billing software, time management tools or other modern business applications.