Earlier I had posted about my quest to find project management, invoicing, and customer relationship management tools that fit my needs and work style. For a bit I had settled on a pair of open source tools that I installed on my Linux-based Web server:

• Project Pier
• Simple Invoices

From their names, you might guess that I was using Project Pier for project management, and Simple Invoices for invoicing. The CRM component I spread somewhat between the two. While this pair of tools was quite adequate for the job, the only problem was that I really wanted everything in a single program so I didn't have to maintain, say, two databases of customer addresses. I wasn't averse to paying for a solution. It just had to be the right solution.

Then I found Studiometry. This Mac and Windows software (I'm using it on the Mac, I don't do Windows, it's a Linux thing) offers project management, invoicing, time tracking, and some basic client management features all in one application. The only feature I'd say it was lacking is a bit more flexibility or granularity in adding notes about customers and projects. It would be nice to be able to add individual notes for a project or a client, for example, instead of having to put all of my notes in one long scrolling notes window. I'd also like a view where I could see clients and projects, but only for the live clients and not for the clients I'm not dealing with at the moment.

My main complaint with Studiometry (on the Mac) was that it could at times be quite slow. I filed a bug/issue report with their help desk on it, no point in just sitting there being annoyed! I'll cover the hows and whys of filing such things in a later post. Suffice it to say that so far I'm very pleased with Oranged Software's support. Fast responses, attention to detail, and not only have they made a fix and told me how to get it, they've checked back to find out how well the fix worked. Good customer support is not dead! (And a great way to differentiate your business in a bad economy.)

For any of these tools, you have to play with them to see if you can fit them into your work style. For example, with Project Pier, I found that sticking mostly with Projects and Milestones kept things nice and neat. In Studiometry, it's more Clients, Projects, and ToDos. Also, make sure to back up your data. If you're putting your life into the hands of any tool, then it can get really easy to end up in a massive jam if that tool fails!

Both Project Pier and Studiometry integrate with iCal, so in both cases I was able to view what I needed to do in the context of my calendar, which can be very useful for the longer-term picture. Studiometry also has its own calendar view, so the iCal connection isn't vital.