Dev Nova was built to provide freelancers and contractors with the tools to manage client projects.
This includes all the basics you would expect, Kanban-style task boards with tasks and todos, commenting, assignments, etc. But much more is needed for freelancers and contractors to manage client projects efficiently. That is why we've built-in tools like real-time collaboration on document editing and scope documents with signatures to help keep everyone on the same page. Each project has a dedicated page's section for documenting your project, scope documents, releases, and a Gantt-style timeline view to help with planning and estimating.
The goal of Dev Nova is simple, provide the tools freelancers and contractors need to run their business, and also provide guidance on business best practices around topics such as hourly billing, pricing a project, NET terms, protecting from scope creep, and enabling you to be focused on creating because everything else is in order.
Dev Nova simplifies project management by integrating various functionalities into a single platform, making it easier for freelancers to stay organized, communicate effectively, create detailed scopes of work, and deliver exceptional results to their clients. With Dev Nova, freelancers can overcome common hurdles in their work and optimize their productivity and success as independent professionals.
Our goal list:
Building a todo app is one thing. Building a project management platform with client access, real-time collaboration, guided coaching, and much more was a serious challenge.
Complex grouping and sorting on the task boards with drag & drop tickets needed to work well and provide a solid foundation for all the other features. If the ticket management didn't work well, the other game-changing features could be looked over.
Required features:
We set out to build a tool that freelancers and contractors could use to manage and grow their creative business. Without the need to have 3+ monthly subscriptions for Projects, clients, communications, invoices, contracts, and everything else that comes with freelancing.
The tools need to have a real impact. Like taking meeting notes, while recording the meeting. Then using AI to transcribe the meeting, create a summary, and make the full transcript searchable with links that will take you right to that section of the meeting video.
These aren't just tools for the sake of features, they give freelancers the ability to perform as well or better than an entire team.
Dev Nova has already helped small business and freelancers manage projects for some of the biggest names in the industry.
The feature set built in to Dev Nova gets daily use, in-house, as we develop and deploy them. Dev Nova is being built based on real-world experience and not theory.
Tracking client communication and using the scope estimating tool helped us avoid under estimating a long running project by nearly $80k.
- Dev Nova EAP User
The initial feature set is enough to where a freelancer could manage a project in it's entirety using only Dev Nova for, client onboarding, project management, scope contracts, and internal & client communincations.
We asked the same question many times and kept coming up with the same answer.
There is a gap in the market. The good project management tools seem to cater to large enterprise companies or the feature set is too limited and you have to have 3+ monthly subscriptions and even then, there was a gap.
Our required feature list wasn't crazy, but no one offered it.
To run our projects, we wanted all the standard or base project management features, such as, projects with tasks and todos. But we needed more. Internal task boards and a client facing service desk board, project documents, scope contracts, invoicing, release tracking, estimating tool, meeting notes, etc.
When business needs, motivation, and passion align, amazing things will result.
"Many years ago, I used a business coaching PDF to help close a sale. Having coaching available on my screen before and during my call helped me stick with the strategies that gave my client confidence and ultimately help me close the deal."
-Dev Nova EAP User
Imagine having all that inspiration and coaching available right in your project, based on the context you're in.
Articles, videos, and snippets about business best practices, such as setting up an LLC, hiring an accountant to help get the correct tax status and befits, paying yourself, negotiating with clients, pricing a project, and so much more.
Context aware article and video suggestions for Project Discovery, Scoping, Pitch and Pricing meetings, right where you need them.
With the ability to have project pages, meeting notes, releases, and task summaries, all within the project, the information you need to answer client questions can be found in one place, the project.
"I've lost count of how many times, PMs, Producers, and Clients have complimented me on how organized I am. The truth is, it's because I have a place to dump and review all the info I gather, the Project, in Dev Nova."
-Dev Nova EAP User
Creating changelogs from the task summary in the release allows you to quickly share what is included in a release.
Keeping meeting notes in the project allows quick access to conversations, which could be the difference between closing and losing.
Project pages allows you to quickly document project details and share within your Dev Nova team, or generate a publicly sharable link.
