We've all heard at some point efficiency is key, and it really is. What is less clear is how to achieve personal or team wide efficiency. I've collected a small handful of web based apps that I have used over the last several years to help me be productive. I am not saying these are the best web apps out there, but based on my previous usage they are robust and useful applications. Most of them are free or have free plans to try out before committing to a service you are unfamiliar with using.

Each app that I will describe below has its own merits and some may have a bit of overlap. Keep in mind, you are the expert when it comes to knowing what works for you and your venture.

• Thought Boxes - Cost: Basic Account - Free / Super Account - $3/month - This application is great for keeping track of your thoughts. You can easily structure to-do lists, checklists, or just keep a running tab on your ideas and inspiration. It can be used for keeping track of a project as well, however, it may not be the most robust option for that. It does give you the ability to share your lists individually or holistically with others. The interface is slick and it doesn't take very long to get up and going on the service. Having a super account gives you access to, unlimited trains of thought and sharing and collaboration.
• Project Flow - Cost: Free - This application, as its name may imply, is great at project tracking. It has a very intuitive drag-and-drop interface for moving items between columns. This service is great if you are working based on a methodology such as Agile, Kanban, Lean or any other. You can add as many projects as you need.
• Trello - Cost: Standard Account - Free / Business Class - $25/month or $200/year - This application is great for collaborating on managing tasks and projects. It can literally manage whatever you thow at it, checklist, scheduling, task delegation and more. The collaboration aspect is key. You can literally see what other people are changing in real time, so you never miss updates. Business Class accounts have advanced features, Google Apps integration, bulk exporting, a read-only observer role and more administration control.
• Interstate - Cost: Standard - Free / Advanced - $9/person/month - This application is great for making development plan roadmaps. Displays real time activity between multiple users. This app also includes a real-time chat system. You can even easily embed your roadmaps easily anywhere you want them to display. It also gives you easy ways to manage your team members and see what project they are on and which tasks are assigned to them.