Currently 2 person programming team, with a project manager whom doesn't have any experience in Project management. So really need something very simple, that will hold the hand of a project manager.
Far more important than features is ease of use. I could deal with a gloried ToDo list - but I would like milestones.
Thanks
Try this: http://www.openproj.org/openproj
Free and can read MS project as well.
BaseCamp? Good enough for a two-person team to keep track of todos, milestones, and some basic communication.
Any software you select now will just add interference to the process of learning to be a project manager. For such a small team pencil and paper, even a whiteboard and pens, will be sufficient. When you (or the PM) have learned the basics of project management, then is the time to start thinking about software support.
If pencil and paper is too simple, try a word processor and spreadsheet.
For novice project managers RationalPlan is the best choice. The embedded project guide will help the project manager step by step to plan and control the projects. More helpful would be to start learning the basics in project management and map those on the application.
This is the way to evolve but you can also keep things very simple by using some spreadsheets or To Do list software.
We work with VisionProject for the whole company, development, reception, IT, etc. It is very easy to work with. However, it can be a bit tricky with all functionality turned on, so you should configure it a bit to remove all possibilities. After we did this it works brilliantly.
Other systems that are quite good since they are easy to use are for example @Task. But it might be a bit big for such a small organisation. Also, it takes a bit of time to configure. But once you have done it, I must say they have quite a good solution as well.
Look at Project kaiser. Free for 5 users, there are milestones, issues on unlimited hierarchy and more.
Try HyperOffice's project management software. Simple to use, experienced and dependable company since 1998. You get to do lists, shared projects, task dependencies, assign responsibilities, timelines, notifications, gantt charts etc. Also mobile and Outlook sync.
For a simple, no-nonsense, agile project management solution, I highly recommend Pivotal Tracker. Check out the intro video on the Learn More page to get a feel for how the tool works.
PS - Send your project manager my best wishes! :)