QG Software & 5pm Blog

A little over a week ago we updated our website with screenshots of our 5pm™ tool and even added an online demo. After running it “under the radar” for a bit and showing it to our existing clients, we are ready for you to give it a try:

www.5pmweb.com

The demo is fully functional, so you can do pretty much everything with it. Don’t be afraid to edit or delete stuff - all demo data is restored nightly.

Your feedback is highly appreciated.

The sign up for 5pm™ will start pretty soon. Submit your email on our website in order to get notified.

Imagine a timeline view of your projects and tasks, with start dates, deadlines and status. Not a complex Gannt chat, with dependencies and resources, just a simple, tight view. The one you can glance over and see exactly where the things are.

This is exactly what we implemented with our 5pm™ Timeline - one of the features of our upcoming tool. You can preview it here: www.theoworlds.com/labs/02/

What is a better time to announce our new product - 5pm™ - than Friday at 5:00 pm.

5pm™ is the next generation of our project management software. Manage your teams and tasks, work efficiently and be done by 5pm™!

More details on www.5pmweb.com

What will your co-workers think if during the next video conference they will see a talking cat on the screen instead of you? They will probably feel like they need another shot of coffee that morning.

I often use Skype to communicate with our remote team members. Today, while I was starting another routine video session, I happened to stumble upon a nice add-on for Skype. It’s called CrazyTalk and it replaces your camera input with an avatar, like a cat, or a dog, or an alien… The fun part is that they are animated and the lips movements are synchronized with your speech. So it really looks like a cat is talking for you. It also supports some funny emoticons animations and it can follow the mouse with the eyes…

All together, it can kill good five minutes of your meeting and ruin the work atmosphere for the rest of it. Even if it’s not your goal, it may also help you spice up a routine project management video conference. Too bad there is no way to replace another person’s picture with an avatar. Imagine your boss talking to you while looking like a pussy cat… That alone can make your day.

P.S. A couple of posts back I mentioned CrazyEgg software. For those who wonder if there is a pattern here: no, I’m not trying to cover all the Crazy* applications…

If you you are project manager, dealing with multiple projects and even multiple offices - try our Project and Team Manager. It’s a web software that can be used from anywhere. Find more information on www.qgsoftware.com.

I mentioned in an earlier post, that over the years I have looked at various applications to manage projects. I wrote about the struggle to find the right fit of features and methods. It seems that this is not a unique experience. In fact… today it is even more confusing. One simply needs to take a (search) through the web and you will find a tremendous variety of PM applications. The number of applications may tell us that this is a difficult problem to solve. Or, at the root, I believe this is a situation where “my” approach may not always be what “you” need. In other words a one size does not fit all. So, we have a wide variety of PM applications that have cropped up.

Here is an interesting article that illustrates this at Web Worker Daily.

Really, this is about learning what works for you. It means trying out the various solutions and finding the method that helps you get your work done. You will have to wade through much of the hype and determine what you need. Painful, I know… In my walk down the path of choices, I had to make a list of items I had to have in order to mange my projects. I also got feedback about what the staff/team members needed, after-all they will have to use this on a daily basis. My point is simply this; get really clear on your needs, ignore the hype and the flash, test the ones that match your list.

So, speaking of a path and an option for your PM needs.

In our development of Project and Team Manager we have tried to implement the features that our customers tell us they need, not just what we think should be done. Of course, we are not always perfect in this. But, we do try to avoid the “we know better than you” mentality. We know our application may not work for everyone, and that really is ok, but at least see if we match your list.

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Greg

Well, as you can see it has been a while since my last post. Time seems to slip away rather quickly. This makes me think about time and projects (what a great segue.)

It is certainly one of the elements of project management that can be valued differently based on need and the type of project. If you bill by the hour or charge based on your time then it is critical. Many projects use time to quantify when a task will be done or how long it will take. But the time element is not the outcome but rather a method to track progress. This point is where many project management applications force you into using the time methodology such as hours per day, hours per resource, working time, holidays and more. Certainly there is a need to form some some quantifying blocks in which to measure progress. However, I do question the method (for many projects, not all) of the heavy-duty time based project management. I need to manage to an outcome, are there dates and times that are part of it, yes… but again it is but one element. This where we have tried to elevate the “manage to an outcome” approach with PTManager. We really believe that creating and managing projects should not be a completely arduous task. There are options here… more complex project management applications and a simple paper based list. We hope to find the ground where most people find themselves. The need to manage to an outcome, with as little distractions and barriers as possible.

I hope you will give our application a try. See if it helps you manage without requiring PM certification.

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Greg

Let’s start with a little history…

The concept of Project and Team Manager (PTManager) was created back in 2003. It was conceived out of frustration in finding “the” tool we needed. We had looked at least a dozen web based applications. It seemed they fell into a couple of groups. One was what I will call traditional PM apps (with Milestones, Gantt charts etc…) most were to complicated for our needs. Others were just to-do managers. Again, not what we wanted or needed.

So, what did we want… here are the top three.

• A quick and easy way to see where projects are, a “bird’s-eye” view.
• A quick and easy way for users to get information into the “system.”
• Flexibility in adding a user to a task or a project as needed.

All without having to take valuable time from the real work (ok, that’s four.)

We could not find what we wanted, they just did not “feel” right. I have a belief that project mgmt. has to fit the way you and your team works (or wants to work.) I have used PM apps off and on for 15 years. I have taken classes… read traditional PM books. There is some great stuff in all of that. But, our projects were just not that complicated. However, we still needed a tool. This is where we started to think about just writing what we needed. (More on this at a later post/date.)
Today the market for PM apps has exploded (gone all web 2.0 and AJAXY.) There are some very good choices and in many ways it is a pretty crowded market. I am honestly glad to see the choices.

But, with all the options that are out there, we still believe in the approach we came up with. Our goal and “motto” has been “Simple by Design.” Yes, I know sounds all Manifesto, Mission statement etc… But, when we started sketching out what became Project and Team Manager (PTManager) that was our approach.

It still is.

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Greg