Project KickStart

In light of the success of president-elect Barrack Obama, community organizing deserves another look across the spectrum. It is no secret that Obama’s success resulted from his ability to manage people. But what does people really mean when they say that Obama managed people well? Was Obama really good with people or with management? I would bet the latter, since the whole point of organizing people is to get things done. Obama’s success was not a result of his ability to get a bunch of people together in order to do nothing; rather, he got them together in order to do something.

Now, I may just be biased, but it seems to me that organizing a group of people to do something sounds a lot like project management. Namely, it seems to me like Obama must have planned out different phases for different parts of his campaign which all entailed final goals. For example, perhaps his first phase was fundraising, which was itself a massive endeavor.  Within this preliminary phase, Obama must have had hundreds, if not thousands, of sub-phases and tasks; for example, he might have had a sub-phase for fundraising in California, which itself had the tasks of setting up campaign centers and advertising. Eventually, Obama raised enough money and support that he had a sizable base; in turn, he could assign his people to tasks in order to ultimately achieve his goal of victory.  It seems, then, that it might be unfair to attribute Obama’s victory solely to his people skills. Instead, it may have been the result of great project management. Here at ProjectKickstart, we believe in giving everyone the tools necessary to run a successful and professional project.

The future of Project KickStart is bright. Oh, it is very bright.

The first four versions of our software (five if you count the DOS version) have had gray backgrounds. We have been relentless in our efforts to make the product as functional, intuitive and powerful as possible. Even so, one day, it dawned upon us: gray was so last decade. So we figured that Project KickStart 5’s Pro and Standard versions will feature beautiful new user interfaces.

Wait, did I skip something?

Oh yeah…Project KickStart 5. Let me just say that it’s underway. Well underway. And my God is it good. Our customers are already very happy about version 4, but we can’t wait until they get their hands on the fifth Windows installment of the software we rolled out as a DOS application in 1992.

Project KickStart 5 is going to be a whole lot more than just a beautiful new take on the existing software. Imagine having our complete project planning wizard with a professional dependency Gantt chart and easily-printable, project dashboards under one roof. In minutes flat, you’ll be able to email or print a one-page report that details the status of any of your projects, including budgeting information, project status and more. Project KickStart 5 will be all the features of version 4 and tons of great new functionality with a brand new user interface. And wow, is that interface good-looking.

Oh, you want to see it? Hmm, I’m not sure I’m supposed to show you quite yet.

Come on, I’m just the guy who writes the blog…I’m not sure about authorization…my job description…someone might be mad…trade secrets…cat out of the bag…

Fine, you win. I’ll give you guys a taste…but when the purchasing department wants to know why you don’t have an appetite for inferior project planning software, don’t mention my name. Just tell them you’ve had the best of the best, you’ve seen the promised land, and nothing less than Project KickStart 5 will do.

Ok, here it is…the sweet new User Interface:

And although I’ll probably get taken out back and caned for this, here is the new Reports Dashboard:

Faithfully yours,

-Anonymous

Hello, faithful readers, it’s Jeffrey Lane. I graduated in June from a small high school in Oakland, CA and am headed down to UC San Diego in just a few weeks to begin the next phase of my life. I spent my summer working full-time for Experience in Software, makers of Project KickStart. As an intern at a smaller company like ours, I was something of a jack-of-all-trades. Perhaps you spoke to me on the phone, it’s very possible that you read a promotional email I helped write and just maybe, you’ll soon be benefiting from an idea or two of mine. I think I’ll just keep that one vague for the time being.

I’ve had a couple of jobs before, but this is the first desk job for me. Though I had visited my mom’s office in San Francisco a few times, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this office, given that it was a much smaller company in Berkeley. Would I be a world of suits and ties, corporate lingo and TPS reports? To make a long story short, I wasn’t. Here I sit, clad in jeans and a sweatshirt from my high school lacrosse team, and I have never been lectured about any missing cover sheets.

And, wow, has this been perfect. I’ve picked up more skills than I can count. I have a basic knowledge of marketing, sales, software support, product development, project management and plenty more. And I’ve done it all in casual attire and ten minutes from my house, in the downtown area of a culturally-rich (and politically-infamous) college town. The location, of course, means that the lunch options are amazing. I have gone out to lunch every day to one of the plethora of inexpensive, delicious restaurants here in Berkeley. There is easy walking access to cuisines from every corner of the world. Within blocks of the office sit purveyors of curry, sandwiches, sushi, pizza and burritos. It is not at all uncommon for me, the summer intern, to go out to lunch with my boss or even the president of the company.

Another great thing about working for a smaller company (that previously had no interns) is that my time is valuable. I have never been asked to get coffee for my boss or schedule appointments for the higher-ups. From what I understand, such tasks are frequently among those tossed to the interns at other, larger companies. Instead, I was immediately put to work calling customers to update our database and writing marketing materials. As such, I quickly got a feel for our software, our company and our customers.

Although the relaxed environment, the meaningful work and the proximity to delicious food have been great, the best aspect of the company is the people. The people here are interesting, diligent, and above all, kind. We greet each other in the morning, say good-bye at the end of the day, ask each other about weekend plans on Fridays and give lunch recommendations (okay, that’s mostly me plugging the $5.95 lunch special at the Japanese restaurant). Spending time in the company of such people is refreshing, and frankly, enjoyable. My coworkers have taught me more than I ever thought I could learn in a summer, and they have truly become my friends.

And for the entirety of my eleven-week tenure, I have felt respected, valued and recognized. When I told my boss that we had what we needed to start moving toward a new version of Project KickStart, he listened. One office-wide powwow later, we were putting together the list of new features, contacting our developer and truly getting work underway for the future versions of Project KickStart, which I hope will knock your socks off. I’m only sad that I won’t be here to watch them get created.

Wishing you all the best,
Jeff the Intern

Last week, Slate.com covered the methods the two major presidential campaigns employ to keep themselves organized and linked to one of our many handy project tips. That particular tip was from David Allen of Getting Things Done fame and concerned the use of checklists in a project plan.

What do Slate.com, David Allen and the US Army have in common?

Our website features plenty of insightful tips from project experts such as Allen and Jeff Crow, author of Applying Project Management in the Workplace. Customers have told us how much they appreciate the access we give them to the expertise of these gurus. Apparently, they trust our expertise as well. Those who buy our software do so knowing that Project KickStart channels the knowledge of many project experts into a comprehensive, easy-to-use project planning wizard. Neither of the candidates’ camps have called us this year, but during the last presidential race, the US Army bought 25 copies of Project KickStart to prepare for the Inauguration.

The checklist: easy, simple, perfect

So maybe you aren’t in charge of getting anyone elected or securing an inauguration ceremony. Where do you fit in?

At its heart, a project consists of a series of tasks to be carried out in concert. Project planning consists of organizing those tasks. If your project is pouring yourself a glass of milk, you can probably take care of the entire planning phase mentally. If it’s going to the grocery store to replenish the contents of your fridge, you might want a checklist. What if you’re organizing a campaign to get someone elected President of the United States?

Oh, you’ll need a checklist, all right, but it won’t look like a shopping list. No, this is a metachecklist, a series of steps and reminders to plan the plan. When planning a project don’t overlook the simple tools at your disposal. To make your checklist the way David Allen would make it, take a look at our tips to help you plan your projects. Even if it isn’t your job to get an aspiring head of state elected, you probably work on projects that are a bit more complicated than pouring a glass of milk. We’re here to help.

This week, nations from every continent and every corner of the world will be drawn together by a global event: the Olympics. Tens of millions of fans will be glued to their televisions, radios and internet browsers, eager to see how well their countrymen fare on an international stage.

Many of these viewers spend the rest of their years competing on a large stage themselves. Instead of medals, however, they seek market share. And while the USA seems poised for Olympic success this year, our economy has seen better days. Even in countries whose economies are flourishing, the quest for efficiency continues.

We know this because Project KickStart is sold internationally every day. From Canada to Belgium to East Timor, our beloved project management software meets receptive customers in places as diverse and far-reaching as the Olympians themselves.

Ultimately, we don’t see international customers any differently than our customers here in the States. They have the same needs: complete project planning and straight-forward but powerful project management tools. We’re thrilled that people around the world enjoy using our software and we hope we can help them compete on global stage, whether that means expanding their customer base, carrying out an important construction project, raising funds for a great cause or planning lessons to educate the next generation.

You could even use Project KickStart to plan an Olympic training regimen. We’ve never heard of it being used that way, but who knows? Maybe it’s the secret weapon of an Olympian or two.

It’s no secret that many individuals and business are feeling the economic strain of a weak US economy. As a result, companies have begun to reexamine their business processes with a critical eye on efficiency. In a world of deflating property values, a weak dollar and $4 per gallon gas (yes, Europe, we know you think that’s next to free), companies are definitely counting the pennies.

When a company’s financial resources decrease, other tangible and intangible resources seem to dwindle as well. The workforce may become smaller. Employees might be more isolated than usual. The company may be too focused on stopping the monetary bleeding to plan for the future.

From stage left, enter project management software. For a varying initial investment, many firms have found that the time they save in the process of planning and managing their projects can offset the price of the software faster than they might think.

For example, our newest project management software, Project KickStart 4 Pro, sells for $299. The Standard version of the software is $199. Companies who pay a project expert $75 per hour could reduce these prices to zero by doing the expert’s work themselves for just a few hours. Do a few more projects, and the software starts to look like an awfully good investment.

And if the software is accessible to everyone, it might have some other nice side effects as well. During tough economic times, companies often struggle to find a solution their decreasing cash flow. Strong project planning software often facilitates brainstorming and collaboration, which are even more critical when the money seems less plentiful than it once was.

For decades, polling has been the typical manner of predicting an election’s outcome before it takes place. This year, there is a new player: futures markets.

If you visit Intrade.com today, you’ll be confronted with an opportunity to buy election futures for either Barack Obama or John McCain. To buy a share of Obama, who is currently ahead in the polls, you’d have to pay $6.51, while investing in McCain would only set you back $3.16. Either way, if you picked the winner, you would get a $10 payout. Every day, these prices are updated to reflect the bettors’ views of the race. You can also bet on a slew of other issues, such as whether the US economy will go into a recession in 2008 or whether California voters will pass a ban on same-sex marriage this fall.

The thinking in putting stock (no pun intended) into these futures markets is that those making predictions will be most accurate when their money is at stake.

A few months ago, Steve Lohr wrote a piece in the New York Times detailing how companies are putting the financial wisdom of the masses to work. Some companies allow their employees to anonymously bet funny-money online, then reward their most accurate employees with small gifts. Which product ideas do employees think will flop? Do the employees really think the new store will open on time or are they just being optimistic to please the boss?

These practices raise intriguing questions for those in charge of managing projects. Because the duration of a project is so often uncertain or subject to roadblocks and setbacks, the original end date may or may not be met. Since almost any business project is gambling a piece of the company or its resources, why not set up a betting pool to see when people really think it can be finished?

If anyone uses or has heard of the use of this practice in project management, we’d love to hear about it.

Greetings to everyone interested in project planning, project management and management in general. This includes professional project managers and individuals who like to approach the world with a plan; it also includes long-time Project KickStart customers and those who have never heard of our software.

Today, we are pleased to launch our blog, which we hope will be fresh, interesting, and a forum for helpful and insightful conversation.