Archive for August, 2008

Summer of software: Through the intern’s eyes

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

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. (more…)

Obama and McCain’s secret weapon: the checklist

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

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. (more…)

The Global Language of Projects

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

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.