In this Edition

Letter From the CTO
Feature Article: From Sticky Notes to PPM Software
Events: Second Annual @task User Conference
New York City Event Recap
On-demand Webinar
Blog Posts: Informed Decisions Require Trustworthy Project Data
The Warning Signs of a Failing Project
Issue Management: When Risk Becomes Reality

Letter From the CTO

Annual User Conference, @task Improvements, and a New Product

The @task Product Development team is excited about the upcoming @task User Conference in May. It's our opportunity to communicate product vision, showcase the newest features, and interact with customers in a forum that lets us know how we can better meet user needs.

We're looking forward to showing you how we're making @task easier to use, more useful to team members, more accessible to the rest of the organization, and better able to help users find a better way to get work done. It's also a great learning opportunity for our team; we look forward to hearing your success stories, understanding any obstacles you face, and spending face time with the people who use our software.

We also have more ambitious plans. At the conference we will be introducing something new; something that will (hopefully) open your mind to new ideas that can help you better manage work and perhaps even challenge the way you think about project management.

I look forward to seeing you at the user conference.

Sincerely,
Nate Bowler, CTO

Feature Article

From Sticky Notes to PPM Software

Most project managers start out using a spreadsheet, sticky-notes, and a whiteboard to manage projects. I certainly did. What's more, it worked pretty well for simple projects with straightforward time-lines. However, it wasn't long before it became obvious that I needed something more—so the search for something that would help me manage work began.

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I didn't know what project management software or SaaS (Software as a Service) was—I just wanted something that would help me get more work done and report on that increase in productivity to my boss… Read the complete article here

Events

Second Annual @task User Conference – Agenda Now Available

The @task User Conference will be here in less than two months! This highly interactive event will include 24 breakout sessions, an Olympic Gold Medalist keynote speaker, and a PMI Project of the Year Recipient. @task users from around the world will gather in Salt Lake City, May 11-13, 2010, to address key issues confronting organizations looking to align strategic objectives with project processes and increase efficiencies and ROI in their organizations. Make sure you’re one of them.
Preliminary Agenda
Read more and register

@task New York City Event

@task customers and prospective customers gathered on Thursday, March 25th at The Ritz-Carlton in New York City for the first stop on the @task "Amongst Friends" tour. The event provided a relaxed venue where @task users from a variety of organizations could meet, network, and exchange ideas. Attendees shared best practices and their experiences using @task throughout their organizations.

An informative Q/A session followed founder and CEO Scott Johson’s keynote address, giving attendees the opportunity to ask him questions about @task—both the product and the company. A real-world success story was presented by a customer, addressing their selection and successful implementation of @task, after which an @task Consultant discussed the company’s approach to demand management and capacity planning.

Scott Johnson will visit a number of major US cities throughout 2010, meeting with customers and prospective customers to discuss the future of project management and getting the right work done.

On-demand Webinar: Resource Management Best Practices: 6 Ways to Effectively Manage Demand, Capacity, and Time

Because budgets are still tight and resources are still thin, learning how to effectively manage existing resources is more critical than ever. Knowing how to prioritize demands and understand capacity ensures getting the most important things done within the time frame expected.

With Margo Visitacion of Forrester Research and Amy Dowis of Allconnect
Watch it now

Blog Posts

Informed Work Management Decisions Require Trustworthy Project Data

Is your project data always trustworthy?

If you answered “no,” you're not alone. That said, most project managers are dedicated and motivated individuals who work very hard to make sure the information that gets pushed up to their executives is accurate and up to date. In fact, I know of PMs who make the rounds every week asking, cajoling, begging, and imploring individual team members to update task status—and yet, they can still identify inaccuracies in the information collected. If some data associated with project-based work is questionable, is there a way to improve the overall trustworthiness of the data used for decision-making? Read the complete blog post here

“Danger, Danger:” The Warning Signs of a Failing Project

As a kid I loved the Lost in Space TV series. The story, an adaptation of the Swiss Family Robinson, features a 1997 version of the Robinson family on a mission to colonize a planet near the star, Alpha Centauri. Selected from among two million volunteers for the mission, the Robinsons, their pilot, and their B-9 environmental robot crash land on an unnamed planet after sabotage disables their spacecraft.

Although most projects don't have a B-9 robot, there are warning signs that identify a troubled project early enough to do something about it. The earliest signs that a project is in trouble are hard to measure objectively, but are relatively easy to spot, if you're watching. Read the complete blog post here

Issue Management: When Risk Becomes Reality

What happens when an event identified in your risk register has a 100% chance of occurring? Then it's no longer a risk, it's an issue, and it has to be dealt with immediately. As Lee Iacocca said, "Even a correct decision is wrong when it is taken too late." While every risk plan should have a response component (e.g. "If option A is suddenly out, go to option B."). What do you do then? Do you have an actual plan for this? It should includes tactics, and not just an overarching strategy. When a risk becomes an issue, it's time to put your Issue Management and Control processes into play. Read the complete blog post here