Archive for June, 2008
Project Management module of tBits
Project management – Project planning, execution and retrospection is the core of the organization’s functioning.
When we talk about project management, we are essentially talking about dividing a project into doable items and planning the execution of each of the doable item i.e. task. The execution essentially involves determining who will work on a particular task, when the task should start, and finally, following up with this individual and getting the task done on time.
However, a task is just next to useless if it is lying in one person’s computer. Everyone involved with the task should be able to see and update each of his/her tasks.
To get a task done, a lot of communication and file exchange is needed. The dynamics of this communication is governed by the rules of the organization and the nature of the project – for example, certain organization may say a task should be marked closed only by the project leader or Quality Assurance team.
These challenges are effectively met using tBits in the following ways:
1. Project Planning
Project planning essentially involves:
- Specifying the Start Date/End Date/Duration (The algorithm of conflict resolution is standard one which is industry wide accepted).
- Specifying the predecessors and the corresponding lag. Predecessors can be SS (Start-to-Start), FS (Finish-to-Start), SF (Start-to-Finish), FF (Finish-to-Finish). Lag can be negative.
- Assigning the tasks to individuals
- Considering the organizational calendar. (The Calendar can vary from organization to organization. So, it is essentially done by quick implementation of Calender extension.)
2. Project execution
Project execution involves tracking of what has been done, what is being done now, what will be done and by who. The other aspect of project execution is communication management.
tBits helps an organization do an effective project execution in the following ways:
- Every person knows what is assigned to him/her.
- Everyone can communicate in an effective manner.
- There are reports per the organization’s needs along with the standard reports
- People can collaborate using SMS
- People get notifications on Mobile/email per the due date.
- The whole communication can happen over emails while being managed by tBits
- Each person’s to-do list is sent over email every morning.
3. Project retrospection and reusing what is learnt
Since every transaction and communication has happened through tBits seamlessly, it is quite easy to just go back into the history of any task and prepare the report as needed.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )Year-1 of entrepreneurial venture: Experiences
Somebody on linked-in recently sent me an email asking as to “what is the worst mistake that I did in my entrepreneurial business”. It was a tough question to answer as I believed that the worst mistake is yet to be done as we still are in business.
However, it prompted me to write my first ever blog where I wanted to share my experiences and things that I believed are a must to survive – particularly in year-1 of entrepreneurial venture.
My idea’s should be seen in context of our venture – IT Product Firm in a highly price sensitive market – India.
Some of these things that I am about to write may sound as cliché. Further, my unfamiliarity with the blogging culture will be visible via my ‘inappropriate’ use of English language – but bear with me.
Here I go in contributing my two cents into what certainly should be done in the first year of business:
1. Manage Cash – As has been said by many people. We are a self funded firm applies equally well to us. Think Twice before spending. “Cash is hardest to come by to you when you need IT the most”.
2. Never work for free – People may be there available in market that will want to take your advantage. They will want that you work for them for free as give big brand to your resume. Be wary. Your expenses are constant & many of them [employee salaries] can’t be deferred. So a paying – less reputed client – is better than a non-paying big brand name.
Further, making payment implies that client is serious about the assignment & hence a signal of his committment. Ask for advance – this is important – as this cashflow help you keep going.
However – there may be a scenario where some of your resources are under-utilized – so keep engaged the big branded client asking for free lunch for this period.
3. Sales is all about building credibility & trust – In any sales cycle – the person purchasing your goods/services is looking in for an assurance that work will be done & support in case of further enhancements. This credibility can be generated in a number of ways as
A. Clients – you have done similar things before for similar or bigger firms.
B. You yourself – You have to act & say that even though you are not coming in from a big brand, you as a person have credentials to execute work – this can come from your experience/ educational back-ground etc.
C. Board Members – if you are in a position to get good famous people on your firm’s board – it helps. Their credibility & stature helps you build the credibility required for sales. Remember – Any one who has build his reputation, will be cautious of putting it at stake for your venture.
4. Leverage Social Network – my alumni from my IIT-Roorkee were of great help to us. They will open doors for you in small manner in their departments – you have to grab these occasions & perform.
5. Performance has no substitute – Go slow on the first few projects & don’t get into the syndrome of taking too many jobs on which you can’t deliver. In these first few projects – ensure you don’t get into cash-distress type of situation & ensure that product / service delivered is good.
6. Client Satisfaction implies listening & responding to client – Even we try to give flawless product/services it may not always be possible. Accept the same. But ensure that when the client needs you – you respond. Your response matter more than anything at that juncture.
7. Manage Balance between family, society & business – you will require a huge support & peace of mind to focus on building the organization. It’s imperative that family front is secured. You don’t want too many hassles as you already have too many of your own. After all in what you are doing – family is also making sacrifices. Do take a break when required. Family comes first.
8. Have courage & differentiate between audacity & stupidity – some times we have to take decisions – say setting up of an office in a new geography or hiring extremely talented people. Do take them.
One definition of entrepreneurship includes “Person who is chasing an opportunity without any knowledge of funding options.” Here the management philosophy will be not of much use.
You have to evaluate yourself, trust your judgment & take decisions. Note – the difference between the above as suggested & stupidity is your actions & implementation acumen.
9. Create Leaders to manage growth – Early in your venture you will need hands – reliable enough to deliver. Resources will be scare – both human & financial. You will have to get the most of the available ones.
To have more earning hands – particularly for operations delivery, sales & marketing, you have to institutionalize the processes. Initially, you will have to do all the above. Trained people from the market will be prohibitively expensive.
At this juncture, as a leader, you deliberately take a back-seat in the project execution domain & put to front your trusted talented new team-members. Keep an eye as these people, being young may make mistakes.
Your young team will learn a lot about your business on the job & will become dependable assets for you. Afterall, your model is to replicate what you have done till date multiple times. You should focus more energy in strategic initiatives as new offices, new territories, new products, sales & business development & should try to get out of the routine business where the process takes care of the deliverables.
10. Regard Sales & Marketing an Investment & not Expenditure – Sales help you grow & earn the cashflows necessary for the organization. Though I may have just over-emphasised the role of sales but sales as a process should be institutionalized as soon as possible along with delivery early in the venture. Opportunities will not come easily to you.
The greatest challanges that one faces is knowing as to specifically with which firm – the opportunities lies. So regards sales as an investment into building a firm & putting all the other resources that you have created. Part-time sales people will not work out. Full time employee will be required but they should be incentivized by good bonus upon closure of deal to align their incentives with those of your business.
Google & online forums as Capterra are good sources but as we are yet to get to the level where we are able to reap these new media sources to our advantage.
My two cents.
Ritesh Tripathi
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 4 so far )tBits in seven seconds
The following is a simple seven seconds presentation. It has 6 slides. It basically gives an overview of what tBits at the heart does.
You can download it from here:
tbits-knowledge-management
eSeva Adopts tBits for various tasks
We are proud to say that eSeva (a govt’s initiative) have started using our product. We are more then happy to help them.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Code writing strategies
When I start writing code there is a huge inertia for starting. It is similar to the inertia before jumping in the swimming pool.
Here are few tip on how to overcome it:
- Write a comments
- Write skelton
- Write test case.
By the time you finish writing test cases, you inertia would be gone!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Outlook plugin is in stable release now.
The outlook plugin was in beta till last week. Now after a testing of about 2 months, we are happy to release the first stable release of outlook plugin.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Transmittals
The customers from various project companies generally have to send the files either soft form or as hardcopy.
There is a very well established protocol called ‘Transmittals’. Even though tBits was solving the problem without the transmittals, for legal perspective, customers needed transmittals.
We have recently provided the ‘Create Transmittals’ button. All it does is sends the files to the customers, keep a log of the send transmittals in another ba and allow the user to print the transmittal letter easily.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )New Visualisation and collaboration features in tBits
We have recently few great features. One of these features help users view the various formats in browser.
Now, users dont have to download and install various softwares for seeing common files. At the moment it can view approximately 450 formats.
Users can also discuss and collaborate in real-time with other users.
This feature is specially targeted towards the Engineering companies where most the time of meetings goes in telling the customer to view at a certain area of drawing. Our customers are really excited about this feature.
Users can also do the redlining of the drawing. It stores this markup information in a separate file not in the drawing leaving the drawing intact.
One of the features with which I am really impressed with is comparing between drawings. User can compare the drawings side by side. And in the third portion of screen, it would only show the differences.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
tBits - A next generation workflow management system 