Late last week Andrew sent around some amazing designs for the new MG app. (I’m not sure if I can tell you what the official name is yet). In any case, the designs were fantastic and will really push the envelope when it comes to functionality and UI design. Above is a little snapshot of one very tiny part of the UI. I thought it would be fun to have people guess what the ... [more]

Mike Marker got busted.

I was talking to him on his cellphone at lunch yesterday and we were having an animated conversation about the project when he cut me off mid-sentence.  Turns out he was pulled over by the Kentucky police.  Here is the transcript of what I heard:

“Just a second, Scott”.

Some background noise.

Kentucky Policeman: “Hello sir, can I see your id?”.

[shuffle, ... [more]

We need a name. Four names really. Okay, maybe five.

So far we’re stumped.

Every decision, every action has been the product of collaboration and passionate discussion, yet this elephant in the room seems to receive sporadic attention, or inattention. It’s the blank screen problem on a billboard scale.

Its seems that this one area of the project has been relegated to our quiet contemplative moments – almost as an ... [more]

No no.

There was no canoeing, no bow-hunting, and no livestock impersonation. Rather, this was a thorough functional review and creative design discussion of our soon-to-be-launched suite of Customer Relationship apps.

Meetings (retreats) like these are important because they help remind you of the things that you take for granted. Things like:

• Our applications are already filled with knock-out functions and features.
• The people you are working with are smart, creative, passionate, and fun to be around (even before the 5th beer).
• We don’t do it enough.

It also reminds me that we have a lot of work to do to ensure that our ... [more]

Just got back from the Mercury Grove retreat. As I mentioned in my previous post, we were getting together to go over the final path to launch. Most of this had to do with getting Andrew and Creighton together in the same room to work on the UI design and functionality. Both of these guys are smart. Let me say it again, BOTH of these guys are really smart. I have worked with talented designers ... [more]

Writing generally involves deadlines and limited access to the people who can provide the information and the direction. Much of being successful is being able to get everything you need in one shot, usually at the drop of a hat.

In this situation – which can happen pretty much anywhere – I try to lead a detailed conversation, to really get a sense of what we want to write about. This really beats getting a slew of information that people think you would need to get the job done.

In these types of discussions I will assume the role of someone who knows nothing about the subject (which is often not a stretch). The goal is to get the person/people to explain ... [more]

Scott Lake’s post about being more than an email address (how to categorize people who sign up for the MG beta) got me thinking.

The Scotts’ discussion touched on an important aspect of communications. Target audience. The person you are speaking with. It affects the vocabulary, the delivery and the complexity of your message. It determines how you present ideas. We all do this to some degree during face-to-face conversations, but its it’s less of a focus in written conversations. Tragically.

... [more]

Scott Annan’s recent post on community driven software got me thinking about ways that companies can gain insights for product directions. For the most part, social networks are generating some great discussion when it comes to technology. Although I’m not sure much of it comes in the CRM space, I think that there are ... [more]

I am always amazed at how lousy software companies are.

Yesterday I read two different blogs that highlighted the two biggest problems with software companies: product quality and customer service.

The first was an irate internal email Bill Gates sent in 2003 about his experience trying to install Movie Maker.  You can read the ... [more]

I always hit project deadlines.

I think its equally important to clients and members of the team to know that, come what may(!), we will deliver on the day we said we would.

There are three ways to ensure you always hit your deadline:

1. Stop “scope creep”.  Deal with all new features as “phase 2″ of the project.
2. Know what features you can push out without affecting your core success metrics.  Push them out at the slightest delay.
3. Have a backup plan.  Always.

Make sure everyone knows that the deadline is non-negotiable, and expect everyone (including clients) to ... [more]