Comments on: Clearspace looks cool http://www.webthingsconsidered.com/2006/12/21/clearspace-looks-cool/ Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:39:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: AJ http://www.webthingsconsidered.com/2006/12/21/clearspace-looks-cool/#comment-197 AJ Sat, 30 Dec 2006 18:31:24 +0000 http://www.webthingsconsidered.com/?p=192#comment-197 Robert: all good points. Three things: a) the importance of email came up during one of our user acceptance testing rounds.. so we're making a big effort to have everything in clearspace email enabled meaning you can receive a notification when almost anything in the system is updated via email. b) simplicity is also one of the things we're aiming for: we're want to make it as simple as possible for someone to get up and running with Clearspace. c) Maybe most importantly, Clearspace is not about project management , it's about collaboration. It might seem like a trivial difference, but the point is that we're not competing with Microsoft Project or Basecamp which exist mainly for coordination and scheduling. Clearspace is about fostering and aggregating ideas (blogs), documenting processes, meetings, regulations, etc (documents) and discussions (forums). You can still upload your Microsoft Project files as documents and have email notifications automatically sent to your team, but it's much more than just project management. On that note, I listened to a great podcast by Ryan Freitas that talked about some of the cool new things coming in the collaboration space. We're not mentioned, but he hits on a lot of the things we've got in Clearspace. Check it out here: http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail1564.html AJ Robert: all good points. Three things:

a) the importance of email came up during one of our user acceptance testing rounds.. so we’re making a big effort to have everything in clearspace email enabled meaning you can receive a notification when almost anything in the system is updated via email.

b) simplicity is also one of the things we’re aiming for: we’re want to make it as simple as possible for someone to get up and running with Clearspace.

c) Maybe most importantly, Clearspace is not about project management , it’s about collaboration. It might seem like a trivial difference, but the point is that we’re not competing with Microsoft Project or Basecamp which exist mainly for coordination and scheduling. Clearspace is about fostering and aggregating ideas (blogs), documenting processes, meetings, regulations, etc (documents) and discussions (forums). You can still upload your Microsoft Project files as documents and have email notifications automatically sent to your team, but it’s much more than just project management.

On that note, I listened to a great podcast by Ryan Freitas that talked about some of the cool new things coming in the collaboration space. We’re not mentioned, but he hits on a lot of the things we’ve got in Clearspace. Check it out here:

http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail1564.html

AJ

]]> By: robert http://www.webthingsconsidered.com/2006/12/21/clearspace-looks-cool/#comment-196 robert Fri, 29 Dec 2006 22:53:49 +0000 http://www.webthingsconsidered.com/?p=192#comment-196 The discussion of Clearspace and the fact that people tend to prefer EMAIL to such more sophisticated solutions remind me of a project I worked on some years ago. At that point I was a senior project manager with good organisational skills but limited technical skills, so I used a pretty simple bit of SW call MicroSoftProject. I had everyone in my team use it. Them my boss asked all his project managers to switch to a very sophisticated product called Cascade. It did everything, hugely sophisticated, with everything you could ask for and more. One of his managers switched his team over to it, I dragged my heals. Six months later my projects were still ticking over, but the projects of the other manager were in big trouble. His team (professional project managers) had all learned the new software but the people they worked with (salesmen, HW installers, etc.) simply didn't have the time. Consequently, his team used one application and everyone they worked with used another. No wonder communication fell apart and so did the projects. Unfortunately, my boss spent mega-bucks on the new software and it was politically impossible to admit that it was a mistake. So the other team were forced to continue using it. The moral I learned is that a basic bit of software that everyone is comfortable with can be a lot better for communication than a really good bit of software that people aren't comfortable with. Everyone is busy and most people just aren't willing to invest the time in learing a new application. So, nice as Clearspace may be, whether it adds value is another question. The discussion of Clearspace and the fact that people tend to prefer EMAIL to such more sophisticated solutions remind me of a project I worked on some years ago. At that point I was a senior project manager with good organisational skills but limited technical skills, so I used a pretty simple bit of SW call MicroSoftProject. I had everyone in my team use it. Them my boss asked all his project managers to switch to a very sophisticated product called Cascade. It did everything, hugely sophisticated, with everything you could ask for and more. One of his managers switched his team over to it, I dragged my heals.

Six months later my projects were still ticking over, but the projects of the other manager were in big trouble. His team (professional project managers) had all learned the new software but the people they worked with (salesmen, HW installers, etc.) simply didn’t have the time. Consequently, his team used one application and everyone they worked with used another. No wonder communication fell apart and so did the projects.

Unfortunately, my boss spent mega-bucks on the new software and it was politically impossible to admit that it was a mistake. So the other team were forced to continue using it.

The moral I learned is that a basic bit of software that everyone is comfortable with can be a lot better for communication than a really good bit of software that people aren’t comfortable with. Everyone is busy and most people just aren’t willing to invest the time in learing a new application. So, nice as Clearspace may be, whether it adds value is another question.

]]> By: Ryan http://www.webthingsconsidered.com/2006/12/21/clearspace-looks-cool/#comment-195 Ryan Sat, 23 Dec 2006 15:08:27 +0000 http://www.webthingsconsidered.com/?p=192#comment-195 Thanks for tip. That would be a perfect way to try it out, I hope you guys do it. Thanks for tip. That would be a perfect way to try it out, I hope you guys do it.

]]> By: AJ http://www.webthingsconsidered.com/2006/12/21/clearspace-looks-cool/#comment-194 AJ Sat, 23 Dec 2006 08:34:40 +0000 http://www.webthingsconsidered.com/?p=192#comment-194 hey Ryan, I believe we're planning on having a free 5 user license when we launch (don't quote me on that) so that you can try it out with a small group of people. Love your quote about Sharepoint: "... but who likes using SharePoint?" AJ hey Ryan,

I believe we’re planning on having a free 5 user license when we launch (don’t quote me on that) so that you can try it out with a small group of people. Love your quote about Sharepoint:

“… but who likes using SharePoint?”

AJ

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