Even though my main job is documentation, I help out Support as I can under the general umbrella of “client services.” I get familiar with the names of some of our clients. I also train clients through modern means of technology. That is to say, I am here and they are there and so I don’t get to see them, but I can talk to them and get to know them by name. How much better it is, then, when I have opportunity to actually meet and interact with these clients.
I readily admit I get a guilty pleasure from reading Joel Stein’s column in Time Magazine each week. His recent (Dec 10th) essay How I Replaced Shakespeare (and why our kids may never read a poem as lovely as a tree) was no exception. And not just because he uses words like “Anastrophe“, either.
I certainly hope Shakespeare and other literary giants are not in danger – but I think kids could do a lot worse than learning to read, comprehend and maybe, someday, compose and communicate as well as Mr. Stein.
How does this relate to construction project management, you might ponder? Quite simply: effective communication. How often do you have to go back to an outside party and seek clarification of ambiguous or incomplete responses? Does your PM system allow you to track these incidents, or does it all get lost in a long string of loose email?
This holiday season finds the development team too busy to go shopping because we are all working long hours on the finishing touches for Version 4.3. Lots of pizza being consumed! And by pizza, we mean Chinese food, too.
One significant focus this time around has been improving the user experience – particularly on tablets. Little things like larger touch zones: rather than having to zoom in to tap an icon, touching appropriate descriptive text will also trigger the action. Big things too! We know some of the new features will make clients happy, because we’ve been listening closely.
Our first public showing for version 4.3 is scheduled for December 20th — but the sales team is already using the new version in sales demos. That’s pretty cool.
And they didn’t even chip in for any pizza!