The world is awash in team collaboration tools of every kind-video conferencing software, project management apps, email clients, and chat apps are just a few of the categories that collaboration tools fall into, each one with countless offerings to select from.
In theory, this moment in history should be a golden age-a hyper-efficient techno-utopia where anyone and everyone has access to critical information at their fingertips. Information which is archived, searchable, and easily contextualized.
Reality however, has reared its ugly head.
We’ve reached a critical mass of collaboration tools. Conversations about specific projects are spread out across various apps, phones…
Did you know that only 2.5% of companies successfully complete 100% of their projects? If your team doesn’t have standardized project management practices to keep things flowing smoothly, you’re setting yourself up for failure. See our infographic below to learn about the most common project management issues that derail our work.
Many organizations are making moves to implement changes to the way they work. Everything from work policies to organizational structures, and all of the systems and tools in between are being considered for a transformation.
As we’re all aware, change is not easy. It takes a lot of effort to replace old systems and methods with unfamiliar ones. But nothing worth doing is ever easy, right?
To help motivate your organization as you pursue betterment, we’ve compiled a few of the most informative and transformational statistics on what makes a change initiative successful-not just now, but for the long-term. …
Does your heart sink every time you get an email notification? Are you full of dread every time you open up your inbox? When someone asks you what you’re doing, is “answering emails” a regular reply out of your mouth?
You aren’t alone. Since its creation, email has grown from a novelty into a crucial business mainstay, and beyond. Unfortunately, it has seemingly metastasized into its own entity-an attention-seeking monstrosity, endlessly starved for more of our focus-a reflection of what Cal Newport calls our hyperactive hive mind.
As defined in Newport’s book, , the hyperactive hive mind is “a workflow…
Data management systems are absolutely critical to any company’s long-term health and viability. If you’re working with multiple spreadsheets, manually entering data into cells, or storing your data on your laptop, then we’re here to help you learn more about your data management system and practices.
Today, we’re going to help you identify five crucial areas you can look at to see if your data management system is up to snuff. If you want to get the most out of your data while keeping it accurate, secure, and easily accessible to those who need it, then welcome to class.
1. Data Integrity
If you search the web for “Database,” the only non-technical result that pops up is a Wikipedia entry that reads, “A database is an organized collection of data, generally stored and accessed electronically from a computer system. Where databases are more complex they are often developed using formal design and modeling techniques.”
Thanks Wikipedia.
But what is a database, really? And why are they important? And why can’t I just use Excel or Google Sheets instead of some fancy-schmancy database software? …
Repeat after me: Excel is not a database.
I’m sorry to deliver the news like this. I know it may be a tough pill to swallow for some of you. Many folks in your department will likely argue that we’re wrong, that Excel can be a database, but remember: denial is just the first stage of grief.
The good news is, it’s all going to be okay.
Excel is a very powerful program, and there are more than a few straight up warlocks out there who can work its black magic, using the interface to create presentations, dashboards, and analyze…
To build or not to build? For any business looking to scale up, that is the question. When a company moves beyond the capacity of consumer software, choosing between enterprise-level point solutions and holistic custom software becomes necessary.
Enterprise software can be overly-complicated and cumbersome for smaller businesses, requiring hours of training for employees who use it. But building software from scratch can seem equally daunting. Full-time employees with the chops to do it are expensive and sometimes hard to find, and often there just isn’t time for development cycles.
Think of it like building a house-you can buy a…
In the past twenty-five years or so since the first dotcom boom, the general approach to business software has largely been the same: more, more, more.
Software has transformed the way we live-and it’s fundamentally changed the way we do our jobs. But are more business apps really what we need to do our best, most collaborative, and most profitable work together?
We doubt it. Today, organizations are working with a gigantic toolbox of apps-all specially designed for specific tasks-and all living in disparate, disconnected systems. We don’t just have more software, we have too much. …
