There have been a couple of great get-togethers in the ColdFusion, Flex and Adobe user group communities in Michigan.
The month started out with a combined holiday party of the Mid-Michigan ColdFusion Users Group and the Michigan Flex Users Group in East Lansing. It was a complete geek-out fest. Pizza, beer, MAX 2008 recap and important debate on topics such as the killer app of 2008 and wish list for apps for 2009 ( a favorite: Road Rage 2009 -first person shooter game for GPS). Thank you Rick, Nick and Randy for putting it together.
Last night, the Detroit Area Adobe User Group met for an informal holiday gather. Lots of pizza, a download of MAX 2008, talk about Papervision, CF, Bolt and big excitement for FP10 on mobile. There were several younger developers just getting into Flash, Flex and ColdFusion. Thank you Terry and Mike, the co-managers.
Now Michigan has settled into a Winter storm with tons of snow, cold, shoveling and outdoor activities. The two get-togethers were a nice way to wind down the year in the User Group communities and set the pace for a fun, educational and inspiring 2009.
The holidays are upon us and with that comes plenty of things to do - as well as stress. There is so much to do and so little time to do it all in. With work and family, getting ready for the holidays can be one of the most stressful times of the year. Now, more than ever, is the time to apply your time management skills and put them to good use.
Begin with the old tried and true method of making a list of everything you need to accomplish. Divide your list into smaller, more manageable tasks of things to be done. Some find it easier to divide the list into a weekly task list. This will not only keep you on time to complete events but will allow you to see what you’ve completed and what is left to do.
Be careful not to overload yourself. The holidays are times of the year when there will be several gatherings. Unfortunately, you can’t attend them all. So pick the ones that are most important to you. If you can’t attend an important event try sending a nice bottle of wine with a thank you card explaining your absence. It’s a nice thought and will also save you time from trying to figure out how to make every event.
Save time shopping by and use online stores. No one says you have to go out during the holiday chaos. You can find almost everything you need now days with the click of a button. You’ll save time and you’ll have less stress than those who are battling the checkout lines and trying to find a place to park.
Turn holiday decorating into a family event instead of the dreaded thing to do. Get everyone involved on the fun. You’ll save time by having many hands to assist you and you’ll have some fun as well.
Time management during the holidays can save you time and a lot of headaches. Use what you already know and apply it to this sometimes chaotic time of year.
Stock full of swag from Mid-Michigan CFUG and MAX.
Ready for an RIA mission.
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I’m happy to announce that Vertabase 4.5 launched today (official press release).
This is the biggest launch of our project management software to date. It includes a totally new interface and tons of great new features.
It was built entirely with a rich internet application approach powered by ColdFusion. To me this means:
- An intuitive, immersive user experience
- Enabling quick visibility and access to information
- Facilitating sharing, data portability and data visualization
- Integration with the user’s eco-system.
You can see how Vertabase 4.5 adheres to these principles in the 2 minute Quick Tour. To read about specific new features check out the Vertabase 4.5 Release Notes.
Along with the version, there’s a new, searchable video learning center and we added customer support via instant message using Skype (search for Vertabase Support).
We’re getting ready to launch the latest version of Vertabase project management software. As always, before a launch, I spend time writing down the message behind the software. When we release a new version its not just about adding new features. Each release encapsulates our specific approach to technology and its application to managing projects.
This time around, it struck me how intertwined our approach is with the continued development of rich internet applications (perhaps because of MAX) and how core ColdFusion has been to the evolution of RIA’s and to our product. In putting the message down on paper/pixels I hope to describe why ColdFusion is so powerful for rich internet application development.
From the very beginning, we’ve relied on ColdFusion for the external releases of our professional product. The main reason at that time was the speed at which we could build a high-grade web-based application. The first wave of RIA development, remember, was getting applications to run on the web. There were numerous “thin client” approaches that would serve desktop applications over a network. But that was simply changing the deployment/delivery method of accessing the same old software. Web-based applications were fundamentally different.
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The bailout is on track to rack-up another $800 billion. That’s in addition to the original $700 billion, which is in addition to $25 billion here and there to rescue various financial service firms before the $700 billion and the roughly $135 billion of other funding that was attached to the $700 billion.
This brings the total amount to over $1.6 trillion dollars
And people are fussing over $25 billion to the auto industry?
Here is pdf of the presentation I gave at Adobe MAX CF Unconference on Project Management and Time Management.
The main theme is that having great information before, during and after a project are the keys to a successful project. That information gives you a basis for good communications and good management (of your team and client expectations). The presentation then discusses how time tracking can be an easy habit and powerful tool for generating great information.
Its been a whirlwind week and I haven’t had a chance to blog about three other events that took place this week in the world of Vertabase. Here is a summary.
1. Vertabase Project Management Software -we publicly launched the pre-release version of Vertabase 4.5. Clients are already using it and raving. Here is a link to the full release notes (on the pre-release). Some significant changes are:
- New interface, new look and feel
- Resource Calendar view of projects, tasks, resources, etc. across calendar days and weeks
- Change request system with change logs
- Faster timesheet entry
- Enhanced MS Excel import for even faster template and schedule creation.
We launched the next version of the Vertabase site to go with it and a new Vertabase Video Learning Center.
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Where to start? It all happened so fast. In the blink of an eye the MAX BOF Session on CFML Language Development came and went. But what a great session.
First off, thanks Jason Delmore (Adobe), Adam Haskell and Matt Woodward (OpenBD), Gert Franz (Railo -who wins the pulling an all nighter to participate award) and Sean Corfield (CFML Advisory committee -graciously agreeing to speak).
And of course, everyone who participated in person and online.
About half the meeting got recorded on Acrobat Connect right here
Here is a recap of the first half from my recollection. I would invite speakers and participants to add in their recollections as well.
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Plan for Success
Your project management plan is your bible for success. Without it, there will not be a project because without a workable plan, you have no way to reach your goal. Your plan must start at with the goal that you want to achieve. Then, break down that go into workable segments. Set a timeline for each segment. Your team should know these timelines and adhere to them. This does not mean that you make a mad dash between segments. You want to allow enough time for these various stages to be achieved while still being able to meet the overall deadline. Remember, you can rework your plan to find better ways to get you where you need to be.
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