Home | ManagePro  |  MPro-Link  | 
ManagePro September 2003 Newsletter
eNews Letter September 2003

Contents
 1. At last, at last! MProWeb, a new browser version of ManagePro is due to release in 2nd half of September.
 2. First things first - Priority as defined by your calendar.
 3. Tips and News - What's in store for the future
 


Click for larger image

Download a decision guideline to determine when to move from a shared access (LAN) configuration to our web-based MPro-Link
 
 
1. New Browser Version of ManagePro (MProWeb)

That's right we are on the threshold of releasing a browser version of ManagePro, listed as MProWeb.  It brings a number of exciting new features and solution set to our product line, and is scheduled to release during the second half of this month.  We'll send out a more detailed announcement to all of you as we firm up the roll-out date, but using the screen shot above, let's do a quick preview of some of the benefits to expect:

1. Goals-Action Plans-Results tab - All of the basic collaboration and documentation tools of the ManagePro (client version) goal planner views, now called the GAPR worksheet, are available without the hassle of installing software on user's desktop.  Details, progress updates, to-dos, events and document attachment are available - just hit the browser and you're ready to go.

2. Todos/Events tab - A list of to-dos and events is provided as well as a synchronization capability with Outlook.

3. Assistant tab - The Assistant now takes center stage for show-casing the Today's Planner view and the ability to smoothly translate follow-up on goals, action steps and tasks into your daily calendar view.  More about that below.

4. Performance tab - The Performance reports are another ground breaking set of new features.  It provides a score-card view of the performance to date against both corporate wide initiatives, and those assigned to each user.  Plus, it adds a powerful table for each user that tracks their overall performance in completing goals (and to-dos) on time and within budget.

Top^

    2. First things first - Priority as defined by your calendar

We are introducing a fundamentally new concept and tool within MProWeb (to be added to ManagePro 6.0 next month) to help improve the prioritization of effort and translation of goals into action and performance today.  It essentially allows a user to target any item in their GAPR worksheet for display in their Today's planner or daily calendar. 

This means your top priority items, not just your to-dos and events, show up in your calendar.  They are stored at the top in the "Not Set" box.  From there you can drag them to a time/location on your calendar, and in the adjacent time box indicate how much time you anticipate spending on that activity today.  The time you spend on each activity is now stored and available for tracking and resource allocation.

We have found this to be a very, very useful coordination tool.  It embraces two of our new high performance themes,
1. "If it isn't on your calendar, its probably not a priority"... and it probably isn't getting the attention it deserves regardless of what it's priority setting is.

2. "If your goals and action steps don't make it on to your daily calendar, you probably not emphasizing them in your management approach.  In fact, it becomes very easy to fall back into fighting fires and managing from your to-do list, and end up not spending time on the items strategically defined as top priority."

This new feature creates a powerful framework for putting "first things first" and moving away from the "tyranny of the urgent."  It improves the ease with which you can manage your direct reports by a factor of 10x, while providing a structure for helping them develop the discipline of "planning their work and working the plan."

Top^

  3. Tips and News - What's in store for the future

1. ManagePro 6.0 is scheduled for release in late October.  For those of you on the Annual Maintenance Contract, it will include the following new features:

  • A new Assistant with inclusion of the Today's Planner features
  • Resource allocation calculation and tracking from both a project and individual perspective.  That means you will be able to look across all of your initiatives and projects and determine which are properly resourced, as well as look across all of your direct reports and determine the level of allocation for each person.
  • New and improved corporate and individual performance metrics and score-cards.


2.  PST is moving away from selling ManagePro software without deployment.  We are continuing to focus our effort on assisting organizations being a success with our products... which is not ensured by simply selling software.  It's probably no different than selling someone a tennis racket and letting them leave with the anticipation that they'll learn on their own and be ready to play in the US Open next year.  Coaching is essential to success, and we want you to be successful.  Here's a couple of facts to help you appreciate why we are making this transition over the next few months:

  • ManagePro, as a high performance, management tool, fundamentally changes the way most people work.  Concepts such as planning your work and working the plan, documenting your results, managing by objectives, coordinating team and individual effort around a common set of priorities, etc... all represent a habit change for most individuals that is not accomplished by simply purchasing software with or without a minimal training package.
  • More than 80% of our users purchase the software, but are unsuccessful in completing the needed change effort.  Recent research confirms that they are still missing the collaborative and performance benefit that comes from their team, direct reports, and their organization using ManagePro.  In essence, they miss the primary value of the tool and instead use it as a personal organizer.
  • Implementation costs are typically 2.5 to 10 times the cost of the software, depending on the amount of change readiness present in the new users.  Not investing in deployment is consistently a false cost savings.

Perhaps you are in this group.  If you are, don't feel alone, it is a common obstacle for everyone using software to improve the performance of their teams and organization.  We have the coaching and software deployment resources and methodology to help you move effectively beyond the 800 pound gorilla of implementation.  Take a look at our Deployment process at the following link and do yourself and your organization a favor by partnering with us to ensure your success.

Click here to open up the Power Point Deployment Link.

Top^

Rodney Brim,
CEO, Performance Solutions Technology, LLC

Top^