Today we’ve released a new free update. The 2.8.5 update brings various improvements and more stability. It is recommended for all Merlin and Merlin Server users.
Resolved Issues in Merlin
…is probably a bit too early, but I admit that I can’t wait to start. The sale of the trainings started well, the date for the App Spotlights in the Apple Stores can be saved and in addition we’re discussing a nice meet & greet in a German “Biergarten” – a beer garden – where else? 😉
I know, I could have done this earlier, but seriouly I always tried to get around this long 25 hours flight.
But let me explain how this all started. We were in need for a good consulting partner in Australia for a long time. The sales part was nicely filled with NovaMind, our Mind Mapping partnership. But unfortunately they don’t have the menpower to do trainings and consulting. I made some experiments with freelancer and project manager of types. But they could not deliver stable and continuous services. So we stopped that, because at the end of the day it was more frustrating than helping – for both sides, me and Merlin users.
And then, earlier this year in San Francisco, while I did attend the MacWorld, I was introduced to the guys from PureMac. They got a very good reputation by our business friends like Marketcircle, MoneyWorks and others. We took our time and had a walk together and during this walk the plan of a co-operation was born. On the following weeks we did exchanged ideas, concepts and many other stuff. By the end of March it was fixed. I will travel to Australia to certify PureMac as our ProjectWizards’ Partner in Australia and New Zealand.
Stay tuned. The story will continue…
ProjectsatWork has published a study called Distributed Agile Teams: Achieving the Benefits. The report was put together by Elizabeth Harrin (@PM4Girls), who is the author of the website A Girls Guide to Project Management. The results of the research cover a lot of ground with respect to what makes distributed Agile projects work and what can contribute to their failure. The report is very insightful and definitely worth the time it takes to read. While some of the findings may seem like common sense, knowledge workers in the IT space (myself definitely included) seem to possess a remarkable capacity for periodic loss of grip to that tether.
My favorite part comes at the very end during the summary of recommendations. Number One on the list is:
Don’t act like your project is co-located – pay the tax for distribution.
This is one of the most simple things that so many of us forget when we are working at a distance. I believe this applies whether you are working down the hall from someone, or across the globe… there is a price that has to be paid when you are not sitting in the same room. With the transparency that Agile offers, this tax becomes far more obvious. There is no doubt that distributed teams provide a number of benefits, but those benefits come at a cost. The reason (IMHO) so many people struggle so much with distributed is that they keep thinking that the ride is free … which it theoretically could be… unless you actually want it to work.
ProjectWizards participated last week in the exhibition CeBit 2012 in Hannover (Germany). Just like last years our exhibition stand was embedded in the OS X Business Park. We held numerous meetings and did business networking with well known OS X software vendors. We generated lots of promising contacts with potential partners in the B2B sector.
The large demand from representatives of the Chamber of Commerce (IHK) was unexpected but pleasing. Chamber of Commerce was interested in various applications of Merlin for their members. We were very pleased to discuss OS X and iOS based examples with them.
We offered staged software presentations for Merlin 2. They were well attended and we received much praise from existing Merlin users.
Well over one hundred trade visitors appreciated the opportunity to come to our stand and posed detailed questions concerning Merlin’s usage.
Web sharing module and the possibility of always having your „projects at your fingertips“ (iPhone &  iPad) did appear as a particular interest for many customers.
Last but not least, we would like to thank the organizers and the invisible helpers for this successful exhibition.
Find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.
Harvey Mackay
And you know what we do instead of work;Â Merlin!
It is great to do what you love. It is awesome when others recognize how much care and effort you are putting into it and see its true value.
Merlin is a powerful competitor in the field of Mac project management software, and TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award. This application offers a wide range of collaboration possibilities, providing flexibility that the other options can’t begin to compare to. Integrating more timesheet and work hour capabilities combined with a wealth of help & support resources put Merlin above the rest. Merlin is a Mac project management software option that will help you lead effectively…
Top Ten Reviews
We are also very happy about the mentions to Merlin support and blog activities. Read the complete Merlin review and why it got the TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award here