Merlin iPhone – how does it work?

Merlin iPhone is such a great option for mobile project managers. Share your projects with Merlin for Mac OS X and the optional iPhone sharing service or use a Merlin Server in which iPhone share is build-in. As long as you have a connection to the mobile data net or WLAN hotspot, with Merlin iPhone you can access your project from anywhere.

It all sounds great to you but how does it work? Easy and straight forwards (as always in Merlin).

Check screenshots of the app in the product page, watch accompanied screencasts illustrating the functionality, read the  Merlin iPhone QuickStart Guide, or test it for your own.

app storeWherefrom to download it? Merlin iPhone app is available in iTunes Store as free download.

Not always online? That’s fine with Merlin iPhone. You can view your project offline, and will need an online connection only when making changes and populating the new state of your project.

What about iPad or the new iOS 4? Merlin iPhone runs on iPhone 4 and on iPhone devices with iOS 4 just as well.  Our developers are already working on an adjusted version to look better on the iPad or the new iPhone 4, so stay tuned.

How do I setup my router? Just proceed as explained in our blog post ‘using Merlin’s web module‘. Web and iPhone sharing are both using the same port and our configuration suggestions apply for iPhone sharing too.

Stateside 7-2-10

Frank Illenberger

Frank Illenberger

My Project Potion interview with AVTechnology.com Editor Kevin Hogan on emerging telepresence technology went live this week.  For those of you (like me) who are not hip to the new AV lingo, “emerging telepresence technology” can be interpreted as new video conferencing stuff. It was a rare thing for me to be able to interview Kevin, not just because he had a lot of insightful information and ideas about what changes we should expect in the way of AV tech impacting our ability to communicate with teams in other countries, but also because Kevin is one of my oldest and closest friends. There were a few signal dropouts in the recording, but whaddaya gonna do – it ‘s Skype. You can find the video here.

This week I also had the opportunity to interview Frank Illenberger, Lead Developer for ProjectWizards. We discussed WWDC, the iPad, the iPhone4 and how those devices may impact the project management workscape. Continue reading

MacWorld 2010, commented by Dave Prior

In the latest Project Potion episode of Bas De Baar and Dave Prior, Dave Prior comments his visit to the MacWorld, the outcome of his intention to meet up with other PMs, and some new products he found there.

Our favourite quote of the episode is…

And I went out there with the guys of ProjectWizards, that is the company which makes Merlin, which is for my money, the best Project Management software on mac,  because it is the only one that lets you enter separate values for work and duration, which to me is a huge deal being as I am a bit of a geek when it comes to making my project plans.

Enjoy the episode, there is so much more PM relevant information to find there. It is awesome!  Watch it until the end, and you will know why we call it so 😉

Motivation

One of the reasons why projects fail could also be luck of motivation. There are various ways to motivate a PM or the team. One very important according to me, is letting the people have an amount of autonomy in choosing their way of work.

If the ‘what’ question is clear, it a great to know that you can freely decide ‘how’ methods to apply.

This works at best in creative teams but is also very good elsewhere. Creative workers find it easier to do mental work on their projects while hearing music, being on places outside the office walls, when visiting museums, or shopping moles, by taking a coffee at the coffee shop around the corner, go for a jog etc.

A programmer on the other hand, needs his machine,  his code and may find it easier to concentrate in the silence of his office.

There are so many different working habits and ways. Not everyone enjoys company when thinking. Different people work differently well while using the same set of hardware or software tools. Why should a company or a PM try to force a specific one? It would not rise effectivity, it will probably lead to unease.

My suggestion: Do you want to rise effectivity and make your deadlines on a project? Be courageous and offer autonomy to your team to decide for their own how they organise their work.

Disarm with charm

In a previous blog post, we have written about communication skills and that bad communication could be a warning sign to failing projects.

So if communication is so important in project management, what would a PM provoke by walking cold into a meeting? Cold reactions, at the very least. Keith Ferrazzi, an expert in relationship development and author of the books Never Eat Alone or Who’s Got Your Back, mentions in his blog the importance of generosity and spreading goodwill to anyone that we meet as a first step towards a warm relationship.

Continue reading