Microsoft Project has a feature called summary tasks. In Microsoft’s world, you take a bottom-up approach to creating your schedule. You create a list of tasks, and when you realize one can be broken up into smaller activities, you create those smaller tasks and indent them (making them subtasks), and your original task becomes a… Continue reading In Microsoft Project, Summary Tasks are Misnamed
A Must Have Software Utility
I’m kind of obsessed with productivity tools, and they generally fall into one of two categories: the ones everyone should use and the rest. It’s our company mission to make must-have tools (viewers, analyzers, exporters) for people who are writing, updating or reviewing project schedules. We live in a niche; we design and deliver productivity software products for… Continue reading A Must Have Software Utility
Two New Year’s Resolutions
Today is January 2, the first workday where we get to practice our New Year’s resolutions. Did you make any? For Steelray, New Year’s resolutions take the form of annual objectives. This year, we’ve made two big resolutions. First, we resolve that we’re going to do a much better job of communicating with you. That… Continue reading Two New Year’s Resolutions
Comparing Schedule Snapshots
I like when people post old photos on social media, but especially the “then and now” pictures. My favorite then-and-now pictures are when the people in the current picture wear similar clothes or attempt to strike the same pose as they did in the past. It’s fun to compare the images, noticing what’s different and… Continue reading Comparing Schedule Snapshots
Before You Perform a Time Impact Analysis . . .
Many organizations, as they are considering the impact of a considered change to a project, perform a Time Impact Analysis (TIA). A time impact analysis is a scheduling technique that models the change being considered and its impact (cost, time, resources) on the schedule. Any article you read on performing a TIA stipulates as a… Continue reading Before You Perform a Time Impact Analysis . . .
IPMW 2018 Tools Talk
We are just a few days out from the start of the Integrated Program Management Workshop 2018 in Washington D.C! We are so excited to exhibit our products and demonstrate how they can improve your productivity. We will present our Tools Talk on Tuesday, November 13th from 1:30-2:15 pm in Room 307, so if you’re attending,… Continue reading IPMW 2018 Tools Talk
IPMW 2018 Tools Talk Sneak Peek
We are officially one week out from the Integrated Program Management Workshop 2018 in Washington D.C! We’re so excited to showcase our newest product, Project Exporter (for both UN/CEFACT and IPMR2), as well as recent developments of our other products, Project Viewer and Project Analyzer. Stay tuned for more information later this week about our… Continue reading IPMW 2018 Tools Talk Sneak Peek
STEM vs. “Soft Skills”
Modern education places a heavy emphasis on STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering, and math. However, a project at Google set out to determine the value of so-called “soft skills” in their workplace. Google initially set out to hire computer science students with top grades from the best science colleges upon its conception in 1998. But in… Continue reading STEM vs. “Soft Skills”
A 4-Day Work Week?
Happy Friday everyone! Today, we’re discussing human productivity and the efficiency of an experimental four-day work week. Earlier this year, a firm in New Zealand ran an experiment where it let its employees work four days a week while being paid for five. Employees chose which day of the week to take off, and the… Continue reading A 4-Day Work Week?
How To Have Better Conversations
At Steelray, every employee attends a seminar called “Fierce Conversations,” taught by Larry Hart and based on the book by Susan Scott. We hold all these lessons to heart and firmly believe that effective communication is a pillar to great teamwork, which in turn creates excellent products, and is a baseline for our really cool… Continue reading How To Have Better Conversations