PST Newsletter

1. ManagePro Lite Releases; Bright, Fast and Priced for the Enterprise

MProLite is now available and builds very capably on the legacy of ManagePro 8.  We've provided a couple of screen shots and a video to help you get an immediate feel for the application.  We've also provided a quick FAQ (frequently asked questions) below aimed at the most common questions that have surfaced to-date.

1. What kind of pc/browser does it run on?
   • MProLite runs on either Windows based pcs or Macs, using one of the following three browsers: Internet Explorer, FireFox or Safari.  (By-the-way, both FireFox and Safari run MProlite noticeably faster than IE)
2. How does it communicate with other ManagePro Products?
   •  MProLite operates from the same web-server based ManagePro SQL database that ManagePro Smart does, so updates are instant between users using both programs.  This is also the same database that ManagePro Plus users synchronize with, so MProLite, Smart and Plus all communicate and can be used in the same organization.  ManagePro standard does not communicate with MProLite.
3. Is there anything to install?
   • There is nothing to install, just open your browser, type in the url to reach the login page, key in your name, password and company name and you're on your way.
4. How do you configure and customize MProLite, including adding new users?
   • At present you will need to purchase at least one license of ManagePro Plus or Smart to complete any configuration, customization or adding of new users, or contract with PST to provide that service for you.
5. What's the difference between MProLite and the other versions of ManagePro?
   • From a user perspective, if you mostly operate out of the GAPR Outline view, the answer is not much, except that you can access the database from any pc that has internet connection, not just your pc at work.  The Plans view in MProLite has the same look and feel as ManagePro's GAPR Outline view.  To move records around in a goal tree you need to cut and paste as opposed to drag and drop.  There's no entry in the Plans view, you'll need to double click and go to the details view before you update fields.
   • From a feature perspective, the advanced screens of GAPR MAP, GAPR Timeline, GAPR Analytics and GAPR People/Meetings are not available, nor is resource allocation, strategic linking/alignment or synchronization/drag and drop with Outlook*.  The commands are all available in the ribbon control at the top, no right click options are present. 
     *If there is enough interest, we will build an Active X control to support Outlook integration, although many of our corporate customers block desktops from using Active X controls.
6. What does it cost?
   • The cost is $20/user/month for the first 10 users in any organization, thereafter its just $10/user/month (billed annually)!  Starting year two, its a flat rate of $120/user/year (equilavent to $10/user/month).
7. What are the biggest things that contribute to running it fast?
   • The three biggest determiners of speed are: 1. The speed of your internet connection, 2. How much available RAM memory you have available, and 3.Your choice of browsers, e.g. FireFox is faster than IE.
8. Is there a tutorial or Help guide for it?
   • MProLite is designed to have a very minimal learning curve.  You will find a one page printable summary pdf document at the following link: 
     http://www.managepro.com/MProLiteSummary.pdf
9. What's it written in?
   • It's written in state of the art web programming languages (ASP.NET, Javascript and Ajax) to provide functionality and speed.  It stores and accesses data using a Micrsoft SQL database operating on a Microsoft Windows 2003 web server.


Screenshots:

1. In this first screenshot you'll notice on the left that the layout looks a lot like the familiar Outlook format.  Click any button on the left column to work with the available sub-views under that heading.  Again, the sub-views need to be created by an administrator using ManagePro Plus or Smart, in order for MProLite users to view and utilize them.  The ribbon control at the top has all the commands you need to operate the program.



• Note the Today’s Plan Icon.  While in the GAPR Plan View, clicking the Today’s Icon on the Ribbon Control will add the highlighted item to your Today’s Planner and once in the Today’s Planner clicking the same icon removes the item from your Today’s Planner. This toggle is the equivalent to the ManagePro right-click menu option “show in calendar” feature which pushes items to your calendar.


2. In this second screenshot you see the "Details" view as displayed when double clicking on a record.  You'll find all the same tabs you're familiar with in ManagePro 8, plus a time card tab on the far right.



3. Be aware that assigning users in the Who field is slightly different.  Users are displayed alphabetically with one column for assigning and one column for assigning "Lead" status.  Just click in the checkboxes next to the name and identify the Lead Person by clicking the asterisk just in front on the name as shown below.  Also be aware that if using business groups, users are displayed alphabetically under the business group to which they belong.



4. When there is a need to associate a Todo or Event to a related goal, in the “Related Goal” Field just begin typing the first few letters and the list of goals in the database will populate and be available to your for selection.



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2. Two Performance Obstacles that defeat 80% of Improvement Initiatives;
   What are they? How do you get around them?

Every person leading performance improvement (whether an executive, manager or business owner), runs into two challenges on the way to reaching better results.  If these two challenges are not resolved, they derail the performance improvement initiative, and back at the office create a familiar pattern of “on to Next.”  It’s my personal observation that over 80% of improvement initiatives fail, or put another way, every organization’s history is littered with performance improvement initiatives that were not brought to conclusion and were abandoned along side the road.   Quoted research suggests that 90% of software launches in large companies are unsuccessful at reaching their desired outcome. 

So what are these two challenges that are so powerful and pervasive, and how do you get around them?  I've provided a blog on each to summarize what you need to know.  In this newsletter let me just provide you with an executive summary.

The two challenges faced by every leader and the solutions are:
     1. Problem: A Reliance upon Interest to keep driving attention to software and system improvement across the organization - interest fades before success is achieved
         Solution: Replace Interest driven improvement initiatives with internal discipline of working "on" the business every week
         More Information

     2. Problem: Coping with Resistance from others, and whatever internal discomfort/avoidance it creates in the leader
         Solution: The key to successfully managing resistance is to expect and deal with it and the issues it raises... actively.
         More Information  

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ManagePro Tip:  What to Do When You're Sure the Program has Lost your Data!

We regularly get one type of anxious call.  One very concerned, uncomfortable user, saying in one form or another, "Help, I've lost my data!"  Actually it's usually framed as the program lost their data.  If you got the call what would be the first thing you would guess is going on?  In this tip let's review the 3 most likely reasons data seems to be missing - let's see if you can guess them.  By-the-way, we don't actually delete GAPR records in SQL when you delete them, so that just in case you need to get them back... you can, using the right click option of "Undelete."

1. To the most common reason people think records are lost, is because they aren't assigned to the person selected in the User Drop Down list in the ribbon control.  This selection controls which records are displayed in all the other windows.  If you're trying to find a record that is not assigned to the person selected in the drop down list, or that they have rights to view, you won't see it in the GAPR window, List views or Calendar.
   
   
   
2. The second easiest way to approach a panic attack over the fear that you've lost data, is to not realize the "Hide Done Items" filter button is activated (yellow background) by default - I've done this multiple times myself.  That means that when you change the status of a record to Done, it will be hidden from view, unless you unclick or deselect the "Hide Done Items" filter button in the ribbon control.  To view those records that are marked as Done, simply unclick the "Hide Done Items" button.  They aren't lost, just hidden from view to allow you to focus on what's outstanding and current, instead of the past.
   
   
   
3. The third most common reason to mistakenly think you've lost data is to forget that you're operating in a view that has been customized and filtered to display only those records matching the criteria your db administrator set up.  Remember each of the custom views available for selection, other than the top "Project View" probably represent a view that is defined in part by a filter.  So if you don't see the records you are expecting and you've checked the User Drop Down selection and the Hide Done items button, check the View you're in (also visible as a highlighted tab on the right side of the GAPR view) to make sure you're looking for a record that would be available in that View.  As an example if you are looking in the Priority One view, it is filtered to only display those records or parent of those records that have a Priority setting of 1.  You won't see records with a priority setting of 2 or 3 there, unless they need to be there to position priority 1 records correctly indented underneath them.  It's not that the missing records are gone, they just aren't visible in the View you are currently working in.  If you're looking in the "Sales" view, it is mostly likely that only those records indented underneath a parent record of the Sales department will be viewable (using a filter involving the "Roll Down Text1" field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a great April

 
Rodney Brim,
CEO Performance Solutions Technology
www.ManagePro.com/Blog

PS. Please call us for details about the Advisory Service at (877) 487-3001 - it really is a tremendous advantage if you're responsible for succeeding with ManagePro.