‘So, I get the idea of a Task. I’ve made a new one, what do I call it?’
This is a very common quandary, it’s very important to the task and the schedule. There IS an excellent best practice that will help.
Name the Task with an Active Verb.
Dynamic verbs have duration, that is, they occur over [...]
Entries from June 2009
June 30, 2009
Production Best Practice tip #3
June 29, 2009
Rate Point: Outstanding!
Last week I blogged about troubles with Constant Contact.
Today, there’s a happy ending. I got a note from Patrick Curran.
I recently read your blog “Busted – Constant Contact and the List” and wanted to introduce your company to RatePoint.
We talked for a little while, laughed about my predicament, and frustration. We took a look at [...]
June 29, 2009
Jim Joseph – Globe Pequot Press
Congratulations to Jim.
Appingo met Jim a few years ago. He was one of the very first to see the value in our system and our approach to managing the production of published projects.
Growth, acquisition, and expansion were all the rage. Since then, several publishing companies had decided that bigger top lines with more cost and [...]
June 28, 2009
Busted – Constant Contact and the List
I’ve been collecting names and e-mails for a long time. We’ve worked the list manually with SalesForce. We’ve gotten through some. Did some work, made some head way, but it’s slow going. Lots of work for few returns.
So, we kept collecting. The publishing industry is in turmoil. I have names and addresses from everywhere. Conferences [...]
June 27, 2009
Memorial Service
It’s difficult.
There’s lots of emotions. Lots of feelings. Lots of people. I love the people, I love the faces and the stories. Not so much the emotions and the feelings.
Technically, he was close, but I never felt that I knew him. Smarter, better educated, just plain better. He was always unattainable.
It’s done.
-Steve
June 26, 2009
Publishing Production – The Big Wait
I went to the Registry of Motor Vehicles yesterday. It’s always a stressful time. But I remembered how it used to be.
Used to be you had to wait. Pick a line and wait. Get to the window, and discover you didn’t fill in the form. Pick a new line and wait. Get to the window [...]
June 25, 2009
Production Best Practice tip #2
When will it be done?… or, Can we do it by?….
Every boss has these questions. The questions are not that hard. Finding the answer is a little more difficult.
We will need to know what is to be done, and have a pretty good idea of how long each step will take. That’s actually pretty easy. [...]
June 23, 2009
Father’s Day
I’m not a big ‘Hallmark Card’ guy. I’m not going to get all sappy, or snappy, or smart on you.
But this year has presented me with some things to ponder. I’ve watched new Dads with new sons and daughters; I’ve watched and and felt from up close and afar deaths and losses of fathers and [...]
June 19, 2009
The power of bottom-up software design
What do we mean by BOTTOM-UP software design? Different software developers/designers/companies probably describe it differently, but for us at Appingo, bottom-up software design means:
Creating a software solution which solves the pain and fulfills the needs of those who will actually be using the software.
I realize this doesn’t sound revolutionary — actually, it sounds pretty [...]
June 18, 2009
Production Best Practice tip #1
It’s all about the task. Think about the tasks that need to be done before you start a project.
At the very core of every project, break it down to it’s smallest element, it’s a task. The taks may be done by a computer, a person, a team or a vendor. It may be a single [...]
