John Williams's List: PMO Relations

Last year, Curt Finch, CEO at Journyx, wrote a guest post for A Girl’s Guide to Project Management about the value of tracking time and how software can help projects be successful.

When was the last time you used a mobile app at work? I would guess you’ve already used at least one mobile app today. According to a study by the Small Business and Entrepreneur Council, small businesses that use mobile apps to manage their operations save more than 370 million business hours and more than 725 million employee hours annually.

Have you heard of Kickstarter? It bills itself as “the world's largest funding platform for creative projects.” Kickstarter claims that every week, tens of thousands of people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, film, art, technology, design, food, publishing and other creative fields.

Social media has emerged like an errant piece of debris from a tornado, and has smacked the world of business in its metaphorical face. Depending on who you talk to, this emergence of no-holds-barred communication has resulted in either the apocalypse for privacy and internal practices, or the advent of a new dawn of profitability and success.

When times are tough, every company looks to cut costs where they can. Yet how can this be accomplished without eliminating key projects and people? It is actually quite simple if you have the right data in hand. With the appropriate per-customer per-project profitability metrics, companies can easily shave off unprofitable work and learn how to focus their time, efforts and budget on the profitable work alone.

The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend is really taking root among companies everywhere. It’s a trend that has challenged IT departments to change the way they think about enterprise IT. I spoke to three companies that have found unique solutions in managing the BYOD trend without compromising the user experience.

With the iPad 3 expected to be released later this year and other devices picking up steam in the tablet industry, multiple platform mobile device management is more important for businesses than ever, according to Curt Finch, CEO and founder of Journyx. He said it is predicted the market for this type of management will grow to at least $500 million by 2014 and said companies should keep it in mind.

When we started out ten years ago, we had a simple product, no real competitors and product installation was so easy that project management for customer rollouts didn’t seem very useful to us.

The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), under the authority, direction, and control of the United States under the Secretary of Defense, performs all contract audits for the United States Department of Defense (DoD). DCAA also provides contract audit services to some other government agencies.

The global financial marketplace has recently become quite volatile, as fears of an American recession affect economies all over the world. In addition, the Dow Jones Industrial Average currently hovers at around 12,400, while it was at around 14,000 in October 2007. A drop of 11% in just four months is cause for concern for many people.

As the new kid in town, Pinterest is poised to make some major waves in the social media scene. Facebook, Twitter and Google+, watch your backs.

Austin-based Journyx, the developer of timesheet tracking software which is led by Curt Finch, said this morning that it has added the Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) in Florida as a customer. Financial impact of the win was not disclosed. Journyx said that the KUA is using its product with Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft's business accounting software. Journyx develops timesheet management software used for automating payroll, billing, and cost accounting.

The bring-your-own-device movement is linking IT departments and other units in the business more closely, and the new dynamic is creating a need for new positions. Curt Finch, CEO and founder of Journyx, outlines three new job titles that have cropped up: enterprise architect, mobility manager and user experience designer.

Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) will use Journyx Timesheet for employee time tracking, which will integrate via a direct interface features with Microsoft Dynamics GP to solve two key issues that KUA experienced with Business Portal, the Microsoft Dynamics GP time entry system.

Rumor has it that the new iPad 3 is set to come out in March. Ever since the first iPad came out, it has held the spotlight for tablets. But other tablets, including Android tablets and the Kindle Fire, are starting to take center stage. What does this mean for IT departments? It means that IT departments will have to find a way to manage multiple types of tablets in the workplace. Mobile Device Management (MDM) software firms are exploding in the market as well as Mobile Document Management vendors. Can these new firms help your IT department manage the influx of multiple tablet platforms? First, let’s explore what you’ll find beyond the iPad.

The SXSW Interactive Festival has come and gone for 2012 but it’s never too early to start thinking about next year. Though many locals complain about heavier traffic and higher drink prices, SXSW is a huge money maker for the city of Austin (which just happens to be where my company is based).

Read more: http://technorati.com/technology/article/how-to-have-a-free-sxsw/#ixzz1rCCKp9ST

It’s SXSW time here in sunny/rain-drenched Austin, Texas (depending on the day…or hour…). While some of the more timid individuals are staying inside, clinging to their gadgets and staying out of the elements, a heartier wave of tech enthusiasts are taking it to the streets.

According to a Gartner analyst firm report, 15% of all IT projects failed that year because of high cost variance, while 18% were unsuccessful because they were substantially late. [i] This means that in 2008, 1 in 3 technology projects failed.

When I started my company, Journyx, almost 16 years ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. I am a programmer and technology geek by nature and I left my programming job to start my own company with nothing but an idea and a dream.