MicroManager Blog

Project Quick Add

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:15:00 +0000

Sometimes you may be adding a current activity and the project you are working on does not already exist within MicroManager. Yet, you are in hurry and really do not feel like going through the "Manage Projects" window. For cases like this you can use the "Project Quick Add" button to the left of the "Projects" drop-down menu.

Step 1: Type in your activity as you normally would.

Step 2: Click on the "Add Project" button to the left of the "Project" drop-down menu.

Step 3: The "Project Quick Add" screen shows with a prompt to add your project name.

Step 4: Enter in your project name and click "OK".

Step 5: Your newly added project is automatically selected for the activity you previously entered. Now just press the "Save Activity" button to enter the first activity for this newly created project.

Creating projects this way is very fast and easy. You can then go into the "Manage Projects" screen at another time to enter a description and business code when time permits.

MicroManager is all about not getting in the way of your current work so it doesn't force you to enter too much information if you do not need to. Thank you for your time and continue to use and enjoy MicroManager in your daily work.

A typical day with your MicroManager

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:23:00 +0000

Normally, time tracking consists of you having to write down what you have worked on and how many hours you have spent doing it. If you are really diligent you will record your time right before you leave work for the day. You may also record your time a little less often... let's say once a week. Although, a lot of people are so focused on multitasking in their work that logging their time is one of the last things they get around to. Next thing you know, it's the end of the month and you know what means... your hours are due.

If this scenario has hit you before, you are definitely not alone. About this time you are then feverishly trying to remember what you have been doing for the past month. It is indeed an impossible task. Especially, if the reason you did not record your hours in the first place was because you were so busy to begin with.

But let's say between answering emails, instant messages, answering phone calls, collaborating in meetings, and actually getting stuff done, you consistently saw this little chat-like window show up asking what you are doing right then and there.

You simple just answer with a simple response and categorize the response under a project and go on you way, practically forgetting you were even prompted to begin with.

Then, after 30 minutes, your prompted again. This time with the response you had before still in place. You are still working on the same task so you just hit enter and again continue and forget about it.

After your day of working and effortlessly logging your activities you shutdown your PC and head home. And day after day, you keep doing this and finally when it's time to log your hours, you remember that MicroManager has all this information already.

So you go to File > Export... and run your report for this month. You then get a nice report brought up in Excel (or spreadsheet software of choice). You can easily copy this information to your company's time logging software and be on your way to doing real work again.
That's how MicroManager can simplify your work life.

History of Proven Usefulness

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:19:00 +0000

Since around 2002 or 2003, I've used a version of MicroManager (which was written in Java back in those days) and it has proven so useful.

Back then I was constantly getting IM's from other work associates asking questions, passing on gossip, and sending requests. Many times I would get requests for a status update from my manager only to then get an email later for the same request even after I had already answered the request in the original IM.

At this point I wished that my manager would stop forgetting the information I had sent him and it hit me. If only I could record this information and whenever a request for a status update was made, I could just grab that from somewhere as I didn't have the time to keep track of this with so much multi-tasking I did.

I designed and created MicroManager to be my manager. To be my manager in the sense of what he was to me at that point in my life, which was a anonymous requester of status reports.

MicroManager is designed to resemble an IM chat window in which you answer that question from that anonymous manager of "what are you doing?"

I have used MicroManager many years so far and I've had several friends ask for it and use it. I have now made it publicly available in hopes that a user base will form and challenge me to add more to it to make it even more useful.

My dream is to use it to start the company I've dreamed of that produces more software to help people in many more ways.

Welcome to the MicroManager Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:19:00 +0000

I'm just getting the blog up and running. Stay tuned for more info.