Posts in the "The Story" Category:

The Story of ProjectStat.us - Part 2 of 2

How long did it take to build, and how was ProjectStat.us built?

In Part 1, I talked about how the idea for the ProjectStat.us service came about. In Part 2, I will go into details about how the service was built.

In late summer 2005, I was still working a full-time job (I have since moved on to my own business - Progressive Data Solutions). I was in a hurry to get the new service built (which did not get its name until a few months later), but a full-time job can slow side projects down.

I decided to hire a developer, so I posted an ad on Craigslist for a PHP developer. At the time, I was working with and developing in ASP.NET, and it was taking its toll on me. I wanted the new application to be different. I was also in the process of learning a new development technology called Ruby on Rails, but I thought I didn't know enough to develop a new service with it. Luckily, the developer I found convinced me to go with Rails instead of PHP.

The decision to use Rails was a smart one. After I left my job in early fall 2005, I began to learn and use Rails in earnest. I worked with the developer to finish the initial version of the service. After the developer was done, I re-wrote most of the service to make better use of Rails development practices.

The last few months have seen a drastic change in my development philosophy, and I think ProjectStat.us reflects that change. Ideas like 37signals' "less software is better" and David Heinemeier Hansson's mantra of opinionated software have altered how I develop software and do business. I also attended two events, including the Pragmatic Rails Studio and the 37signals workshop, that were influential in how ProjectStat.us was built. It's safe to say, without Ruby on Rails and its design philosophy, ProjectStat.us would not have seen the light of day. I would have tried to develop it in ASP.NET or PHP and then given up because of the boredom and tediousness.

So after a few months of work, the beta for ProjectStat.us was released in late October to a group of landscapers. Over the next few months, they were able to provide feedback and ideas that helped make the service better.

I'll admit that one of the mistakes made early on was not getting a designer involved from the start. We actually released ProjectStat.us with a not-too-good design. Luckily, Lori from Zenful Creations was able to help solve that problem and she came up with a beautiful design.

The official site, complete with new design, launched in mid February.

ProjectStat.us will continue to improve while maintaining the idea that less software is better, and that a simple tool that does the job well is much better than a product that tries to be everything to everyone. Look for some new features soon that make use of Ajax technology for a better user experience.

Categories: The Story
Posted by Phil on 02.22.2006 |

The Story of ProjectStat.us - Part 1 of 2

So where did the idea for ProjectStat.us come from? What was the motivation for building the service?

The idea for ProjectStat.us first came about in the summer of 2005. At the time, I was working on a website for a friend of mine who owns a landscaping business. One day, while discussing his site, my friend mentioned that I should design a new section of his site that he could use to communicate with his clients.

He explained his problem by telling me that he schedules customers 4 to 8 weeks out. And then something happens, like rain, that causes all of his scheduled customer's time to slip. Or a customer would call and have to move their install date to the following week. Simply put, my friend was spending too much time calling his customers in the evening to inform them of a change in their project, and too much time answering questions about future projects while “in the field.” It was frustrating for my friend and frustrating for his clients.

I realized that my friend’s problem was not unique. I knew other service-related companies had similar problems communicating with their customers. I did some research online to find a service my friend could use, but did not come across anything that was simple enough for what he needed. There are tools out there that let you communicate with your customers, but they try to do too much, like complex scheduling, invoicing, time tracking, etc. Those complex tools were also lacking a simple way for the customer to see their project or to ask a quick question of their service provider.

So after discussing specifics, I decided to build a service that would allow my friend and other business owners to simply and effectively communicate the status of projects to their customers.

Categories: The Story
Posted by Phil on 02.22.2006 |

Version 1.0 beta Release

This is a copy of a letter that was posted to a discussion forum for landscapers:

Hey Friends,

We were running into a problem and we finally found a solution. Perhaps others would be interested in what we came up with.

Especially during our busy season, I was answering a lot of phone calls (or if I was on the job they would go to voicemail) about scheduling. Clients would call and want to know where they stood in the queue. I had to tell them I did not have that information with me, which was a problem (I did not wish to carry every client’s information with me every day). Thus, I would have to spend time calling people back each evening. During our busy season I would guess that we spent at least a half hour nightly returning calls. It was frustrating to me and to our clients that I did not have their information directly on hand when they wanted it.

I knew there had to be a better way, so I had a friend develop a tool for our business that allows clients to view their project’s information 24/7. The tool he developed is a web service called ProjectStat.us.

Basically, we use it to keep track of our projects using a password protected admin section. We set the date, add notes, and associate each project with a customer. Then we give our customers a “token” - similar to a username / password combination - but much easier to use. The customer can then visit “www.ProjectStat.us/Customer” and see the status of their project. If weather or other issues cause their project to be moved back a few days, they will see the change the next time they check.

Because this service has greatly benefited our business by providing greater customer service, helping me stick to the schedules, and because we want to further our industry, we feel it would be great to offer it to other curbers.

As soon as we started using this service, the first client I sent to the site said, “your product is awesome!” and they had not had our edging installed yet! We hope you will experience similar results.

I have asked Patrick if it is okay to post this information on his site. If you are interested in trying the service for free, you can go to http://www.ProjectStat.us and get started. Signup is easy and you can start using the service immediately.

The ProjectStat.us service is currently free. It is also a beta service, meaning it is still rough around the edges. You will probably notice a bug here or there. Or you might see an area of the site that needs improvement. If so, let us know. We want and need your feedback (as well as that of your customers’) to make this service better. You will find a link to contact us at the bottom of each page on the site.

While the service is in beta, we will be studying the feedback we get and using it to make revisions, fix bugs, and add requested features. The beta period will last until sometime in mid-January, after which there will be a small monthly fee for the service. Again, the beta service is free for all users.

For me, as a curber, the cost will be more than worth the time it saves being on the phone and the great customer service it gives. I also do not have to worry about backing up my data, like I would if the service had to be installed on my desktop computer. Also, if my computer at home gets a bug or virus, or if I’m not at home and need the info, the service has everything available to me as long as I have an Internet connection. This could be priceless in the event I need that information.

Finally, we want to reiterate that we need your feedback on this service. It works as-is, but we want to make it better. Tell us what works, what is broken, what needs to change. We will be making changes to the site often and according to your feedback.

Again, here are the URLs for the ProjectStat.us service:

The service’s home page - http://www.projectstat.us

To sign up immediately - http://www.projectstat.us/signup

Service updates and news - http://projectstat.us/updates/

Categories: Miscellaneous | The Story
Posted by Phil on 10.30.2005 |

 
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