Mark Mader's blog

5 Improvements that Simplify Online Project Management

Mark Mader — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:03:33 +0000

An ever growing number of people are realizing the massive benefits associated with managing projects, documents, and related discussions online.... Read more

Customer Service – More Relevant to Cloud Apps?

Mark Mader — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:01:41 +0000

Clint Boulton in eWeek cites the 10 Reasons why he believes Google won’t beat Microsoft in the online apps race. Regardless of where you land on the topic of who will top whom, one theme that struck a chord with me was #8: Customer Service.... Read more

The Ocean Doctor - Educating, Leading, Collaborating

Mark Mader — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:55:18 +0000

Before leaving the office the other night, John Creason (Smartsheet CTO) and I pondered whether Smartsheet was in some way being leveraged by the people and organizations responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We hoped so. Part of what drives each of us at the firm is knowing that Smartsheet is used to manage programs that impact people's lives and the environment. ... Read more

Warning: Stay Clear of This Area on Your Project

Mark Mader — Sun, 30 May 2010 15:04:41 +0000

I couldn't help but think of Bermuda as I read this brief post on BalancePM about the dangers that lurk in the project zone they aptly describe as the 'triangle of confusion'. Many projects enter the triangle - never to be heard from again.

... Read more

Gantt Charts in Online Project Management - Requirement or Relic?

Mark Mader — Thu, 27 May 2010 21:04:00 +0000

Why do Gantt charts get a bad rap?

Is it because many people have lost a battle (or fifty) against complex tools which - no matter how hard you try - seem to perform visual gymnastics understood only by black belt project managers? Or is it because real projects never play out as they were so neatly presented during the budget approval meeting?... Read more

Smartsheet at Google I/O 2010

Mark Mader — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:22:26 +0000

This week at Google’s I/O 2010 conference in San Francisco, our VP of Development, Brian Harper is demonstrating the value of the Smartsheet + Google Apps integrated online project management solution and sharing notes with members of the Google team and the 180 other solution developers in attendance. ... Read more

Gmail Integration for Smartsheet + Google Apps

Mark Mader — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:32:19 +0000

We start and end the day in Email. The new Smartsheet Contextual Email Gadget in Google Apps makes it possible to manage more of your business operations right from within email.

While some tout the virtues of relying less on email, that's a battle many have lost - multiple times. We live in our inboxes, so why not make business apps work inside them? Emails contain the content and instructions for people to make updates in business apps. Email is the horse, business apps are the cart.... Read more

Top Customer Requested Enhancement Delivered

Mark Mader — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 06:52:50 +0000

Every six to ten weeks we release updates to the Smartsheet service. Some releases contain large new feature categories, such as Gantt charts for online project management, while others are aimed at making Smartsheet's existing features better. ... Read more

Smartsheet - A Top 10 Companion Tool for Google Apps

Mark Mader — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:44:28 +0000

More than two million businesses have chosen Google Apps for their email and calendar infrastructure. With the recent introduction of the Google Apps Marketplace, those same two million businesses can now easily deploy complementary business applications alongside Google. It's a giant step forward for businesses eager to reap the benefits of running more of their operations in the Cloud. ... Read more

Top 10 Tips for Effective Team Task Management

Mark Mader — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:34:47 +0000

Smartsheet is used by teams within large organizations and small businesses to track and manage work ranging from online project management and task tracking to CRM related functions like sales pipeline management and issue tracking. ... Read more