The functionality of the solution set in Claromentis intranet framework are so large now that we often spend considerable time during projects, and especially at inception – in choosing from various options in order to meet a business need.

Since the Claromentis business framework also includes a complete intranet API, we also need to consider whether a bespoke application to meet the client need is the best solution, as opposed to the superficially ‘easier’ route of configuring an existing application to meet the requirement.

This is particularly the case with e-forms, which for many simpler business needs can indeed be configured to meet a requirement as initially expressed to us.  This is basically because many small applications are based on collecting data, moving along a process and notifying participants of significant events that need their attention – exactly the space Process Manager occupies.

When we are making these decisions we are in general terms trying to balance 3 disparate needs :

• Project risk – configuring and localizing an application is a relatively simple and certainly time limited process that does not involve scope creep, whereas developing a bespoke intranet application takes time and resources.
• Budgets – applications need to be licensed, this might be commercially inappropriate for the number of users that need access.
• Flexibility as a solution for future requirements – we have learnt that there is always a phase 2, and after using the solution in phase 1 the client may well drastically change the application requirements – it is so much easier to evolve a bespoke application.

Technology selection factors

What we are finding is that we are emphasizing flexibility more and more as we continue to engage with intranet clients around the world. And because we can now give so many examples and speak with the confidence that comes from working in this space for 10 years now, we are noticing that clients are increasingly listening to us.

The result is that they do take slightly longer to get to phase 1, they take more risk, and generally may spend slightly more to get to the first release  – but the platform for their success is built on the solid foundation of an intranet application that was built from the ground up to meet the need, and can grow without constraints to continue to serve the client well.

If, as is so often the case – phase 2 is considerably different to the initial requirements – the client in the end saves money as well as getting exactly what they need – since the changed specifications do not require us to start again.

In the fast moving web based intranet world where there are almost no technological limits, building for possible feedback and change requests is basically too important to ignore.

So in the longer term it seems that time and time again actually focusing on flexibility can minimize budget and project risk, rather than increase them. Another great lesson.

Intranet-Extranet, Products, Workflow Services bespoke development, e-forms, intranet software

I previously posted on the use of Process Manager to automate sales lead follow ups as part of a sales management process.

Recently we have improved the sales manager product with an innovative use of a tag cloud to indicate the staff in our own company who have the closest relationship with a customer contact, for various types of information.

Tag cloud in CRM

The TAG cloud is built automatically by the sales manager software as staff contribute information to the customizable tabs of meta data. Instantly the TAG cloud shows who has provided the most information – and by clicking on the persons name the software filters all the tabs to only show information from that contact.

Of course the software also provides a one click link to contact information on the member of staff concerned, to ask any questions and clarify any information that might help in the sales process.

For companies with multiple people in touch with client accounts through a long sales process and ongoing into the customer relationship, this is an innovative and intuitive way to capture that information.

Intranet-Extranet, Prod-Sales crm, sales management software, Tag Cloud

Free Zizzi Pizza

Zizzi (our favorite Italian restaurant in Brighton) ran a competition to win a selection of their outstanding Rustica Pizzas for businesses around the UK.

Claromentis were fortunate to win the competition, and have just been enjoying 8 of the finest Pizzas that have ever been consumed within the Claromentis office.

So even if England lose the football today, the Claromentis team still gets a result!

Thank you Zizzi!  You make amazing pizza’s!




This is also a great example of Corporate Social Networking. The result being free Pizza and happiness.

Free Zizzi Pizza

Intranet-Extranet

Every morning Claromentis Brighton staff have a meeting that helps us to stay on track, be aware of any high workload concerns or potential deadline issues – and generally keep each other informed of what’s happening. On Mondays these meetings are necessarily a little longer – most days they can be done and dusted in 30 minutes.

What interests me is that as a company that actually creates information management software and collaboration frameworks we still seem to need a multiple of formats, environments and tools to keep track of everything.

1. We start the meeting around a large screen format of our own intranet calendar for the week, going through client visits at our office, who’s out and related time bound events that calendars were designed to show. On the agenda AOB allow each person to add anything for discussion.

2. We then move over to 2 whiteboards that use felt pens and magnets to summarize on one board all the new intranets and systems we are installing, and on the other all the bespoke development projects we have ongoing with our clients. This is strictly a stand up meeting, which is very helpful to keep things fast moving and focused. As each project is summarized it gets a physical magnet in column one – colored according to a simple traffic light system. Other columns reflect responsibilities, alpha and beta deadlines, urgency levels for priority task selection and a whole host of other data.

collaboration meeting

Often people will refer to our project management software to get deadline and assignment information as needed in the meeting.

3. Before concluding each person gets about 30 seconds to say what they are doing today, and request cooperation from anyone else.

When necessary we will have our colleagues n Russia and Australia join us on video conference, but 99 percent of the time this is a fairly local event.

So my observations are :

1. Its an evolving meeting, everyone can suggest better ways to do things and I think that’s very important – no-one should view themselves as a prisoner, and everyone finds them useful.

2. We seem to need one part when we are sitting down, then a second part when we are all standing up. I have no idea why.

3. We require our calendar ( software ) , whiteboards ( hardware ), pens, magnets, erasers and project management software to get the job done. Together with blank notebooks.

4. Everyone turns up with a pen and paper, hardly anyone writes anything down.

5. Some people bring task lists from their own desks, which often seem to be quite literally written on the back of an envelope.

6. Even though we are all really busy and all trying to collaborate – some people just talk more than others.

So my question is – is this meeting format, which we have evolved into over a long time – simply a good way to deal with the fact that all people are different both in the way they absorb information and interact with others? After all our own project software has Gantt charts, document management, assignments and traffic lights – but you can’t stick magnets on it and if you talk to it it doesn’t answer back.

Our meetings are designed to request and receive participation – you do have to say what you are working on, and everyone will certainly listen to you. Maybe that’s the point – anyone can look at a programme plan and miss a lot of pressure points that the people will chose to talk about when given the opportunity. And that is what collaboration is all about – helping each other through issues, communicating with clients and getting the job done to the highest possible standard given the available resources and time lines.

And I enjoy them!

Intranet-Extranet, Prod-Project, The Framework collaboration, intranet software

I would like to discuss the importance of intranet localization from 3 different perspectives:

• Consumption according to Language
• Changing the framework of an intranet process
• Changing the purpose of a bespoke intranet application

Consumption according to language

The most common meaning behind content localization is to allow companies to present menu systems, commands and content in multiple languages – and to have the intranet system automatically set those according to the users preferences.

Content Localization

Changing the framework of an intranet process

The Claromentis Process Manager is fully localized at the project level. So an e-form process on the intranet that deals with time cards can say “Enter a New Time Card” and not ‘New Ticket”. This is separate to language localization – we are using localization at the application level to configure a process that makes sense to the user.

Localized e-form

Changing the purpose of a bespoke intranet application

In the same way as we localize a process through configuration at the project level, we can use the abstracted visual interface to change an entire application. For example we recently created a version of Policy Manager – which normally manages policies and procedures – to instead manage examination questions for the Royal College of Surgeons.

Indeed in this example we also used the fact that Policy Manager allows custom images to categorize categories of policies – or in this case categories of examination questions – to great effect.

Question Categories

Summary

Although the expense of producing a completely localized intranet codebase from the ground up is far from trivial, localization at all these levels is a fantastic way to focus content and processes to the optimal benefit of the users – without writing a line of additional code at the business logic level…

Intranet-Extranet, Prod-Process, Services localization

Every organisation understands the value of instant feedback. It promotes continuous improvements and creative discussion. Some say it is what makes a business ‘tick’.

Working on a communication software platform, we want to facilitate this positive feedback culture.

Pages or web pages is one of the largest type of content of an Intranet along side with Documents and News. In Claromentis we already have comments for News as well as Document and to complete the whole picture we are now introducing comments for publish page.

Here is the anatomy of commenting:

Intranet-Extranet, Solutions collaboration, comments, Design, intranet 2.0, online collaboration, web 2.0

We have had so many discussions recently about how to establish legitimate boundaries for modern intranet software.

At a recent vision setting meeting at Claromentis we did decide that we would never produce accountancy software – but the only reason seemed to be because Nigel thinks its boring and no-one else in the room understood much about it. Hardly a valid rule for deciding when business functionality should be excluded form our product set looking out beyond Claromentis 6.0

If you think about it, as well as the API for bespoke applications, we now have major application sets for:

Information management across every imaginable file type through to online
Collaboration and Innovation
Sales Management
Project Management
Image Management
MarComms
Across the board Quality Management solutions

As we move into a world where it seems the browser can deliver just about anything to the desktop and client software is dying faster than newspapers, it seems that at Claromentis the only rules we can find for a product line in our intranet system is :

It makes a difference to a business
It is aesthetically beautiful and highly usable
It leverages the permission system

Can anyone come up with a better rule for helping us not to deliver accountancy software as part of an intranet? Seriously – where should we stop? How can we say – “but that is just not what an intranet should do”?

Intranet-Extranet, The Framework bespoke development, intranet software

Dyndec is another recently completed bespoke project that once again highlights the versatility of Claromentis. Dyndec are a company that wish to provide other companies with a streamlined and efficient recruitment system. The requirement for this was three consistent, but essentially different visual interfaces. One for a candidate to complete their profile and take a test. The second for the assessor to log in and mark a video of the candidate in role played interview situations. The third for HR managers to add candidates, corresponding videos and assessors. Below are screen shots of all three interfaces.

The great thing about Claromentis is that the framework can be customized to suite so many different systems. Not necessarily for different customers either as Dyndec demonstrates. The impression when logging in to the different interfaces is that they are three different systems set up for three separate functions when in fact they all have Claromentis under the hood. Interesting bespoke projects like this continue to test the flexibility of Claromentis and once again it has catered for the requirements.

Intranet-Extranet

Your Installs is a recently completed bespoke project that is a great example of how the flexibility of the Claromentis framework can cater for a wide range of requirements.  Your Installs is a company that specialise in providing installation service solutions for electrical goods vendors such as The Sony Centre. The solution provided by Claromentis had to allow shop employees to access information on, and book installation services. Below is a screen shot of the landing page once logged in:

This demonstrates how the Claromentis framework can be stripped right down to a very simple navigational structure emphasising focus on one or two tasks. From this page a user can click a service and be linked directly to an online booking form, or simply download a PDF information sheet on the desired service. There is also a more traditional Claromentis  menu along the top which is only visible to an admin.

From start to finish an interesting project and a good demonstration of the versatility of Claromentis.

Intranet-Extranet