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Review of Goalscape

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Simon Nugent

02 Jan, 2012 09:10 PM

Hi All,

You may be interested to note that I posted a (highly favourable) review of Goalscape on my website here: http://www.simonjnugent.com/2012/01/goals-for-the-new-year/

Please feel free to add any comments or correct any mistakes I have made.
Kind regards,
Simon

1. Support Staff 1 Posted by Richard Parslow on 02 Jan, 2012 11:30 PM

   

   Hi Simon

   Thanks very much for your excellent review – what a great start to the year!

   Sorry that our nomenclature is not clearer. Yes, we sometimes refer to the Goalscape format as "a goalscape"; when we are referring specifically to the multi-level pie chart though we try to stick to the term "goal map". The section on the right that contains information about the selected goal is the "panel". I realise that some of our older videos may need updating...

   We also call the .GSP files "goalscapes" to differentiate them from online "projects" in Goalscape Connect. As you know, the two versions of the software are essentially similar in functionality and 'look and feel'; they use slightly different data formats though, so when you upload .GSP files from Desktop to Connect (and download online projects as .GSP files) there is a conversion process.

   I respect your refusal to "go into the philosophical debate around whether this is actually desirable or valid" – nice dodge! We try to avoid it too: if people want to use the term 'tasks' to refer to bottom-level subgoals (which may be binary – ie either 0% or 100% complete), that's fine. And if they are sequential (one must be finished before the next can begin), they can be placed clockwise around the parent, using the relevant Start and End dates to constrain them. Relative importance still applies; and the importance of a task is still reflected in its contribution to progress in the parent when it is completed.

   For the task list function you can also use Export to XLSX, open in it in a spreadsheet application and use the Sort Data function to produce task lists by date, subgoal area, responsibility, etc. As you say, we are investigating additional task management functionality and/or integrating with third party tools. See our online survey here (you can vote on some proposed new features and suggest your own ideas).

   Yes, you can store your Desktop .GSP files in the cloud – and of course the Goalscape Desktop licence is perpetual (it includes full support and free upgrades for life) and provides a free 6-month subscription to Connect.

   Goalscape Connect also has several advantages (even for a single user working on solo projects) including convenience and security. You can read and update your online projects from any computer anywhere in the world; and (should you lose a laptop, have a break-in or suffer a disastrous hardware crash), losing your equipment does not mean losing all your work.

   For businesses and anyone working in teams on shared projects there are significant extra benefits:

   • The online project is always the latest version.
   • All participants can access and update the same project at the same time.
   • Project administrators can set access privileges for participants individually (View, Edit, Admin).
   • Anyone working on a shared project can see who else is in it and what they are doing (with appropriate warnings about simultaneous updates to the same goal).
   • You can roll out a central coaching (or organisational) model and use it to communicate with others in different locations
   • Ideal for distributed teams and remote coaching, as well as for liaising on projects with clients and suppliers.
   • Goal Chat: instant messaging on individual goals, with in-line attachments and email notification options.
   • If you make a project public you can send the URL to anyone and they will be able see it (View only) – even if they do not have their own Connect account.

   Since Connect involves additional server and admin costs (as well as our ongoing development), we charge for it by subscription: €89.00 (c£75) for a year or €49.00 (c£40) for 6 months. Each user account includes 5 GB of storage.

   I already 'Liked' your article: let me know if you want to update it based on my answers above – of course we will post it on the Facebook page, tweet it, etc, even if you do not change a word.

   Enjoy your well-earned rest – and have a great year in 2012!

   Richard

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2. 2 Posted by Simon Nugent on 03 Jan, 2012 12:08 PM

   

   Hi Richard,

   Thanks for the update. I have added your comments to the post
   (http://www.simonjnugent.com/2012/01/goals-for-the-new-year/comment-page-1/
   #comment-19 ) and submitted a survey form.

   I think you are onto a really good thing here so I wish you all the best
   with it.

   If you ever want a beta tester, keep me in mind.

   Kind regards,
   Simon

   On 02/01/2012 23:30, "Richard Parslow"
   <[email blocked]> wrote:

   >

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3. Support Staff 3 Posted by Richard Parslow on 03 Jan, 2012 01:41 PM

   

   Hi Simon

   Great, thanks – we will do all that good social media stuff right away.

   Thanks too for the offer to be a beta tester – in fact there is something you can beta test right now... We are working on a 'Home' tab for Connect, so people who have lots of projects on the go at the same time will not need to keep them all open in their workspace: they will be able to select projects individually from a central 'store'.

   The initial implementation of this functionality will be a via separate 'User Projects List' that you can access as follows:

   1. Sign out of Connect and log in here: http://connect.goalscape.com:8080/goalscape/userProjects.do (using your Goalscape username and password)

   2. You will see a list of all your projects (whether or not they are open in your workspace)

   3. You can open any project in the list by clicking on its URL

   4. You can also Delete a project: the Delete button will permanently sever the link to your workspace (so be careful with it!). The project will still exist on our server, so if it is Shared with others they will still be able to access it; and any other Admin will be able to (re)Share it with you to allow you access at a later date.

   Let me know what you think! It's still a bit rough round the edges, so we will tidy it up a bit before we launch it publicly.

   All the best!

   Richard

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4. 4 Posted by Simon Nugent on 03 Jan, 2012 02:08 PM

   

   Hi Richard,

   I'll have a look at the new functionality a little later (definitely in
   the next 48 hrs).

   Thanks,
   Simon

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5. Support Staff 5 Posted by Richard Parslow on 03 Jan, 2012 02:31 PM

   

   Hi Simon

   OK – no urgency. And of course any other visitors to this discussion are very welcome to try it out and post comments here.

   Have a great 2012!

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