In addition to implementing Contagious Usefulness, the Everyday Projects team had 9 other goals:

1. Create a personalized high-impact view
2. Incorporate helpful user-centric design features
3. Operate on the web, on wireless, and behind a firewall
4. Architect web-synchonized desktop mini-apps to optimize usefulness
5. Design an an intelligent, flexible and responsive interface
6. Automate communication and workflow processes
7. Create a Team Room for collaboration
8. Architect status report distribution and archive capabilities
9. Design an exclusive instant messenger

  Personalized High-Impact View
Our collective experience and our research revealed that most people use a wide variety of strategies for managing projects at home, and a common theme rang throughout (Audience Study). Most were tied to managing strategies rather than benefiting from them and getting the information they really needed to make their efforts worthwhile. In addition to comprehensively illustrating all your projects in one view, the at-a-glance desktop window provides web-synchronized progress bars, new team activity updates, and quick links to Project Manger, Project Update, the Team Room, and Project Messenger.

  Helpful User-Centric Design
Everyday Projects is an environment where users enjoy working: a user interface that is obvious, intuitive and playful. In addition, features such as customized page viewing   put the controls in the hands of the user. To get users up and running in just a few minutes, the online demo walks users through from start to finish. And, for those who need help along the way, the page-level help system provides the information users need within the context of each page.

  Web, Wireless, and Behind a Firewall
Everyday Projects is designed to operate on the web and on wireless devices. Any device that connects to the internet can access Project Update and Project Messenger. Protocols and GUI support the latest technologies for wireless devices to enable a mobile project agenda and an active lifestyle.

The Everyday Projects Corporate Solution lives behind a firewall to provide security and to restrict messaging to internal users "trusted" by the network. In addition, visitor passports grant temporary access through corporate firewalls.


  Web Synchronized Mini-apps
Everyday Projects is primarily a browser application. However, users can download mini desktop apps including Everyday Projects at-a-glance, Project Messenger, and project notification services to their system to optimize usefulness and automated process architecture. These desktop apps install in just seconds and dramatically enhance the user's experience by providing information they need to keep projects moving forward.




   Intelligent, Flexible, and Responsive
You can plan your project in a way that makes sense to you. The 5-layered architecture gives you the option to prioritize by phase, sub-divide by topic, and assign individual activities that make up the actual work. Only the activity   level is required. Your project tracks individual activity status that rolls up to illustrate progress at the topic level and to the project level.


Inside the Project Manager, you can organize all your projects in one folder or you can divide your projects into category or account folders. You can also prioritize and schedule all your projects within a single timeline. In addition, you can move projects between folders; and topics and phases between projects - all making this an extremely flexible tool. (Illustration Not Available)


   Automated Workflow Options
When setting up teams, the project initiator has two workflow options: facilitated and open. When working in the open environment, all roles are equal and every player has the option to receive instant notifications for activity updates. When working in a facilitated environment, the system channels all activity through the facilitator and posts activity status and messages to the Activity Update board for the entire team.



Note: only facilitators have permission to add new members within the facilitated system. Within the open system, any player can add new members. However, project initiators must assign a facilitator in order to setup a facilitated system; and, therefore, the default workflow setting is open.

  the Team Room
The Team Room is a virtual environment where team players can view information about the entire team, including the roles each member plays.

When you add a player to your project team, that individual receives an email notification with a link to the product download page. Upon acceptance, all players receive an email update as well as an instant notification announcing the new member. Once activities are established, and the process begins, the system posts activity updates to the update board for the entire team, and once approved or rejected if facilitated.

  Status Reports and Archives
You can view your team status reports online and print or distribute them via email. Reports include status for team members, activity progress, individual projects, all projects, reminders scheduled, archives, and the history of requests for approval, and feedback requests. You can use the standard reports or you can customize reports to highlight specific information.

The easy click-thru wizards help you download archives, activities, and status reports into your system by folder or by file. Reports open in Excel and non text-data files require the appropriate program to open and access. In addition, the Integration Wizard downloads individual activities and complete projects into MS Project or MS Excel. Moreover, the Integration Wizard enables the export of attached collateral archives into a consolidated database.

  Project Messenger
Project Messenger is similar to AOL and MS instant messenger services. However, a major advantage of Project Messenger is quick, customizable settings that establish lines of communication with one group at a time, or one person (within a group) at a time -- without the whole group knowing that you are online and available to receive messages. In doing so, Project Messenger prevents unsolicited interruption and focuses communication around projects rather than random chatting.



System Requirements
All systems must be web enabled and connected to the internet during use. All users must use Internet Explorer 5.5 or above for full functionality. This system does not currently support Mac or Netscape users.