Host: Wim Kerkhoff
Guest: James Davis
SUMMARY
Business growth and product development.
- Wim Kerkhoff and James Davis discuss the Omicron variant, with Kerkhoff expressing relief that it's milder than previous strains and Davis noting its rapid spread and mutation.
- Kerkhoff's business is picking up, with a record month in revenue and an increase in recurring revenue, but he's also hiring more engineers and onboarding them to be fully productive.
- Wim Kerkhoff and James Davis discuss improving product growth and flow, with a focus on Kanban reporting and enterprise-level integration.
Improving ConnectWise for better user experience.
- Wim Kerkhoff and James Davis discuss the importance of improving the user experience for technicians in Top Left, including the need for a native web interface and Gantt charts.
- The team is working on an UI/UX initiative to integrate data from Top Left into a charting library to create Gantt charts, making project managers happier.
- Wim Kerkhoff and James Davis discuss the limitations of ConnectWise, particularly in managing dependencies and scheduling tasks.
- They suggest using Microsoft Planner to improve visualization and scheduling, with a focus on efficiency and finishing work rather than starting multiple tasks.
Workflow automation in ConnectWise.
- Wim Kerkhoff and James Davis discuss the importance of automation in managing work in progress (WIP) in ConnectWise, with a focus on predecessors and critical chain management.
- James suggests using automation to drag tickets into review when a predecessor is complete, ensuring readiness for management to review and approve.
- James Davis and Wim Kerkhoff discuss the potential of ConnectWise's workflow engine, with James expressing excitement about its capabilities and Wim highlighting its flexibility and customization options.
- The two discuss the importance of having the right conversations and using workflow rules and notifications effectively, while also acknowledging the potential drawbacks of relying too heavily on technology.
Project management tools and workflows.
- James Davis and Wim Kerkhoff discuss the importance of tracking tickets and projects in a centralized board to monitor progress and identify bottlenecks.
- They demonstrate how to set up a board to display ticket tasks, predecessors, and blockers, and how to use graphs to analyze the flow of tickets and identify areas for improvement.
- Wim Kerkhoff explains how to use ConnectWise's timer feature to track time entries and manage projects.
- James Davis expresses interest in partnering with ConnectWise and earning commissions for bringing clients to the platform.
Project management and sales for IT services.
- Partnership opportunities for MSPs with joint venture projects in Agile MSP training and PSA consulting.
- Wim Kerkhoff and James Davis discuss challenges in handing off from sales to product delivery, including miscommunication and lack of detail in project plans.
Curious about how TopLeft integrates with your PSA? Schedule a call now: https://www.topleft.team/schedule-demo