Well, not having a consulting shop, my inputs come with a big qualifications; but in an attempt to contribute to this very important issue, my .02 follows:
On Monday 14 April 2008 13:58, sth wrote:
> - gpg control packet
> So, my esteemed partner (Zach Chambers) and I are on the hunt for a
> package to unify the various systems we use at ClearBearing to run our
> operations. We're currently using eGroupWare[1], RT[2], MediaWiki[3],
> QuickBooks Pro[4], and a custom app that we've developed in-house over
> the past nine years. Having disparate systems, of course, entails a
> certain amount of overhead (read: duplication of effort), as does the
> maintenance of our home-grown package.
I doubt you will find a comprehensive application that covers all aspects of
your business operations; and, i suspect if one tried, would probably fall
short of the mark
enough to require a second app, or a third. Presto: you're managing multiple
apps again.
> mark, +/- 5%. Here's what we need:
>
> + transactional history (no, not in the DB sense)
> ++ free-text notes on every interaction with the client
> ++ time/expense/mileage tracking for each of those interactions
> ++ attachment of that time/expense/mileage to one or more tasks, each of
> which is itself attached to a project
> + request tracking ("trouble ticketing", but more broad)
> + project management (project task planning/assignment)
> + flexible reporting (business metrics, planning, HR)
> + invoicing with a flexible business rules management system (BRMS)
> + printed- and electronically-delivered (PDF) invoices
> + easily-edited, structured documentation
> + hosted in-house (this is our business-critical data, and our
> clients' private information; we'd VASTLY prefer to own
> the whole shootin' match)
Whether as standalone apps, or as components of the 'grand, unified' app,
your above list would be related to what activities exactly?
I glean from above that its mostly
CRM+ProjMgmt+Reporting+Accounting+DocMgmt+????
And of those above desirables for each/every user of this system?
I've read all the follow-up posts to this question and it reminds me of the
story of
that group of blind-folded people defining an elephant based on what they're
touching;
without really seeing the beast in all it's glory.
So, I would suggest that if a true goal to this quest is going to be attained,
then a better starting point would be defining the critical systems, how
they're used and by whom, what applications
are good candidates for each, then seeing which 'features' of each overlap
enough to satisfy multiple functions.
Bear in mind that I have no on-going experience with (m)any of the applications
that i'm putting out; only that
they are FOSS, are in somewhat wide-spread use, and may form an adequate basis
from which this solution can
possibly be derived.
How about categorizing something like below:
=> A Knowledge Base
MediaWiki reigns, but there a plenty of good alternatives
Clearspace being one of them
(http://www.jivesoftware.com/products/clearspace/)
=> A Trouble Ticketing System
bestpractical.com/rt/
I think your use of RequestTracker might be best of the OSS breed but other
apps like below include ticketing:
http://www.otrs.org
OTRS is a trouble ticket system with many features to manage customer
telephone calls and e-mails.
The system is built to allow your support, sales, pre-sales, billing, internal
IT, helpdesk, etc.
department to react quickly to inbound inquiries. This How-To is specifically
intended to help install and run OTRS
=> A Help-Desk Management/Call Tracking System
http://www.icdevgroup.org/i/dev/about.html?id=NRSa6vUK
Interchange is well suited for a variety of purposes, including: sales,
order processing, content management, customer service,
reporting and analysis, and personalization. Interchange has been implemented
for traditional retail sales, digital goods deli
very, B2B parts re-ordering, non-commerce content management, auctions, order
status checking, supply chain management, project
management, online collaboration, and even an MP3 Jukebox. Interchange can be
used as a completely self-contained standalone p
roduct or as part of a larger system. It can be integrated with payment
processing services, ERP systems, point-of-sale systems
, accounting systems, external content management systems, Java-based
application servers, sales force automation systems, cust
omer relationship management systems, email campaign management systems, and
remote databases on virtually any platform.
Some of Interchange's many modules are transaction management, pricing,
personalization, payment processing, reporting, custome
r service, and search.
=> A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System
I've installed and maintain SugarCRM for a few people who really like it as
a marketing tool
(e.g. setting up and managing advertising campaigns). But i suspect that it
might
not be the best tool to use by the salesforce(call-center ppl) themselves.
FWIW, there are a couple of alternatives to Sugar, which, tho i havent tried,
look very promising:
www.vtiger.com/
vTiger is an open source, web-based customer relationship management (CRM)
system that competes with applicati
ons like Goldmine, SugarCRM and Salesforce.com. For companies with multiple
employees and multiple customers,
a rock-solid customer relationship management system is the cornerstone of the
business.
=> A Bug Tracking System
Bugzilla anyone? Tho some of these other apps include this as well.
=> A Resource & Asset Management System
Well, you've always got IpPlan:)
=> A Project Management/Workflow System
http://www.projectpier.org/
Project Pier is an Open-Source, self-hosted PHP application for managing
tasks, projects and teams through an intuitive web int
erface. ProjectPier will help your organization communicate, collaborate and
get things done Its function is similar to commerc
ial groupware/project management products, but allows the freedom and
scalability of self-hosting.
http://www.redmine.org/
Redmine is a flexible project management web application. Written using Ruby
on Rails framework, it is cross-platform and cross-database.
http://www.controlchaos.com/about/
Scrum is an iterative, incremental process for developing any product or
managing any work.
=> An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System
tinyerp.com/
Tiny ERP, a free software system that boosts productivity and profit through
data integration. It connects and improves busine
ss processes; sales, finance, supply chain, project management, ...
http://www.alfresco.com/products/
The Alfresco Network is the leading open source alternative for Enterprise
Content Management. Across the board, corporations,
Governments and other organizations are updating their purchasing models to get
the benefit of open source. The major drivers a
re cost and the use of an open architecture and standards.
=> A Document Management System
http://www.jaspersoft.com/
JasperReports is the leading open source reporting engine. It is used for
business intelligence (reporting, OLAP) in Web and de
sktop applications. Report templates are used to generate print- quality output
(PDF, HTML, RTF, XLS) from many data sources.
http://www.ktdms.com/
KnowledgeTree is a web-based and feature-rich commercial open source
enterprise content management system with an
emphasis on document management
and lastly, the devilishly elusive
=> An Accounting System
http://www.ledgersmb.org/
LedgerSMB is a fork of a popular general ledger software package called
SQL-Ledger largely written and maintained by Dieter Sim
ader.
And, of course, communications (email, IM, etc..) and calendaring
Many of the above applications overlap in their functionality. And since
categorization may be a matter of semantics, the
CRM app may cover Project Management, or the Dms have ERP functionality. So,
from my POV, I'd love to hear from others
as to whether they use any of these apps and if so, would it be possible to
put together a matrix related to
what app's functionality covers what categories and whether it rises to the
task or falls short of the mark.
That matrix at the very least would expose which ONE application comes closest
to the title of 'the ring that rules them all"
I'm pretty sure that that one app doesnt exist and that FOSS alone wont cover
the bill. So full-filling your desirables list will still
probably entail running a handfull of applications. And, tho the right tool for
the right job has it's merits, it also may have the overhead of
maintaining a very diverse environment; a little php here, a tomcat there,
some ruby, maybe mod_perl; which may, or may not,
be a consideration (or an arguement for appliances ala jumpbox.com)
> So: I cast this out to the Hive Mind and eagerly await your collective
> response. (The part after, "We are the Borg...")
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> -sth
>
--
email: rion_at_dluz.com
web: http://dluz.com/Rion/
AIM: riondluz
Phone: 802.644.2255
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/6/126/769
P.S.:
Here's one for you to sing to your infant:
The Baby Tree
There's an island way out in the sea
Where the babies they all grow on trees
And its jolly good fun
To swing in the sun
But you gotta watch out if you sneeze-sneeze
You gotta watch out if you sneeze
Yeah you gotta watch out if you sneeze
For swingin' up there in the breeze
You're liable to cough
You might very well fall off
And tumble down flop on your knees-knees
Tumble down flop on your knees
And when the stormy winds wail
And the breezes blow high in a gale
There's a curious dropping and flopping and plopping
And fat little babies just hail-hail
Fat little babies just hail
And the babies lie there in a pile
And the grownups they come after awhile
And they always pass by
All the babies that cry
And take only babies that smile-smile
They take only babies that smile...
Even triplets and twins if they'll smile
http://www.jango.com/ml?artist=artist=Paul%20Kantner&title=The%20Baby%20Tree
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blows_Against_The_Empire
Paul Kantner - Banjo / Vocals
Words/Music: Rosalie Sorrells
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalie_Sorrels
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