A bunch of us decided to build an app in rails: Sales on Rails. An open-source CRM that mixes the delights of del.icio.us, 43things.com, and basecamphq.com with the organic templating of projects
It’s kind of an informal approach initially that can be formalized by the user if the corporate-types want to use it.
An example of the idea is I could start a project, say build an app in Rails, and add all my tasks, resources, links, and files. The next person that comes along and wants to build an app in rails would be able to see the public footprint I left behind and come back and do it like me, but with 20% less headache. Or, if that person saw better ways to work around my process, that footprint would be available as well. If the pattern persists (in whatever evolved, organic state), we can actually pass along the wisdom of our experience without doing anything extra.
One exciting benefit is that a project starts with a clear definition of success, and three to seven milestones, that’s it. It grows organically instead of mechanically (unlike old-school project management). That allows the sub-projects to be useful to newcomers in completely different projects.
The CRM part of the project is a dimensional database that allows anybody to add any dimension to their people as they go. So, for instance, a software developer would be interested in whether a person has skills, an insurance agent wants to know about a client’s policies, and a company president wants to know the profitability of a customer. All this is possible with the design we’re developing, without any additional developer involvement.
And, the exciting part that keeps me up at night is the accounting package we have in the works. This was my first programming job—accounting systems for credit unions. So, eventually this package will actually look a lot like SAP or PeopleSoft, but available in the public domain for any revolutionary or co-conspirator that actually wants to change the world.
Yeah, this one actually keeps me up at night (either programming or getting excited about the serendipity that has driven this project forward).
Our project wiki is: http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/show/SalesOnRails
