After a busy holiday season filled with Vigetreats and fun it was already time for another TTT. It proved to be yet another successful quarter as Andy shared the financials and we all talked about what makes Viget a great place, but more importantly, how to make it even better. After all the business talk was out of the way each office took the rest of the afternoon to do some seriously awesome things.
We've only had snow at one of our offices this year so the Boulder team took advantage of it and went snowshoeing at Eldora Mountain Resort.
They bundled up for the 30 degree weather and 20-40mph winds, and trekked the 2 mile trail called Lakes Loop.
Continue reading "Snowshoes, Laser Tag, and Bicycles"
Most new projects are inherently exciting; but, you can't always (nor should you) rely on the freshness of work to crystallize enthusiasm and optimism amongst your team. And that's important. Equal to getting a contract signed and the right boxes checked is knowing that your team is looking forward to the next several months working with this new client. Somewhere between setting up Basecamp and planning the kick-off meeting, take a moment to think of clever, fun ways to make the start of your project unique and inspiring.
Continue reading "Pep Rallies for Projects"
At Viget, we consider ourselves craftsmen (or, craftswomen as the case may be). We spend all year crafting digital stuff: web products, mobile apps, online campaigns. All cool work that we love -- but, other than an occasional awesome t-shirt -- it's all 1s and 0s. Sometimes it's nice to hold things.
Years ago, we decided it would be fun to come together once each year as a team and get crafty in the more literal sense by making something with our bare hands to share with family and friends around the holidays. With VigorBalm, a holiday tradition was born. Each winter since, we start by brainstorming ideas for the Viget holiday project. This year, ideas included magnets, snow globes, and superballs; but, we settled on a holiday favorite everyone shares: hot cocoa (with marshmallows of course).
Continue reading "It’s Cold. Warm Up With Vigetreats."
The very first Startup Weekend DC event was hosted at Viget HQ in 2007, where 75 people pitched 13 ideas, only to agree on 1 startup idea to build over the weekend. Things have certainly changed since, and this past weekend, over 60 ideas were presented by 100+ attendees before agreeing on 16 ideas to pursue.
Some things don't change though--Viget sponsored the event because we love meeting and supporting entrepreneurs. Saad Ahmed and I had the opportunity to represent Viget and not only observe, but also participate and launch two separate startups over the intense, fast paced weekend. How is it possible to launch a startup in 54 hours? Read on!
Continue reading "Launching a Startup in 54 Hours"
I'm constantly afraid of losing my business documents, photos, and videos. This kind of data cannot be replaced. However, though necessary, securing data has always felt to me like a scary, delicate, and complicated process. Here, I'll document the rather painful (but worthwhile!) efforts I took to build a back-up system that is both maintenance-free and highly secure.
It all began when ...
A few weeks ago Shockwave Flash Player suddenly started crashing on Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. I reinstalled applications and repaired disk permissions, but nothing seemed to help. Some fellow Vigets recommended my next step should be a clean install of the OS. "Install the OS," I thought. "Doesn't that put everything, everything, at risk?" Before taking that plunge, I first decided to re-examine how I back up my data.
At the turn of the century, I backed up my data using CDs and DVDs. Before that was floppy disks and then hard disks. In the last couple years, I've relied upon external drives -- including at one point using a LaCie SAFE Hard Drive, which uses a biometric sensor, hardware encryption, and a lock to secure data. Unfortunately, using physical hardware for storage carries the my-house-burned-and-the-ashes-were-looted or the burglar-took-my-diamonds-and-drives risks. According to AgileBits, often the biggest threat to our data is not theft but damage or loss. Another downside to using physical hardware as a back-up system is the difficulty of automating the process.
I wanted an automated system to back up and secure my data that was effortless to maintain.
Continue reading "4 Steps to Securely Back Up Your Data and Have Peace of Mind"
By Viget Labs
in General
Nov. 03, 2011 | Comments
By Josh Korr, Web Project Manager,
in General
Nov. 03, 2011 | comments
If you look for a project management job -- or almost any job, for that matter -- chances are you'll see some version of "being organized" and "attention to detail" in the requirements.
Take Viget's job posting for web project manager/interactive producer (which you should totally apply for, of course):
Our Web Project Managers:
Get made fun of by their friends because they're "too" organized (as if THAT'S possible). ...
Were born with an awareness of and appreciation for details.
As this posting shows, we often think of being organized and being detail-oriented as two aspects of a single skillset. But I've come to realize that not only are they two different things, they often are in direct opposition.
Continue reading "Organization and Attention to Detail Are Not the Same Thing"
With 3 offices and just shy of 50 people, it’s rare that we can get everyone at Viget in one room, but we made it happen at our last quarterly recap/progress meeting and TTT. We gathered at the Science Museum in Richmond, VA for a day of socializing, exploring, IMAXing, and egg dropping.
49 Vigets, count ‘em.
Continue reading "TTT: Viget Lands Safely at the Science Museum"
At Viget we typically run our projects within a Time & Materials (T&M) pricing model where billing is based on the hours used by the team.
I'm a fan of T&M. Here are three reasons why:
Flexibility
It comes with the territory that requirements may shift halfway through a project. Working under T&M, if we collectively determine that Y is a better path than X, we don't need to terminate the existing agreement and renegotiate a new one. Rather, we can embrace a responsive development approach where we collaborate with the client on an ongoing basis to prioritize features and map out the development path as part of the nature of the working relationship. This flexibility keeps us efficient and nimble.
Shared Risk
Our T&M pricing model generally includes a budget cap. This provides clients with cost limitations and us with scope limitations. Both parties are being treated fairly in terms of risk from the onset. This shared risk tends to align interests (we all play nice together :)) and puts the focus on finding the best way to accomplish project objectives under the given constraints.
Forced Prioritization
It's been said that strategy is deciding not to do something. T&M contracts help incentivize clients to identify what's important so key business goals are realized, while allowing lower-priority items to be considered for future iterations.
I'd love to hear what's working (or not working) for others. What are your experiences with the Time & Materials pricing model?
Steve Jobs' work has been central to my life for about as long as I can remember. When I was three years old, my dad bought our family's first Macintosh. I remember being by his side as he set it up. My dad has since made his living writing about the Macintosh -- he's been a writer for Macworld for years and authored a book about troubleshooting for the Mac. As a developer and consumer myself, I'm a die-hard Mac fan, user, and believer.
We were all sad to hear of Mr. Jobs' death. A few of my fellow Vigets and I put our heads together yesterday and launched a humble token of appreciation for him, "Inspired by Steve" (inspiredbysteve.viget.com). We built the site to celebrate the inspiration Steve Jobs brought to our industry, our profession, and our lives. We want to encourage others to share how they've been inspired by Steve, too. The goal is for us all to continue in his legacy and inspire each other. I hope you'll consider sharing your thoughts and projects on the site.
You've put together the proposal, made the pitch, and sold the project. Great! Now, it's time for the kick-off meeting.
Kick-off meetings can be intimidating. In some cases, it's the first time you'll meet the client, and it's always a key moment in determining the course and tone of the project. A great kick-off can lead to smooth sailing, while a not-so-great one can initiate months of misery. Make sure you don't go into this meeting unprepared.
Here at Viget, to prepare for kick-off, we start each project with an internal kick-off meeting. That's right; we kick off our kick-offs. A few days before the real, client-facing meeting, we gather the whole internal team together to get everyone on the same page.
This is crucial. Going into a kick-off with an informed team and a deliberate plan helps you get the most out of your discussion -- learning as much as possible and making important project decisions without wasting valuable hours, money, and face-to-face client time. In my experience, project kick-offs without internal preparation often feel disjointed. There is no clear team vision or cohesion, and the kick-off becomes more about about educating the internal team than about laying the foundation for a successful project and relationship.
My internal kick-off agendas typically include:
Continue reading "The Key to Starting a Project Off Right"
