Blogging Software Aids Package-Tracking Project

May 30, 2005 (Computerworld) When eCourier Ltd. developed an innovative online package-tracking system for its customers last summer, it had to coordinate work among front- and back-end developers in Italy, Germany and the U.K.

But instead of using traditional project management software to monitor the project, the developers used weblogging tools from Providence, R.I.-based Traction Software Inc. to generate project updates and provide a record of the work.

A small but growing number of IT organizations are beginning to use blogging tools for those same purposes, say industry experts. "They're really starting to pick up in popularity" among project teams, said Jack Duggal, a principal at Projectize Group, a Simsbury, Conn.-based project management consulting firm.

The eCourier package-tracking system, supported by Global Positioning System software contained in each courier's handheld device, went live last October. It allows customers like Paul Smith, a U.K.-based clothier, to log onto eCourier's Web site to see where a courier picked up a package, where it's being dropped off and where the package is at any time.

Jay Bregman, eCourier's co-founder and technology director

For eCourier, a London-based express courier company, using blogging tools to help develop the Java-based mapping system made sense for several reasons, said Jay Bregman, eCourier's co-founder and technology director. "I wanted to cut costs as much as possible, so I couldn't afford to be traveling from Italy to Germany to the U.K." to manage the project teams, he said.

At a cost of roughly $1,000 for a five-person license, the blogging tools from Traction Software more than paid for themselves in travel savings alone, said Bregman. "And instead of playing a massive game of telephone [tag] between [developers], this gave us a source of record," he said.

Users of Traction Software's blogging tools can scroll through a list of projects and determine who posted an update to a project and when, said Jordan Frank, the vendor's vice president of marketing and business development. Project activities can be prioritized, and project managers can see when each phase has been completed.

The software can also be used like wikis, which allow all of the information to be edited by users who have permission to do so, said Frank. Unlike blogs, wikis allow visitors to edit a Web page in addition to making their own postings.

Although Bregman raved about the low cost and benefits of using blogging software, one consultant questioned why teams wouldn't simply use free blogging software.

"Why not do it for free with open-source software and get the same benefits of having a forum for discussion?" said David L. Ross, a project management consultant at David L. Ross and Associates in New York.

Duggal sees it differently. "If the software only cost them $1,000, it's well worth the functionality" and support options, he said.

Using eCourier, customers can track where a package is at any given time. Please click on image above to view a readable version.