January 2017 Newsletter

 User Roundtable: We would like your feedback on the User Roundtable.  We have had over 16 Roundtables and would like to make sure we are meeting your needs as the last couple of years we have had limited attendance.  We understand that everyone is very busy getting commitments to your own organizations done and it is hard to get away.  Therefore, we are very interested in your feedback -- is the User Roundtable the best way to ensure the goals of:  Helping foster User networking; sharing best practices and learning new and/or better ways to use the Connections solution; learning about new functionality; and Reinforcing the Connections process.  All ideas on how to accomplish these goals will be much appreciated!

 

My email is knorwood@cardwellgroup.com  Please contact me with your ideas!!

 

What's been recently released for Connections Online: 

• Recurring tasks: We have added the ability to add recurring tasks. Once you have set a task to reoccur and then set the task's end date, a new task will be created with a projected start/end date based on the original task that was completed and its recurrence settings. 
• Visit our API site to see new reports: https://api.connectionsonline.net click Reports at the top of the page.  Reports available: Basic Role (organized by department, will provide names, number of basic role key result areas, and latest date of dialogs); Active project task report; Dialogs report by date range for Individuals, Projects, and Organization; Employee Task Swap allowing for an individual to replace another on a project team)
• Team Members Description: you can add a short description for a team member when you add a team member and select the role - or add note when you edit member role (i.e. for Leader, you could type in the Note field, Project Manager, and other notations for members...)
• Performance Management Modules updates: 11/6 Update ,10/24 Update, 9/25 API Update , 8/30 Update 

• Notifications sent directly from the application to your email will be coming soon!  You will be able to set numerous alerts to be notified (i.e., changes to the Organization or Department pages, changes to People page, project work, etc.)
• Improved functionality for the Performance Management Module, including being able to add weighting options to performance scoring, adding comments to each section of the individual performance review survey, allowing team leaders to select team members to receive surveys, plus adding a task "barometer" to individual PM dashboard.

 Version 5.0:  Our developers have started working on this new version.  Our developers are following Google's User Interface Guidelines.  Everything is defined within these guidelines, including the primary option on a page, types of fonts, how tabs on a mobile device should work, etc.  This new user interface will work on all types of devices.  Also, very importantly, our developers are incorporating the feature requests and changes that you have suggested to continue to improve our application!

Sad News  Many of you have worked with Linda Schmidt, my assistant of many years.  She recently passed away after battling a tough illness.  We know you share in our loss of a wonderful, giving person and wish her family the best as they work through their grief.