We are building a software for remote workers!
It’s no secret by now that we love being part of the remote working culture. But this intense appreciation for all things remote also means that we grew enough to understand how hard it can be sometimes. How many unforeseen challenges we have to tackle while working from the comfort of our homes or at a cozy coffee shop.
“Hmmmm maybe I’m not as organized as I thought”
One of these challenges manifested itself in our chosen applications to help us do our work.
Since the majority of our team is made of software developers, it made sense a few years ago that we chose a particular app to manage our workload. Let’s not call any names now, but it rhymes with Kira.
Being a tool focused to manage the work of, well, software developers, “Kira” seemed like the right choice at the time. But as years went by, we noticed something eerie: we were working for the software more often than the software was working for us.
We’re not ones to believe in the rise of the machines, so there was definitely something to be adjusted there.
“Go fetch me a coffee, human”
Kira” is a tremendously robust piece of application, with tons of customizations and options. It caters for a huge range of audiences. I’m sure if you study for years and get a degree on “Kira”, you’re definitely going to get much out of the software. It is THAT powerful.
But what if all we needed was to use 5% of the offered functionalities?
What if we could finally stop putting so much work into the software that was supposed to do the work for us?
What if we could get more things done?
What if, well, we didn’t have to learn how to build a car when all we want to do is take a drive?
To be honest, good old “Kira” was not the only culprit. We tried several different applications, but with similar results: they are too big, too complex, and caters to everyone.
Hence, seems like we needed to build something for ourselves and stop complaining about those guys.
It was time to become part of the solution.
Meet… Project Plum
So there you go. We’re excited to show to you Plum: a simple and intuitive workflow management for remote workers like you and us.
It’s not the final name, mind you. But it’s better than referencing “that software we’re building” every single time.
In the upcoming months, I want to share a lot with you about Plum’s development. Discussions that the team held about particular functionalities. Definitions. The philosophy behind our choices.
As we speak, we dropped most of the applications we used in favor of Plum. So it’s pretty much a trial by fire – it’s not easy to use an unfinished app to manage our work, but the lessons are precious indeed!
Most importantly, we believe that Plum should reflect the needs and the reality of other remote workers. That’s why we will share details of our development process.
We’ll be counting on you to voice your opinions, your needs, your work experience. So don’t be shy and let’s hear it from you.
We’re absolutely excited with this, and can’t wait for you to know more about Plum.
Stay tuned, and see you soon!
The post originally written by Geraldo Figueras
Originally from Brazil, living in Tokyo since 2017. Remote worker since 2012. Favorite thing about remote work: My 5 seconds commute from desk to couch when work time is over; being able to crank up the air conditioner as I see fit.
