Update: As of November of 2009, I’m no longer on the advisory board of Pelotonics.
I’m happy to announce that I’m joining the advisory board at Pelotonics, LLC, a startup here in San Diego making a project management web application of the same name. I met founders Troy Malone and Daniel Marashlian last summer at the bonfire meetup I organize here in town, and their energy and enthusiasm impressed me off the bat.
As a product, Pelotonics is both very mature and just getting started. It’s live and available for folks to sign up and use, but it hasn’t even begun to get the recognition it deserves. My recent informal survey of what project management apps people are using seems to indicate that there’s a market for something somewhere in between Basecamp and Microsoft Project. Pelotonics has a great shot at that market.
This is the first time I’ve advised a company, but it’s something I’m already enjoying. I’ve worked at internet startups almost my entire career, and I love to see the inner workings of a successful online product. As a blogger who’s constantly dealing with product pitches, it’s going to be very interesting role reversal; part of my job will be helping the wizards behind the Pelotonics curtain get the word out.
Of course, as someone who critiques software for a living, I’ve got lots of opinions on how Pelotonics can improve, and I’ll also be sharing them with Troy and Daniel in the coming months. Finally, I’ll note my involvement on the board any time that I mention Pelotonics or cover any of its competitors.
If you’re in the market for a project management webapp, give Pelotonics a whirl, and let us know what you think.
Related: Marshall Kirkpatrick’s post at ReadWriteWeb, Gina Trapani to Join Productivity Company Pelotonics As Advisor and the official announcement over at PeloLife, the company blog: It’s official: Gina Trapani is on our Advisory Board!.
7 Comments
parashar
Just tried it. While its good online tool, it lacks the most desired PM tools that I also find absent in most other Online PM tools. Namely-
1) Ability to put dependencies between tasks. This way if one task is delayed, all dependent tasks also should get delayed.
2) Ability to edit plan in more graphic way (Gantt chart)
joelena
What a great name for a project management app. You should get Lance’s Team Astana to accept a free account!
Darren
I’m not sure I agree with Joelena on the name, but it is awesome that their screenshot on the home page references Seinfeld.
That said, the name is a Google whack (isn’t it?), so that’s a bonus. We just took on a new project that, uh, does project management for software projects (that’s a lot of projects). They’re called Workspace (http://wworkspace.activestate.com). As you might imagine, it’s pretty trick to monitor the web for mentions of ‘Workspace’.
joelena
@Darren: The name is from cycling. The main group is called a peloton – it’s most efficient to cycle in a fairly closely-packed group, with individuals taking turns at the front (and therefore battling the most wind). Riders can sprint out ahead of the peloton, and anyone who strikes out after them (in the hopes of catching them and once again being able to draft) is called a chaser, hence the tagline “Chasing information is painful”.
I like it because it’s a fairly clever analogy for project management (keep your team close and connected) and a little bit of an “in” joke.
Troy Malone
From a marketing perspective I agree that the name stinks; I guess it’s a bit like google. If I could have done it over again I would have picked something smoother that rolled off the tongue.
As a cycling nut, knowing the cycling background and meaning to the name opens up a whole new level of understanding that makes you say, “oh, that IS cool!” At least that’s what I am telling myself.
Too bad only the Euros appreciate the name.
Take a test drive and let us know your comments on the application.
@parashar you are exactly right in your assessment. This is not an app for classical PM. Think of it as PM for the rest of us! Thanks for checking it out…
Troy Malone
Pelotonics
kosmonautbruce
Congrats Gina! They are lucky to have your insight.
Annedien Hoen
I’ve joined, not that I have any immediate need for a project management tool (already on Basecamp for now), but to get a feel for the brand and the flow.
What struck me immediately is that the brand is quite ‘masculine’. It looks technological and it has a lot going on in the interface with a bit confusing hierarchy.
But what I feel it lacks at first sight (or doesn’t convey even though it’s in the founders’ visions) is a strong ‘core idea’ it conveys- yup, sure, it’s a group collaboration tool and I can sign up for free and I’m sure that there’s a lot of good stuff under the hood, but this ride looks a bit bland. If you’re willing to commit to it, though, there has to be tons of rockingness inthere!
It claims to cut throught project clutter, but the corporate identity conveys an inability to get to the gist, at least branding wise. Is this brand the trusted doctor, white coat and all, or the agile assistant behind the screens, or the Mr. Knowitall you love and hate at the same time? A Miss Moneypenny who has your coat even before you told her to get it, a Q who has seniority and takes care of your every project need with the latest (secret) invention? And if it is an eclectic pow-wow it may as well not try to hide it.
I feel the merely functional could do with an extra layer of meaning, could do with some more intanglibles in its DNA.
It does look and feel very solid and thourough and the screenshots seem clean and make sense.
And I like the logo, too 🙂
What also becomes evident is a great network, evangalists in the making.
Discrepancies: it says somewhere on the site that it’s not project management software, the video on the first page states otherwise.
The largest pitfall in projects and collaboration is not the software, I think, but people. Maybe it’s interesting to fire up a more philosophical discussion about productivity, success and why people execute or why they don’t, what motivates people, how to deal with the ‘humanness’ of people.
(Just a thought…)
Anything to engage people on a deeper level than just an immediate ache, need or want.
Hope this is helpful!