Ruminate November 2012

Ruminate
The Best of
Xamun Blog +
Updates + Tips

Issue No. 1: The Maiden Issue November 2012

24/7 Support:
Xamun will hold
your hand every
step of the way

The Brand New Xamun:
the only tool you’ll ever need
to manage your projects,
clients, and people

Fearless Forecast:
Xamun CEO Arup Maity
bets that “The Creative
Industry will go Virtual”

Inside Ruminate
1 Headlines of the Month
Xamun Redefined: The Virtual Business Enabler 1
Virtual Business, the way ‘creative industry’ will 3
be working: 10 reasons why I am betting on it
Xamun Customer Support 7

9 Xamun Updates
10 Tips
Xamun
#1: Anatomy of a Live Card 10
#2: Adding Employees in Xamun 12
#3: Creating and Assigning Tasks in Xamun Project 14

Ruminate November 2012 | i

From the Editor
Welcome to the first issue of Ruminate!

Ruminate is the e-zine version of Xamun’s monthly newsletter, a way for us to share
articles on various topics about running your business online, as well as share updates
and tips on how to use Xamun. We are hoping that through this e-zine, more and
more people will learn about how they can leverage on a tool like Xamun to drive
growth in their organizations.

Why “ruminate”? The word means “to go over in the mind repeatedly and often
casually or slowly” or simply “to reflect”, which is exactly what we want our readers to
do while going through the different articles in this e-zine.

For this month, we are highlighting the re-launch of Xamun: a faster, easier-to-use,
and more robust version of what has been under development for quite some time
now. We’ve spent a considerable amount of time “getting out of the building,” or
talking to users (both current and potential) to find out how we can improve on
Xamun. Getting feedback and translating these insights into solutions is an ongoing
activity in the Xamun Team, and we’ve only just begun.

We are very proud to say that Xamun is the only tool you’ll ever need to manage
your projects, clients, and people.

Happy reading!

Burns Puzon
G&A Manager, Xamun

Find us on

Ruminate November 2012 | ii

Headlines of the Month
Xamun Redefined: The Virtual Business Enabler

V
idea, but it does come with challenges. There’s
the pain of wasting time telling people what to
irtual businesses are on the rise, and do, and the anxiety of not knowing if things are
the brand new Xamun makes managing and getting done.
growing a virtual business faster and simpler
than ever.
Xamun eliminates these
A virtual business is any company that problems by providing a
transacts business in electronic form, as
opposed to traditional brick-and-mortar platform where you can bring
businesses. The creative and professional your office to the cloud,
services industries, where value creation is
information- or knowledge-driven, are manage a virtual team, and run
increasingly adopting a virtual business setup. your business like the usual –
The perks of going virtual include eliminating of
costs like rent fees for an office space and its while enjoying life as you wish.
maintenance. A virtual business may be a great

Ruminate November 2012 | 1

Xamun Redefined: The Virtual Business Enabler

Included in the new Xamun is the quick
onboarding, which includes an email sign-up,
Xamun Productivity Apps 101
one-step registration, and company setup – all
in less than 5 minutes. Xamun is also faster Project is your one-stop project
because of its light user interface and it can management app. Set project and task
now be used on any mobile device that information in great detail, assign tasks and
supports a web browser. monitor their progress in real time, and
collaborate seamlessly in a single page. Xamun
Xamun’s three main features are: Project has three project types to choose
from: Task Board, Scrum Board, and Kanban
• Productivity Board. Task Board is made for simple projects in
• Community any field. Meanwhile, the Scrum and Kanban
• Marketplace Board were specially made for software
development teams, with ease of use at the
As the first integrated solution for center of the design process.
businesses, Xamun Productivity helps you
monitor tasks, schedule time offs, profile clients, As a CRM app, Client lets you create
and more with web apps: invoices, track leads & opportunities, and
manage contracts and people in one
• Project • MyDay place. People, a Human Resource Management
• Client • Timesheet (HRM) solution, enables you to store and
• People • Helpdesk update professional profiles of your resources,
Xamun Community is what keeps your set time-off balances, and manage access and
virtual business social through Xamun Groups. admin rights to Xamun Productivity Apps. The
In it, you can reach out to a wider professional Time-off Manager enables you to apply for or
network, spark discussions, and build thought approve time-offs easily.
leadership. Xamun Marketplace is a global
project exchange platform which connects MyDay is your personal scheduler that also
virtual businesses to freelancers, their clients, helps in keeping track of your tasks. Never miss
and their suppliers. an important appointment and organize your
personal/non-billable To-Dos. MyDay also has
Xamun has two main home pages: My Timesheet where you can update your
the Productivity Dashboard and billable and non-billable hours, which will reflect
the Community Dashboard. The Productivity in your timesheet manager’s Timesheet app.
Dashboard is the home page for Xamun
Productivity apps, where you’ll see the Live Helpdesk allows you to file support tickets,
Cards that will give you access to each app. The so you can take care of your clients effortlessly.
Community Dashboard provides a social view of Tickets automatically appear in assignees’
your entire business, where you will see Xamun taskboards and you can monitor the progress in
Marketplace and Xamun Community. addressing issues in real time.

The Future of Xamun

Down the line, you can expect additional features in Xamun Productivity that includes third party
integration. Xamun Client will be integrated with accounting apps like Xero. Meanwhile, you can
instantly upload employee profiles with the upcoming LinkedIn and Xamun People integration.
Xamun Marketplace will be integrated with oDesk, making it very easy to source freelancers for your
projects.
To experience these new updates and add-ons, login at Xamun.com or sign up for a 30 day free
trial and start a virtual business today!


Lean Common Sense

Arup Maity
Xamun CEO

Virtual Business:
The way the creative industry will be working
- and 10 reasons why I am
betting on it

I
am not the type who conforms with ‘the way it is‘ paradigm
too well, not a ‘rebel without cause’ either or even much of a
rebel. I am comfortable like most people with established ways,
but do end up questioning if there is a better way, when I feel
something has not caught up with the pace of development.
So, lets focus on the topic for today, Virtual The most successful Virtual Business
Business. Let me start by defining what do I probably would be Amazon, but in this post I
consider as Virtual Business, ‘If a business uses would like to focus on Virtual Business that
online means to find, cater, deliver and support relates to the ‘creative industry’, as defined by
its clients, without overly depending on Wikipedia: “The creative industries refers to a
traditional brick & mortar setup of office, full range of economic activities which are
time employees and other facilities, I define concerned with the generation or
them as Virtual Business’. Please note, I am not exploitation of knowledge and information.”
saying they should not have physical office or Which includes everyone from digital artist to
employees, but those are not the primary architects to software developers and book
means of delivering value and delight to their writers.
customer.


Virtual Business, the way ‘creative industry’ will be Working

The creative industry as I see it is pre-disposed to be virtual. Writers and painters were always
working alone in some remote location ever since, however those into software development,
architecture, marketing research, advertising, etc., till date have not totally given up the office,
employee and other old world ties. This is changing rapidly and I am betting on this industry moving
more and more virtual, capitalizing on globalization, internet and technology in general.

Below are my list of 10 reasons (not in any particular order) why creative industry will go virtual,
and why we are building the first and only integrated tool to conduct your business virtually:

1
Freedom to work from where you like, when
you like. Geography, time zone, and office
hours are things of the past. Nowadays, you
can work where your heart is – by the beach,
with your children at home, on a mountain
cabin. When you are working on ‘digital output,
why should you be constrained by one physical
location to work from?

2
Economic realities demand lightweight,
flexible cost structure to be competitive in the

4
global market today. Full-time employees tied
to real-estate and other constraints limits the Global Market: not only traditional
options of how fast you can scale up or down to Multinational Companies, but even small to
handle market opportunities across the world. mid-size companies are operating in multiple

3
geographies, when they buy services they don’t
Global Talent Pool: there is no monopoly on limit themselves to the head-office but look
skill and knowledge, with internet as the great across the world for the best deal they can get.
equaliser, its a loss if teams do not leverage on With the digital nature of the
the best talents where ever they are. output, geographic borders do not matter
anymore.



5
Intertwining of various output towards the 7
Desegregation of Work-Life: work life balance
is perhaps thing of the past. If you choose to
final product: the expected final outputs from
work in a profession that you would probably
different companies in creative industry are
do for free, your intrinsic motivation does not
increasingly intertwining. These days, web apps
require you to separate your work and life, unlike
have graphics, 3D, video, gamification all mixed
in the past. With the freedom to choose your
together, and clear division of expertise are not
workplace and how many hours you want to
easy to maintain among service providers.
put in, work and life can be interwoven into a
Therefore, collaborative efforts among virtual
single fabric. Working parents, single parents
teams coming from various creative firms are
and the growing number of women in the
necessary to address specific needs of clients.
workforce require the creative industry to think
beyond full-time office and work hours,
focusing on productivity and output instead.
With the freedom to choose
your workplace and how
many hours you want to
8
Mobility of Skill set, international travel &
open borders: the fact of the matter is people
put in, work and life can are travelling more, not just looking for work,
be interwoven into a single but because they want to, and with the lifestyle

fabric. of freelancing and remote working, you don’t
have to be on vacation to travel.

6
International Payment online
9
Maturing buyer readiness for freelancers
and virtual businesses: a few years ago it was
(Paypal): money is the lifeline of any
much harder to win a project for a freelancer or
business, and one factor that made it difficult
a virtual company competing against branded
to do cross-border trade a couple
firms, but it’s changing rapidly. Personal
of decades ago was the control on the money
brands of experts are getting easier to be
by different governments. Globalization has
sold, and more companies across the world are
made money exchange much easier in the real
opening up to the idea of buying services from
world, and new online payment options like
people they have never seen before (or might
Paypal, Google Checkout etc, have even made
not see ever). The volume of transaction and
paying in smaller amounts a reality. This has to
rapid growth on sites like oDesk, eLance etc are
be one of the pivotal developments for Virtual
proof of this.
Business.



10
Technology tools and ecosystems:
there are tools like oDesk, Basecamp, online
accounting, etc, which Virtual Businesses have
Arup is the founding President/CEO of BlastAsia,
been patching up to cater to business Inc. Under his leadership, BlastAsia has grown from
a modest four member organization to one of the
growth. Next wave would be of systems largest .Net providers in its segment in the
Philippines, having more than a hundred technical
that allow a seamless, integrated experience in
staff in its pool. He is very much involved in every
conducting business online (shameless plug aspect of the organization from business
development to process improvement initiatives.
for Xamun), perhaps connecting with some of
the tools of your choice. Legal systems globally Arup Maity, through his effective leadership,
drives the organization towards the realization of its
also are getting better at recognizing strategic goals and guides the company in
implementing balanced corporate governance and
Intellectual Property rights and ownership, and quality objectives.
countries and states have already started
Arup brings diverse experience in project
structuring themselves to attract Virtual management and general management practices in
various roles and industries. He started his career by
Companies to register with them, removing
managing projects in civil construction and
certain constraints that restricted ‘true virtual consulting. After taking up his MBA from the Asian
Institute of Management (AIM) in 1997, he joined
companies’. the Business Consulting in the area of Real Estate as
Director for Business Development heading the
Business Planning Group of Landco Pacific
I can try and add some more, but I think Corporation, Inc. Arup then started LandExcel
Consulting, Inc., a business consulting company
those 10 points would be compelling proof focusing on real estate and retail. As a senior
about the growth of virtual business and how partner in LandExcel, the concentration of his
experience has been in managing Market research,
creative industry is gearing up to capitalize on Feasibility Planning, Pricing and business strategy
for top business houses in Philippines for the Green
it. Field and problem projects.
I believe leveraging on the concepts of
As a member of the Project Management
Virtual Business, global marketplace and lean institute (PMI), Arup is a Certified Project
Management Professional (188635) and more
startup, more and more knowledge workers
recently, a Certified Scrum Master and member of
from all parts of the world would grow and the Scrum Alliance. He is also an adjunct faculty of
Project Management and IT Strategy at AIM since
prosper as entrepreneurs adding value to their 2002. An active member of the Philippine Software
Industry Association (PSIA), Arup has served as a
customers and their own economy.
Director from 2006 to 2008.
At Xamun, we believe we can help the
creative industry by providing tools and
support in making virtual business a reality.

*This article originally appeared on
Arup Maity’s blog, Lean Common Sense.


Xamun Customer Support
After gathering feedback from early users, the Xamun team
established support features to make your Xamun experience
24/7
as easy as possible.

Keep your business going with a fast, If you forget what each button is for, Live
personal, and effective Email Support (1). You Tips (3) are there to help you out.
will get answers from real people in real time. Activate/Deactivate Live Tips by clicking on the
button found at the lower right corner of the
For first time users, there are Getting screen.
Started Tips (2) found on every Xamun app.
Work your way around the buttons and Under development is Video Library (4)
features by hovering over each tip and that aims to teach users how to work their way
following the arrow that corresponds to the around Xamun. You can access the library by
description. If you’re feeling adventurous, you clicking on the video camera button found at
can always close the tool tips one by one or the lower right corner of the screen. The Video
close them all in one go. Library is also available in each app.


Xamun Customer Support

If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and
drop the Xamun Team a line. By going to we’ll be there to answer your queries.
Xamun.com’s Contact Us page, you can find
different ways to reach us: via Skype, Yahoo Active, efficient, and real time customer
Messenger, email, phone, and even postal support is what we aim to bring you and
mail. everyone on Xamun.

The Xamun Team is also social. You can Try these support features and let us know
follow/add us in popular social networking how we can make Xamun even better!


Xamun Updates
Xamun is faster and more mobile.

It's important to stay on top of your work even
if you're not inside the office. With Xamun, you
can work anywhere and use any device- your
desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. As
long as you have an internet browser and
internet connection, you're in business.

If you have limited internet connectivity, you
can still use Xamun because of its new light
user interface. With improved page loading
and screen resolution adaptability, you can now
work faster and stay open for business 24/7.

Xamun is easier to use.

Get started with Xamun right away! After
registering your account, you can already
experience Xamun with the help of
three comprehensive guides that are will
make your experience easier, richer.

Getting Started Tips help you get acquainted
with the functions of each feature. You can
hover on each text box to point you to the
right place. You can also activate the Live
Tips button found at the lower right corner of
the screen. If you're looking for instructional
videos, you can click on the Video Library found
at the lower right corner of the screen beside
the Live Tips button.

Xamun is available 24/7.

Need help? Xamun has 24/7 Email Support,
so you can send your queries, concerns, and
suggestions directly to us. For quick answers,
we are also on Twitter, Skype, and other
Instant Messaging applications.

Can't find what you're looking for? You can
also message us through our Contact Us page
on Xamun.com and we will get right back to
you.


Xamun Tips # 1: Anatomy of a Live Card

For our first round of Xamun Tips we give you an overview of the very first thing you see on your
screen when you log in on Xamun: the Live Cards.

These cards are your entry points to each app, and they have four clickable sections that you can
explore:
Alert Banner (1) – This section shows updates
on each app, such as new projects, or new
employees.

Record Counter (2) – This reflects the number
of records in each app – may it be a project,
employee, client, things to do for the day, ticket
assignees, projects in the pipeline, and
timesheets to approve.

Quick Add Button (3) – The Quick Add Button
allows you to create a new record. In Xamun
People, a special button takes you to the
People Management Board.

Reports and Analytics (4) – Shows status
reports for each app.


Anatomy of a live card

When you click on the record counter, a
record list appears.

Browse through the list to access a
particular record you wish to work on.

In Xamun Project, the three board types are color-coded: red for Task Board, blue for Scrum Board,
and yellow for Kanban Board.

Meanwhile, in Xamun Helpdesk, ticket assignees are also color coded: blue for project-related
tickets, red for Created Tickets, purple for My Tickets and pink for department tickets.

Go ahead and explore the different apps available on Xamun by clicking on the Live Cards today.

Never say
" Stuck in the office "
Again

Sign up via www.xamun.com for a 30-day FREE TRIAL
and get unstuck with Xamun today

Xamun Tips # 2: Adding Employees
Building your own virtual team is easy once you start adding people on Xamun. There are three
ways of adding employees to Xamun, just follow these easy steps and you’ll have the entire team on
Xamun in no time.

Section: Company Setup

By clicking on the gear icon on the upper-
right corner of the Productivity Dashboard, a
drop menu appears.
Click on the Company Set-Up.

You can start adding
your employees and/or
consultants by clicking
on the Quick Add
button on the Business
Associates Panel.

Fill in the blank fields
and click Add. An
invitation will be
automatically sent to the
recipient, where he/she
is given a temporary
password.

When the employee
accepts the invitation,
he/she can start using
Xamun right away.


Adding Employees

Section: Productivity Dashboard

From the Productivity View,
you can add new
employees by clicking on
the Quick Add button on
the Xamun People Live
Card.

Section: Project Board

In the Project Board, you
can add new employees
via the associates panel.

This will automatically add
them to your project team.


Xamun Tips # 3: Creating & Assigning Tasks
Tasks are the foundations of a project. We used to assign tasks the traditional way – pen and
paper, a spreadsheet, via phone call, or various post-its strewn across the monitor. However, Xamun is
bringing in a new way of conducting task assignment through the productivity tool Project. Here are
the tips in assigning tasks in Xamun Project.

1
Access the Project List by clicking on the live card,
and select a project to work on. We’ll use Bob’s
BBQ Social Media Campaign as an example.

2
Clicking a project will lead you to the Project Board.

In here, there are two ways of assigning a task:

One is to click on the + button on the left side of the
Masterlist header. Clicking on the + button will open an
Add New Task form.

The second one is to type the task directly onto a blank
Add New Task form found at the bottom of the
Masterlist.

3

Type the needed task, then click on Add Task or simply
press Enter.


Creating & Assigning Tasks

4

Adding details to your task is easy.

Just click on the task name and it will lead you to the Task Card where you can add/edit the details
like the due date, add sub tasks, place the task in a category, exchange comments and attach
documents. You can also see who created the task and the time and date it was created.

Your task card will look like this after filling out the other details:

The pen icon means there’s a description for the task, the
bullets icon means there are subtasks, and the speech bubble
icon means there are comments posted for the task.

Notice that the category flag is also present on the task card.


Creating & Assigning Tasks

5

Now you can start assigning the task. You can click on Assigned To Section and select the people
who will be working on the task. If you want to remove a teammate from the task, all you have to
do it click on that member and it will prompt you to remove him.

The second way of assigning tasks is by dragging
and dropping people’s photos to the task card.
The photos are found in the Associates Panel fon
the Project Sidebar. The task card will automatically
move to the To-Do Lane of the Project Board.

This task will now be reflected on the task
assignee’s own Project Board and My Day where
they can exchange comments and update each
other on the status of the task.


’ ’
It s the only tool you ll ever need
to manage your projects, clients, and people

Sign up via www.xamun.com for a 30-day FREE TRIAL

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