ForeSoft targets Japan

ForeSoft has announced the release of Topika, a Web-based project management and issue tracking system.

Customised to meet the needs of the Japanese market, Topika helps to improve overall project organisation, decrease bug resolution time, promote cross-functional co-operation, as well as plan and assess team performance at all levels.

"Through a close partnership between ForeSoft and Infoteria, we were able to provide a custom-tailored application," says ForeSoft co-founder Val Karmazin.

A session at the annual Build Boston 2006 Conference in Boston taking place this week will give a brief overview of how the industry is moving into an online, collaborative working environment where project management software is used to automate complex bidding, cost, and construction processes, and keep everyone on the same page, reports Sys-con Media.

The session is to be presented by Jonathan Knowles, global collaboration strategist for Autodesk Collaboration Solutions.

Using real-life examples, Knowles will explain the solutions that builders are using to achieve strong return-on-investment figures, as well as tips on how to stay ahead of the curve as new technology is introduced into building projects.

Caffeine Internet Solutions has reported an overall increase productivity of 25%, following the implementation of a project management solution. Caffeine designs and maintains Web sites, and has about 50 projects on-going at any given time.

"Completing the final 5% of a project usually requires a disproportionate amount of time and effort, which hurts our overall productivity," said Bill Mulligan, president, Caffeine Internet Solutions. "Vertabase Pro has helped us get that final 5% under control."

Mulligan said the company was running at a resource utilisation efficiency of about 60%, which the project management software has increased to about 85%, and "that's a 25% gain in overall productivity," he said.