Float.com

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “Sure would be nice to see what this might look like…” when scoping out a project? We’ve got you 😎 Introducing project ‘draft’ status 🎉 Now, you can scenario-plan projects before they appear on the Schedule to more accurately budget resources and predict timelines.

Is it time to break up with your resource management spreadsheet? 🗑️ We know—it’s tough to end things when you were so sure you’d grow old together. But you need to face the facts: your spreadsheet has been taking your relationship for granted for a VERY long time 💔 🚩 It’s always flaking on you with that tired ‘broken formula’ excuse 🚩 It refuses to integrate with the other tools in your life 🚩 All that manual input means you’re basically doing its work *for* it 🚩 When things get complicated, it can’t handle the pressure and freezes up 🚩 You want real-time insights, but its communication skills are awful Your friends are right—it’s time for a clean break. Start looking for a resource management tool that actually puts in the effort to grow with you.

No one cares about your brand, BUT, Everyone experiences your brand. And that leaves an impression to form an opinion with, which eventually leads to a judgment about you. We've been thinking a lot about our Float.com brand, specifically how we create (and deliver) a consistently distinctive and meaningful experience—across every touchpoint. More to come on that later... For now, I want to share some of the brand work we recently did for our company meetup. To be honest, this year's venue was so stunning that it would be easy to think all we had to do was show up. But that's not how we do things 😉 We wanted everyone to feel fully immersed in a quintessentially Float meetup experience. We kicked things off by aligning with our Director of People & Ops, Georgie Roberts, on the goals of what we wanted to inspire this year—creativity and collaboration. Our Visual Designer, Mariana Gonzalez Vega, with the guidance of our Director of Design, Cameron Rickersey, then crafted a visual identity that reflected our environment (Piemonte, Italy), captured our Float values and style, and embodied the theme of a modern renaissance. From collateral to swag, these designs brought our meetup brand to life. But brand isn't just about aesthetics. It's curating a distinctive, intentional, and consistent experience. Our ops team took this year’s theme, goals, and style (in other words, our meetup brand) and wove this into the entire itinerary. From co-working sessions to interactive workshops and creative activities like pasta making (to feed 70+ people!), every moment was purposeful and tied back to why we were there—to connect, be creatively inspired, and collaborate. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity of these meetups and the wonderful folks I get to work with 🫶 And I'm also veryyyy chuffed that this year's meet has become our internal example of why, as cliche as it sounds, brand building is a team effort 😉

Do you agree? 👇

As a project manager, you likely have a long list of things to consider when planning 📜 But the one item on your checklist you can’t overlook is your team—without them, no work gets done. That’s why it’s crucial to shift from building plans for your team to creating plans *with* your team. Below, project planning expert Brett Harned draws on 20 years of experience to share practical steps for creating clear, concise project plans that prioritize your team and keep everyone aligned 👇

“Why should I switch from spreadsheets to resource management software?” Two key reasons: boosting efficiency and increasing project profitability 💰 👉 Take, for example, Martin Mattli, Head of Operations and Quality Management at full-service software agency, Apps with love - digital tools for life. Martin’s old system was a giant spreadsheet with tabs for time tracking and scheduling. Deciding that it wasn’t efficient, he switched to Float, centralizing project schedules and time logging. The result? Fewer mistakes thanks to task automation Less time spent on manual updates and fixes A clear view of short- and long-term projects, leading to better decisions A seamless process that made Martin and his team enjoy their work Best of all, Martin saw a 33% increase in logged hours—not from more work, but from better tracking ⌛ Read the full case study here 👇 : https://lnkd.in/duksq3nr

What I said 🗣️ vs. What I really mean 💭 

Resource optimization is all about allocating and using resources as efficiently as possible to meet project goals. This approach works great for things like budgets, time, or machinery. But when it comes to people, the idea of using them ‘as efficiently as possible’ doesn’t quite sit right 😬 Treating people like non-living resources can harm both your team and your projects (and you probably won’t be the most popular person at the office party). For people-first managers, resource optimization isn't about squeezing more out of your team. It's about making the best use of their time and skills by assigning them to the right projects and creating a supportive, collaborative environment where they can thrive 🙌

During last month’s live session, we tackled a big question: when should teams swap their resourcing spreadsheets for a dedicated tool? While many resource managers rely on spreadsheets for resource allocation, utilization, and planning (we get it—they’re affordable and easy to set up), most teams will eventually outgrow them. As Jacquie Ford puts it, “Spreadsheets are great for what they do best, but they don’t scale well for larger teams, especially when accuracy and reliability are crucial.” ❌ Justin Watt adds, “Spreadsheets are the junk food of resource management—quick and easy in the short term, but harmful if you rely on them too long.” 🤢 What’s your take? 🎤