Christmas 2023 and New Year 2024

Christmas 2023 and New Year 2024

💎 It's time for a break!

December 2023 has come around so quickly, it seems it was February only a few weeks ago. It's been quite a year of achievement with some big milestones reached. I know the team here all feel grateful for the upcoming rest while also looking forward to the new things that 2024 is going to bring.

Key things were addressed this year, some that you might not have noticed if they were under your radar.  We released Freelancer Timesheet reconciliation to Freelancer invoices, macOS Sonoma compatibility in October/November, security was continuously reviewed during the year and this will be an on-going project.  There’s new Foreign Exchange revaluation options coming in v9 which is being rolled out in 2024 and more refinements in Employee Expense Claims as we get more feedback. You can see the new look either in the JBX window or log onto your web interface when you are on b81248.

💎 The No. 1 conversation - Planning

The biggest win for us this year (like 2022) is the number of people who have implemented Planning within JobBag - it appears we are the best game in town when it comes to really seeing capacity.  It's an important integral part of our model, JobBag joins the dots in ways that are not possible in other "simpler" systems.  The key fact that has brought up the Planning conversation is other systems work separately (that's why they are simple) and don't have the information required to keep your jobs under control.  Staying on budget and keeping the team informed is critical to bringing a job in on time, on brief and on budget.

Quite rightly, we have copped criticism for the interface in Planning and that is being addressed right now in the new web development.  We have always received praise for the logic in Planning, the connection with all other facets of the system and that it actually works having capacity, planning, timelines and one-click timesheets in a single environment.  

We recently published an article here about some of the hidden features that make Planning more powerful than you might initially think.  We have literally decades of experience in developing traffic and planning and we want to have that conversation with you.

💎 JobBag web interface - v9

One of the key things we are looking forward to releasing in 2024 is the next iteration of the web interface, this is part of the release of JobBag v9.  We have been designing and testing the interface, flow and features - it's a complex business and so important that we get it right.  There's a lot of difference between building a desktop application and a web interface, and critically we have to do this in a way that we can bring all our users along on the journey.  

We can't build all of JobBag for the web in a day so our strategy is to build each feature in a web interface and make them available in the JobBag desktop application.  We will also progressively release those features into the purely web-based application.

We want to test the new build with clients before we take you up so if you are using Planning and timesheets, please contact us to review the changes.  

💎 What will you see in 2024?

First up will be the replacement of the Active Diary.  Here you will see your tasks and timesheets in a familiar diary interface.  Moving tasks and timesheets around, creating your own tasks, seeing other users tasks and being able to pick up anything that needs to be done will all be accessible through this new window.  Ultimately this will replace the Active Diary in the desktop.

The Planning system (Visual Planning window and the Planning tab in the Jobs window) will be next to get re-built.  We will still be offering the use of templates but the two windows will be slicker, modern and have expanded features.  We have listened when you have given us feedback and the results will be available for you to see and use in 2024.

The Jobs window will go into the design and development mill as we replace and refine other tabs.  Some tabs will be easier and quicker as they only reflect information, others, like Media Planning, Estimates and Invoices, Purchase Orders and Supplier Invoices are more complex so will take a little longer to do.  Ultimately the whole Jobs window will become a web interface.

💎 What you won’t see

We are in the process of rolling out new servers that will host v9 that includes new security and a bunch of other things under the hood that you will never see, they just make things work! We will progressively move all clients to the new servers in the coming months, some over the Christmas break.

There are lots of things that we do continuously behind the scenes with servers, security and related technology, it’s a never ending process.

💎 Office hours for Christmas 2023 and the New Year

The office will be closed on 22nd December 2023 and will re-open on 8th January 2024.  If you need support while the office is closed please email support@jobbag.com.

On behalf of all the JobBag team - we wish you a peaceful, relaxing and refreshing holiday that brings you back happy and energised to make 2024 a fantastic year.  The best years are in front of us.