PM Camp Gathering 2025 & the app “PM Elements”
Last week, I was pleasantly surprised by the PM camp scene again. After missed appointments and canceled BarCamps, there are two important topics to report.
PM Camp Gathering 2025
On the one hand, there will finally be a PM Camp again next March! A new organization team has taken a closer look at the somewhat outdated concept of the PM camp and created a PM Camp Gathering. Two days of planned lightning talks and topic workshops complement the obligatory open space.
The date should be marked in your calendar now: March 14 and 15, 2025 at the Rückersbach Seminar Center near Frankfurt am Main. Marvin and I have already registered.
The App "PM Elements"
The second surprise is the new app PM Elements. Here, two good acquaintances — Bernhard Schloß and Christian Botta – have joined forces with Johannes Plunien. The app is based on the periodic table and builds a competence table of the most important methods, concepts, models and frameworks. Depending on the target group, the terms are listed in German or English. That's how it is in project management – here, everything is somehow Denglish ;)
The browser-like app includes an overview of all elements and a list of methods and concepts. Direct access to your own favorites and a full-text search round off the concept. It is extremely easy to use. Whenever a card is displayed, it can be accessed with a single tap. It is also possible to branch deeper into related methods. An automatic breadcrumb trail appears after a long finger press on the back button in the upper left corner. Just like in a browser: a very chic solution.
The tiles themselves are all structured in the same way, so you can quickly find your way around: the colored area shows a clear qualification, then a summary, followed by related topics. The main block describes the topic, which is concluded with a short evaluation.
This brings me to the editorial content. At first, I was surprised by the lack of depth. After a few days with the app, however, I understood it. PM Elements is not meant to be a textbook. Rather, it is a reminder of the available methods and concepts. That's why the well-implemented full-text search is also important here.
Download & Purchase
The download from the App Store is free. A few methods and concepts are included. However, this is only to be understood as a demo; because a reasonable work can only work if the methods (for €19.99) and concepts (for €9.99) are activated. In combination, everything is available for a fair €24.99 in a one-time purchase. The time saved alone is worth the amount. Not to mention the time saved. So a very clear buy recommendation!
Wishes
I haven't found any big bugs or errors so far. But I haven't read all the topics yet either. Nevertheless, I already have ideas for the next version:
- I would like to add or comment on existing topics with text and URLs.
- I would like to enter my own topics.
- Of course, I would like to classify apps that use one or the other method from the element system. I have already built a tile for Merlin Project ;-)
- I would like to be able to enlarge and reduce the pages for presentations using pinch gestures.
- It would also be great if the favorites I set were synchronized with my devices.
To Bernhard, Christian & Johannes; You have created a great tool. After many (mostly) embarrassing ideas in the area of project management tools, the PM elements could be the start of a standard. Of course, there is still a lot to be done to the app and its implementation. But it's a great version 1. I'm looking forward to the updates.
If you have any questions about this blog article or would like to discuss it, we look forward to your contribution in our forum.
Artificial Intelligence in Merlin Project
The Public Beta Phase for Version 9 Begins
The topic of AI is also central to us and Merlin Project. With the upcoming Version 9, we are launching our AI strategy.
AI-Assisted Project Start
Create new projects from a simple description using artificial intelligence. The assistant automatically generates the task structure, dependencies, and milestones, estimates efforts and risks, and assigns necessary resources. To enable this powerful new feature, Merlin Project leverages the intelligence of ChatGPT.
Merlin Project opens a window displaying the results generated by ChatGPT. The project is created automatically according to your specifications.
And the best part: we cover the costs of using ChatGPT. During the trial phase, you can generate up to ten projects per day for free.
Dynamic Baseline
Since Version 2.0, Merlin Project has enabled you to compare the current state of a project with its original plan. Previously, these planned values were determined with a clever trick: Merlin Project only calculated the project workflow as if the user hadn’t entered any real values in the current task structure. This yielded good results for most situations. However, if the scope changed significantly during a project, this technique could reach its limits.
With the new dynamic baseline, you can precisely compare the current state of your project with any previous one. Simply set a date from the past in the "Reference Date" field of the project settings. All planned fields will then contain the values expected in the prior state.
Merlin Project can dynamically retrieve these values without you needing to have set a baseline in the past. This works so seamlessly because each Merlin document already contains the entire history of a project.
Other Updates
-
The user interface has a fresh look. Familiar symbols and icons appear with the same quality but in a new design.
-
The old, insecure FTP protocol for automatic publishing of project content has been replaced by SFTP. If you previously used FTP, please set up a new SFTP account in the settings of Merlin Project and use it for your publications.
-
We have also added a link to the templates on our website: Clicking on 'More Templates' will take you to the complete list of project templates.
Alternatively, you can use TestFlight. Here you will find not only the macOS version but also the iPadOS version. Please note that TestFlight overwrites an existing Merlin Project installation. You can download the current official version again at any time.
If you have questions about this blog post or would like to discuss it, we look forward to your contribution in our forum.
Merlin Project 8.3.6 Is Released
We have just released the version 8.3.6. This free update is important for Merlin Project.
- If you work with Merlin Project from the App Store, a new version will be made available to you after checking the Mac App Store.
- If you have downloaded Merlin Project from this website, update this version for free using the menu command in the app "Check for updates ...".
- The version for the iPad and iPhone appears automatically in the App Store after verification by Apple.
We have also updated Merlin Project Express. The new versions will be provided in the Mac App Store or at SetApp – right after its review.
You can find the minimum system requirements here.
If you have any questions about this blog article or would like to discuss it, we look forward to your contribution in our forum
Merlin Project 8.3.5 Is Released
We have just released the version 8.3.5. This free update is important for Merlin Project.
- If you work with Merlin Project from the App Store, a new version will be made available to you after checking the Mac App Store.
- If you have downloaded Merlin Project from this website, update this version for free using the menu command in the app "Check for updates ...".
- The version for the iPad and iPhone appears automatically in the App Store after verification by Apple.
We have also updated Merlin Project Express. The new versions will be provided in the Mac App Store or at SetApp – right after its review.
You can find the minimum system requirements here.
If you have any questions about this blog article or would like to discuss it, we look forward to your contribution in our forum
Merlin Project 8.3.4 Is Released
We have just released the version 8.3.4. This free update is important for Merlin Project.
- If you work with Merlin Project from the App Store, a new version will be made available to you after checking the Mac App Store.
- If you have downloaded Merlin Project from this website, update this version for free using the menu command in the app "Check for updates ...".
- The version for the iPad and iPhone appears automatically in the App Store after verification by Apple.
We have also updated Merlin Project Express. The new versions will be provided in the Mac App Store or at SetApp – right after its review.
You can find the minimum system requirements here.
If you have any questions about this blog article or would like to discuss it, we look forward to your contribution in our forum
