Comments on: 6 “bootstrapping” tools for software product manager

By: Mark Officer

Mark Officer — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:03:23 +0000

I use Evernote to gather, collect and organize notes and information from all types of sources. It is perfect for competitive intelligence or any other type of research where you collect from multiple sources and need to organize it all in one spot for convenience (and your sanity).

By: Mark Officer

Mark Officer — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:53:55 +0000

I agree that MindManager is a great tool and a “must have” for all product managers. It’s a great way to visually organize and communicate. The only downside is it is a bit pricy.

By: Software Product Management - Topic Research, Trends and Surveys

Software Product Management - Topic Research, Trends and Surveys — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:36:22 +0000

[...] all go well together as … Read More RECOMMENDED BOOKS REVIEWS AND OPINIONS 6 “bootstrapping” tools for software product manager « Software … trying to start a software company on your own. Or you work for a startup or a small software [...]

By: Brij Shah

Brij Shah — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:36:54 +0000

I am a big fan of Snag-It but recently discovered another tool called PicPick. It doesn’t do everything that Snag-It does but it is free.

By: Rohit Bhatia

Rohit Bhatia — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:50:51 +0000

great list . thanks for sharing!

By: Nimish

Nimish — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:50:48 +0000

Great article!

I recommend the free tool “easycapture” for screen grabs – almost as good as snagit. For free document writing/ editing – nothing to beat OpenOffice – very stable and fully compatible with MS Office (at least for most documents).

By: Product Management Reader: 30Nov09 | The Productologist: Exploring the Depths of Product Management

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:13:27 +0000

[...] 6 “Bootstrapping” Tools for Software Product Managers [Software Product Management] [...]

By: Fritz

Fritz — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:54:35 +0000

Good list, Gopal. I’d modify #1 though. If you use Firefox (free) there’s are several plug-ins (again all free) that can do a very good if not great job of capturing your entire screen, just the window or a selection. I personally use a plug-in called “ScreenGrab”. Good list though would love to hear about other tools. – Fritz

Fritz Desir
Experience Strategist/Interaction Designer

Blog: http://www.fritzism.com
Twitter: @fritzism

By: Robin Zaragoza

Robin Zaragoza — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:23:58 +0000

Great list Gopal! A few comments:

- I love SnagIt and swear by it! Unfortunately its not yet available for the Mac, and there don’t appear to be any comparable tools for the Mac (they’re either too basic, too complex, or too expensive).
- Balsamiq is pretty good. There are others I like better, but one of its really nice features…integration w/Jira!
- For even better pricing than GoToMeeting….dimdim. Free for up to 20 attendees!

By: Kelsey C

Kelsey C — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:24:15 +0000

Wow, this is a useful list of tools (you’ve got to love Google docs!). My company uses gmail too, but for web conferencing we use RHUB. What’s nice about it, is it’s not based on a monthly subscription, but instead you just pay one fee at the beginning to purchase it. If you want to check them out, their website is http://www.rhubcom.com

By: themadpeacock

themadpeacock — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:24:47 +0000

MindMap is a fantastic tool I find. It allows me to “get it all down” and rearrange and recategorize in a very visual way. I also find its the best way (for me) to do quick competitor landscape type research.

On the mac it is $129.00 and well worth the expense, on Windows for some reason it is $349.00.

I would also recommend Microsoft word on the mac. It has a note taking view with a voice recorder integration, so your notes from a meeting are accompanied by the audio. Great for customer interviews where you want to concentrate on what they are saying, not taking copious notes.

By: Vandana Nayak

Vandana Nayak — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:55:46 +0000

Haven’t tried Balsamiq – will give it a shot. Thanks for the tip.