A Week in the Life ...
Philip Taylor is deputy chairman of SquareSum. His week takes in meetings with Microsoft, work on a redesign of DREAM, a Basda council meeting and tackling problems relating to database design.
But he also manages to fit in a five-a-side football contest between SquareSum divisions, croquet plus training for a ski-ing holiday …
MONDAY
Meeting with Mark Paine, our Microsoft manager. We have now been awarded Windows XP certification for our DREAM product. We are particularly proud of this achievement since we are the first company in the UK to receive the XP logo. Monday evening is a five-a-side football evening at SquareSum.
Our R&D team always win. Our sales guys are very competitive – but very bad losers.
TUESDAY
We are starting to design a new version of DREAM, our accounting software, and this means going back to first principles. We start the day with an internal meeting discussing account codes and what they really mean. This is followed by a meeting with Alphameric, our new partner in the retail industry. Tuesday is croquet evening – we run a tournament that lasts throughout the year. I particularly enjoy it because the management teams are reigning champions.
WEDNESDAY
Up at 5am to catch an early train to London for a BASDA council meeting.
Resources & Whitepapers
Accounting Software The power of customisation in accounting systems
I have been a member for over two years and have not missed a meeting yet. This time the meeting is at SAP’s office near Heathrow so I could have flown, however the train is cheaper and the breakfast is much better.
A successful meeting with some good ideas for the future of BASDA and its eBIS-XML schema, as well as a range of new services for members.
THURSDAY
Once I arrive at work it is back to the real job, designing the new system.
Most of the day is spent discussing database design and how to get some new features to work well. Actually, much of designing is about remembering old ideas and pushing them forward when the hardware and operating systems catch up with you.
FRIDAY
After a quick review of progress this week I write up a report on yesterday’s database discussions for the team to read over the weekend and I then meet for lunch with one of our customers. I wind down for the weekend by spending a few hours walking in an effort to get fit for skiing in the winter.