Leantime, the company founded to assist neurodiverse employees in engaging effectively, has redesigned its platform. In August, the firm launched an open-source project management solution for non-project managers. Today, it has launched a work management platform with a reimagined user experience. It aims to bridge the gap in employee engagement and neurodiversity inclusion.
Why this matters
The premise of the platform is that neurodiverse individuals are less comfortable with traditional project management software. Their skills lie in problem-solving. They are less risk-averse and often entrepreneurial. Research has shown that people with ADHD are 300% more likely to start a business (Source The Da Vinci Method). Research by Julie Logan, professor of entrepreneurship at Cass Business School, found that 35% of US company founders identified themselves as dyslexic, compared with 15% in the general population.
Many of the business leaders we are familiar with, Steve Jobs (dyslexia), Bill Gates (ADHD), Elon Musk (autism)and Richard Branson (ADHD and Dyslexia), are neurodiverse and have had huge success. The problem is that the corporate systems that are put in place do not cater to neurodiverse individuals and often stifle their preferred working methods.
This challenge impacts firms of all sizes, with an estimated 1 in 5 people being neurodivergent. Business Systems are often not designed to cater for this diversity and provide the proverbial square peg solution to a round hole.
Gloria Folaron, Co-founder and CEO of Leantime, commented, “Initiatives at work are failing due to the absence of consistent and personalized approaches in how work is organized and executed. This gap underscores the critical need to reframe how we work, emphasizing the ‘why’ behind tasks (creating focus and direction) while nurturing a more personalized and relational experience for each employee. Putting engagement where we track the work is something that makes so much sense but hasn’t been done.”
Leantime reimagined
The revised Leantime platform has been developed through two primary phases. The first aimed to develop a core of simplified project management, less process-heavy, and more goal orientates. During this phase, Leantime gathered user feedback and included cognitive accessibility principles into the software. In the second phase, the Leantime team focused on embedding AI and the latest behavioural science thinking into the platform.
Leantime revealed seven key features of the new platform:
- AI Task Breakdown: Utilizing AI, Leantime now offers task breakdown functionality, automatically dissecting tasks into essential subtasks for streamlined project execution.
- Customizable “My Work” Widget Board: Users can now personalize their workspace by dragging, sizing, and selecting widgets according to their preferences.
- Time Boxing with Calendar Integration: Seamless synchronization with external calendars enables efficient time blocking for work-related tasks via a simple drag-and-drop interface.
- Task-Switching Reminders (Pomodoro): To foster productivity and efficiency, the platform now includes customizable timers that strategically remind users when to transition between tasks, ensuring optimal focus and workflow management.
- Notes Feature on “My Work” Boards: A versatile addition to the “My Work” board. The notes feature allows users to create checklists, take notes, and organize project details effortlessly.
- Visual Project Hub: A visually oriented project hub caters to individuals who prefer accessing their projects in a more intuitive visual format.
- Enhanced Goal Progress Tracking: Improved widget views now showcase goal progress, enhancing project visibility and management.
A new marketplace
Leantime has also created a marketplace that enables users to purchase plugins and additional services from Leantime. The inference is that it will allow the open-source community to add additional applications to the Marketplace over time. It plans to develop and publish details of how companies can add their plugins to the Marketplace following its launch. Leantime has also committed to reviewing and testing all plugins and themes that will be listed on the Marketplace.
The Marketplace also provides a location where customers can purchase merchandise as well as additional services from Leantime. Those services include support, installation services and training.
Marcel Folaron, Co-founder and CTO of Leantime, commented, “This release represents a defining shift in how we approach inclusion in software, neurodiversity, and meaningful work. By collaborating with behavioral scientists, Leantime is laying the groundwork to provide actionable 1:1 guidance through personalized experiences. This will empower users to set goals effectively and navigate their work journey with clarity and purpose.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
Leantime has continued its growth trajectory over the last few months. It has raised funds to continue the development work that has led to this release. In August 2023, it launched its pen-source strategic project management solution for non-project managers. That was followed in October when it gained a $50,000 grant as a semi-finalist for the NC IDEA Fall 2023 SEED Grant Cycle. In November, it became one of twelve companies for the winter cohort of Techstars NYC.
The company continues to seek strategic funding as it looks to further develop its platform. It intends to develop integrations, facilitate seamless migration, and develop a mobile application. Leantime will design the mobile application to support neurodivergent employees and enhance user adoption.
Can Leantime break out of the startup phase and become a scale-up? It has an appealing proposition that seems to address a gap in the market. Can it gain Series A funding from a serious investor? In recent months, there has been consolidation within the PPM market. Will Private equity or venture capitalists take the risk on a company that is doing something different in what is seen as a saturated market? What Leantime needs are a few customer stories, ones where it has powered organisations to success.
Leantime launches Goal Orientated AI-Powered Project Management Solution
