Had Dickens’ book started with the nonsensical string of words seen in the title of this post, it wouldn’t have seen the light of day.

Sequence matters - a lot.

This reality isn’t confined to literature. Look at the work collaboration application space. Hundreds of project management, task management, wikis, online office applications, threaded email services, and others have made valiant runs at something that most professionals seek: simplification of work tracking and collaboration. Remove any semblances of marketing speak: they’ve made it easier for people to work with others more easily and quickly. Or have they?

The fact that no single provider has yet become the gorilla in this space leads me to believe that the average user believes the ‘sequence’ of most apps is as awkward as the title of this post.

It really shouldn’t be a surprise. Software developers too often believe that the effectiveness of their products lies in the length of the feature list versus the quality and sequence of the concepts it aims to deliver.

I plan on taking the whole Smartsheet team to see ‘Flash of Genius’. It tells the story of Robert Kearns, whose intermittent windshield wiper invention was poached by Ford, Chrysler, and GM. At trial, engineers for GM testify that all the technologies for the intermittent wiper already existed and all Kearns did was put them in the right order. I’ve heard that Kearns, who represented himself in the trial against GM, reads the first line of A Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” He adds, “All of these words already exist in the dictionary, but it’s the order and design that make them valuable.”

How true.

Tonight we release another update to Smartsheet which focuses on sequence and ease of use. If you haven’t signed up for a free Starter account, give it a try and let us know how we’ve done.