In an excellent bit, the comedian Kevin Hart talks about how small problems become big problems. I can’t do it justice, so here it is below:

Hart isn’t talking about project management or books; he’s talking about couples. Make no mistake, though: the same maxim applies on all projects and books in particular.

I’ve seen this movie before: A series of misunderstandings brings a project to its breaking point. Clients walk away angry, slam their service providers, and refuse to pay for services not rendered to their satisfaction.

What to do?

The Solution

Today, I’m pleased to announce that RacketHub now ships with a simple daily poll feature. In short, it allows project managers, clients, ghostwriters, and publishers to identify small problems before they morph into larger ones. By answering a one-question poll every day, the project manager or publisher can take everyone’s pulse.

The survey couldn’t be simpler. RacketHub clients and project participants just fill out this daily form:

Database entries automatically popular a simple line graph in Notion; no exports or imports are necessary.

In the example below, see how two people are equally satisfied with the direction of the project when it begins. After a few days, though, a gap appears. It only widens over time.

This simple functionality certainly won’t eliminate every potential source of conflict on a book project. If used regularly, however, it will help the parties involved resolve issues before they metastasize—especially on remote and hybrid projects.

On Books, Success, and Ego