Dojo Management Software, Input Requested.

[SilkSeaWater]

Greetings. I am new to this forum. I have a question that perhaps you could answer.

Recently I have gotten a bug in my ear about creating a dojo management software package. The application would run under Windows.

My question is this: What type of features, reports and functions would you like to see?

Thank you very much for your assistance. It is most appreciated.

[KenpoKev]

Here's a few that would come to mind:
Attendance
Tuition (or donation records for non-profit dojo)
Scheduling (with good print-out functions)
Reminders for member birthdays
inventory management (inventory accounting templates)

I would also include sample documents like:
Newsletters
Enrollment forms
Dojo etiquette
liability releases
teaching tips (dojo games for kids or bored black belts)
thank you letters
accident report forms
Sample flyers for enrollment or open houses

That's all that comes to mind at the moment.

[shinbushi]

I currently use MAS (http://www.kickboxing.com/mas) (an old version :D ) and like it a lot. except for the price. I wish it had a feature where you could enroll a student in more than 5 classes though or have a class like basics on more than one time slot.

[Sgathak]

Look into MAS, KickSoft, and any similar programs out there (there are a lot of them for Yoga schools which can be adapted)...

Look at them, see what they have, see what you would like to add, and then do it!

BTW, how about making one in Mac? and Linux? Windows is common and all that, but its loosing its foothold quickly and having software for diff platforms is awesome... from a tech geek standpoint anyway.

Not sure if you could do something like that on RealBasic but if you did, you could build it on Mac OSX, and instantly port it to older Mac versions as well as compile it to Win9X too... (that would of course require a Mac, but you can get an iMac for $500 and put OSX on for $100 or so and write it off as a business expense) but thats just my $.02


J Robbins

[SilkSeaWater]

Thank you all for the follow-ups so far. They are most enlightening. Yes, I have used many of the existing products before.

Sgathak,

I did consider other platforms. I have had experience developing for Apple products, PC/Wintel and UNIX.

I had originally considered a web-based app, but most of the people I speak to would be interested in such a product don't see the benefit and use a Windows operating system anyway. MacOS has come along way, but is in use by 8% of the computing world the last time I checked.

Linux is great as is Sun Solaris. I just don't know if they would be used by martial arts schools. Perhaps, I don't know.

Thanks again.

[Jeff O]

What about setting it up as an ASP or portal? Our dojo would probably enjoy having all of the software tied in like this, simply because you could use it at multiple locations. How many of us have started business work at the dojo only to finish it at home?

Please keep us informed as to what you create.

Oh, and I am all for the Mac compatibility. It may only be 8%, but it's a BIG 8%!! :D

[kenshorin]

My instructors dojo uses MAS... it is pretty good, although it has had a tendency to be very buggy. The newest version isn't too bad though. My personal thoughts though is if you have any programming or web database skill, you are probably better off setting up your own software, so that you can customize it and troubleshoot it on your own. MAS technical support is almost impossible to get a hold of...

My thinking is that you could set up some kind of SQL database and with enough work get it to do what you need it to. In this way you could set up a Linux or NT (though I prefer Linux) box dedicated to just housing your database, and run it on something as old school as a Pentium, though you would probably want to run a P2 or higher at least with sufficient RAM. Then you could set up whatever else you need it to do as well.

[Budoist]

Thanks for all those suggestions!

Well, ok, I'm not the original poster, but I actually got a bug to do some dojo management software months ago with a friend, but the joint effort fell through, so now I'm trying to do it on my own. Not easy when working full time, plus going to school.

Anyway, I had planned on a lot of those features, but it sounds like what would be good would be an integrated calendar?

<sigh> Part of me keeps hoping I can develop this secretly, release it on an unsuspecting world, and be really successful with it. But what they hay, I'll expound anyway. </sigh>

What I mean by integrated calendar, is the ability to set up a Class type (create a class called Class). This Class would exist on certain days (calendar integration) and have students associated with it. Students could then be associated with multiple Classes.

That sound about right?