GärdsmygenComing soon · not open yet
The board’s work, calm and in order.
Gärdsmygen is the workspace for the board of a Swedish housing co-operative. Mail becomes cases, replies wait as drafts, and meetings, invoices and papers are in one place.
Leak in the kitchen, flat 1303
It is dripping from the ceiling under the sink, Johan writes.
Suggested replyNot sent
Hello Johan, thank you for writing. The caretaker will look at it tomorrow morning.
Karin reads, edits and sends it herself
The notice is a draft
Waiting for two approvals
For the people on the board
A role taken on in spare time, next to work and family. Gärdsmygen is made for that.
- The chair
Sees what is waiting and who has it. The notice, the agenda and the minutes start as drafts.
- The treasurer
Invoices that arrive by email are visible, and approved by the right people. Payment happens at the bank, as today.
- A board member
Reads the case, edits the suggestion and sends the reply. Nothing goes out before that.
Residents do not sign in. Gärdsmygen is the board’s own room.
An ordinary week, without the piles
This is how it is meant to feel once an association uses Gärdsmygen.
- Monday evening
An email about a leak arrives and becomes a case. It says what it is about and what has happened so far.
- Tuesday
A suggested reply is ready, drawn from the association’s own papers. Karin changes a sentence and sends it.
- Thursday
The invoice from the lift firm waits for approval. Two board members look at it. The bank pays, as usual.
- Sunday
The notice for the general meeting is in the year wheel, well before it has to go out.
Security
The board decides what goes out.
- A person sends
A reply is a draft until a board member has read it and chosen to send it.
- The money stays at the bank
The invoice can be read here. Payment is made at the bank, and the bookkeeping is done where it is already done.
- Only the board gets in
Residents have no login. They write to the board as they always have.
Mail comes to the board
The association gets its own address at Gärdsmygen, and what arrives there becomes cases. If you already have an address, mail can be forwarded. There is nothing to install.
The binder, searchable
Bylaws, minutes and contracts are kept in one place. Someone new on the board can find what was decided, and why.
What the board will be able to do
None of this is open yet. This is how it is meant to work.
Cases from residents
When someone writes to the board, the letter becomes a case. The board can see what it is about, what has already happened and what is left. The list belongs to the board. Residents have no account of their own.
Suggested replies
A case can carry a suggested reply, drawn from the association’s own papers. The suggestion is a draft. A board member reads it, changes it and sends it. Nothing goes out on its own.
A supplier the association already uses
When the board needs someone who has already worked for the association, it can look through its own contacts, earlier cases and invoices. Those are the association’s own names, not a directory of firms from outside.
Meetings and minutes
A notice, an agenda and minutes can be written as drafts. The board holds the meeting, approves the minutes and takes the decisions. Gärdsmygen prepares the papers.
Invoices that arrive by email
An invoice sent to the board is written down, so it shows among the things to deal with. The board still pays at the bank. No payment is taken here, and no books are kept here.
Documents
Bylaws, minutes and other papers are kept so the board can search them. They are the association’s own.
How mail will work
An address, with nothing to set up
An association will be able to receive mail at a Gärdsmygen address. That needs no setup. What arrives becomes cases for the board.
Or the mailbox the board already has
The board can instead send on the mail from an address it already uses. That mail is read in the same way, and becomes the same kind of case.
Out only when a board member chooses
A reply is a draft until someone on the board sends it. Gärdsmygen does not send letters on its own.
Why a wren
The wren, gärdsmyg in Swedish, is one of Sweden’s smallest birds, yet it is heard from far away. The male builds several nests and the female picks the one she likes best. Small, careful and close at hand. That is how we want the board’s workspace to be.
Not open yet
Gärdsmygen is not taking associations yet. Have a look at the demo in the meantime, and write to us if you have a question.