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My Blackberry Enterprise Server Push Utility for the Lotus Notes Client, allows you to create Jobs for individual Channel, Message, and Browser Content Pushes, as well as allows you to delete Pushed Channel Icons from defined recipient devices.
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Blogger, podcaster, writer, and geek Chris Toohey covers topics from application development to the latest must-have-gadgets.
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Time Tracker
The idea is simple. At the start of your day - upon completion of your first task - create an entry highlighting what you did and whether you feel it was an efficient or inefficient use of your time. Based on several requests, you can also select the priority, apply categories, or even align your time against a project.
For Lotus Notes Client v8.0 and above, you can use the Time Tracker Widget to make this process even easier!
Zephyr
My Configuration-based Rich Text Mail Merge and Emailing Utility, Zephyr allows you to create rich, data-driven emails to support automated workflow - all via Microsoft Word Mail Merge-like architecture. Dear <firstname> allows you to personalize each email message not only to the individual recipient, but also to the individual application workflow event!
xCopy
xCopy is a simple configurable xCopy client for the Lotus Notes client. By creating and defining xCopy Profiles, you can batch process your file backup or remote upload jobs. With the addition of the xCopy sidebar widget, you can easily kick-off these jobs, and modify both the xCopy Profiles and xCopy itself.
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OpenNTF is devoted to enabling groups of individuals all over the world to collaborate on IBM Lotus Notes/Domino applications and release them as open source.
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The beginnings of my 'untitled' Project Management and Tasking project
06/25/2009 02:59:44 PM by Chris Toohey
One of the latest projects that I'm working on is something that I absolutely need: a simple yet effective Project Management and Tasking application.
I've decided to try to make this process as public as possible in an effort to drive away all of my readership to show you an example of ground-up development for new projects.
For example, I've posted the following two snapshots of my notepad entries based on customer meetings that I've had to gather requirements which establish a phase 1 and phase 2 run of napkin development for said project (shown respectively):
Yeah... you really can't see much. But it's not the particular content that I really wanted to share but the overall process.
Thankfully, the customer is all for my sharing this project with the overall community (minus their specific extended-functionality requests, of course), and provided I can get this completed in a timely manner I'll coordinate with the OpenNTF groups and get this online for a download.
I plan on starting development on this project after this weekend, where I'm wrapping up one post-due project and my Domino Java Ajax Proxy wiki article (and example application download)... so stay tuned!
... ok, I'll share a few basic features and functionality that I'm looking to add:
I want to create a fluid multi-client UX, which means using the UI that I played around with a few weeks back to mirror the Facebook UX in a Lotus Notes Client application. That being said, I'm writing this for the Lotus Notes Client, Wap/Mobile browser clients, and eventually a Web Browser client. Silly order you may say, but the fat client and mobile clients were the big requirements for this one... as the Web Browser client is really something that's a nice to have.
As for the functionality in the application itself, each Project will act as a single NotesDocument, which each Task a Response NotesDocument. A Task can have a dependant Task, which will allow you to properly weigh assignee workload across all projects as well as pinpoint potential delivery delays.
Each Task will also act as a milestone within the overall Project, so each Task is weighted against an overall 100% completion rate with completed milestone percentages rolling up to the Parent Project NotesDocument. ... hopefully that makes sense!
So anything else that you'd like to see in this application? Time provided, I'd love to get some click-to-export functionality that will allow you to take the content into Excel, Symphony, Open Office, or even Microsoft Project.
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Looking forward to seeing what you post. We've got a similar-ish sounding project management app, it will be cool to see where you go with yours. I'm also looking forward to seeing your Facebook UX in the client. I've been struggling a bit with a "frame-less" client UI. It'll be interesting to see how your solution differs (and if anything is the same).
Like Kathy, we have something very "similar-ish sounding" here as well. I wrote some code to make something like a Gantt chart in a Notes Calendar to project when tasks will be completed based upon any dependent task, resource availability and such. Looking forward to your posts to see if I can get some improvement ideas. =)
The ability to have the person assigned to a task submit a schedule report, i.e. weekly, monthly, adhoc.
Also, a calendar view for tasks and upcoming reports.
Hi Chris,
I have been using/ reviewing Notes Project and Help Desk Apps for the past 10 years.
The Project/Helpdesk Application approaches are very similar as they deal with Tasks/Activities, Time, Assignments/Staffing and ultimately priority sequencing. From these explorations I have learned a great deal about what works and what is just noise in these type of project/workflow applications - Less is More
What I have been thinking of attempting to construct (but I am just not skilled enough a developer/programmer) is a project manager that can support the Agile project management approach of SCRUM and integrate the Getting Things Done GTD Contextual next Action approach for personal productivity.
As in David Allen's GTD he talks about the Inbox and emptying it by completing the Actions or Tagging them with a context like @Phone, @ Computer @Home etc.
In SCRUM the concept of the Backlog of features to build or more broadly work items/actions is very similar to the Inbox n GTD.
Where the 2 approaches I think can get married together is around the concept of the SPRINT (Usually a 4 week TimeFrame) in Scrum and the Review Process which is a perfect match for GTD's Daily/Weekly Review.
In Scrum there are also 3 questions that get asked at each Scrum Meeting
So if you are wanting to build a simple but AGILE Project/Productivity Application to assist people with collaborating on projects more easily.., I would love to see a SCRUM4NOTES tyoe application.
Would be happy to be a tester/sound board.
Good Luck
Hi Chris,
Forgot to mention that in SCRUM the talk of the Burn Down Chart as a report type the helps to visually see if the planned work is getting completed... very good concept.
As well, I have been using Impresario http://www.lotusnotes.com/struturo/ID/impresario developed by LavaTech (Jim Kight)
It is an excellent project/task management application as is worth a look to see how he has implemented much of what you briefly describe above. Impresario is a commercial application but is reasonably priced for SME market space.
Regards
Robert
That sounds like an interesting project. You should consider exporting to OpenProj which is an open source software application on SourceForge that is very much like MS Project. There is an XML file format that they both support so this would provide a method to export to both applications.
I have build a PM application once for the Notes client. For the reporting one requirement was to build an interface that would display with graphics the status of certain parts of a project. We'll that became graphics in a web interface.
Nevertheless I am curious how you would solve this in the year 2009 (My app was build in 2005).
Good luck!
Sounds interesting.
I have been thinking of building building such a tool myself.
Check out Tracks and Taskfreak for a simple web-implementation..