This is the first post about an ongoing computer group project – in this case, it’s a CLASSE service for managing projects at the lab. This service may be available for all lab users in the future.
For a while now, we’ve been looking for a software package to help us manage complex long-term projects. Among our requirements are that it be low-cost, low-maintenance, easy to use, and easy to control access to. Several options that we considered — Microsoft Project, GLPI, Basecamp — failed on one or more of these criteria.
The best option we have found so far is a web-based project management platform called activeCollab. You can read about it on their website: https://www.activecollab.com/features.html. While we’re not using all the Cloud features, we are using an onsite version. At the moment, we are evaluating the system and considering a workflow for everyone at the lab.
We imagine two use cases for this sort of tool.
First, activeCollab may be useful to individuals for tracking projects and task lists. There are tools that remind you, via email, of tasks each morning. There are organizational tools for tasks and subtasks with scheduling that may help as well. You can check off tasks as you complete them and otherwise attach notes and comments for your own records and metadata.
Second, we imagine some groups will find it useful for communicating with one another, delegating tasks, and sharing documents. The computer group is currently trying it for projects in which several members need to collaborate. The tool contains useful metadata such as tasks members have completed, tasks that haven’t been completed, and subtasks that make up larger tasks. By assigning start dates, the group sees tasks fill up a milestone progress bar as they get completed. This can give a quick overview of how much of a milestone/project is complete.
The computer group intends to use activeCollab for metadata – tasks, projects, and the like – but is not currently looking to replace existing tools like RT or the Wiki. The comments and discussion tools built into activeCollab are outside the scope of our evaluation. Insofar as the tools exist, we would be fine with other lab groups making use of them, but it’s not clear how supported they would be at this time.
Status: Extended evaluation including other select lab users
Prognosis: Likely to be rolled out