What Does Everyone Use For Task/Project Tracking?

JerBear0 writes "I work as the sole IT employee at a company of about 50 people. I handle programming, support, pretty much anything that is IT related, or even that plugs in. As seems to be true with many small companies, the priorities seem to shift quite frequently. As a result, I've always got multiple programming (both new systems and improvements/changes to existing systems), integration, research, maintenance tasks/projects on my To Do list, in varying stages of completion. At any given time, I need to be able to jump back to one of these items and pick up where I left off. I am currently using Outlook Tasks, and then end up referencing my notebook and email for those dates to figure out exactly where I left off. It works, but not well. If it's been a while, I'll end up losing an hour or two just tracking everything down. I looked at using MS Project / OpenProj, but they want an individual file for each project, and I want at least the project/task list all on one screen. Essentially what I'd want would be a Task List on steroids, allowing for hierarchical subtasks, attachments, and prioritization. Ideally it would be a desktop app, but a locally-hostable web app would be okay. In some of these projects I may want to include proprietary information, which I really don't want floating out in the cloud outside of my control. I know I'm not alone in this problem, so what do you guys (gals) use to address this?"

Comments

redmine

[semargofni]

I use redmine, see http://www.redmine.org/

Re:redmine

[Cryacin]

I use BSmart from Bijingo. www.bijingo.com Pretty slick and it does pretty much what you want.

Re:redmine

[bluec]

Redmine is the correct answer. Can't believe parent isn't modded up more. We use it for all web/software development projects because of its excellent trackers and repository integration. We are just about to roll it out across the organisation for all types of projects and management tasks. It is extremely flexible and different types of projects can have different features - wiki, forum, file sharing, bug/request tracking, time tracking, gantt charts, code repos, the whole shebang. Loads of addons too and very stable. It is a bit like basecamp, but better, and free/libre.

Re:redmine

[turbidostato]

"I use redmine, see http://www.redmine.org/"

I'd say, yes... but not.

Look at the environment:

"I work as the sole IT employee [...] I've always got multiple programming (both new systems and improvements/changes to existing systems), integration, research, maintenance tasks/projects on my To Do list, in varying stages of completion. At any given time, I need to be able to jump back to one of these items and pick up where I left off"

So:
1) His best tool must be his mind: he must use it to set his own procedures (and exceptions), so pointing to reads like David Allen's "Getting Things Done" or "Limoncelli's Time Management for System Administrators" are a foremost.
2) Given the right ideas are in his mind and given that it's a solo show, the leaner the tools the better: he don't need contrains on the tools when he can adopt them by his own criteria. That's where even such a fine tool like Redmine is a bit of an overkill. I'd find in this case its conceptual father to be a better fit. Trac, that is.

Let's have a look about how Trac fits the bill:
  * For a start it really helps the guy that do the thing instead of getting in his way in favor of the one that plans the thing (so, i.e. there are not -at least by default, fixed workflows nor fancy flowcharts to the content of a project manager but absolutly unuseful for a single or a short development/multitasking group).
  * It allows (but not commands) tight but lean integration between wiki pages, tickets, milestones and source code management. You will fastly and easily group your tickets by milestones (like, say, "work as usual year 2009" or "summer campaign"), by components (like "central servers", "help desk"...), by type (like "bug", "enhancement"...), by priority and severity but you will be *not* forced to use them if you don't want to (as an example, shorter shops tend to use either priority or severity, but not both).
  * It lacks "proper" multiproject and nested tickets support but, as I already said, that's not a problem since you are alone and workflow/procedures are basically in your head (and described on a wiki page too). In example, a component/milestone combo provides for a nice solution for your short, unbudgeted, as time allows, personal/internal "microprojects", and being wiki-based, hierarchycal tickets can be easily mimicked using a "superticket" ticket type that links to all the related "subtickets" which in turn "backlink" to the parent.

So, my recomendation is Edgewall's Trac because of it leaness and functionality, more or less like this:
  * Wiki pages organized by "machines", "services" and "procedures" with proper links among them (a procedure affects some services that are offered by some machines; a machine hosts some services -or parts of them; each service has some associated procedures and expands through one/some machines).
  * Bug/Enhancement tickets for "usual" day-to-day activities eventually grouped by milestones (like "operations 2009") and components (like "core services", "helpdesk", "CRM"...). They allow for a description and a variable number of notes either direct or question/reply style, so you will know exactly where did you gave it six months ago, when you last time worked on it; its wiki syntax will allow for links to the pages for the affected machines/services/procedures and even the exact transaction on the source management system where/when you activated that new service or corrected that bug.
  * Project-like components/milestones/tickets for bigger tasks (aka "microprojects").
  * ...and your own intelligence and discipline to firmly tie everything in place.

Bugzilla and Wiki

[sky289hawk1]

A combination of Bugzilla and Wiki. Wiki keeps track of backlog. Bugzilla keeps track of tasks.

Re:Bugzilla and Wiki

[grcumb]

A combination of Bugzilla and Wiki. Wiki keeps track of backlog. Bugzilla keeps track of tasks.

If you're going down this road, then just install and configure Request Tracker. It's got great workflow management, uses email (which works for all but network-related tasks) as the primary interface and has some great reporting tools, so at the end of every month you can hand your boss a shiny little report showing just how productive you are.

For bonus points, it also stores the history of every request, so if you need to, you can also demonstrate to your boss what a prick Henderson in HR is, and that you cut off his Internet access because he didn't seem to be able to stay away from Furry sites during working hours.

Okay, seriously: RT is well-designed, well-documented and well-supported. It's got a lot of solid add-ons (which might or might not have significance for a 1 man IT dept.), and though it takes a little effort to grasp, it's remarkably rewarding in terms of simplifying your day.

Re:Bugzilla and Wiki

[eulernet]

At my work, we used Bugzilla extensively, but it was because one of our developers maintained it, by coding some new components.
It is really oriented towards bug tracking, but it's not very well integrated with anything else.
For example, how can you automatically link a wiki page to a bug, when you do a commit on a SVN server, then run a build ?
It's also a mess to maintain, since it's written in Perl.

We recently switched to Trac because we needed a more complete integration between the automated build process, the wiki, the bug tracking and the frequent releases (we try to work with agile methodologies).

Frankly, Trac is not very good on each of the above points, but it's easy to use, fast and light and it's written in Python (and our Bugzilla maintainer is a Python expert, so he's much happier).
Bugzilla is slow and if Mozilla did not put resources on maintaining it, it would have died since a long time.

Note that using two different tools (Wiki and Bugzilla) leads to developers concentrating on Bugzilla, and never updating the wiki.
On the contrary, having the wiki and bug tracking forces them to update the wiki.

Re:Bugzilla and Wiki

[tbischel]

I've found Fossil extremely easy to use as an individual programmer... it incorporates wiki, issue tracking, and version control through a simple interface, the server software is a single executable and runs on the client with no setup required, and it is free. When you begin working in larger teams, the model is distributed version control. Its pretty slick.

Re:Bugzilla and Wiki

[rtfa-troll]

What's the advantage of using the proprietary options over Trac? Especially since that can run on top of an advanced VCS like GIT, I think it's pretty close to ideal.

Re:Bugzilla and Wiki

[rtfa-troll]

Err.. Edgewall, the people who write it also provide commercial support for trac. Note: I haven't tried it yet myself so this isn't an endorsement, but normally Free software support is much better than proprietary, especially since you have the option to find another commercial option if you are unhappy.

So what was the benefit again?

Re:Bugzilla and Wiki

[kobaz]

It's also a mess to maintain, since it's written in Perl.

Nice troll!

"I hate X because I can't use it properly". "I hate X because other people can't use it properly".

It's a pretty common misconception that a *language* makes things hard to maintain. I've seen horrible C code, I've seen excellent C code. I've seen horrible PHP code, and I've seen excellent PHP code. And of course I've seen some amazing Perl. It's a matter of development experience combined with time and effort of the authors, that makes a project is easy to maintain or not... not the language.

If your bugzilla guy is a Python expert, then maybe his skills are lacking in Perl... which is why it's hard to maintain... just a thought.

Re:Bugzilla and Wiki

[kobaz]

I simply said that Bugzilla has been written since a long time, it's pretty old and over-bloated, and hard to maintain.

Heh... no, you didn't say that. You said:

It's also a mess to maintain, since it's written in Perl.

Clocking It

[sheetzam]

http://www.clockingit.com/ Might be worth a look. Keeps track of stuff you need to do, and will let you keep track of time spent doing it as well. Definitely a help if you're looking to prove you need help some day. And yes, you can install a copy of it on a local server.
Heck, might be a good tool for others in your office, for that matter - this isn't a problem you're alone in having in your company.

Re:what we use

[jo42]

We've upgraded to soft clay tablets and pointy sticks from hand painting on cave walls. There was a great debate on the merits of the permanence of the new technology until Ugh pointed out that the clay tablets harden if you leave them on the fire and that you can also take them with you when moving to the summer caves.

Something WebBased

[nahdude812]

I used to use Mantis and create tickets for different tasks.

I have switched to OpenGoo, this is a slick easy to use web based lightweight project management software. It can be used to give visibility to others in the organization regarding what you're working on if you so choose.

Nice big

[i.r.id10t]

Nice big whiteboard w/ several color markers. Grid it out into colums/rows if needed using blue painters masking tape.

Re:Nice big

[NeutronCowboy]

Indeed. Not to mention that if someone comes by and asks "Why isn't this done yet?", you can point at the 20 tasks ahead of his and ask him which one ought to be re-scheduled in his favor. It drives home quite nicely that you aren't just waiting for people to grace you with requests for work.

Alternatively, I've found TiddlyWiki immensely useful - it's lightweight, allows for cross-linking and makes searching for those meeting notes a cinch.

WebCollab

[MooMooFarm]

I use WebCollab, great tool and fits the description of a "task list on steroids" and its open source! What is nice about WebCollab is that you have one object, a task, and a task can have multiple tasks in a hierarchical organization or can be by itself. http://webcollab.sourceforge.net/

I use an Excel spreadsheet

[gestalt_n_pepper]

But I always wash my hands afterwards.

redmine, launchpad, basecamp

[kikito]

I use redmine, which is opensource, and free as long as you have a server for it.

If I liked bazaar, I would use launchpad.

If I wanted a payed, supported option, I'd go for Basecamp.

Go oldschool

[Keruo]

I work in almost identical setup and simply use two notebooks. In notebook one I keep generic todo list, which travels with me. Second notebook sits on my desk. I keep more per project detailed data on it describing how I did something or just basic notes when trying to solve something. If the project is bigger, there will be separate binder for it additionally.

The generic notebook gets decoded into excel file which has sheet for each month, so I can track what I've been doing past year(s). Also it helps when troubleshooting reoccurring problems.

Re:Go oldschool

[nine-times]

I agree with keeping it old-school-- or at least it's good to avoid making things more complicated and technological than they need to be.

If you're trying to do something very complex and specific, there are probably good tools out there for you. Other people here are talking about tools that manage trouble tickets and stuff, and if you need that, great. Try some out, see what works. However, don't undervalue the old pen and paper. If you're going to use a computer, don't be afraid to type some lines into a text editor and save the text file, relying on simple directory structures and file names to keep things organized. As a techie, it may disappoint you to resort to such simple approaches, but the simple things still work.

I may be stating the obvious that everyone here already knows, but you might want to read Getting Things Done if you haven't already. The GTD fad may be overblown, but there's some good advise in there for making task lists.

But generally, my advice would be to not even try to devise a technical solution that will "keep you organized". Either you're organized or you aren't. If you add a complex technical solution on top of your disorganization, you'll probably end up dealing with your technical solution in a disorganized manner and it won't work. Get organized, then figure out a system that will help you skip over some of the more tedious steps of your workflow. Also, don't try to put all your information into a single task list. Keep the task list simple enough that you can glance at it and see if there's anything you can check off. If you need more information on a given task, keep a resource file somewhere else and store all the details there.

But regardless of this advice, you have to find a system that works for you. There's no "proper" way of handling these things that will work perfectly for everyone.

Emacs org-mode

[Enfors]

Are you an emacs user? If so, then I definitely recommend org-mode: http://orgmode.org/

It's notes mixed with todos on steroids (which themselves are on steroids). There's nothing it can't do. Check it out.

There's a Google tech video about it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJTwQvgfgMM

Trac = Bugzilla and Wiki

[rysiek]

Trac is a Bugzilla, Wiki, and then some - plus it has thousands of plugins. Also easy to administer and manage. Great tool, I use it for many projects.

Re:what we use

[Evil Shabazz]

I think it's been fairly well established that African swallows are no better at carrying coconuts. It's a question of mass ratios. That said, there have been recent discoveries in OCT protocols (octopus coconut transport) that you may be interested in.

Re:Omnifocus!

[Lord Satri]

I must agree. After a few months with OmniFocus, it really does help me reduce stress and stay focused (well, more focused anyway ;-).

I wrote a personal review last summer: Getting Things Done App Reviews: OmniFocus, Things, Life Balance, ThinkingRock and Chandler (no ads link). Chandler being open source.

Salvation is in the method (GTD)

[tamnir]

There was a similar comment posted, but it lacked explanations and has not been modded up yet, so let me go into more details.

Your current task management solution does not work so well, and you are looking for a tool that, you hope, will automagically make everything work for you. Let me tell you from experience: this won't happen. You may get a small boost at first, when using a new shinny "todo list on steroids", but it does not come from the tool: it just comes from your increased motivation. And when the novelty wears off, you will find yourself facing the same problems as before, blame the tool again and start looking for a new one. Rinse, repeat...

So, rather than looking for a technical solution to your problem, you first need to find a better task management method. And as a previous poster wrote:

1) Read the book "Getting Things Done" (GTD) by David Allen.

2) There is no 2). The GTD method works very well with just pen and paper, and you can probably implement it with the tools you are currently using.

Once you are familiar with the GTD method, you may start looking for some GTD specific tool. In that case, I suggest OmniFocus. I reviewed many such tools, but I think OmniFocus is the one that is truest to the method. In particular, it is very important to be able to easily turn a task into a project when you process your inbox. And OmniFocus makes it the easiest: you just drag and drop the task to the project sidebar. All other software make you click extra buttons, input the project title again, and this extra clutter just gets in the way of a smooth inbox processing. OmniFocus is also an iPhone application, that can sync with its desktop counter-part, so you can have access to your GTD system anywhere. Only issue: the desktop version is unfortunately Mac only.

Re:what we use

[Smivs]

What do you do to stop the octopi from stealing the coconuts to live in?

Kick 'em in the tentacles!