PLANATA - a modern multi-user project and task management system
Good afternoon, dear Khabravchane!
We want to tell you about the new task management system.
Surprised?
As usual, it all started a long time ago ... Usually the symptomatology looks like this:
Failure at work, sleepless nights, finding a solution, reading reviews, trials and errors, a lot of time spent (in especially bad cases, more money) - as a result, I wrote a self-worthy solution - an article in “I PR”
If you are familiar with this scenario, then you are:
A. Programmer;
B. The author of drop dead, on the verge of genius, program;
B. Startup (at least in the shower);
Guessed? ;)
We are no exception. Our misfortune came when we stopped placing ourselves first in one room, and later in one city. The development team (from the city rich in talents N), designed to facilitate our fate, return to the families of fathers, and institutes - students, etc., hiding behind the buzzword “outsourcers”, posed us with the problem of choosing a project management tool.
As usual, the problem became a PROBLEM not immediately. All the circles of hell (searching for a solution) were completed: regular email with folders / mailing lists / skype / Google groups / tablets in Google Docs, etc. There is no need to tell what soon became clear: without a normal tool, work on several fronts (and even two teams) is impossible.
The intensive search for a solution did not please - the systems under consideration easily scattered into two poles: “monsters” (a lot of things, but it’s hard to understand and use) and “cripples” (simple but miserable functionally). Cripples did not pass the test “candidate minimum”:
- unlimited nesting of tasks;
- access control;
- appointment of responsible;
and 113 more mandatory requirements. But the “monsters” required too much time: to study, install, configure, train, support, etc. It seems that the introduction of such a system should _save_ us time? ..
Alas, there was no golden mean. Often, candidate programs were noted at the stage of a review of their capabilities, even before reaching trial operation. And what kind of exploitation can we talk about if the program, for example, allows you to create projects with only two levels of nesting !? Or if no change history is kept? And will you start using a system that leads only ONE project ?!
This is how the decision arose to write our project management system and exactly what _name_ is needed for. The result of our modest labors (not without fear, but with a certain pride) we will try to present today to the court of habrasociety.
The Planat system was (modestly) conceived as an “ideal” task management system. This "ideality" consists of four parts.
1) Willingness to work “out of the box”
As a tool that you pick up and it immediately works. This is achieved by ease of installation, an integrated help system and rich features that are available initially. There is no need to “finish” anything, the system starts in 10 minutes. We'll talk more about the possibilities below.
2) Maximum usability of the interface
"Spoiled" MS Office, we wanted "undo" and other "goodies." Despite the fact that Planata works in a browser, its interface provides capabilities comparable to ordinary, “desktop” applications. Bookmarks with desktops and "floating" windows. Drag-and-drop. You can drag and drop tasks (for example, to move them between projects), you can drag and drop users (for example, associate a user with a task). There is a mechanism for canceling actions in the interface. Accidentally closed the bookmark, clicked Undo - returned it back with all the windows. The window with the task can be “minimized” into a strip, dragged onto another bookmark. Etc.
And yet - an important detail - the desktop configuration is saved from session to session. That is, the next day you launch the browser and see the same windows with the tasks that you worked with today.
3) This is truly a multi-user
Planat system that offers instant data updates (push technology): the user has changed the task and _there_ it has changed in your window. In Planat, if two users are simultaneously editing a task, the system warns and offers to resolve the conflict. In Planat, you can see who is currently in the system online (as in ICQ). Etc.
Finally, the most important aspect ...
4) The central element of the system is the task.
Roughly speaking, Planata relates to tasks in the same way as an email program - to emails.
Tasks can be discussed, dragged, blocked, and their priorities changed. Provide access to and revoke it. Search for tasks is carried out in a couple of clicks. The task can be made a project. Or you can - on the contrary - bring the project as a subtask into another task. For each task, its full story is kept, everything revolves around the task. Etc.
In short, the task is “atom”, “brick”, the foundation. And projects are the same tasks (which do not have a parent). They do not differ from tasks anymore. This approach makes the system holistic, it is easier to understand.
Here is what our system can do (maybe some features have already been mentioned above):
- you can create projects and invest tasks in them; the depth of the hierarchy is unlimited;
- You can move tasks between projects and tasks;
- you can block some tasks with others; a blocked task will have the status “blocked” until all tasks on which it depends are completed;
- shortcuts can be associated with tasks; shortcuts are searched in two clicks;
- access to each task is set individually (you can give the user access to the sub-task without giving access to the project itself, etc.);
- you can attach files to tasks (any, of course: pictures, documents, etc.);
- the degree of readiness of tasks containing subtasks is calculated automatically as the subtasks are completed;
- The priority system contains 8 levels; In addition, it is possible to set the task “on-pause”;
- the task manager can both accept the result of the task and give the performer the opportunity to put the sign “completed” on his own;
- easy to control deadlines and readiness of tasks;
- each task has a discussion of the task “attached to it”;
- for each task, a complete history of its change is automatically maintained; any action on a task (changing priority, new message in discussion, changing status, etc.) automatically gets into its history;
- The built-in chat allows you to conduct both general discussions and private conversations;
- the system’s desktop allows you to open individual tabs on which you can place windows with tasks (like sheets in MS Excel);
- the desktop configuration is saved in the form in which you left it when you finished work (close the browser, the next day - open and see all the same windows in the same places);
- the system monitors changes in the tasks you are associated with and sends notifications;
- each task associated with you has a sign “requires attention”, which is automatically set when any data on the task changes by other users (for example, a new message appeared in the discussion of the task);
- You can copy individual tasks or projects (with all subtasks), using them as templates;
- it is possible to make the user super-administrator and get full access to all data; other users see only those tasks with which they are associated;
- any task or project can be sent to the archive and returned from the archive; this means that all data is saved, but the project "does not loom" before our eyes, diverting attention;
- Performers can specify the cost of a standard hour and calculate the costs of tasks and projects;
- You can set the start time of the task and receive a notification when it is time to start work;
- you can set the deadline for the task and receive a notification if the task is overdue;
- the system is initially Russian-language (not translated) and is distinguished by its attention to the grammatical details of the Russian language.
All these features are included in the kernel and are available initially.
A large number of task management systems integrate their own (offline) mail.
Is this right?
The appearance of another "mail" will cancel the usual email? Of course no! So is it really easier for the user when he starts to view two inboxes instead of one? And if another system appears, then you have to check three boxes? How to forward mail between them?
And another interesting question - do developers of such systems really think that they will make mail better than the same Google GMail? No seriously? Compete with Google ?!
Well, well ... the
Planat system integrates with webmail. You can insert a link of a special type in the body of the e-mail, then in a couple of clicks open the corresponding task in the Planat. And all correspondence with the client can be continued at GMail ...
Website of the Planat system:
http://planata.ru
Chrome requires the latest version of Chrome or Safari.
On the site you can watch a demo video with an example of the use of the system.
We currently offer a boxed version of the Planat system (platform: Windows).
The system is installed on a dedicated computer in the local network of your company.
The boxed version of the system can support from 5 to 500 users (of course, this also depends on server performance). The license (the right to access the system) is purchased separately for each user.
An online service system for working through the Network (SaaS) is not yet available and will be ready closer to winter. There is a demo version for "getting to know" the interface, which will not withstand a serious load, so we give its coordinates privately.
Now a few words about technology. Still, this is Habr :-)
The development of the system has been ongoing for more than two years. The beta version was born six months ago. Currently, Planat has been used by several of our partners for 3-4 months. The reviews are positive.
Our team consists of experienced professionals (my personal development experience> 15 years). We had a lot of projects behind us (really). We did web applications, but it seemed to us that their niche did not intersect with “heavy” clients, “native” for operating systems. I had the experience of creating an application with floating windows in IE and online updating of data, and this experience led to gloomy thoughts ...
Everything began to take shape with the advent of Chrome. The browser was very fast and full of technology. In fact, it was already a new development platform. A kind of "bridgehead" from which Google stepped on users' computers :-) So the idea arose to take this platform as a basis, to do something as powerful as GMail (yes), but more "advanced" in the interface.
We tested the performance of Chrome. We were convinced that he would "pull" and floating windows, and much more. We saw that it is being actively developed by Google for its projects and that we have exactly the same technology needs. For example, WebSocket appeared as manna from heaven - this was what was missing for so long - an online update and a “native” push. (It’s nice to note that the Wikipedia article about WebSocket written by your humble servant is more complete than the English version: there are actually two versions of WebSocket and the client can use the old one. My article describes how to distinguish such a client and how support both versions, only the latest version is described in English). And of course HTML5, CSS3. The flip side of this enthusiasm was the fact that for a long time Planata worked only in Chrome.
Major development challenges awaited us in the use of JavaScript. This is a very powerful language, but its use requires high qualifications. We had to seriously “pull up” our knowledge and at some point just rewrite the entire client code. About a year ago, we started to build a client component loading library again. The second attempt was successful. And of course jQuery. The jQuery library played a huge role. If it weren’t for her, perhaps this project wouldn’t exist ... A huge respect to its developers.
Well, it's time to round off.
If you are interested in the system, use the email address provided on the site for communication. Or my personal mail on a habr.
Thanks for attention. We are waiting for questions / suggestions in the comments.
UPDA screenshot of the system can be viewed on the site. A direct link will follow.
Attention! Children under 18, pregnant women and designers should not open this link without reading the agreement below!
planata.ru/ss.png
[ X ] By opening a screenshot of this link I agree to endure the desires of disgust and the wave of indignation caused by the disgusting appearance of this picture.
UPD2 If you still feel bad (and we warned you!), Open this link and breathe deeper:
apple.com
Do not leave this link until the pressure and pulse return to normal.
We want to tell you about the new task management system.
Surprised?
As usual, it all started a long time ago ... Usually the symptomatology looks like this:
Failure at work, sleepless nights, finding a solution, reading reviews, trials and errors, a lot of time spent (in especially bad cases, more money) - as a result, I wrote a self-worthy solution - an article in “I PR”
If you are familiar with this scenario, then you are:
A. Programmer;
B. The author of drop dead, on the verge of genius, program;
B. Startup (at least in the shower);
Guessed? ;)
We are no exception. Our misfortune came when we stopped placing ourselves first in one room, and later in one city. The development team (from the city rich in talents N), designed to facilitate our fate, return to the families of fathers, and institutes - students, etc., hiding behind the buzzword “outsourcers”, posed us with the problem of choosing a project management tool.
As usual, the problem became a PROBLEM not immediately. All the circles of hell (searching for a solution) were completed: regular email with folders / mailing lists / skype / Google groups / tablets in Google Docs, etc. There is no need to tell what soon became clear: without a normal tool, work on several fronts (and even two teams) is impossible.
The intensive search for a solution did not please - the systems under consideration easily scattered into two poles: “monsters” (a lot of things, but it’s hard to understand and use) and “cripples” (simple but miserable functionally). Cripples did not pass the test “candidate minimum”:
- unlimited nesting of tasks;
- access control;
- appointment of responsible;
and 113 more mandatory requirements. But the “monsters” required too much time: to study, install, configure, train, support, etc. It seems that the introduction of such a system should _save_ us time? ..
Alas, there was no golden mean. Often, candidate programs were noted at the stage of a review of their capabilities, even before reaching trial operation. And what kind of exploitation can we talk about if the program, for example, allows you to create projects with only two levels of nesting !? Or if no change history is kept? And will you start using a system that leads only ONE project ?!
This is how the decision arose to write our project management system and exactly what _name_ is needed for. The result of our modest labors (not without fear, but with a certain pride) we will try to present today to the court of habrasociety.
The Planat system was (modestly) conceived as an “ideal” task management system. This "ideality" consists of four parts.
1) Willingness to work “out of the box”
As a tool that you pick up and it immediately works. This is achieved by ease of installation, an integrated help system and rich features that are available initially. There is no need to “finish” anything, the system starts in 10 minutes. We'll talk more about the possibilities below.
2) Maximum usability of the interface
"Spoiled" MS Office, we wanted "undo" and other "goodies." Despite the fact that Planata works in a browser, its interface provides capabilities comparable to ordinary, “desktop” applications. Bookmarks with desktops and "floating" windows. Drag-and-drop. You can drag and drop tasks (for example, to move them between projects), you can drag and drop users (for example, associate a user with a task). There is a mechanism for canceling actions in the interface. Accidentally closed the bookmark, clicked Undo - returned it back with all the windows. The window with the task can be “minimized” into a strip, dragged onto another bookmark. Etc.
And yet - an important detail - the desktop configuration is saved from session to session. That is, the next day you launch the browser and see the same windows with the tasks that you worked with today.
3) This is truly a multi-user
Planat system that offers instant data updates (push technology): the user has changed the task and _there_ it has changed in your window. In Planat, if two users are simultaneously editing a task, the system warns and offers to resolve the conflict. In Planat, you can see who is currently in the system online (as in ICQ). Etc.
Finally, the most important aspect ...
4) The central element of the system is the task.
Roughly speaking, Planata relates to tasks in the same way as an email program - to emails.
Tasks can be discussed, dragged, blocked, and their priorities changed. Provide access to and revoke it. Search for tasks is carried out in a couple of clicks. The task can be made a project. Or you can - on the contrary - bring the project as a subtask into another task. For each task, its full story is kept, everything revolves around the task. Etc.
In short, the task is “atom”, “brick”, the foundation. And projects are the same tasks (which do not have a parent). They do not differ from tasks anymore. This approach makes the system holistic, it is easier to understand.
Here is what our system can do (maybe some features have already been mentioned above):
- you can create projects and invest tasks in them; the depth of the hierarchy is unlimited;
- You can move tasks between projects and tasks;
- you can block some tasks with others; a blocked task will have the status “blocked” until all tasks on which it depends are completed;
- shortcuts can be associated with tasks; shortcuts are searched in two clicks;
- access to each task is set individually (you can give the user access to the sub-task without giving access to the project itself, etc.);
- you can attach files to tasks (any, of course: pictures, documents, etc.);
- the degree of readiness of tasks containing subtasks is calculated automatically as the subtasks are completed;
- The priority system contains 8 levels; In addition, it is possible to set the task “on-pause”;
- the task manager can both accept the result of the task and give the performer the opportunity to put the sign “completed” on his own;
- easy to control deadlines and readiness of tasks;
- each task has a discussion of the task “attached to it”;
- for each task, a complete history of its change is automatically maintained; any action on a task (changing priority, new message in discussion, changing status, etc.) automatically gets into its history;
- The built-in chat allows you to conduct both general discussions and private conversations;
- the system’s desktop allows you to open individual tabs on which you can place windows with tasks (like sheets in MS Excel);
- the desktop configuration is saved in the form in which you left it when you finished work (close the browser, the next day - open and see all the same windows in the same places);
- the system monitors changes in the tasks you are associated with and sends notifications;
- each task associated with you has a sign “requires attention”, which is automatically set when any data on the task changes by other users (for example, a new message appeared in the discussion of the task);
- You can copy individual tasks or projects (with all subtasks), using them as templates;
- it is possible to make the user super-administrator and get full access to all data; other users see only those tasks with which they are associated;
- any task or project can be sent to the archive and returned from the archive; this means that all data is saved, but the project "does not loom" before our eyes, diverting attention;
- Performers can specify the cost of a standard hour and calculate the costs of tasks and projects;
- You can set the start time of the task and receive a notification when it is time to start work;
- you can set the deadline for the task and receive a notification if the task is overdue;
- the system is initially Russian-language (not translated) and is distinguished by its attention to the grammatical details of the Russian language.
All these features are included in the kernel and are available initially.
A large number of task management systems integrate their own (offline) mail.
Is this right?
The appearance of another "mail" will cancel the usual email? Of course no! So is it really easier for the user when he starts to view two inboxes instead of one? And if another system appears, then you have to check three boxes? How to forward mail between them?
And another interesting question - do developers of such systems really think that they will make mail better than the same Google GMail? No seriously? Compete with Google ?!
Well, well ... the
Planat system integrates with webmail. You can insert a link of a special type in the body of the e-mail, then in a couple of clicks open the corresponding task in the Planat. And all correspondence with the client can be continued at GMail ...
Website of the Planat system:
http://planata.ru
Chrome requires the latest version of Chrome or Safari.
On the site you can watch a demo video with an example of the use of the system.
We currently offer a boxed version of the Planat system (platform: Windows).
The system is installed on a dedicated computer in the local network of your company.
The boxed version of the system can support from 5 to 500 users (of course, this also depends on server performance). The license (the right to access the system) is purchased separately for each user.
An online service system for working through the Network (SaaS) is not yet available and will be ready closer to winter. There is a demo version for "getting to know" the interface, which will not withstand a serious load, so we give its coordinates privately.
Now a few words about technology. Still, this is Habr :-)
The development of the system has been ongoing for more than two years. The beta version was born six months ago. Currently, Planat has been used by several of our partners for 3-4 months. The reviews are positive.
Our team consists of experienced professionals (my personal development experience> 15 years). We had a lot of projects behind us (really). We did web applications, but it seemed to us that their niche did not intersect with “heavy” clients, “native” for operating systems. I had the experience of creating an application with floating windows in IE and online updating of data, and this experience led to gloomy thoughts ...
Everything began to take shape with the advent of Chrome. The browser was very fast and full of technology. In fact, it was already a new development platform. A kind of "bridgehead" from which Google stepped on users' computers :-) So the idea arose to take this platform as a basis, to do something as powerful as GMail (yes), but more "advanced" in the interface.
We tested the performance of Chrome. We were convinced that he would "pull" and floating windows, and much more. We saw that it is being actively developed by Google for its projects and that we have exactly the same technology needs. For example, WebSocket appeared as manna from heaven - this was what was missing for so long - an online update and a “native” push. (It’s nice to note that the Wikipedia article about WebSocket written by your humble servant is more complete than the English version: there are actually two versions of WebSocket and the client can use the old one. My article describes how to distinguish such a client and how support both versions, only the latest version is described in English). And of course HTML5, CSS3. The flip side of this enthusiasm was the fact that for a long time Planata worked only in Chrome.
Major development challenges awaited us in the use of JavaScript. This is a very powerful language, but its use requires high qualifications. We had to seriously “pull up” our knowledge and at some point just rewrite the entire client code. About a year ago, we started to build a client component loading library again. The second attempt was successful. And of course jQuery. The jQuery library played a huge role. If it weren’t for her, perhaps this project wouldn’t exist ... A huge respect to its developers.
Well, it's time to round off.
If you are interested in the system, use the email address provided on the site for communication. Or my personal mail on a habr.
Thanks for attention. We are waiting for questions / suggestions in the comments.
UPDA screenshot of the system can be viewed on the site. A direct link will follow.
Attention! Children under 18, pregnant women and designers should not open this link without reading the agreement below!
planata.ru/ss.png
[ X ] By opening a screenshot of this link I agree to endure the desires of disgust and the wave of indignation caused by the disgusting appearance of this picture.
UPD2 If you still feel bad (and we warned you!), Open this link and breathe deeper:
apple.com
Do not leave this link until the pressure and pulse return to normal.