[280] in iswork
Re: Comments about the IS Work database
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Kevin M. Cunningham)
Fri Apr 19 08:11:00 2002
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In-Reply-To: <3CBA807A.5050309@id.ethz.ch>
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 08:07:50 -0400
To: "Roman W. Bolinger" <rwb@id.ethz.ch>
From: "Kevin M. Cunningham" <kcunning@MIT.EDU>
Cc: Robert Ferrara <rferrara@mit.edu>, itlt@mit.edu, iswork@mit.edu,
kcunning@mit.edu
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Hi Roman,
This is Kevin Cunningham, the maintainer of the IS Work system on the
technical side. Thanks for your interest in (and appreciation of) our
system.
An "exportable" version of the IS Work system is in the works but, as
Bob points out, is not yet available. Among the work still in
progress:
- documenting the system for use outside of MIT
- reimplementing a part of the system to allow more flexibility
The documentation piece would include instructions for how to set up
and configure the system, but also involves adding a configuration
table in the system itself to allow easy adjustment of various
components without requiring maintainers to get into the innards of
the databases or web pages. These elements (documents and
configuration table) do not yet exist in any exportable form. (Then
again, if you're highly familiar with FileMaker, they may not be
essential.)
The reimplementation piece is oriented toward making the conceptual
model more adjustable. The current database system hard-codes the
distinctions Theme, Strategy, Initiative, Project, and Activity into
separate tables. It would be easy to imagine a site that wants to
organize the project hierarchy using some other distinctions. The
reimplementation piece involves creating a single hierarchy database
that allows any number of levels with any naming scheme. Not only
will this make the hierarchy more flexible, it will actually make it
easier to maintain because there are fewer database tables. (This
part of the system is already coded and tested, but is just not yet
implemented in the production version. It's waiting for some open
work cycles...)
If you are familiar with FileMaker software (including its web
interface capabilities) and you are comfortable with the IS project
management model as it stands, it would be fairly easy for you to
adjust our current version to your needs without documentation.
(Note: It requires FileMaker Unlimited, not just plain FileMaker Pro,
to serve to more than a few users via the web.)
However, if you aren't deeply familiar with the ins and outs of
FileMaker, or you would need to tailor the conceptual model (i.e.,
not use Themes, Strategies, Initiatives, etc. just as we have them),
it would be best to wait for the future, configurable, documented
version.
(A note about the word "exportable", in case there's any confusion:
it's true that in some cases, FileMaker databases can be packaged
into "runtime" versions, which no longer require the users to obtain
FileMaker software separately and can be set up quite easily.
Unfortunately, FileMaker's web capability is not included in such
runtime versions, so that is not an option for this system.)
When our exportable version is ready, I can send you a copy. Or we
could arrange an alternative, depending on your FileMaker/web skills
or interest.
Please let me know what next step you'd like to consider.
Sincerely,
--Kevin Cunningham
Senior Technical Consultant
At 9:25 AM +0200 4/15/02, Roman W. Bolinger wrote:
>Hi Bob,
>
>thanks a lot for your prompt reply. MIT's approach to project
>management including the corresponding tools and documentation is
>really well thought out. It is one of the best examples or even the
>best example I have seen so far.
>
>I would be really interested in an "exportable" version of your
>Filemaker tool. Therefore, if Kevin already has such a version of if
>he is able to create one without taking too much time I would really
>like to have it. Thanks!
>
>Have a good start into the new week!
>
>Sunny regards from Switzerland,
>
>Roman
>
>
>Robert Ferrara wrote:
>
>>Hi Roman,
>>Yes, you guessed right, it is a Filemaker database. Is has not,
>>however, been packaged for external distribution - at least yet.
>>However, some of history on how we evolved this database can be
>>found in the project notebook for the project then known "Operation
>>Plan Alive!". You can get the link to this notebook
>>http://web.mit.edu/is/delivery/iswork/ also from the completed
>>projected in the IS work database. (How is that for recursive
>>documentation? :-)
>>You might also be interested in our overall approach to project
>>management. Probably a good place to start is
>>http://web.mit.edu/is/projects/
>>Kevin Cunningham, if you are ware of any plans afoot for an
>>"exportable" version of this Filemaker database, please chime in.
>>Thanks, Bob
>>At 08:46 AM 4/12/2002 -0400, rwb@id.ethz.ch wrote:
>>
>>>Suggestions or Corrections to the web pages
>>>Name: Roman Bolinger
>>>Email: rwb@id.ethz.ch
>>>Message type: question
>>>Subject: Details about IS Work project management system Message
>>>detail: Hi,
>>>
>>>I'm working on my diploma thesis to start a project management
>>>system within our university. I like your (Filemaker-based?) web
>>>tool quite a lot. Could you give me some more details about the
>>>application? I would really like to have something similar here.
>>>
>>>Best regards,
>>>
>>>Roman
>>>Referring-URL:
>>>http://iswork.mit.edu/iswork/FMPro?-db=work.fp5&-lay=web&-format=work-new.html&-token.2=Project&-token.5=3188&-max=1&-findany
>>
>
>
>--
>|=---------------------------------------------=|
>| Roman W. Bolinger | Phone +41 1 632 34 94 |
>| Informatikdienste | Fax +41 1 632 13 12 |
>| ETH Zuerich | |
>| CH-8092 Zuerich | e-Mail rwb@id.ethz.ch |
>| Switzerland | http://www.id.ethz.ch/ |
>|=---------------------------------------------=|
