On Sun, 20 May 2012 14:46:48 +0200, Christian Boltz wrote:
I don't know that bugzilla is an optimal solution for tracking project tasks - but it might be. Thing is we'd need additional product/component creation to do project management, but it's really geared towards products rather than project management.
I'd say bugzilla is good for tracking - and it doesn't care about what you are tracking ;-) Is there really a difference between tracking a bug and tracking a TODO? I doubt ;-)
Probably not a lot of difference, true; I've just never run across a project manager who used bugzilla for general project management, even when it was a tool that was available to them.
If you want to test bugzilla for project management, you can (ab)use the existing component "Action Items" in product "openSUSE.org" (optionally with a [prefix] in the bug summary).
Creating additional components shouldn't be a problem [1]. However I want to avoid having a bugzilla component just for a test (we'd have to keep this component forever), so please do the first test within the "Action Items" component ;-)
We could give it a go and see how it works out.
Absolutely. But one of the important points here is that project management for something like this is somewhat different than bug/defect tracking (or enhancement tracking), so a tool that's going to be effective also needs to be one that's not designed for a different purpose bent and twisted to accommodate the needs of doing project management.
My impression is that project management means, to say it with Henne's words, "get the shit done". That's also true for bugreports, so the difference can't be that big ;-)
Project management (full project management, that is) involves a lot more than just tracking tasks - you should also be tracking stakeholder interests, risks, expectations, deliverables, schedules/costs, and other stuff. It's more than just task tracking, though tasks are certainly a key piece of the puzzle. But, for example, keeping track of who has a stake in the project, what their influence/importance is, and interactions with them - that's not something well suited to bugzilla. Or maintaining a risk register that documents potential and actual risks, proactive planning to work around the risk if it's got a high probability of happening.
Needless to say that bugzilla has two big advantages: It is already there (you can start using it today), and most people already know how to use it.
Both are good positives for it, that's true. But with the other aspects of project management that are important to project success, it still feels a bit like "trying to bend something to do something it wasn't designed to do". Doesn't mean it's not worth a try, though.
Regards,
Christian Boltz
[1] AFAIK Coolo or AJ can create them, so we don't depend on the bugzilla team
That's good to know. :) Jim -- Jim Henderson Please keep on-topic replies on the list so everyone benefits -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, email: opensuse-project+owner@opensuse.org