A few words on getting started with WebCollab... |
The Beginning..."In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move. A quick overview to getting started with WebCollab. Users"In Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs, of every head he's had the pleasure to have known." Each user has their own login name and password. Users can only alter items that they own, or that they administer. This means that individual users cannot make changes to other users' items. There are several special types of users:
Projects"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" Projects are the basic building blocks of WebCollab. Projects are any definable quantity of work that has a number tasks below it. The definition of a project is really only limited by your imagination. It can be a multiple number of different small projects, or it can be sub-projects within a much larger overall project. Projects can be classed as:
WebCollab does not have precedents for project start dates. This means that a project cannot be set to automatically start when another project is completed. While this is an integral part of critical path method (CPM) tools, it does not seem to be a hindrance in collaborative websites. Tasks"Take it to the limit, take it to the limit one more time." Tasks are the individual assignments within the project. Tasks are assigned to a user, and have a completion date. They can be classed as:
In the main project summary page, the projects are all listed. Uncompleted tasks are listed below each project listing, and a graphical colour bar indicates the percentage completion of the tasks. If a task is not completed by the deadline date, the 'late' graphic will be displayed. Clicking on the task or the project, will take you to the task listing, where the details are shown. Owners of the task can edit the task, mark it as finished, reassign it someone else, or even delete the task. Administrators have universal rights and can edit or delete any tasks. When the 'Usergroup can edit' check box is selected AND a Usergroup is chosen, anyone in the selected usergroup can edit the task or project. Also, on the task listing page is the user forums and file upload areas.These are specific to each task or project. Again the task owner has editing rights, while the administrator can do anything. WebCollab will accommodate sub-tasks below tasks. The task navigation bar on the left will indicate which level you are viewing. Deadlines"I love deadlines. I specially love the swooshing sounds they make as they fly by." WebCollab is deadline based. Project performance is measured against calendar dates, and there is no time accounting (hours worked). Usergroups"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main..." Most projects or tasks have a group of users working together in one specificarea. A Usergroup is a group of users who share a similar work area. Notification emails can be sent to the usergroup, rather than just an individualuser. Usergroups can also be used to control access. Access can be limited to just the Usergroup; in which case other users won't see the restricted project/task, or be able to access them. The access restriction can be applied at project or task level. When the 'Usergroup can edit' check box is selected AND a Usergroup is chosen for an item, anyone in the selected usergroup can edit that particular task or project. Where applicable, Usergroups also get their own private forum boards with each task and project. Taskgroups"If I have seen further it is by standing on shoulders of giants." The differences between Taskgroups and Usergroups is not easily apparent to first time users. However the difference is marked; Usergroups control access and information flow; Taskgroups are merely for making the task listing more readable. When a project grows to have a number of child tasks, the listing can appear long and not very readable. By putting tasks into a Taskgroup the list will be automatically grouped into subsections (by Taskgroup) and be much more readable. Tasks that have no Taskgroup assigned will be grouped as Uncategorised. To summarise:
Private Usergroups and Private Users"LECTOR, SI MONUMENTUM REQUIRIS CIRCUMSPICE" Usergroups and users can be individually set as private by an administrator.
Private usergroups and private users can still be seen in publically accessible projects and tasks (i.e. global access is allowed). For total privacy make all projects and tasks private as well. Programming Quirks"'The time has come,' the Walrus said, 'to talk of many things: of shoes - and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages - and kings - and why the sea is boiling hot - and whether pigs have wings.'"
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