Project TRACKING software - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: JVR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2013, 07:59:57 pm
content: It seems this does not existThe whole world is full of project planning and managing software suits, but nothing that will just allow me to track my projects as and when I get a gap to work on them. Or am I being silly and missing something?All I, and I believe a lot of others, need; is sw that will allow me to make a note of what progress I made today, what needs to be done next time, and what did it cost, if anything. I dont want to plan, as I dont know when I'll get to it again.What says the collective computing power of EEV?

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2013, 08:07:11 pm
content: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_time_tracking_software

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2013, 08:11:50 pm
content: I think there's a plugin for DaveCAD that lets you do this...

author: penfold
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2013, 08:14:29 pm
content: As far as tracking a project and measuring how well it fits to plan then MS project and most of the open source alternatives have a facility to log project completion and whether deadlines have beeb met.If you're looking at managing a project that doesn't conform to the classic make a plan and stick to it approach then it might be worth looking into some agile techniques. Whilst it is pretty much devoted to software engineering it has been applied quite nicely to both asic development (which may as well be software really!) and some electronic development stuff.I use a piece of software called redmine at work where the majority of the business is software development and follows a lot of the agile principals, I stretched its use a bit to integrate some of the software guys' agile techniques with my classic approach and it worked quite nicely, but I also have a feeling that it would work quite well for you as 'issues' can be raised (which you'd probably raise each of your classic WBS elements as issues to begin with) and as you work on each element you can track the time and effort spent on it. Now i can't say 100% that it would work for your application but it could very well be a good place to explore.

author: manticore00
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2013, 09:04:48 pm
content: Assuming you're writing code for your projects (and I suppose even if you're not) you could use Team Foundation Service's sprint planninghttp://tfs.visualstudio.com/en-us/learn/plan-your-sprintto help plot things out. (My day job involves working with Visual Studio and TFS a lot so personally I found it quite comfortable to be able to transfer those skills into my hobby as well.)

author: ftransform
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2013, 10:27:16 pm
content: I just use a post it note that inevitably gets lost some whereI should make a cork board. But then again, sometimes its good to get away from your projects. I get irritated if there is something irritating on a to-do list staring at me all day. Eventually I just mentally block it out

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2013, 12:06:41 am
content: I have used MS project in the past for multiperson, multitask and resource allocation. It was quite good but the time sink in administering it is a major problem. You layout an intricate "plan" and the first day every thing turns to shit.Suppliers, couriers, changing customer requirements, and other contractors all contribute to the downfall of any plan you are trying to implement.Unless there is a requirement to document your work, you are best off just coming up with your own way of doing things otherwise you end up spending more time trying to get the software to work for you than you do getting things done

author: ToBeFrank
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2013, 12:45:37 am
content: Usebitbucket. It's free for private projects. Create a mercurial or git repo for your design/code. When you create your repo on bitbucket, you can create a wiki and an issue tracker. I use the issue tracker with my projects to keep track of features I want to implement, bugs I need to fix, etc. You could use the wiki to write notes, docs, or whatever.

author: codeboy2k
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2013, 05:45:38 am
content: I hate post it notes for keeping track of things to do.. it's just not well suited to that task.People use them as a way to keep a task always in full view so you don't forget to do it, but that's just using the available tools wrong.Instead use a time manager app, I actually use the Samsung calendar on my phone these days, even though its just a task manager (not a good one) and calendar. I've come to know some shortcomings of using the Samsung app so I am looking for something else, although the app itself is visually quite pleasing.I used to use a Franklin day-timer planner years and years ago, and I liked the way it had A/B/C priorities for tasks, then within those tasks , 1/2/3/4, etc.So I could have several A1, A1, A2, B1, B2 tasks like this. Each day I have to manually forward incompleted tasks for that day to the next day then boost them in priority if needed. I have yet to find a task manager/day planner that is equivalent. Maybe I need to write oneNone of the task managers I've tried have automatic forwarding of incomplete tasks to the next day.. they just leave them on the day they were entered and due and mark them RED(!) overdue something like that. Maybe that's the way most people want to work.. I'd like to see them just as a task list that's overdue and not hidden from me that I have to go look for them under some checkmark option or another page of the app.As for time tracking on multiple different billable projects, there are also tools for that, although I have no experience with them .Jirais nice and integrates with github and your code tracking well, but its not free.. for up to 10 people on your team, it's less than $10/month.There is also thefreeproject tracking app calledTrello...from Fog Creek Software (the founders of the stackexchange sites, although stackexchange is now a wholly self-funded enterprise not owned by Fog Creek anymore).Trello is indeed, way, way cool, easy to use and offers live collaboration, events, event subscriptions, alerts via email, web, chat and maybe even SMS(?? not sure). It really shines with teams, but there is nothing to stop you from using it as a single developer on your projects. There is also a small github to trello integration project (hosted on github) but it requires some additional thought on your part to maintain the integration (basically your commits to github have to reference a Trello card and it will be entered into Trello when you commit -- very basic, but it's a start )QuoteIf that's all you really need then, as others have said, just have a file in your project stored in a repo like github.. call it STATUS.TXT and update it anytime you do some work and want to track it.But tools like Trello (plus the github<->Trello integration) can allow you to update a status on a Trello page that your stakeholders can visit and view (stakeholders being anyone with a stake in your project getting completed on time )

author: JVR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2013, 05:11:30 pm
content: Some good advice here for the work environment, but this is only for my home projects, and as such I really dont do any planning, I just want to keep tabs of what has, and what needs to be done. As well as a brainfart section for random idea's.I've tried Word, Excel and a few others, they all suck. All I want is to be able to dynamically create a log against a project, with any sort of info I feel like, be it a sketch, a link or a datasheet.The Wiki idea sounds good. How hard would it be to get a wiki running in apache?

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2013, 06:56:43 pm
content: It would be hard to do a functional wiki simpler than these:http://tiddlywiki.com/orhttp://mptw.tiddlyspot.com/

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2013, 10:28:18 pm
content: If you need project management software I recommend buying a software package and use that. I've tried the Wiki but in the end its just too cumbersome.My former employer found project management software too complicated so he insisted he wanted something developed. It took an intern a couple of months to cook something up but the end result made clear my employer overlooked several requirements. After those where built in the system was just as complicated as any off-the-shelf project management software. It only cost several thousand euros instead of a couple of hundred.

author: anika.hanan
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 03, 2013, 09:52:48 am
content: Hi,I think, you haven't tried any best software to track your projects and time. I suggest you just try Replicon's software, its a supercool and superefficient software to manage and track your tasks.If you are looking for the best software that could help you with your overseas business, then this could be the right choice. Right from organizing the projects and tasks for your overseas business, till preparing the final consolidated report, this software will really helps you.Checkout this link (http://www.replicon.com/olp/online-time-recording-software.aspx) for more details!

author: mickpah
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2013, 10:49:15 am
content: I use redmine,more aimed at software development but easy to configure. has built in wiki, doc management, time tracking , will generate gantt ( gotta love a good gantt), will integrate to git or subversion. Best of all just down load a prebuilt VMhttp://bitnami.com/stack/redmine/virtual-machine- don't like it delete !

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 03, 2013, 10:53:16 am
content: Quote from: anika.hanan on September 03, 2013, 09:52:48 amCall me suspicious but you wouldn't be by any chance trying to increase your google page rank by spamming us with your "best ever in the world" project tracking software? ;-)

author: Circuitous
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 03, 2013, 01:26:09 pm
content: You might look at the JIRA and Confluence products from Atlassian:https://www.atlassian.com/You can run your own or have it hosted, prices starting at $10 for a 10 user license.JIRA provides issue/ticket management, and can connect to their Confluence wiki. Lots of support available, and various free and commercial plug-ins.I use these products at work (software development), and also run my own set for tracking projects at home.- I have no affiliation with Atlassian, I just use the products.

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 03, 2013, 04:01:07 pm
content: I don't know. Based on the very simple needs mentioned in the OP, I'm not convinced they actually need a full product management package.I would just start out with some decent note-taking software and go from there. It might be all you need, and if not then you can have a better idea of what features you are missing to help guide the selection process.Evernote is pretty good, supports a lot of platforms (and can sync between them), and is free. I use it on my desktop as well as on my ipad - content stays in sync between them - and this works great because I currently don't have a desktop or laptop at my workbench. I can just take the ipad with me there and have access to all project notes (searchable/taggable), and add new notes if necessary.

author: MatCat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2013, 05:28:21 pm
content: I prefer redmine myself, great free open source management system with enough options for anything from complex software to whatever else.

author: Circuitous
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 03, 2013, 06:16:49 pm
content: Yes, Evernote is great! I use a Livescribe pen and notebook and the notes sync to Evernote as images, which even allows me to do text searches on my handwritten notes... really handy.I took a look at redmine, definitely a viable option. If the OP is looking for software, try that or Atlassian.I have a PC by my bench, but it's often easier to record notes and diagram things on paper. The Livescribe-to-Evernote approach is just my electrified version of Dave CADTM

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 03, 2013, 06:33:14 pm
content: I've used a free little windows app called "toDoList" and that works quite nicely.http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/5371/ToDoList-6-7-8-Feature-Release-An-effective-and-fl

author: Mike Warren
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 03, 2013, 11:58:56 pm
content: Quote from: jucole on September 03, 2013, 06:33:14 pmHere's a page that doesn't require registration to download.http://www.abstractspoon.com/tdl_resources.html