2.4 Creating and Managing a Project Management Workspace

Project Management workspaces include special accessories that help leaders track the progress of task completion for potentially large projects. Although Project Management workspaces can contain any type of folder, they are specifically designed to work in conjunction with Tasks and Milestones folders.

2.4.1 Creating a Project Management Workspace

  1. Navigate to the place in Novell Vibe where you want to create the Project Management Workspace.

  2. Click Workspace > New Workspace in the Action toolbar.

    The New Workspace page is displayed.

  3. In the Workspace Title field, specify a name for the Project Management workspace.

  4. In the Workspace section, select Project Management Workspace.

  5. Click OK.

2.4.2 Managing a Project Management Workspace

After you create the Project Management workspace, notice that the workspace contains key folders, such as a Tasks folder, Milestones folder, Files folder, and so forth.

The home page of the Project Management workspace provides the following features that enable you to better manage your project:

Task Summary Accessory: This accessory lists all of the tasks that exist in the Tasks folder of your Project Management workspace.

To modify the information in this accessory, navigate to the Tasks folder of this Project Management workspace. For information about Tasks folders, see Working with Tasks Folders in the Novell Vibe 3.4 User Guide.

Project Information Box: Displays the Status, Manager, and Due Date of the project.

To modify this information:

  1. Click Workspace > Edit Workspace in the Action toolbar.

  2. In the Project Information Box section, modify the Manager, Status, and Due Date fields as needed.

  3. Click OK.

Project Statistics: Displays the current task and milestone statistics that are associated with the project.

2.4.3 Understanding Tasks and Milestones

Because tasks and milestones contribute important information to your Project Management workspace, it is important that you understand how they work.

Understanding Tasks

Tasks folders keep track of the progress made in completing work assignments. For information about Tasks folders, see Working with Tasks Folders in the Novell Vibe 3.4 User Guide.

Understanding Milestones

The Milestones folder contains the various milestones for a project. Each milestone entry has specific Tasks folders that are associated with the milestone. When all of the tasks in the Tasks folders are complete, you can mark the milestone that is associated with those tasks as completed.

Creating a Milestone
  1. Navigate to the Milestones folder in your Project Management workspace.

  2. Click Add Milestone.

    The Milestone page is displayed.

  3. Specify the following information:

    Title: Provide a title for the milestone.

    Description: Describe the milestone.

    Due Date: Specify when the milestone is due.

    Responsible: Specify the users who are responsible for completing the milestone.

    Responsible Groups: Specify the groups who are responsible for completing the milestone.

    Responsible Teams: Specify the teams who are responsible for completing the milestone.

    Send an E-Mail Notification to Responsibles: Select this option if you want Vibe to send an e-mail notification and iCal task/appointment to all of the users, groups, or teams that you associate with the entry.

    For more information on iCal functionality in Vibe, see Synchronizing Tasks and Calendars to a Desktop Application in the Novell Vibe 3.4 User Guide.

    Status: Use the drop-down list to specify a status for the milestone (Open, Reopen, Completed).

    Task Folders: Use the tree to navigate to and select the Tasks folders that you want to associate with the milestone.

    The tasks in these Tasks folders must be completed before the milestone can be marked as Completed.

    Attachments: Attach any appropriate files.

    Subscribe to This Entry: You can configure Vibe to send you notifications when activity takes place in this entry. For more information, see Subscribing to a Folder or Entry in the Novell Vibe 3.4 User Guide.

    Send E-Mail When Entry is Submitted: To ensure that certain co-workers are aware of your entry, you can send them an e-mail directly from Vibe, notifying them that an entry has been created. For more information, see Filling Out the Send E-Mail Page in the Novell Vibe 3.4 User Guide.

Using the Milestones Folder

The Milestones folder contains the following columns that contain information about each milestone:

Name: Displays the name of the milestone.

Responsible: Displays the people who are responsible for the milestone.

Tasks: Displays the Tasks folders that are associated with the milestone.

Mouse over the colors in the bar chart, and Vibe explains the value (needs action, in process, completed).

Status: Displays the status of the milestone.

Due date: Displays the due date of the milestone.

Modifying a Milestone
  1. In the Milestones folder, click the milestone name in the Name column.

    The milestone entry is displayed.

  2. In the Entry toolbar, click Modify.

    The Milestone page is displayed.

  3. Make any modifications, then click OK.

    You might need to refresh the page for your changes to be displayed.