Another request for a Gantt Chart

[pfwgrendel]

I'm an art director at a video game company trying out OpenGoo. I've used quite a few project management solutions, free and expensive. Currently, I'm using Gantt Project (http://ganttproject.biz/) as well as excel. Gantt Project is open source, easy, and powerful for what I need. Mostly, I need to see the duration of dependent/linked tasks. Also, if someone finishes early or runs late, I need to be able to see the chain reaction and quickly adjust for it.

In OpenGoo, when I create a task, it only shows me the date it's due on the calendar and I need to see the total duration in days - and be able to just grab it and move it to different days if need be. Our tasks are dependent on each other and only seeing the due dates doesn't tell me, visually, where an artist or programmer should be on that task.

So, I guess I'm requesting:
1. a gantt chart that's editable
or
2. a calendar that has each single task viewed as a bar across multiple days for the duration of that task (like google if you don't set hours)

With that said, you guys have created really great, fantastic software! I'm very impressed! I installed it on my personal website and am trying it out right now.

[conrado]

Interesting Idea. We would need to work a bit more on the design of this.

Glad you like our work! 

[pmaxx]

I agree, OpenGoo is great software.  I really like the linking objects, and the workspaces.  Very elegant & intuitive.

I Agree wit hthe Gantt chatrs.  They give a view of event data that conveys information differently. There are a couple of interactive gantt chrt mods for DotProject.  One if them exports to pdf.  Very handy!

I'm not a coder, but I am a huge fan of open source software.

Thanks for the great application!

Paul

[pmaxx]

Greetings, me again!

Just to clarify, I was not proposing to try DotProject (a very powerful, but also very different app).  I think this mod (an add on module seperate rom the DP core) gantt viewer could serve as a starting point for form and function, and maybe even a code base, because it is open source.

Here is the link: http://forums.dotproject.net/showthread.php?t=9126

And here is a brief summary of what this module does (from the DP forum):

New features include:

    * add hyperlinks to the Gantt chart: better navigation, you can get back to the task of interest with just a click.
    * task filtering: a list of all the dynamic tasks is generated and assembled in a drop down menu which can be used as a filter.
    * minor formatting options: display task names only (no dates or work/duration), hide milestones, add horizontal grid to the gantt to improve readability and use of monospace font (can make the display look better, specially when task names are truncated).
    * print the Gantt (with all the above options) to a pdf!

Thanks again for the great software.

- Paul

[superman]

Yes, i also want a gantt chart for Project (milestones), tasks and Calendar!
Whithout this function then we all going blind if you know what i mean!

Cheers!
 

[WiZaxx]

First let me endorse the request for a gantt chart.
OpenGoo is a brilliant project, but no app can be a true project management without at least a timeline.

I have found this http://www.simile-widgets.org/timeline/ .
And I believe it could be a starting point for a more interactive Gantt chart.

Anyone?

PS:
The beauty of this timeline is that has no limit, so you can pan it undefinetly.

[max]

WIZaxx, meet PMaxx, who had the idea before.

But
* how would you make tasks depend on each other?
* with the given tools, if you had a bunch of tasks e.g. grouped by a parent task, how would you move them around? Isn't GANNT-Charting all about being able to move things until they fit?

While I am certain simile would be a super great addition to the calendar, I'd say it probably wouldnt help much to create a critical path scenario - there's so much drag&drop functionality still missing, it might be painful. So I believe that even if you manage to draw a gantt chart with simile, you'd have a very very high investment in programming left to get the editor right.

And here's another suggestion:

GANTTPROJECT is a rather-mature GANTT editor. One beauty of it is that it can save to WebDAV.
So you could in theory
* launch ganttproject from the web or as a standalone application
* Open A WHOLE WORKSPACE from a distinct URL with password
  (Needed: a script that packages all events, tasks, milestones into a ganttproject file - a Ganttproject fileserver, I guess it could be done)
* edit events, tasks, milestones in ganttproject
* save them back to opengoo
* opengoo would then update its calendars, tasks, and milestones

crazy, eh? Lots of Pitfalls, like how-to-handle-updates, what-to-do with nonexisting fields during the transfer, etc.
 But I kind of love the idea, anyway.

Perhaps some young and aspiring CS student is looking for a diploma thesis topic...

[carrigan]

Please get a Gantt chart in this program.  It's got everything but a Gantt chart which most people find extremely useful!!

[carrigan]

Would you guys accelerate Gantt development with a certain budget contribution?

[max]

The Feng office Guys are currently considering a timeline extension and we've begun to speak about funding it. Most likely this could be done with shared sponsoring by multiple users, and we'd really be interested in that.

However my general impression is that it would be very hard to get all of the complexity (dependencies? baselines?), user interface features (Drag&drop multiple tasks in time?), and speed that you have with MS Project or GanttProject.

On the other hand, being integrated in a full-featured task manager / groupware would of course be a huge plus.

So I guess the challenge here is finding out what features you'd expect from a gantt tool.

I'd be happy already if I had a possibility of looking at several worspaces' calendars on a timeline, one on top of the next, as with the simile widgets (mentioned elsewhere on this forum). This would already allow me to check ressources' actual availability, compare project progresses, and maintain even loads on ressources. I don't ever use dependencies in the scope of jobs that I'm on. So my preference would be just a simple timeline view for now.

[cabeza]

Would you guys accelerate Gantt development with a certain budget contribution?

The answer is yes. Our initial idea is to integrate a basic Gantt chart like the one you can see here http://www.simile-widgets.org/timeline . This one covers basic features, and does not seem like an enormous integration effort. We can develop one from trash but it would impact our costs. So them, what features do you need? Do you have a better suggestion?

I'm sorry to say that this feature won't be added soon, unless it is sponsored by one or many customers or community members. Please let me know.

[neuroscript]

I just downloaded OpenGoo after glancing through numerous products out there for project management + gantt chart stuff. I have to say that I am VERY impressed with the Gooster...really. It runs like a racehorse and is easy as heck to figure out, even for a monkey.

I do agree that a Gantt (and/or PERT) would make this tool COMPLETE. But, as a developer myself, I understand the obstacles, particularly when you are not being compensated.

In the meantime, I have downloaded the JS objects mentioned in this (and maybe another) article. I have also written some PHP + JS code to port data from Goo into the timeline + jsGanttChart addons. I just wrote it tonight, so it is somewhat of a WIP, but it is working. The thing missing from Goo to truly make it work correctly is a dependency setting (I was unable to find anything like that).

If you guys could, at least, add a dependency var on a task, I could update my scripts and give it to you to offer to whomever wants it until you build it into OG.

Just let me know, fellas. The staffers can find my email through their forums if it's not readily available here. Others that might want to collaborate and have some coding skills, just holler in here, and I'll check back when I can.

[cabeza]

@neuroscript  Great news!
I did not understand your request though.
If you've already integrated the chart into OpenGoo, I invite you to share the changes with the community.
Our team will check them and contact you for further details.

Best!

[neuroscript]

Hi cabeza,

I have not integrated it "INTO" OpenGoo, as I have not familiarized myself, yet, with the architecture. I have merely written some PHP scripts/classes to yank the data out of the existing tables and reformulate them into usable data for jsGantt and the Simile timeline. Unfortunately, they are not perfect, but a start.

If I can find the time to learn the OpenGoo architecture, I will look into a way to integrate it into the system.

[dynamo]

oh yes... gantt. ppppplllllllllllease.
thanks

ps: loving opengoo otherwise