RailsOnWave Ruby on Rails web 2.0 Ajax - Whodo.es

Mapping ROR, ROW and WhoDoes users....?

2009-09-18T10:45:00Z

We thought it would be interesting to know where about our railsonwave.com and whodoe.es users are in the world…

So if you use Whodoe.es, read our blog railsonwave.com, you are a user of Ruby on Rails or a Web 2.0 designer, please add where you are located on the shared google map here, just your name/nickname and the area you are in, it does not have to be the exact address:

Tools we need...

2009-08-28T10:59:00Z

When we look for a successful project management tool, what are the important aspects that we need to look for:

Upload files and share them with your team
Tasks that need to be completed to reach deadlines
Share ideas and comments on tasks
Share e-mails with project e-mailer, keeping all e-mails archived

Collaborate

Collaborate with team members even from other networks
Teams collaborate with managers
Fast plan your tasks and milestones with Fastplan

Manage

Manage your tasks and milestones for a project
Manage your team members and what needs to be completed to reach deadlines
Keep Clients are satisfied by managing your teams and completing projects successfully

WhoDoes helps you: share, collaborate and manage your projects and team members. Simple and easy-to-use, quick registration.

Rails 1.2.3 to Rails 2.3

2009-04-03T14:00:00Z

As I mentioned last week, I am busy doing an upgrade of WhoDo.es from Rails 1.2.2 to Rails 2.3 and it is slowly sowly coming together, still have to do a lot of modifications for internationalization.

In my search for any help, I came across a very good step-by-step guide from Peter Marklund that might help someone if they might have a similar quest!

Hope it might be useful for someone else. Please follow the link here

Migrating WhoDo.es...

2009-03-27T16:44:00Z

I am currently working on Migrating WhoDo.es from Rails 1.2.2 to Rails 2.3.

My first steps were to migrate from Rails 1.2.2 to Rails 2.0 and no real big issues were faced, I only had to make sure that the gems that we were using were compatible with Rails 2.0.

Some of the following configurations had to be done:

Updated environments.rb with RAILS_GEM_VERSION = ‘2.0.2’
run rake rails:update:configs to update your config/boot.rb file from your current rails install.
In my config/environment/development.rb commenting out the following :


   #config.action_view.cache_template_extensions = false

Since they removed pagination from the new version, I had to install the will_paginate plugin.

My next biggest challenge is to migrate to Rails 2.3. Some more serious changes will need to be made, such as:

Rails Internationalization a change from globalization
Using the RailsTime-zone instead of the TzInfo

Keep an eye on this blog, any discoveries that I might come across I will be posting here…

WhoDoes has new functionalities

2008-10-16T09:29:00Z

Us at WhoDoes are always trying to improve our project management system to make it more user-friendly for our customers.

We have added a few new functionalities to WhoDoes:

1) you are now able to assign tasks to a document in the repository section 2) The task edit has a new layout that enables you to add documents, and send a notification email only to those you have selected in the tick box.

Please try out these new functionalities at WhoDoes 2.0

We would like to have your feedback on this new task edit layout, please e-mail us at feedback@whodo.es or click on the link on the task edit page.

WhoDoes 2.0 Released!

2008-05-13T12:08:00Z

We are happy to announce that WhoDoes 2.0 has finally been released, with the new features, that you have been reading about on the Blog, to make project management easier and more enjoyable.

Users of WhoDoes 1.0 do not be alarmed as your projects are maintained in the new version and you can use them along with the new features that we have implemented for you.

We have prepared a newsletter that has already been sent out to our customers which you can read here.

If you are a new user to WhoDoes, click here to explore more about WhoDoes 2.0 and its features.

Please post any technical requests or questions that you might have on our forum for the community of WhoDoes.

Bloggers or Journalists, read all about the the new version of the project management software and its new features in our press release or download the press-kit that we have put together for you.

WhoDoes 2.0 is ready for you, so start projecting your happiness... <center> <script type="text/javascript"> digg_url = 'http://digg.com/software/WhoDoes_2_0_New_free_web_based_project_management_software'; digg_bgcolor = '#fff'; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js"></script> </center>

WhoDoes 2.0 amazing groupware features

2008-05-06T06:00:00Z

WhoDoes 2.0 is almost ready to go, but in the meantime I’d like to show you one of most interesting features we have introduced with this wonderful new version: groupware.

Now you can let other people look for you inside the WhoDoes user’s directory and allow them to make you part of their team. This is actually a real innovative feature in project management tools where you can now staff your team in seconds.

To enable other people to find you easily, you’ll have to check your settings inside the Settings tab of WhoDoes 2.0:

You can easily decide to keep your identity hidden or simply let people that share your email domain find and staff you automatically or set it that all users using WhoDoes invite you inside their projects.

Your task list in WhoDoes 2.0

2008-05-05T11:24:00Z

As you probably already know, we will release a completely renewed version of our project management tool in a few days. It’s named WhoDoes 2.0 and could dramatically make project organization easier in your company, in your team or simply in your daily life.

One of the new features WhoDoes 2.0 introduces is the ability to group all the tasks in a project by team member, independently from the milestones through which the tasks are bound together.

It’s easier to understand how useful it is, by observing this screenshot:

Stay tuned to learn more about this revolutionary tool.

Tasking with WhoDoes 2.0

2008-04-30T13:33:00Z

Tasking items has never been so easy and simple with WhoDoes 2.0

How it is done…

The Task List gives you a clear indication of the workload for each team member, all tasks assigned to team members appear below their names and closed tasks are shown with the number of tasks that are closed.

WhoDoes 2.0 has taken working on paper and implementing it into the application. The shortcut add new task link enables you, just as in jotting down a “To-Do” list, to add new tasks unassigned or assigned to team members quickly and effortlessly.

With the simple drag and drop functionality, tasks that have not yet been assigned can be passed to team members by simply dragging the task to the name of the team member.

Any documents related to the tasks can be uploaded in the Documents uploaded section. Shared documents for the task are stored in a central point for team members to retrieve.

The project manager is kept up to date with the progress of the project and the number of hours that have been dedicated to each task. This is done with the easy-to-use hour uploading system within the task view, when the task has been updated the team is informed with an e-mail keeping everyone up to date.

Introduction to WhoDoes 2.0

2008-04-29T19:25:00Z

Upcoming WhoDoes 2.0 is improved with more intuitive and easy-to-use features.

What’s new?

WhoDoes 2.0 makes it possible to start managing a project in a just few minutes, even more efficiently. Using just one of the new features Fast Planning, assigning tasks to team members, defining due dates, implementing task priorities and keeping your project’s progress under control is done simply and easily with WhoDoes 2.0

A new and innovative idea of sharing documents and e-mails has been built into WhoDoes 2.0, lost documents and e-mails will no longer be a problem. Team members will be kept up to date with WhoDoes’ new advanced centralized document and e-mail repository system which contains all the material that is related to the project with a new Project e-mail functionality.

Limited resources for a project is something in the past, WhoDoes 2.0 introduces network Teamwork. This will enable you to invite people to your team who are part of the WhoDoes network and have chosen to be visible. Finding resources is easier and simple. Not only can you find people to assign to your project with the WhoDoes network but you don’t need to re-invite users that already have a WhoDoes account, they can simply be added as a team member.

WhoDoes 2.0 has managed to integrate instruments into an online application making collaboration between team members and sharing of documents more efficient and easy for projects managed within the same office or projects with team members dispersed all over the world.

Coming Soon: Whodo.es 2.0

2008-04-28T17:54:00Z

It took us a while but we’re finally close to the release date of WhoDoes 2.0

The philosophy

What drove us to this release was the need to make our product as simple as working on paper. Most of your daily planning is normally done without following any particular schema, you simply start writing activities as soon as they come to mind and only then you choose who will be the person responsible for them.

While working in a team, it could occur that all players need to plan (or detail) their activities that could influence others, in this way it is necessary to use a tool that mixes collaborating and handling deadlines, in a smart way.

Nowadays a to-do list driven management system is the key factor for smart and easy project management. This statement is true, but we believe that it is not enough to manage a project’s workflow, the upcoming screencast gives you a taste of one of the amazing features that we have incorporated into the new version of whodoes to help make managing projects easier and successful.

The Screencast

More to come

Stay tuned to railsonwave.com to discover all the new WhoDoes 2.0 features ! As usual we would be very greatful for any constructive criticism, comments or suggestions you would like to make about the upcoming whodo.es version.

Don’t release new visuals without new functionality

2008-02-08T15:23:00Z

In the last months I’ve been working on a new release of WhoDoes our team project management software. It’s been a really exciting experience, where the mantra has been “learn from your users” and “study your data”.

Now it’s almost done! A new cool and simplified version of our tool is almost finished.

We worked a lot on the new user interface, believing since the beginning that user’s interaction with the design choices is a fundamental component of the product’s success. But design and interaction metaphor isn’t the only thing to keep under control.

I completely agree with Hannah Donovan , Last.fm’s head of creative, when she says:

... don’t release new visuals without new functionality. This is the important lesson we learned when refining the features we had released quickly. If the design needs an upgrade to make it more usable, there’s a chance that the functionality does, too. It’s much better to release these at the same time, and it will keep your users much happier. Nobody likes interface changes that appear to be unnecessary.

That’s exactly what I want to do in the next imminent release of WhoDoes.

You can find the whole article on .Net Magazine here .

By the way…

Many compliments to Dan Cederholm of SimpleBits.com , the winner of the Best Use of Accessible Design Award (.net magazine ).
Great man! We keep following your work :)

WhoDoes Lesson one: remove constraints

2007-10-10T08:47:00Z

We just finished launching WhoDoes and soon we will be starting to think of the next major steps in our product life cycle. New features? A bit of mashups? APIs?

Not exactly. We decided to take a different approach, re-thinking some core characteristics of WhoDoes to make it even easier to use. We know we are the first clients of WhoDoes and we soon understood that we would make a better product for everyone by simplifying the way it works.

So we stopped thinking about the product’s evolution and we started thinking about how we can streamline what we have been creating.

We are a small company and this is an advantage. You can simply decide to change things that you think can be done better and soon, start to improve the future of your application. You can decide to listen to yourself and your customers, and make things work faster.

No committees, no meetings, no focus groups, ... no wasting of time. The best way to check how changes might effect your product is to try it on your user base and to wait and see what it produces… in the real world.

I think user responses are the best way to validate ideas.

Anyway, let’s go through what we called Lesson Learned #1

No constraints, no boundaries. You can step back

In the current version of WhoDoes people have to follow a specific pattern to start planning a project. You have to create a new project, invite then staff people, create milestones then tasks and assign people to tasks.

This is the normal path you follow when you start a plan. Up to this point everything can be considered normal.

Using WhoDoes you also need to complete all the task’s attributes (i.e. start and due date, budget) in order to make them visible on people’s calendars. If you don’t complete them, you don’t actually get the tasks included into your plan and visible to people.

We found this approach too limited. After all a project management tool must first of all help people to communicate deadlines, things to be done or simply facts.

People need to share TO-DOs in a project even before they know who will be in charge of them. Again, they need to communicate to each other before knowing when activity deadlines need to be accomplished.

So the first decision is. Relax requirements on mandatory attributes and objects and make milestones and tasks loosely coupled.

Tell us what you think!

Great news! WhoDoes 1.1 is online!

2007-09-13T13:46:00Z

WhoDoes 1.1 – Web based project management software

In the past few months we have worked to improve WhoDoes a lot. We are finally proud to announce a new release – 1.1 – is online.

We have just open a special offer for bloggers and press. If you are interested to test our new release check this out

How did we improve the product?

Faster than ever

Short after releasing version 1.0 in May, we realized that the project planning section was too slow. We worked hard to improve WhoDoes performance: we changed the hosting services provider and we carefully reviewed and optimized the source code. The results very good. Have a look at it!

Explore

The previous version included a small product tour. It wasn’t able to completely explain and give a clear idea of the potential of WhoDoes. So we decided to completely redesign the ‘Tour’ section in what we have called ‘Explore’ a dedicated and complete guide to the main sections of our product, with screenshots and responses to frequently asked questions.

Calendar subscription

As of today you can use Google Calendar, Apple iCal, Mozilla Sunbird, Microsoft Outlook and every other comparable calendar software that implement “iCalendar standard” to subscribe task calendar.

In line tutorial

A new tutorial has been built inside the application to take you step by step through all phases of the project. This in line tutorial is already available in all the languages we support.

English, Italian and Spanish

It’s much easier to use an application if it speaks your language. WhoDoes is now available in English, Italian and Spanish to simplify your life!

New subscription plans added

It’s now possible to use WhoDoes to manage more than two projects, with more space for the Repository and the option to handle up to 100 managed projects. In fact there are four new subscription plans available fo you to buy. Of course each of you can continue to use WhoDoes for free. As for the payment gateway, we decided to use PayPal, because we strongly feel that this solution can help you to trust us. We don’t store your credit card information nor the extra data PayPal asks you to provide. Basing our payment service on PayPal doesn’t mean you need to have a PayPal Account to buy a subscription. You simply need a credit card :)

WhoDoes 1.1 is on the way

2007-07-01T08:27:00Z

More or less than one month ago we released the very first version – 1.0 – of WhoDoes as a kind of a beta version. As you know this tool is designed to give answers to a simple question: What do I have to do today? To be really productive and be able to reduce the communication gaps (and then the project length ), your team must know what to do every day. It’s not a matter of distrust, but a matter of being focused and effective, WhoDoes can help you do this simple task. During this month many of you sent us much appreciated suggestions and questions, and we tried to answer everybody. Our team would like to say thank you to everybody for your wonderful support. We appreciated it very much.

Now, version 1.1 of WhoDoes is almost ready and we think it’s important to share the new features with you, hoping to have some feedback.

Anyway, consider the following list as a draft that could be changed on necessity:

New languages
Whodoes will be available in Italian and Spanish. Every user can change the language setting by themselves, through its profile section.

iCalendar subscription
You can now subscribe to calendars and be up to date with all changes occurring in the work-plan

Leaving the application
Up to now it was not possible to delete users from the system. You could suspend users but not erase their accounts. Now this minor defect has been fixed. Besides this, users are able to delete their own accounts if they decide to quit using WhoDoes, simply by unsubscribing to their registration.

Payment plans
Now you will be able to extend WhoDoes usage to all of your projects and teams by subscribing to a payment plan. We promise to make small business life easier at a very low price. We decided to start at less than $6 with a lot of features included.

Faster then ever
We put a lot of effort in speeding up the application. This is a continuous task as you know, that sometimes requires to design and code the entire module from scratch. This could imply a change of approach. As “Getting Real” book by 37signals suggests “Pay off your code and design bills”: we always do that.

Tell us what you think here or write us an email to feedback