The DAWG TaskTracker

The TaskTracker is a Distributed ad-hoc work group application (DawgApp) that provides p2p Task allocation, follow-up and reporting. It is written in 100% Java (1.3.1) and uses elements of the Jini, Rio and Cos projects to manage the peer to peer events and so forth. This is a very prototypical project and is mostly JavaSwing UI code. Being Java it will run on any platform with a JVM.

Synopsis

The future of work is distributed. Old management styles are inappropriate for many types of projects. People are demanding to be treated with respect and not just as cogs in a machine and, although these demands were treated with fear and loathing by old school managers, modern management is all about empowering individuals and encouraging them to perform at their peak. As anyone whose planned a project using microsoft project knows, software for planning and resource allocation has not kept pace with these changes in corporate culture.

Outside the corporate world, work also continues. From NGOs to households, open source software teams to theatre groups, classrooms and pot law reform activists; groups of people need access to better planning and resource management systems. In such situations there are often almost no central management structures, yet work needs to get done.

Traditional project planning tools and ERP systems are too top down, too centralised and are based on out of date approaches to project management.

Workers can be anywhere, and are connected only by their buddy lists. they are encouraged to exercise individual responsibility in accepting jobs. the application facilitates interpersonal familiarity because jobs can be assigned to buddies, not just dropped into a pool. you give the job to someone you trust to do the job.

DawgApps extend p2p concepts popularised by instant messengers.

Goals of the TaskTracker project

The tasktracker project has a series of development goals. See the Task list for details of specific tasks that need to be completed to get us to the next release.
1. To develop a fleshed out object model for the description of a task. This is complete and available as a JavaDoc.
   to do
   1. Write a formal DTD for the TaskTrackerEntry and a Castor mapping.
2. To build a well documented prototype swing application as a working demonstration of the Cos.
   to do
   1. handling of remote events.
3. To build a simple but complete swing user interface to the application.
   to do
   1. Edit a task
      When a user double clicks on a task in their task list, the task should appear in an edit frame for editing. when the task is edited the action should call app.updateTask(oldtask,newtask)
   2. Application menus.
      be sensitive to mac user environment too, such that it installs a macos menu bar if running on macos. i would like to develop a secondary project to port this application from swing to aqua.
   3. Buddy List editor interface
      You can add someone to your buddy list by assigning a task to them, but right now there is no way to remove a buddy. Ideally we would let users have global and project specific buddy lists, and buddies would be able to lodge their public keys and so forth.
4. To write a Cos JSB Service that uses 3rd party protocols to exchange information between peers. In this way the tasktracker could be integrated with exiting p2p systems such as icq, yahoo, aim, or jabber, with the Cos system acting as a hidden peer.
5. To write a CosConectable object that communicates with the Cos via a simplified XML interface. Then to rewrite the TaskTracker as a flash movie.