Project-Open
Encyclopedia
Project-Open is a web-based Project Management
application created by an open-source project team based in Spain and Germany.
: Projects can consist of an arbitrary number of sub-projects and tasks. Using a top-down approach, a projects' total budget
is split over a number of subprojects. In terms of financial estimations, the system indicates if the sum of planned units for each task in a subproject is beyond its estimated budget.
Using a bottom-up approach, a group of tasks can be aggregated to a sub-project, and multiple subprojects can form a main project. The budget of the main project is calculated based on the estimations made on a task level.
Resource Management: Based on resource assignments defined on a project level, a resource report indicates availability, or oversubscription, of resources across all open projects.
Project completion tracking: Each task owner reports task completeness. A weighted total completeness is calculated by the system.
Export to/import from OpenProj
, GanttProject
and Microsoft Project
: Projects can be exported and further edited using either of the three desktop applications. The results than can be re-imported.
Project templates: New projects can be created based on existing projects marked as templates.
Configuration Database: Configuration Management
is supported by an integrated CMDB
that ensures transparency of changes performed and provides real-time information of Configuration Items managed.
Nagios Integration: Result of Nagios
scans and notifications feed the IT Helpdesk and CMDB
.
calculation.
Invoices: Invoice
s can be created based on various criteria (planned/billable/logged units). This process is supported by a wizard. Also other financial documents, such as Provider Bills and Quotes are created semi-automatically, based on data about customers and projects managed by the system.
Cost Centers: The cost-center module allows assignments of costs to cost centers across projects.
Financial Reporting: Several financial reporting are available to determine profit and loss, cash flow
, and cost-effectiveness of operations.
Data cubes provide data-warehouse-like reporting, giving the user the option to select dimensions.
Wiki: A wiki
with Media wiki syntax allows to associate wiki pages with projects, customer or users.
Forum: Forum supports project collaboration. Several thread types are available. For each contribution permissions can be set. Some types provide basic workflow support.
Full text search engine: A user can search across all data stored in the system. Results depend on access permissions of items found.
Unified employee record: Employee data that can be managed is available to HR managers.
Skill Management: This module allows the management of user skills. Categories and attributes therein are configurable. Users can manage their skills themselves if permission is given. Supervisors can confirm or deny skills set by a user.
Email campaigns: Email campaigns can be performed.
Email integration: Emails can be imported from a mail server and will be auto-assigned to users and projects.
Pre-sales Support: Forum and additional dynamic fields helps managing the pre-sales phase of a project.
of ArsDigita
. Frank Bergmann took this system and added extensions for the management of translation companies in 2003. In 2003 the project was published on Sourceforge, and Klaus Hofeditz joined the team. In 2009 the application had been extended by an ITSM Service Desk
, Configuration Management Database and a Nagios
integration to support IT Management processes.
version 5.6.
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
application created by an open-source project team based in Spain and Germany.
Project Management
Top-down/Bottom-up project planningProject planning
Project planning is part of project management, which relates to the use of schedules such as Gantt charts to plan and subsequently report progress within the project environment....
: Projects can consist of an arbitrary number of sub-projects and tasks. Using a top-down approach, a projects' total budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
is split over a number of subprojects. In terms of financial estimations, the system indicates if the sum of planned units for each task in a subproject is beyond its estimated budget.
Using a bottom-up approach, a group of tasks can be aggregated to a sub-project, and multiple subprojects can form a main project. The budget of the main project is calculated based on the estimations made on a task level.
Resource Management: Based on resource assignments defined on a project level, a resource report indicates availability, or oversubscription, of resources across all open projects.
Project completion tracking: Each task owner reports task completeness. A weighted total completeness is calculated by the system.
Export to/import from OpenProj
OpenProj
OpenProj is an open source project management software intended as a complete desktop replacement for Microsoft Project, being able to open existing native Project files. It was developed by Projity in 2007...
, GanttProject
GanttProject
GanttProject is GPL-licensed Java based, project management software that runs under the Windows, Linux and Mac OS X operating systems.-Features:...
and Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is a project management software program, developed and sold by Microsoft, which is designed to assist a project manager in developing a plan, assigning resources to tasks, tracking progress, managing the budget, and analyzing workloads.The application creates critical path...
: Projects can be exported and further edited using either of the three desktop applications. The results than can be re-imported.
Project templates: New projects can be created based on existing projects marked as templates.
IT Service Management
IT Helpdesk: The IT Helpdesk manages the lifecycle of tickets. For each ticket type, a workflow is defined allowing configurable routing of incidents through the organization. This way the module allows the management of Incidents, Request for Change, Feature Requests, Software Bugs and other events that require life-cycle management. Collected data provides results for Key Performance Indicators and Business Intelligent Reporting, supporting management decisions.Configuration Database: Configuration Management
Configuration Management (ITSM)
Configuration Management is an Information Technology Infrastructure Library version 2 and an IT Service Management process that tracks all of the individual Configuration Items in an IT system which may be as simple as a single server, or as complex as the entire IT department...
is supported by an integrated CMDB
CMDB
A configuration management database is a repository of information related to all the components of an information system. It contains the details of the configuration items in the IT infrastructure. Although repositories similar to CMDBs have been used by IT departments for many years, the term...
that ensures transparency of changes performed and provides real-time information of Configuration Items managed.
Nagios Integration: Result of Nagios
Nagios
Nagios is a popular open source computer system and network monitoring software application. It watches hosts and services, alerting users when things go wrong and again when they get better....
scans and notifications feed the IT Helpdesk and CMDB
CMDB
A configuration management database is a repository of information related to all the components of an information system. It contains the details of the configuration items in the IT infrastructure. Although repositories similar to CMDBs have been used by IT departments for many years, the term...
.
Timesheet Management
Timesheet Management allows tracking of time on project tasks and tickets. Several reports are available to extract time-sheet data and make it available to supervisors or HR staff based on the integrated permission system. A pre-configured workflow allows supervisors to confirm time sheet data entered by subordinates.Financial Management
Internal/external costs: Besides time-sheet costs, the system also allows tracking other project expenses, such as costs for travel, accommodation, etc. A pre-configured workflow allows the creation of "expense bundles" that would need to be confirmed before these costs are considered in the projects profit and lossProfit and Loss
Profit and Loss may refer to:* Profit & Loss, monthly business magazine founded in July 1999 especializing in Foreign exchange market and derivative markets...
calculation.
Invoices: Invoice
Invoice
An invoice or bill is a commercial document issued by a seller to the buyer, indicating the products, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services the seller has provided the buyer. An invoice indicates the buyer must pay the seller, according to the payment terms...
s can be created based on various criteria (planned/billable/logged units). This process is supported by a wizard. Also other financial documents, such as Provider Bills and Quotes are created semi-automatically, based on data about customers and projects managed by the system.
Cost Centers: The cost-center module allows assignments of costs to cost centers across projects.
Financial Reporting: Several financial reporting are available to determine profit and loss, cash flow
Cash flow
Cash flow is the movement of money into or out of a business, project, or financial product. It is usually measured during a specified, finite period of time. Measurement of cash flow can be used for calculating other parameters that give information on a company's value and situation.Cash flow...
, and cost-effectiveness of operations.
Data cubes provide data-warehouse-like reporting, giving the user the option to select dimensions.
Knowledge management and collaboration
File Manager: File Managers are used to connect arbitrary files to principal business objects such as customers, clients, users and projects. Permissions can be set on a folder level.Wiki: A wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
with Media wiki syntax allows to associate wiki pages with projects, customer or users.
Forum: Forum supports project collaboration. Several thread types are available. For each contribution permissions can be set. Some types provide basic workflow support.
Full text search engine: A user can search across all data stored in the system. Results depend on access permissions of items found.
Human resources
Absence Management: Users can enter their absences. A pre-configured workflow is available routing the inquiry to the users supervisor.Unified employee record: Employee data that can be managed is available to HR managers.
Skill Management: This module allows the management of user skills. Categories and attributes therein are configurable. Users can manage their skills themselves if permission is given. Supervisors can confirm or deny skills set by a user.
Customer relationship management
Unified customer record: A unified customer record contains relevant information about customers, such as contact information, financial data, past projects, etc.Email campaigns: Email campaigns can be performed.
Email integration: Emails can be imported from a mail server and will be auto-assigned to users and projects.
Pre-sales Support: Forum and additional dynamic fields helps managing the pre-sales phase of a project.
History
Project-Open has been built based on the work of Philip GreenspunPhilip Greenspun
Philip Greenspun is a semi-retired American computer scientist, educator, and early Internet entrepreneur who was a pioneer in developing online communities.-Biography:...
of ArsDigita
ArsDigita
ArsDigita was a web development company cofounded by Philip Greenspun, Tracy Adams, Ben Adida, Eve Andersson, Olin Shivers, Aure Prochazka, and Jin Choi and was started in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the mid-1990s...
. Frank Bergmann took this system and added extensions for the management of translation companies in 2003. In 2003 the project was published on Sourceforge, and Klaus Hofeditz joined the team. In 2009 the application had been extended by an ITSM Service Desk
Service Desk (ITSM)
A Service Desk is a primary IT service called for in IT service management as defined by the Information Technology Infrastructure Library . It is intended to provide a Single Point of Contact to meet the communication needs of both Users and IT employees. But also to satisfy both Customer and IT...
, Configuration Management Database and a Nagios
Nagios
Nagios is a popular open source computer system and network monitoring software application. It watches hosts and services, alerting users when things go wrong and again when they get better....
integration to support IT Management processes.
Support and community
Community support is provided through Internet forums at Sourceforge.net. Professional support is provided by the Project-Open core team and more than 40 IT service organizations. As of December 2009, the Project-Open community page had more than 10,000 registered users.Current developments
The Project-Open core team is currently working on a first alpha of version 4.0 that will be based on the most recent OpenACSOpenACS
The Open Architecture Community System is an open-source web application framework licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL.The Open Architecture Community System provides:...
version 5.6.
Further reading
- Optaros Enterprise Open Source directory classifies ]project-open[ with three stars (out of four) as "mature" and "enterprise ready".
- German IT publisher Heise Online conducted in 2009 an Open Source trend study which revealed that Project-Open is the most popular Open SourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
ERPEnterprise resource planningEnterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
in Germany. - brighthub.com ]project-open[ Review: The Latest in Open SourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
Project ManagementProject managementProject management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
Software - ohloh.net states that ]project-open[ consists of 792,000 lines of code as of 01/2010.
External links
- Official community web site
- Project on SourceForge.net
- All time SourceForge statistics of Project-Open
- http://www.heise.de/open/bilderstrecke/bilderstrecke_329799.html?back=221696;bild=23Survey by Heise Verlag on the use of Open SourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
Customer relationship managementCustomer relationship managementCustomer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
/Enterprise resource planningEnterprise resource planningEnterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
applications in Germany 2009]