Re:Defining and implementing a short-medium term plan for OFBiz

Hi to all,

I'm interested to contribute to those taks:

Complete the support for VAT (Value-Added-Tax)
Enhance the integration with eBay
Enhance the integration with Google Product

Why don't add also a new task to migrate the screen-widget styles to the new styles of ftl screens.

My problem is that I cannot say how much time I can reserve to those task and when I can do it.

Sorry, can I update the page http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/JAw in confluence by myself or I have not the access ?

Thanks in advance
Marco

> As you all know, the long term goal of the OFBiz project is to build a
> complete, features set rich, universal and configurable "enterprise
> automation software" (ERP, CRM, CMMS, MRP etc.).
>
> OFBiz is one of the few applications of this type developed by a
> community, rather than one corporation.
>
> Even if the final long term goal is clear and well-defined ("building a
> universal enterprise automation software"), the short and medium term
> tasks to accomplish it are not.
>
> This is of course a consequence of the nature of the project: it is a
> community driven project that tends to lead a life of its own and this
> is great and amazing.
>
> However it is probably time to try together to canalize the power of the
> OFBiz community in order to reach our final goal more quickly and
> efficiently.
>
> In my opinion, the definition of a short/medium term plan
> (wishlist/feature plan) could help encourage contributions and
> efficiently convey the community resources.
>
> It is not an attempt at top-down management, but rather a means to
> enhance collaboration and communication in the OFBiz community.
>
> Proposed steps (draft):
>
> 1) areas of interest: definition of the areas of interest for the
> community: "what do you think the community members have to implement to
> make OFBiz the best enterprise automation software in the World?"; the
> tasks should not be huge tasks because they should be doable by
> volunteers in the community
>
> 2) resources: who is willing to contribute to which task and the
> approximate amount of hours per week
>
> 3) for the tasks with enough resources and attention: define the
> details, subtasks (in Jira?), roles, estimated completion dates; at
> least one committer should probably be part of each task, so that the
> work will be committed more rapidly
>
> To give you an idea of a way to implement #1 and #2, I've set up a draft
> of a page with a wishlist that I've recently collected (from
> private/public messages):
>
> http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/JAw
>
> of course this is only a first step, the list will change and grow
> during the discussion.
> Please, post your comments and ideas here (and as comments to the above
> page), I really think this could be a great opportunity for the
> community to grow and for new developers to become committers!
>
> Jacopo
>

[Scott Gray]

Hi Jacopo

That page looks great, my only concern is that "approx hours per week" might
scare some people off by making them feel they have to make a commitment
rather than just show interest?

Scott

On 26/10/2007, [hidden email] <[hidden email]> wrote:

>
> Hi to all,
>
> I'm interested to contribute to those taks:
>
> Complete the support for VAT (Value-Added-Tax)
> Enhance the integration with eBay
> Enhance the integration with Google Product
>
> Why don't add also a new task to migrate the screen-widget styles to the
> new styles of ftl screens.
>
> My problem is that I cannot say how much time I can reserve to those task
> and when I can do it.
>
> Sorry, can I update the page http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/JAw in confluence by
> myself or I have not the access ?
>
> Thanks in advance
> Marco
>
> > As you all know, the long term goal of the OFBiz project is to build a
> > complete, features set rich, universal and configurable "enterprise
> > automation software" (ERP, CRM, CMMS, MRP etc.).
> >
> > OFBiz is one of the few applications of this type developed by a
> > community, rather than one corporation.
> >
> > Even if the final long term goal is clear and well-defined ("building a
> > universal enterprise automation software"), the short and medium term
> > tasks to accomplish it are not.
> >
> > This is of course a consequence of the nature of the project: it is a
> > community driven project that tends to lead a life of its own and this
> > is great and amazing.
> >
> > However it is probably time to try together to canalize the power of the
> > OFBiz community in order to reach our final goal more quickly and
> > efficiently.
> >
> > In my opinion, the definition of a short/medium term plan
> > (wishlist/feature plan) could help encourage contributions and
> > efficiently convey the community resources.
> >
> > It is not an attempt at top-down management, but rather a means to
> > enhance collaboration and communication in the OFBiz community.
> >
> > Proposed steps (draft):
> >
> > 1) areas of interest: definition of the areas of interest for the
> > community: "what do you think the community members have to implement to
> > make OFBiz the best enterprise automation software in the World?"; the
> > tasks should not be huge tasks because they should be doable by
> > volunteers in the community
> >
> > 2) resources: who is willing to contribute to which task and the
> > approximate amount of hours per week
> >
> > 3) for the tasks with enough resources and attention: define the
> > details, subtasks (in Jira?), roles, estimated completion dates; at
> > least one committer should probably be part of each task, so that the
> > work will be committed more rapidly
> >
> > To give you an idea of a way to implement #1 and #2, I've set up a draft
> > of a page with a wishlist that I've recently collected (from
> > private/public messages):
> >
> > http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/JAw
> >
> > of course this is only a first step, the list will change and grow
> > during the discussion.
> > Please, post your comments and ideas here (and as comments to the above
> > page), I really think this could be a great opportunity for the
> > community to grow and for new developers to become committers!
> >
> > Jacopo
> >
>

[Jacopo Cappellato]

Yeah,

that sounds a bit scary to me too ;-)
The persons that want to express their interest but cannot help with
design/development then should add their name to the "People interested"
list only. The line "People willing to help" is really for the ones that
will actively participate to the development... and it would really help
to have a vague idea of the amount of time that they would like to
contribute.
My fear is that we end up with a huge wishlist and zero human resources
to work on it... it would be just a waste of time.

However I've tried to make less scary that page, trying to explain the
meaning of that line and asking for the approx estimate per week or
month; I've also remove the text from the tasks (it is now in the page
description only).
Do you think it is enough?

Jacopo

Scott Gray wrote:

> Hi Jacopo
>
> That page looks great, my only concern is that "approx hours per week" might
> scare some people off by making them feel they have to make a commitment
> rather than just show interest?
>
> Scott
>
> On 26/10/2007, [hidden email] <[hidden email]> wrote:
>> Hi to all,
>>
>> I'm interested to contribute to those taks:
>>
>> Complete the support for VAT (Value-Added-Tax)
>> Enhance the integration with eBay
>> Enhance the integration with Google Product
>>
>> Why don't add also a new task to migrate the screen-widget styles to the
>> new styles of ftl screens.
>>
>> My problem is that I cannot say how much time I can reserve to those task
>> and when I can do it.
>>
>> Sorry, can I update the page http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/JAw in confluence by
>> myself or I have not the access ?
>>
>> Thanks in advance
>> Marco
>>
>>> As you all know, the long term goal of the OFBiz project is to build a
>>> complete, features set rich, universal and configurable "enterprise
>>> automation software" (ERP, CRM, CMMS, MRP etc.).
>>>
>>> OFBiz is one of the few applications of this type developed by a
>>> community, rather than one corporation.
>>>
>>> Even if the final long term goal is clear and well-defined ("building a
>>> universal enterprise automation software"), the short and medium term
>>> tasks to accomplish it are not.
>>>
>>> This is of course a consequence of the nature of the project: it is a
>>> community driven project that tends to lead a life of its own and this
>>> is great and amazing.
>>>
>>> However it is probably time to try together to canalize the power of the
>>> OFBiz community in order to reach our final goal more quickly and
>>> efficiently.
>>>
>>> In my opinion, the definition of a short/medium term plan
>>> (wishlist/feature plan) could help encourage contributions and
>>> efficiently convey the community resources.
>>>
>>> It is not an attempt at top-down management, but rather a means to
>>> enhance collaboration and communication in the OFBiz community.
>>>
>>> Proposed steps (draft):
>>>
>>> 1) areas of interest: definition of the areas of interest for the
>>> community: "what do you think the community members have to implement to
>>> make OFBiz the best enterprise automation software in the World?"; the
>>> tasks should not be huge tasks because they should be doable by
>>> volunteers in the community
>>>
>>> 2) resources: who is willing to contribute to which task and the
>>> approximate amount of hours per week
>>>
>>> 3) for the tasks with enough resources and attention: define the
>>> details, subtasks (in Jira?), roles, estimated completion dates; at
>>> least one committer should probably be part of each task, so that the
>>> work will be committed more rapidly
>>>
>>> To give you an idea of a way to implement #1 and #2, I've set up a draft
>>> of a page with a wishlist that I've recently collected (from
>>> private/public messages):
>>>
>>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/JAw
>>>
>>> of course this is only a first step, the list will change and grow
>>> during the discussion.
>>> Please, post your comments and ideas here (and as comments to the above
>>> page), I really think this could be a great opportunity for the
>>> community to grow and for new developers to become committers!
>>>
>>> Jacopo
>>>
>

[Jacopo Cappellato]

Thank you Marco,

I've added your name to those tasks!

Jacopo

[hidden email] wrote:

> Hi to all,
>
> I'm interested to contribute to those taks:
>
> Complete the support for VAT (Value-Added-Tax)
> Enhance the integration with eBay
> Enhance the integration with Google Product
>
> Why don't add also a new task to migrate the screen-widget styles to the new styles of ftl screens.
>
> My problem is that I cannot say how much time I can reserve to those task and when I can do it.
>
> Sorry, can I update the page http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/JAw in confluence by myself or I have not the access ?
>
> Thanks in advance
> Marco
>
>> As you all know, the long term goal of the OFBiz project is to build a
>> complete, features set rich, universal and configurable "enterprise
>> automation software" (ERP, CRM, CMMS, MRP etc.).
>>
>> OFBiz is one of the few applications of this type developed by a
>> community, rather than one corporation.
>>
>> Even if the final long term goal is clear and well-defined ("building a
>> universal enterprise automation software"), the short and medium term
>> tasks to accomplish it are not.
>>
>> This is of course a consequence of the nature of the project: it is a
>> community driven project that tends to lead a life of its own and this
>> is great and amazing.
>>
>> However it is probably time to try together to canalize the power of the
>> OFBiz community in order to reach our final goal more quickly and
>> efficiently.
>>
>> In my opinion, the definition of a short/medium term plan
>> (wishlist/feature plan) could help encourage contributions and
>> efficiently convey the community resources.
>>
>> It is not an attempt at top-down management, but rather a means to
>> enhance collaboration and communication in the OFBiz community.
>>
>> Proposed steps (draft):
>>
>> 1) areas of interest: definition of the areas of interest for the
>> community: "what do you think the community members have to implement to
>> make OFBiz the best enterprise automation software in the World?"; the
>> tasks should not be huge tasks because they should be doable by
>> volunteers in the community
>>
>> 2) resources: who is willing to contribute to which task and the
>> approximate amount of hours per week
>>
>> 3) for the tasks with enough resources and attention: define the
>> details, subtasks (in Jira?), roles, estimated completion dates; at
>> least one committer should probably be part of each task, so that the
>> work will be committed more rapidly
>>
>> To give you an idea of a way to implement #1 and #2, I've set up a draft
>> of a page with a wishlist that I've recently collected (from
>> private/public messages):
>>
>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/JAw
>>
>> of course this is only a first step, the list will change and grow
>> during the discussion.
>> Please, post your comments and ideas here (and as comments to the above
>> page), I really think this could be a great opportunity for the
>> community to grow and for new developers to become committers!
>>
>> Jacopo
>>

[Jacques Le Roux]

Yes I agree with Scott,

This is a bit scaring :o)

Jacques

De : "Scott Gray" <[hidden email]>

> Hi Jacopo
>
> That page looks great, my only concern is that "approx hours per week" might
> scare some people off by making them feel they have to make a commitment
> rather than just show interest?
>
> Scott
>
> On 26/10/2007, [hidden email] <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >
> > Hi to all,
> >
> > I'm interested to contribute to those taks:
> >
> > Complete the support for VAT (Value-Added-Tax)
> > Enhance the integration with eBay
> > Enhance the integration with Google Product
> >
> > Why don't add also a new task to migrate the screen-widget styles to the
> > new styles of ftl screens.
> >
> > My problem is that I cannot say how much time I can reserve to those task
> > and when I can do it.
> >
> > Sorry, can I update the page http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/JAw in confluence by
> > myself or I have not the access ?
> >
> > Thanks in advance
> > Marco
> >
> > > As you all know, the long term goal of the OFBiz project is to build a
> > > complete, features set rich, universal and configurable "enterprise
> > > automation software" (ERP, CRM, CMMS, MRP etc.).
> > >
> > > OFBiz is one of the few applications of this type developed by a
> > > community, rather than one corporation.
> > >
> > > Even if the final long term goal is clear and well-defined ("building a
> > > universal enterprise automation software"), the short and medium term
> > > tasks to accomplish it are not.
> > >
> > > This is of course a consequence of the nature of the project: it is a
> > > community driven project that tends to lead a life of its own and this
> > > is great and amazing.
> > >
> > > However it is probably time to try together to canalize the power of the
> > > OFBiz community in order to reach our final goal more quickly and
> > > efficiently.
> > >
> > > In my opinion, the definition of a short/medium term plan
> > > (wishlist/feature plan) could help encourage contributions and
> > > efficiently convey the community resources.
> > >
> > > It is not an attempt at top-down management, but rather a means to
> > > enhance collaboration and communication in the OFBiz community.
> > >
> > > Proposed steps (draft):
> > >
> > > 1) areas of interest: definition of the areas of interest for the
> > > community: "what do you think the community members have to implement to
> > > make OFBiz the best enterprise automation software in the World?"; the
> > > tasks should not be huge tasks because they should be doable by
> > > volunteers in the community
> > >
> > > 2) resources: who is willing to contribute to which task and the
> > > approximate amount of hours per week
> > >
> > > 3) for the tasks with enough resources and attention: define the
> > > details, subtasks (in Jira?), roles, estimated completion dates; at
> > > least one committer should probably be part of each task, so that the
> > > work will be committed more rapidly
> > >
> > > To give you an idea of a way to implement #1 and #2, I've set up a draft
> > > of a page with a wishlist that I've recently collected (from
> > > private/public messages):
> > >
> > > http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/JAw
> > >
> > > of course this is only a first step, the list will change and grow
> > > during the discussion.
> > > Please, post your comments and ideas here (and as comments to the above
> > > page), I really think this could be a great opportunity for the
> > > community to grow and for new developers to become committers!
> > >
> > > Jacopo
> > >
> >
>

[David E Jones]

On Oct 26, 2007, at 3:42 AM, mrisaliti@@libero..it wrote:

> Sorry, can I update the page http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/JAw in  
> confluence by myself or I have not the access ?

You can comment on the page, but only a restricted group can edit it  
so we can moderate it better and keep a cleaner document. The  
document IS meant to be community driven, but in a moderated way.

If there is popular demand for a white board of sorts on the topic a  
page in the wiki space will be the way to go.

-David