Commonplace Example: Project Management System

Overview

Project management requires tracking tasks, resources, timelines, and documentation in a coordinated way. Commonplace provides an ideal platform for creating a flexible project management system that can adapt to different project types and methodologies.

This example demonstrates how to use Commonplace to build a comprehensive project management system that supports both traditional and agile approaches while maintaining connections between project elements.

What it does

This example shows how to:

Create a structured system for managing projects and tasks
Track project progress, resources, and timelines
Maintain project documentation with connections to relevant tasks
Support different project methodologies (Waterfall, Agile, etc.)
Visualize project status and dependencies
Facilitate team collaboration and communication

Implementation

Schemas

We'll create several primary schemas:

Project Schema
- Name: The project name
- Description: Project overview and goals
- Status: Planning, Active, On Hold, Completed
- Start Date: When the project begins
- Target Completion: Expected completion date
- Actual Completion: When the project was actually completed
- Owner: Person responsible for the project
- Priority: Project priority (High, Medium, Low)
- Tags: Categories or labels for the project
Task Schema
- Title: The task name
- Description: Detailed description of the work
- Status: Not Started, In Progress, Blocked, Completed
- Assignee: Person responsible for the task
- Due Date: When the task should be completed
- Estimated Hours: Expected time to complete
- Actual Hours: Time actually spent
- Priority: Task priority (High, Medium, Low)
- Dependencies: Tasks that must be completed first
Milestone Schema
- Name: The milestone name
- Description: What this milestone represents
- Due Date: When the milestone should be reached
- Status: Upcoming, Reached, Missed
- Deliverables: What should be delivered at this milestone
Resource Schema
- Name: Resource name (person or material)
- Type: Person, Equipment, Material, etc.
- Availability: When the resource is available
- Skills/Capabilities: What the resource can do
- Allocation: Current assignment status
Document Schema
- Title: Document name
- Content: Markdown text or file attachment
- Version: Document version
- Status: Draft, Review, Approved, etc.
- Owner: Person responsible for the document
- Last Updated: When the document was last modified

Collection Structure

Project Portfolio (Home Collection)
- Overview of all projects
- Project status dashboard
- Resource allocation summary
- Upcoming milestones across all projects
Project Collections
- One collection per project
- Contains all project-related cards
- Multiple views for different aspects of the project
- Sub-collections for project phases or components
Specialized Views
- Kanban Board: Tasks organized by status columns
- Gantt View: Timeline view of tasks and milestones
- Resource Allocation: View of who is assigned to what
- Documentation Library: Organized project documents
- Risk Register: Tracking of project risks and mitigations

Connection System

Basic Connections
- Connect tasks to their parent project
- Link dependent tasks to show workflow
- Connect documents to relevant tasks and milestones
Structured Inlets
- blocks: Inlet for tasks that block other tasks
- requires: Inlet for resources required by tasks
- documents: Inlet connecting documentation to project elements
- contributes-to: Inlet showing how tasks contribute to milestones
Automated Connections
- Set up Commonscript to update project status based on task completion
- Automatically flag overdue tasks and at-risk milestones
- Calculate resource utilization across projects

Project Workflows

Project Initiation
- Create a new project card
- Set up initial milestones
- Define key deliverables
- Identify required resources
- Create project documentation structure
Task Management
- Break down work into tasks
- Assign tasks to team members
- Set dependencies between tasks
- Track task status and progress
- Update actual hours as work progresses
Progress Tracking
- Update task status as work progresses
- Track milestone completion
- Monitor resource utilization
- Identify and address blockers
- Adjust timelines as needed
Project Completion
- Mark final deliverables as complete
- Conduct project retrospective
- Archive project documentation
- Capture lessons learned

Agile Methodology Support

For teams using Agile methodologies:

Sprint Planning
- Create sprint collections within projects
- Select and assign tasks for each sprint
- Set sprint goals and capacity
Backlog Management
- Maintain a product backlog collection
- Prioritize backlog items
- Refine and estimate items
Scrum Ceremonies
- Track daily standups with quick notes
- Document sprint reviews and retrospectives
- Visualize burndown with Commonscript calculations

Benefits

Unified System: All project information in one connected system
Flexible Methodology: Support for different project approaches
Visual Management: Multiple views of project status and progress
Connected Documentation: Project docs linked to relevant tasks
Resource Optimization: Clear view of resource allocation
Adaptable Structure: Customize for different project types

Customization Ideas

Automated Reporting: Create Commonscript to generate status reports
Time Tracking: Add time tracking functionality for team members
Client Portal: Share selected collections with external stakeholders
Integration: Connect to external tools via System Extensions
Templates: Create project templates for common project types
Metrics Dashboard: Build custom visualizations of project metrics

This example demonstrates how Commonplace can serve as a comprehensive project management system that connects tasks, resources, documentation, and timelines in a flexible, adaptable framework.