Hi Gerhard and [discuss] list members!
I'm neither an OOo developer nor a programmer, but I like to comment
your suggestions and - maybe more important to me - ask some questions
to better understand your proposal.
Am Samstag, den 17.03.2007, 01:22 +0100 schrieb Schuster Gerhard:
[...]
> I've been working with DOORS a lot and found it horribly painfull.
> After I learned about OpenOffice I think I can implement a new
> approach of how to work with documents in a team. I think this could
> very much help to shift the balance between MSOffice and OpenOffice
> and I would be very happy if it would happen that way.
At work I have to cope with requirements and their specification, too.
We also use DOORS [1] which - in my opinion - is no masterpiece in user
interaction (okay, sometimes its not far from being horrible). But is
has some advantages in consistency and traceability which are - at the
moment - not available in other application.
[Snip]
> MOTIVATION
> I'm working in an environment, where I have to handle lots of specification
> documents, test code real source code, ... .
> My specifications tend to be extensive, complicated and hard to comprehend.
Okay, just for software development. Or usable for other systems?
And by the way: If specifications are complicated and hard to comprehend
there is no tool to change that. ;-)
> Within the project life time I receive specification updates on a regular
> basis.
> The project team produces many summary's, analysis, specifications,
> documentations together with many test
> code and source code. Identifying the product requirements, keeping track of
> changes and knowing where they
> are implemented and tested is vital for the projects success. It is also very
> important to keep information
> easily accessible for new team members and to prevent loss of information
> when people leave the project.
> As now there is no tool on the market that offers a good and easy to follow
> approach to information management
> in a team.
[Snip]
I was a bit lost in your proposal and - maybe - completely missed the
thread. Therefore I will try to summarize you idea just to make sure I
did understand it correctly. Please correct me if I'm wrong:
The members of software development projects work with
requirements for the application to develop. Those requirements
are collected in specification documents. Those specifications
can be managed by OO:Easytracker.
Specifications documents may contain any object (from text to
complex graphics). Instead of editing the whole document, those
specification documents are divided in sections. Each section
can be accessed (read only, edit) by any team member which has
sufficient rights. Those rights are centrally managed by a
server application which also holds the (final) master document.
Editing the documents does not mean to edit conventional files.
The data transfer is done exclusively via network. If changes
are applied to a document section, the server application cares
for consistency and traceability (version history). If
necessary, the server informs other users about changes.
Besides editing the specifications, the users can add meta data
which helps to identify sections or objects relevant to him/her.
To identify differences between document versions, the system
provides several ways (graphics, tables) to present those
changes.
To ease the access for the software developers, the access to
the system is completely integrated into Eclipse. Eclipse is the
development environment the software developers use anyway.
So I have some questions:
q1) Previously you talked about mind mapping techniques. Are mind maps
part of the OOo document which can be edited?
q2) Previously you talked about software and test code. How to edit this
data and keep track of the changes. Will you use the standard
functionality of Eclipse and connected tools (CVS, SVN, ...)?
q3) Is the data changed instantly on the server or why do we need a
direct network connection to the server application? Even in the
industrial environment, many people work off-line and therefore need a
local copies.
q4) Why are no separate tools used to work with the specifications.
Normally you would use a content management system like MS SharePoint,
EMC documentum or something like that. Besides the integration into
Eclipse (which only makes sense if you work with software code) - what
is key advantage?
q5) How does the resulting source code relates to the given
specification? Are special fields used to e.g. keep consistency between
specification and source code?
q6) What kind of working model or development process (e.g. review,
quality, test cases, sub-projects) is implemented into the system?
q7) What core functionality of OOo will be used? Or will you provide all
functions which are available in the stand alone version?
q8) What license will you use? Your website [2] informs that companies
have to buy this software.
Although I would prefer a conventional content management system (at the
moment), I must say that I like your idea. I think that kind of editing
would not only help to commonly work on OOo specifications. I'm looking
forward to read your answers and to better understand your motives.
Have a nice day!
Christoph
PS: You used a "reply-to" email-address in your posting. This prevents
the answers being automatically posted on OOo [discuss].
[1] Telelogic DOORS is an application to manage requirements
specifications in a team. For those who wish more information on this
commercial application visit
http://www.telelogic.com/products/doors/doors/index.cfm
[2] http://ooeasytracker.de/
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
