Tim Bauer’s Running Thoughts

This quote resonate with you?

“What we got here is… failure to communicate.” (link is to a audio snippet)

If so, you are either Paul Newman re-incarnated from his excellent role in Cool Hand Luke … or … you work, as I do, on your fair share of complex project teams. I thought of this movie when I watched a few webcasts around the product Mylyn (a nice add-on for Eclipse that allows you to take a task concept in development — like you think — versus compilation the way people that wrote Eclipse thought).

Why did this pop into my head while running along?

Read on …

Note, while I am suggesting you manage in your master plan at the discrete units of work that the technical team commits from (JIRA items) … you need to force them to make JIRA items worth tracking. Say nothing less than 80 hours. Otherwise you get into a tasklist style of delivery … and that is not good either (lose sight of forest view).

Would be curious on your thoughts … as always.

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……………..○ 5/16/2008, 5:57 AM
……………..○ Interview By Michael Cote (Redmonk)
……………..○ Speaker is “Mik” http://www.tasktop.com/blog/
……………..○ Mylyn - Used to be Mylar
…………………………….§ http://www.redmonk.com/cote/2006/12/06/more-on-mylar-tasks-picking-agile-alm/
…………………………….§ www.eclipse.org/mylyn
……………..○ 5/16/2008, 6:02 AM
……………..○ Overview
…………………………….○ Overview
……………………………………………□ http://www.redmonk.com/cote/2007/07/05/mylyn-conversation-and-demo/
……………………………………………□ Refer to it at Mylar at that point
……………………………………………□ Bring tasks to the IDE
…………………………………………………………..® Issue tracker like JIRA, Bugzilla … single place
……………………………………………□ Once tasks in Eclipse … single click indicate what task working on … auto tag content you work on w/ that task
……………………………………………□ Then you filter (auto) in IDE to objects relative to task
……………………………………………□ One click toggle between tasks and filter of artifacts, inheritance
……………………………………………□ 5/16/2008, 6:08 AM
……………………………………………□ Episode based memory (task)
…………………………….○ 5/16/2008, 6:08 AM
…………………………….○ Demo start
……………………………………………□ Renamed to Mylyn — trademark issues
……………………………………………□ Whats new for Europa and Mylyn (2.0)
…………………………………………………………..® Tasks List
…………………………………………………………..® See comments … new bolded …
…………………………………………………………..® Add comments in IDE (don’t have to leave)
…………………………………………………………..® Stay in flow in IDE
……………………………………………□ Offline Support
…………………………………………………………..® Mylyn … repository connector basis
…………………………………………………………..® Once you connect via Mylyn to any repository it is all offline
…………………………………………………………..® Bauer Comment- how synch handled
…………………………………………………………..® Biggest bang is speed (tasks are localized) … no trips to server
……………………………………………□ Example based on bugzilla
……………………………………………□ What other things can be represented by mylyn task concept
…………………………………………………………..® New task in IDE
…………………………………………………………..® Personal Task (local)
…………………………………………………………..® Group task (bugzilla, jira, etc)
…………………………………………………………..® Framework allows connection to any repository … JIRA, Bugzilla, Task(?)
……………………………………………□ Rally … user stories show up as tasks (Agile)
……………………………………………□ Salesforce, outlook … connectors
……………………………………………□ Google calendar
……………………………………………□ 5/16/2008, 6:15 AM
……………………………………………□ Once tasks in IDE … they can capture the context of the tasks you work on .. Example
…………………………………………………………..® Activate task (one click)
…………………………………………………………..® Auto switch to programming perspective
…………………………………………………………..® As you click on various methods becomes visible in package explorer in eclipse
…………………………………………………………..® SO mylyn track action and expands view based on that
…………………………………………………………..® “Task Context”
……………………………………………□ Key point is relationships of items to tasks …
……………………………………………□ Key is model fills out as you do your work
……………………………………………□ 5/16/2008, 6:17 AM
……………………………………………□ The more you use … the more interesting the mylyn model becomes …
……………………………………………□ Implicit bookmarks basically
……………………………………………□ Built as you work
……………………………………………□ Deactivate a task … eclipse goes back to normal … planning perspective
……………………………………………□ Back to task .. One click away
……………………………………………□ 5/16/2008, 6:20 AM
……………………………………………□ Show example of bug he was working today
…………………………………………………………..® Look at attachments on bugzilla inline in IDE
…………………………………………………………..® Can see in bold the main things he works on as part of task (friend of yours)
…………………………………………………………..® Take change set … just for task … commit … auto commit
……………………………………………□ Everything in IDE is hyperlinked
…………………………………………………………..® Navigate from comments straight to tab it came from
……………………………………………□ Any text can be hyperlinked …
…………………………………………………………..® Navigate from bug report straight from Java comment … unstructured (java) to structured (task tool)
……………..○ Demo Only
…………………………….○ http://blip.tv/file/533405
…………………………..○ http://blip.tv/file/533405
…………………………..○ 5/18/2008, 9:55 AM
…………………………..○ Overview of Mylyn
…………………………..○ 5/18/2008, 9:57 AM
…………………………..○ How to add repository from scratch
…………………………………………□ Just like code repositories (hold tasks not code)
…………………………..○ Validate settings (proxy concerns)
…………………………..○ Add a query to the repository (saved filters from JIRA are available, or create via form)
…………………………..○ 5/18/2008, 9:59 AM
…………………………..○ Troubleshooting query against JIRA (no records)
…………………………..○ Synch w/ JIRA (mylyn stores JIRA stuff local by the way)
…………………………..○ Show how you can push into JIRA via Eclipse RIA (versus browser). Also offline access.
…………………………..○ 5/18/2008, 10:02 AM
…………………………..○ Example of changing priority, submit to repository, new feature (JIRA icon for new feature)
…………………………..○ Show how another comment on web will synch to Eclipse and be flagged as “new” in task panel
…………………………..○ 5/18/2008, 10:06 AM
…………………………..○ Sub tasks in JIRA supported
…………………………..○ Flexibility on top of estimates, due dates ..
…………………………..○ Plus Mylyn’s scheduling facility
…………………………………………□ Basically a way to get past JIRA SPAM (email change notices)
…………………………………………□ You can schedule tasks out a week (JIRA can’t do that natively … at least not this powerfully)
…………………………………………□ Filter out tasks that are not up
…………………………………………□ Get Things Done (GTD) focus … only tasks that are active that are shown
…………………………………………□ Drag and drop tasks in Mylyn scheduler … around when you will work stuff.
…………………………..○ 5/18/2008, 10:08 AM
…………………………..○ Filter view code for you
…………………………..○ “Pickling”
…………………………………………□ Open up home mylyn task … adds to workflow in eclipse .. Have task .. Activate (click button) … now you see the task ..
…………………………………………□ Starts w/ no context … some context in repository (get prior work)
……………………………………………………….® Shows you what you worked on the most on last access
……………………………………………………….® Shows last access / edit point (exact line)
……………………………………………………….® Artifacts narrowed to work in task context in prior
……………………………………………………….® You or someone else’s work
…………………………..○ 5/18/2008, 10:11 AM
…………………………..○ Quick features for JIRA that are useful
…………………………………………□ Attachments .. Drag to task editor .. File system … whatever
…………………………………………□ New features in 2.2 …
……………………………………………………….® Screenshot attachments
……………………………………………………….® Take a whole query and open that in a browser (JIRA query)
……………………………………………………….® Search feature versus repository
…………………………..○ 5/18/2008, 10:14 AM
…………………………..○ Bug reporting in Eclipse
…………………………..○ How get?
…………………………………………□ Google for Mylyn JIRA … downloads page …
…………………………………………□ In eclipse, goto update manager ..
…………………………………………□ Then you install JIRA connector (free)
Hosted on eclipse.org

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