Using IMAP shared account for submitting and tracking tasks
Switzernet
2009-08-11
Here we are in an IMAP account created for submitting and tracking the tasks
assigned to us. The following sections describe the rules and indications to be
respected for increasing the success of this attempt of project management and
task tracking via IMAP.
IMAP account
Create the IMAP account projects@switzernet.com
by correctly specifying your name in the Display Name field. Make sure to
always use exactly the same text in format "First-name Last-name",
and never make changes (even insignificant). If you provided special
characters, such as "é" or "ï", you must make
sure that you always have them exactly as you specified first time. Your
display name will be used in search folders, and even one more space will
affect the search.
Projects
This account (projects@) contains an IMAP folder "To Do". This folder
contains all pending projects (i.e. a name grouping together several related
tasks) in form of sub-folders. The project folder name begins with a date
"yymmdd", it must be short, and unambiguous.
Tasks
Each folder in "To Do" contains tasks. Tasks are emails. They must
contain explicit and nicely formulated subject. The "To:" or
"Cc:" fields of these emails must be the true email addresses of
persons to whom the task is assigned (e.g. sujatha.nampaly@switzernet.com).
In order to create a task, you can compose the email, save it (instead of
sending), and then drag the saved email from the "Draft" IMAP folder
to the corresponding project folder. Alternatively you can send the task to the
person (from your usual account or from projects@) then drag the copy of that
email (from your "Sent" folder or from your "Inbox") to the
folder of project in "To Do".
Each email is a task and only task
The project in "To Do" can contain only tasks. The number of emails
in "To Do" must correspond exactly to the tasks to do. The text of
the email must be formulated in the imperative form. The text cannot have a
form of a discussion, chat, or a notification. It must look as a clear
instruction to do a task in an imperative form. The style must be the same for
tasks created for yourself or for your colleagues. For short tasks everything
can be put in the subject, but the body must be a copy of the subject with a
few more precisions. For long tasks, the subject must be as complete and
compact as possible. The main "yymmdd" folder of the project cannot
contain any other email, apart the tasks. The number of emails in the folder
must correspond exactly to the number of tasks. There cannot be discussions or
informative emails in this folder.
Folder "etc" for updates and more info
For discussions, accompanying pieces, updates, notifications, announces, helps,
progress updates, informations, chats, and other related emails you can create
a sub-folder "etc". In this sub-folder you can keep all emails
containing useful info or updates on the project. Emails of the "etc"
are counted nor as pending neither as completed tasks. Projects not needing
parallel discussions shall not have a "etc" folder. You can have a
copy of one or all tasks in the "etc" folder and discuss each task
individually. Thread view is obligatory. As soon as a new task is formulated
(and expressed in the language of task in a imperative form) it must be copied
to the main "yymmdd" folder of the project.
Accomplished tasks
Tasks which are done must be replied with a proof of accomplishment (usually a
link, attachment, or description). You can click on reply, type your text, save
the email in the "Draft" folder (close the composition window), and
move the email from the "Draft" folder into the folder of project.
With a thread view, your reply will be linked withe the original task. Move
both, the original task with your reply to the done folder. The done folder is
a sub-folder in your project, which has the same name of your project but
without the date (yymmdd) prefix. If such folder does not exist yet, you shall
create one. By moving the tasks, you decrease the number of pending tasks (in
the main folder) and you increase the number of completed tasks (by two emails,
the task itself + reply with the accomplishment proof).
The number of emails in the done folder (e.g. "blog spa1001" is the
done folder for "090811 blog spa1001" project), must be always the
double of the accomplished tasks, because you have the task itself and the
proof of its accomplishment sent by the person who completed the task (in reply
to the task's message).
"To Do" and "Work" Tags
The tasks in the project folder must all have a tag "To Do",
corresponding in Thunderbird to the blue color and key 4. All tasks in done
folder of the project must have a tag "Work" (interpreted as a work
to be account as done), corresponding in Thunderbird to the orange color and
key 2. Other messages in "etc" cannot have any color (0 key to clear
all tags) and they cannot be accounted with searches.
Searching pending tasks
For instance all pending tasks of Alain across all projects can be found easily
by making a simple search on the "To Do" folder. You must check
"Search sub-folders", and provide two criteria, "To or cc"
contains "Alain" and "Tags" contains "To Do". You
must check also "Match all of the following" to specify that you are
interested in all pending tasks of Alain (and not either all pending tasks or
tasks to Alain). The location column shows the project, the task assigned to
Alain belongs to. The search panel below shows that Alain has 8 pending tasks.
Similarly to search all tasks accomplished by Kerim, you must specify
"From" contains "Kerim" and "Tags" contains
"Work".
Completed projects
When project is completed, i.e. the main folder is empty, it shall be dragged
to the "Complete" IMAP folder.
Attachments
The attachment contains the images used in this document.
[doc]
References
On-line statistics of answered emails of support@ and billing@ accounts of Switzernet
http://switzernet.com/public/090309-support-answers/last/
http://www.unappel.ch/public/090309-support-answers/last/
Script for on-line statistics of answered emails of support@ and billing@ accounts of Switzernet
http://www.unappel.ch/public/090309-support-answers/
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