Contracts limited to a quantity

233 Note: Agile methods OpenERP implements the agile methodology Scrum for IT development projects in the project_scrum module. Scrum supplements the task system with the following concepts: long-term planning, sprints, iterative develop- ment, progress meetings, burndown chart, and product backlog. Look at the site: http:controlchaos.com for more information on the Scrum methodology. Figure 19.4: Gantt chart, calculated for earliest delivery You can set the Working Time in the project file. If you do not specify anything, OpenERP assumes by default that you work 8 hours a day from Monday to Sunday. Once the time is specified you can call up a project Gantt chart from Tasks. The system then calculates a project plan for earliest delivery using task ordering and the working time. Tip: Calendar View OpenERP can give you a calendar view of the different tasks in both the web client and the GTK client. This is all based on the deadline data and displays only tasks that have a deadline. You can then delete, create or modify tasks using drag and drop only in web. Calendar View of the System Tasks

19.1.5 Delegate your Tasks

To delegate a task to another user you can just change the person responsible for that task. However the system does not help you track tasks that you have delegated, such as monitoring of work done, if you do it this way. Figure 19.5: Form for Delegating a Task to Another User 234 Instead, you can use the Delegate button on a task. The system enables you to modify tasks at all levels in the chain of delegation, to add additional information. A task can therefore start as a global objective and become more detailed as it is delegated down in the hierarchy. The second tab on the task form gives you a complete history of the chain of delegation for each task. You can find a link to the parent task there, and the different tasks that have been delegated.

19.2 Long Term Project Planning

You can plan your projects with Long Term Planning. To do this, use the Reconfigure wizard and in the Project Application Configuration section, select Long Term Planning and click Configure. This installs the project_long_term module. By using this feature you can link tasks to your planning to have a great view of who will do what at a specific time. The traditional phased approach identifies the sequence of steps to be completed. Faces library is used for scheduling phases and tasks based on calendar resources. So resource availability or resource leaves are tracked using this tool. The Gantt chart allows you to easily manage your resources and plans by mere drag drop. The Calendar view also helps you map your deadlines and tasks needing attention.

19.2.1 Project Phases

You can subdivide your larger projects into several phases. To define a new phase, go to Project → Project → Project Phases and click New. You must link your phase to a project through the Project field. For each phase, you can define your resources allocation human or machine, describe the different tasks and link your phase to previous and following ones. You can also add constraints linked with dates and scheduling. A Gantt view of your project is available from this menu, which you may alternatively open through the Project → Long Term Planning → Project Phases menu. Figure 19.6: Form View of Project Phase

19.2.2 Scheduling

You need to define a working schedule and leaves since the project scheduler will use these to calculate the project dates. Ensure that you have entered a working schedule for your project in the Working Time field in the Administration tab of the Project form. This is useful to generate accurate Gantt charts for your project.