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-   -   Feature request - Separate context and status (http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=20476)

garyo 2011-03-22 07:12 PM

Feature request - Separate context and status
 
IMHO the current advisory note which suggests using contexts called something like "on hold" or "awaiting action" is the cuase of some unintended problems. As I understand from the GTD book a context is a resource. However, on hold or due from others is really a status

I'd like to see Omni focus add another field called for want of a better name "Status" which would allow settings such as active, on hold, awaiting response from others to be set. (On hold is different from awaiting from others)

All actions have contexts irrespective of their status. To have to change a resource overlooks serendipidous opportunities to follow up say with co-workers "what happened to the x I sent you" when communicating with them which cannot occur of the context is "hold" or "due from others"

Regarding the status field, if you allow them to be user defined they will be more useful and I assume can re-use the same code for context with minor changes to report.

garyo 2011-03-22 07:44 PM

PS I meant to add that I like many others use Omnifocus for iphone stand alone. The office PC standard is windows.

GeoffAirey 2011-03-23 12:28 AM

You can set projects Active, On Hold, Completed or Dropped. With the way that GTD works, this is sufficient.

Waiting (For others) is a context, GTD describes it as such

Are you saying that you want to put Tasks on hold?

garyo 2011-03-27 03:26 AM

Geoff, please see my initial comments and you will see why
(a) making a project "on hold" is far too broad when what is needed is just an action/item/event
(b) it should not over-ride the substantive context

There is quite a gap between GTD as written and the various software implementations

The interesting conclusion I reached using Omnifocus for iphone without having the mac is that this is the first time I have become aware that status is actually in parallel with context

dpvanwormer 2011-03-27 05:20 AM

garyo, what you want to do can be accomplished in OF now - although I have to say that I don't use OF for iPhone anymore, so I tested this out on OF for Mac.

What I use all the time currently is a "People Agendas" context with names of the people I regularly have items to discuss as sub-contexts. And, under each name I have a sub-sub-context of "Waiting For." So, if I want to discuss a task I want to give to John, I put it in OF under "People Agendas : John" until I discuss it with him and get his agreement to do it, and then I move it to "People Agendas : John : Waiting For" until he gets back with me to tell me it's done. Any time I want to check my "status" with John, I look under the "People Agendas : John" context and can see first the items I need to discuss with John and just below that the items that I am waiting for John to do. All of my "Waiting For" contexts under the various people have a On Hold status so that they don't appear in my available tasks.

The same thing can be done with regular contexts. I haven't done that myself up to now, but you started me thinking about it. I tested it by making an "On Hold" sub-context under my "Office" context and then moving one of my Office tasks (which is actually on hold) under it. Same as above, when I now look at my Office context, I see my active tasks first followed by an "Office : On Hold" header with the on hold task below it. Again, by making the status of the "On Hold" sub-context as "On Hold," the on hold task will not show up as available.

At the moment, this seems to me to be an even better solution than completely separate contexts and statuses. I would prefer that all my tasks in a given context be shown together but filtered by active status first and then on hold status after.

Again, I did not try this in OF for iPhone, so I am not sure if you can set it up there.

GeoffAirey 2011-03-28 06:43 AM

[QUOTE=garyo;95186]There is quite a gap between GTD as written and the various software implementations

The interesting conclusion I reached using Omnifocus for iphone without having the mac is that this is the first time I have become aware that status is actually in parallel with context[/QUOTE]

There is quite a gap between GTD and various software implementations, but OF is the closest I've found.

I disagree with Status and Context being in parallel, it depends on the user/practitioner of GTD.

I see Contexts, Projects and Statuses (Statii?) as being three different views of the same data, almost in three dimensions with Contexts on the X axis, Projects on the Y and Statuses on the Z, but GTD doesn't.

Personally I'd like to see Omni add customisable metatags to allow users to build their own new dimensions into their data for usage and reporting, e.g. separate people from Contexts, allow importance to be tagged and allow tagging on projects and tasks into larger projects without them necessarily being in the same hierarchy.

GeoffAirey 2011-03-28 06:47 AM

[QUOTE=dpvanwormer;95187]The same thing can be done with regular contexts. I haven't done that myself up to now, but you started me thinking about it. I tested it by making an "On Hold" sub-context under my "Office" context and then moving one of my Office tasks (which is actually on hold) under it. Same as above, when I now look at my Office context, I see my active tasks first followed by an "Office : On Hold" header with the on hold task below it. Again, by making the status of the "On Hold" sub-context as "On Hold," the on hold task will not show up as available.

At the moment, this seems to me to be an even better solution than completely separate contexts and statuses. I would prefer that all my tasks in a given context be shown together but filtered by active status first and then on hold status after. [/QUOTE]

This is a way to handle what you want within the constraints of OF, but my biggest issue with this is how you would see all tasks you're waiting on or which are on hold regardless of context. I review all of them once a week (in my weekly review) to ensure that non are moot, or that I've had a response and not checked it off / progressed it, but this is only possible by reviewing each project one at a time..

garyo 2011-04-28 11:22 PM

Three dimensions Context, Project and Status
 
Hi Geoff

I think we are in agreement

We have a context and a project view

There is a default "due view" which is due soon, overdue.

What we need is a status view which will have the options "active, on hold, awaiting from others, delegated to others". I also agree it would be handy to have additional tags. But those listed would be a powerful start.

How do you suggest I ask Omnifocus for it?

Warm regards/gary

[QUOTE=GeoffAirey;95202]There is quite a gap between GTD and various software implementations, but OF is the closest I've found.

I disagree with Status and Context being in parallel, it depends on the user/practitioner of GTD.

I see Contexts, Projects and Statuses (Statii?) as being three different views of the same data, almost in three dimensions with Contexts on the X axis, Projects on the Y and Statuses on the Z, but GTD doesn't.

Personally I'd like to see Omni add customisable metatags to allow users to build their own new dimensions into their data for usage and reporting, e.g. separate people from Contexts, allow importance to be tagged and allow tagging on projects and tasks into larger projects without them necessarily being in the same hierarchy.[/QUOTE]


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