[Greg Jones]

Really not sure what you getting at, sounds like a religious question.

I wouldn't view it as a religious question, but rather as a means to identify what your perspective is with regard to task management. Some people come to GTD-inspired applications with no prior experience, or buy-in, of the GTD methodology and are often frustrated when they encounter what they perceive to be limitations of the particular application. That doesn't necessarily indicate that the user is wrong about their methodology, but it also doesn't necessarily indicate that the tool is flawed. What it does often mean is that either the user's methodology will need to be re-evaluated or the chosen tool will need to be re-evaluated.

Omnifocus is personal project management, without the overhead of a program like omniplan. Maybe they can make omniplan lite, that works like omnifocus but can actually help PLAN things.

and

I think I gave a pretty clear explanation for mapping to a gantt chart. Calender events are simpler. This isn't that difficult. If its due on a date, put an event on the calender on that day. If it has a duration put it on the calender for that duration, if it doesn't use a default duration (15 min).

In Getting Things Done the topic of formal planning and informal planning is specifically addressed. Allen stresses that the biggest potential for improvement using GTD "does not consist of techniques for the highly elaborate and complex types of project organizing that professional project managers sometimes use (like GANNT charts). Most of the people who need those already have them... The real need is to capture and utilize more of the creative, proactive thinking we do--or could do." (p. 211)

So while Allen (and I expect most of us that implement GTD) recognize that there is a need for formal planning planning with very specific timeline-specific actions, there is also the recognition that the value of GTD lies primarily with thought processes and actions that do not necessarily translate neatly into GANNT charts or time-bound slots on a calendar.

Speaking personally, when I was first exposed to GTD in 2002, I also equipped our somewhat small design department with FastTrack Schedule to manage our design projects. At the time, my lack of experience with both GTD and formal PM quickly revealed itself as I tried to force one tool to address both needs. It wasn't long before I learned to let the PM software help me execute the project while using GTD to inform my thinking about what I should be planning as well as the project-related loose ends that didn't necessarily fit neatly in the PM.

My responsibilities today do not require me to use a full-featured PM, but I still don't try and force one tool (OmniFocus) to manage all aspects of what I need to do to get thing done. Technology-related, I use OmniOutliner to plan much of the specifics of my projects. I use DEVONthink to capture project reference material. I use MailTags and Mail-Act-On to assist in getting email communications into OmniFocus and DEVONthink. I use iCal for all hard landscape related aspects of what I need to do, for all events (appointments and time-specific tasks) and I do not sync anything to iCal from OmniFocus. If I ever again need a heavyweight PM functionality, I'd probably take a look at OmniPlan.

So in the end, perhaps OmniFocus is not the right tool for what you want to accomplish. Or perhaps it could be one tool in your productivity toolbox should you decide to explore the GTD methodology further. If not, then at least recognize that just because the tool doesn't fit your needs does not mean that the tool is flawed or that the people that do find value with the tool must not have busy schedules and/or time-constrained tasks that need to get done.