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How/where to store project details, notes? Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Folks,
I searched to no avail. I have two major questions:
  1. Where are people storing project notes (ie conversations with staff, brainstorming results, progress notes, outstanding questions, etc.) associated with their projects? What are the best practices?
  2. What application are you using to store them?

Regarding the where:
  1. Should project notes be kept in a project file with all other project files (like images, web pages, PDF, etc.?
  2. Or should project notes be kept in a separate hierarchy along with all other project notes?

Regarding the application:
I was using Mindjet MindManager on the PC for all my project outlines and notes, but MindManager files aren't indexed by spotlight.

I know that someone was using a script to create an OmniOutliner document in a Reference folder hierarchy matching the OmniFocus project hierarchy.

However, OmniOutliner doesn't share text very well with others not using OmniOutliner, so I'm considering just going back to MS Word. Any thoughts before making this leap?

I'd love to learn more about your systems in play.

rutilate
 
My project notes needs aren't generally too extensive, so I store them in OmniFocus, as the project's notes field. Indexed by Spotlight, and no need to involve other apps. Supports rich text formatting, so I can copy and paste to/from other apps and retain most formatting.

From what I recall of the script you mentioned using OmniOutliner, it might not be all that hard to retool it to use another app.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rutilate View Post
Folks,
I searched to no avail. I have two major questions:
  1. Where are people storing project notes (ie conversations with staff, brainstorming results, progress notes, outstanding questions, etc.) associated with their projects? What are the best practices?
  2. What application are you using to store them?

Regarding the where:
  1. Should project notes be kept in a project file with all other project files (like images, web pages, PDF, etc.?
  2. Or should project notes be kept in a separate hierarchy along with all other project notes?

Regarding the application:
I was using Mindjet MindManager on the PC for all my project outlines and notes, but MindManager files aren't indexed by spotlight.

I know that someone was using a script to create an OmniOutliner document in a Reference folder hierarchy matching the OmniFocus project hierarchy.

However, OmniOutliner doesn't share text very well with others not using OmniOutliner, so I'm considering just going back to MS Word. Any thoughts before making this leap?

I'd love to learn more about your systems in play.

rutilate
I am so happy you asked this question because I've never seen any answer any where.

Depends on what kind of note.
If it is a check list it goes as a project in OF
If it is a quick note about a task it goes on the field note at the end of it.
If it's a real note such a thinking about a project it goes on a .page file on a specific computer's folder.

I love OF for tasking. I love it's simplicity and since i discovered the themes i like my actual looking. But I hate it for notes. I dream of a real page like on .page or word with an automatic summary something simple but efficient where I could store my notes as I do on my note book.
For the moment I discovered that the best thing to do was to make a link from my computer to OF task note by drag and drop. But the solution is not great. There is still the icon I would prefer a real link.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rutilate View Post
  1. Where are people storing project notes (ie conversations with staff, brainstorming results, progress notes, outstanding questions, etc.) associated with their projects? What are the best practices?
  2. What application are you using to store them?

Regarding the where:
  1. Should project notes be kept in a project file with all other project files (like images, web pages, PDF, etc.?
  2. Or should project notes be kept in a separate hierarchy along with all other project notes?
I keep small notes and info in the notes field in Omnifocus either on the individual action or on the project depending on what's the note is needed for.

Medium amounts of notes are now being put into a DEVONThink database in a group that syncs with my iPod Touch

Larger sets of stuff get a folder on my Mac, in DT with links on the Mac for larger docs I don't want on my handheld device and usually a paper folder as well because I usually have paper documents for large projects. If those are active projects the paper folders are in my filing cabinet with my tickler file. If they are inactive at the moment or on-hold they are in my main paper filing system, currently 3 file cabinets. In any case in the OF notes I put a comment on where any additional file or reference material can be found
 
OmniFocus for simple notes.

OmniOutliner for more complex project planning.

DEVONthink to store everything.
 
I'm another DevonThink Pro Office user for this stuff. To put things in perspective, I keep my "verbs" in OmniFocus and my "nouns" in DevonThink. For projects, I create a link to a DevonThink folder and put it in the header information for the project... that way I can quickly get to it. You can also put the reciprocal doclink in DevonThink to the OmniFocus project.

In practice, the way this might work for something like a doctors bill that comes in and has some problem. The bill comes into my inbasket from the mailbox. I open it and put it in my Fujitsu scanner. While its scanning and converting to searchable PDF, I go into OmniFocus and create an Action to call the doctor to discuss the bill. By now, the thing is in my DevonThink Inbasket. I go there and its the first one on the list. I grab a doclink and drop it into the OmniFocus action, along with any notes. Then when I later get to that Action to do, I can open the bill in DevonThink with a click... and use DevonThink's markup tools to take notes on the bill. Eventually the action gets closed in OmiFocus, but the bill will stay in my timeless records, along with notes about it.

I do take notes about actions that are not timeless and only important in the completion of the action... but I don't put anything in there that I would want to refer back to. I've started a rolling journal RTF file in each of my DevonThink project folders that I use to keep a log of actions for each project.

This verb/noun thinking helps me keep things in the right place.
 
@convergent

Thanks for the noun/verb analogy.

(Off topic, but man I love my Fujitsu scanner, my digital life changed when I got it).
 
If you would like your project to-dos and your project notes together, you might try Circus Ponies Notebook. Any line in a notebook can be a to-do (which can have due dates, but don't have the same available/unavailable scheme that OF has), and it automatically collects all of the undone to-dos and sorts them by due in the index pages.
 
 


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