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Groups or teams using OmniFocus: how do we share & collaborate? Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Hi everyone. I'm new to OmniFocus so please excuse me this is an easy thing to do.

We use OmniFocus to organise our client projects, etc. It's a dream to use.

However, we use a freelance Web Developer for some of our jobs. I'd like to be able to create an OmniFocus Project, fill it with tasks for him to do and then send him this Project so that he can use this from within his OmniFocus.

Is this possible?

I've tried some of the Export features but cannot get any of these to create me a file that I can email him. The Import feature on OmniFocus only seems to import from OmniOutliner, which we do not have.

Does anyone know how I can do the above, if at all, or if there is a better way of doing this.

If I could 'share' a Project (like I can share iCal Calendars) then that would be perfect.

Any help/assistance anyone can give will be very much appreciated.
 
OmniFocus 1.x was designed around a single-user workflow; we've discussed these sorts of scenarios for inclusion in some future version of the application, but the syncing and export both currently work on your full database.

You could theoretically create a second OmniFocus database and place it on your network someplace that you and the contractor could both access, but if he's working remotely that would be more difficult.

If that solution would work for you, just duplicate your existing database in the finder, double-click the duplicate, and then delete any actions you didn't want the contractor to see.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian View Post
OmniFocus 1.x was designed around a single-user workflow; we've discussed these sorts of scenarios for inclusion in some future version of the application, but the syncing and export both currently work on your full database.
One thing that is a bit odd (and I've reported it) is that the documentation claims that the File->Export command will only export the data in view. That's true for many of the output options, but the ones that export to OmniFocus file types all do the whole database for some reason.

A heads-up for the original poster: you can do as Brian suggests, whittling down a file to just the part(s) you need and sending it to your contractor. However, when they open the file and copy the project into their database, if the context names match existing context names, duplicates will be created. This isn't too hard to fix up if you know that it happens, but it's confusing if you don't realize it has happened and you're looking at one of the duplicated contexts wondering where the other actions you know should be there are! Here's a post describing the process (and fix).
 
You could always use Spootnik ($3/mo - http://www.spootnik.net/) to sync to a Basecamp project, and then have the Web Developer use the Basecamp project (or OF with his own Spootnik account.) I've used Spootnik a bit with a free Basecamp account, and it works pretty well!
 
Hello:

I've been on this quest for a desktop based GTD system that will allow our team to collaborate and share/delegate tasks with one another. Does anyone have any real world working knowledge of this? Our 2.5 week OmniFocus test failed once our database got too big...we were stepping on each others edits when working on the same stuff.

So far the only app which seems to do this from a desktop perspective is Daylite, but I found the UI and UX too much like work.

Please note: I know there are online services which give me these capabilities, but due to confidentiality, we cannot keep data on a remote and unmanaged server.

Many thanks on advance for any insight.

Cheers,
policarpo
 
A few folks have tried this with varying success. Omnifocus us not a multiuser app so you're bound to encounter issues.

What are you trying to do that a multiuser gtd app solves? Gtd has always seemed personal. Bug trackers, or similar issues databases are more multiuser by design.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasong View Post
A few folks have tried this with varying success. Omnifocus us not a multiuser app so you're bound to encounter issues.

What are you trying to do that a multiuser gtd app solves? Gtd has always seemed personal. Bug trackers, or similar issues databases are more multiuser by design.
Essentially this is what I am trying to do:

. Delegate tasks to teammates
. Have them receive Tasks
. Have them update status of Task
- notes, attachments, etc
. Complete Task and check it off as complete
. Have entire team aware of open Tasks via OmniFocus

What I am asking for is nothing different than what you can currently do in Toodledo (http://www.toodledo.com/info/sharing.php) But like I said, I can't use web based tools due to confidentiality.

I have a crude workaround using BusyCal and LAN published calendars, but I don't find it as feature rich as I would like it. I am hoping for the Collaboration features in Toodledo in OmniFocus. :)

Thanks,
-policarpo
 
Omni has been pretty clear about OF being a personal task management tool. As far as I've heard, the only plans for collaboration are via interaction with OmniPlan, and that's been pushed back by the introduction of the iPad. You might be able to hack something together, but it seems like it will be fragile. Fragility is the last thing you want in a task management system.

Be sure to use Help --> Send Feedback to communicate feature requests to Omni. While the architecture doesn't seem likely to support full-blown multi-user database sharing, it seems like it might be possible to implement sending actions to others and (crucially) checking off actions in others' databases.

Imagine being able to run a delegate command that sends an action via email to another OF user. They receive it and run the Clip-o-tron to add the task to their database, along with metadata that associates the task with the your original one. Meanwhile, your task would be somehow marked as delegated. After some time, the receiver completes the task and checks it off. This could automatically trigger a reply email to you indicating that the task is done. The Clip-o-tron on your side would process this email and mark the delegated task complete in your database. That would nicely handle the delegation piece.

Since you're clearly willing to tinker, you might think about setting up your own server running collaborative ticket tracking software. There are a variety of open source solutions available. Said another way, rather than looking for personal task management software that handles collaboration, you might have better luck looking for collaborative project management software that handles personal tasks.
__________________
Cheers,

Curt
 
Another idea might be to just let people keep their individual databases, but maybe automate the process of sending a daily or weekly status update (say, in the form of a PDF or HTML file) from each worker.

One thing that I would guess to be a disadvantage of assigning tasks like you describe, as I tried to say before, is that different people have different ways of arranging their work. What might be one task for you might be five for someone else, perhaps in the same task group and maybe spread over multiple task groups. Or maybe the task that you assign gets folded into a larger group. It seems to me that its ongoing status at that point starts to lose meaning. Does that make sense? So when a task gets completed, and then that automatically checks off some supervisor's corresponding task, that task being completed might mean different things. I know that you're thinking a lot about this problem, but it seems to me here that the perfect might be the enemy of the good. Just something to consider!
 
Yep.

I've submitted feature requests and have been mapping out various solutions in another thread. I wanted to focus this thread on other peoples possible solutions.

The feature exploration thread:
http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthre...t=16348&page=2
 
 


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