Action Item Manager 3.0

If your projects are deadline-driven and "ad-hoc", meaning instant production and delegation of work rather than detailed planning ahead of time, we recommend Action Item Manager. It is as easy to use as any to-do list, yet surprisingly powerful in its application.

1. Action Item List. In the center of the system is a list of action items. Each item has a name, an optional description, and a deadline. Additional fields describe category, status, client, and project.
2. Assignments. Once an item is described it can be assigned to anyone in your team. The assignment can be accompanied with additional instructions. While assigned, the assignee is the temporary owner of the action item, which amongst other things allows him to then forward the assignment to the next person. Assignments and instructions are logged for review.
3. Item Manager. The originator of an action item remains manager of the item, and even while the item is assigned to someone else, the manager can update or add more information. The item manager can also forward this responsibility and make someone else item manager.
4. Time Reports. The item manager and all assignees over the lifetime of an action item can record time against the action item. Time reports can be accompanied by progress description and the information is logged for review.
5. File Attachments. Action items can have files attached, often collected while the items travel from on person to the next. This is a great feature, if documents get revised as part of the activity. Files don't get deleted or overwritten, new versions are added as item owners and managers make them available. Files can be accompanied by descriptive information and both are logged for review and download.
6. Grouping, Filtering, and Sorting. The action item list can be grouped and / or filtered by any of the following: item type, manager, assignee, completion status, status, client, project, and importance.  The filtered and grouped action list can then be sorted within the groups by any column. The combination of these methods allow for very flexible views of your data, e.g. you could say: For client X, show me grouped by project, all items where John is or was assigned, sorted by item importance.
7. Gantt Chart. If you like to see activities in a time line, the system offers a graphical view in parallel to the tabular display of the items. For each item, the Gantt shows a bar from the earliest start date to the deadline. Time elapsed is shown as a bar inside, and the current assignment runs as a semi-transparent layer on top of it. If the deadline is passed the assignment is shown in red.
8. Reporting. We provide a small report generator for exporting action item data into Microsoft Excel. The report generator will use the same filters, grouping and sorting as you see on screen, plus it provides additional options for including time reports, file uploads, and assignment history of each item. The resulting file can then be used as an attachment for client billing, your own utilization analysis, etc.
9. User Groups and Permissions. By default every user can only view action items he/she is either manager of or is assigned to. System 3 provides for additional permissions that will allow users of definable user groups to do more, such as view all items, manage all items, delete items they are manager of, etc.

Example scenarios for using Action Item Manager 3.0

1. Software development. Assume you have a team of developers working from home, but working together on a new software product. The team lead can assign various action items to the different team members, they in turn submit their progress, time spent, and the actual source code files needed for the next build. User permissions can be set in a way that team members can see each others progress reports which is a good indication for when you can expect a needed component.
2. Bug tracking. Trouble ticketing. Bug reports often go back and forth between the people involved, either to describe the symptoms in more detail, to get additional opinions, or to submit files that help reproduce the problem. Action Item Manager is a great tool for this, as it allows to keep related information together and additionally track and keep record of what was going on and how much time was spent.
3. Office Management. Every business no matter how small has tons of mini-projects. Whether its the daily routines, or exceptional projects such as moving locations, remodeling the office, dealing with contractors etc. Lot's of items to track and with a tool like Action Item Manager easy to share with co-workers. You could be fishing in Montana, for all we know, but you could still see what's going on in the office.
4. Freelance coordination. Assume you have a team of graphic designers and copy writers that mostly work from remote. Whenever you get a new job from your clients, you can turn around and delegate the work instantaneously. You can track progress, coordinate dependencies, and run instant reports for customer billing or paying your vendors. Everything stays nicely organized.

Time Report Log.

File Attachment Log.

Report Generator.

Sample Report grouped by item type.

User Groups and Permissions.