Personal Knowledge Base and data organization when working on a project
The original publication is available here.
http://www.cmsbitrix.ru/notes/note.php?ID=517
Introduction
When working on a project, for example, when developing a site on Bitrix, various information accumulates: contacts of project participants; electronic correspondence; accounts, etc.
The main problem is to keep the records and materials on the project in a readable, organized form and format that is convenient for data exchange.
In this publication I will tell you how I organized the technology for collecting, processing and storing information on the project.
')
Toolkit to work with the information array
Before you begin, first give a list of tools used:
TheBat Pro is an email client for working with mail and communication with project participants.
www.ritlabs.com
QIP - ICQ-client, used for operational negotiations with project participants.
www.qip.ru
Microsoft Outlook - to store contacts, tasks, calendar entries and notes.
office.microsoft.com/ru-ru/outlook/FX100487751049.aspx
SaveCHM plugin for Internet Explorer - to save pages in a browser in CHM-format.
www.yarix.by.ru
Mobile phone Sony Ericsson K550i with built-in Bluetooth, microSD-slot and a 2 MP camera.
www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/overview/k550i?cc=en&lc=en
MyPhoneExplorer - to exchange data with a mobile phone SonyEricsson K550i.
www.fjsoft.at/en
Seagate Winchesters: Momentus 2.5 320 GB for storing portable data and Barracuda 3.5 320 GB for backing up the first.
www.seagate.com
PDA Asus 696.
ru.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=8&l2=0&l3=0&l4=0&model=1559&modelmenu=1
Microsoft ActiveSync - software to synchronize data on a computer and PDA.
www.microsoft.com/rus/windowsmobile/activesync/default.mspx
The main parts of the project information array
Contact information and accounts
As a rule, these are contacts of customers, their representatives, specialists and employees involved in the work on the project.
Accounts in most cases: information to access the site via FTP, SSH; MySQL settings for scripts, access to the MySQL interface; settings of electronic boxes for the site; codes service statistics and affiliate programs, etc ...
Thematic and non-thematic materials related to the work on the project.
When developing a site, it is always necessary to solve various technical problems associated with the implementation of the site’s capabilities. Either they are resolved immediately, or in conjunction with Bitrix technical support, or you have to search for information to solve them on the Internet. Sometimes it happens that during the search for a solution there are materials that are not related to the project, but may be useful in the future.
Materials for the site. Electronic correspondence.
The technical task, the design of the site pages (as a rule, in the format of graphic editors), ready HTML-layout, documents describing the sections of the site, information materials for filling the site, etc ...
Contact information and accounts
Microsoft Outlook 2007 is used to store contact information and accounts.
Cards in the “Contacts” section are divided into 2 groups: “Project name (contacts)” and “Project name (information)”.
The first group is designed to store information on people participating in the project. For example, customer, customer representative, designer, programmer, etc. The second is for storing project information. These are accounts for access via FTP, SSH, MySQL, codes of statistics, codes of partner programs, etc.
Group names are indicated in the “Company” card field. The very grouping of cards and their withdrawal is carried out on the same field. Thus, the grouping of the output of all records for one project is carried out. But if the number of cards is less than 7-10, then they can not be divided into two groups, but put it all into one “Project Name” group.
In addition to the standard fields of the contact card, the “Notes” field is used to store correspondence fragments, photocopies of materials, application files. In this field, I kept about 0.5–1 MB of text, up to 5 application files with a total volume of up to 5 MB, up to 5–7 photos to 1024x768 pixels totaling up to 2-3Mb.
In Microsoft Outlook 2007, compared to Outlook 2003, a copy of a fragment of an HTML page with the preservation of styles, images and design is more correctly carried out from the clipboard, the possibilities for inserting images, application files are improved, the amount of stored information for the Notes field and others
For access accounts via FTP, SSH, Mysql and MySQL-settings for scripts, one card is created with the name of the type FTP: SSH: MyQL: Name of the project. At the beginning of the "Notes" field, the most frequently used access data is indicated. Accompanying correspondence with the provider and other persons on logins and passwords is added at the end of this data with the date, address and subject of the letter. For passwords, the date when it was activated is indicated. When you specify a new password, the old password is saved.
Sample Access Card for FTP, SSH and MySQL
-
FTP
Address: XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
Login: login
Current password: password1 2008-05-25
Old password: password2 2008-05-12
FAR string: project : password@XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX/
Mysql
URL: www.project.ru/phpMyAdmin
Login: login
Current password: password1 2008-05-25
Old password: password2 2008-05-12
Ssh
URL: www.project.ru
Login: login
Current password: password1 2008-05-25
Old password: password2 2008-05-12
For mysql scripts
$ DBType = "mysql";
$ DBHost = "XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX";
$ DBLogin = "login";
$ DBPassword = "*******";
$ DBName = "name";
-
2008-05-25
hosting@provider.ru
Provider Info for www.project.ru
Hello!
We inform that the parameters for the login login are changed
New password: password1
-
Web department company Provider.
hosting@provider.ru
-
For the remaining entries, separate cards are entered. Words in the title are separated by a colon so that you can perform a quick word search.
The accumulated information in Outlook is synchronized with the PDA. This makes it possible to quickly view information on accounts when working remotely or from other computers.
Thematic and non-thematic materials related to the work on the project.
When working on a project, problems periodically arise, for the solution of which one has to contact Technical Support (hereinafter TP). As a rule, the problem is resolved safely, everyone is happy - both the developer and TP.
It takes half a year, the developer is scratching his head - I already did something like this, just remember where it was. The result - it took too much time to find a solution. But this could have been avoided if after a successful solution of the problem, it would have been spent about 5-10 minutes to summarize the work on the problem. All you have to do is add a card in Contacts, describe the essence of the problem in the name of the card, link it to the project by the Company field, and insert the text of the appeal to the TP from the browser in the Notes field. It is necessary to insert a link to the appeal itself at the very beginning, in order to see the original, if necessary, so new information can be added there.
Similarly, if there was some kind of correspondence or discussion on the problem in other places: on the forum, private discussion, etc., then fragments of the correspondence are added to the card with reference to the source and the date the information was added.
In addition, additional materials are being created at workshops on materials available in electronic or printed form. Usually, these are freehand sketches, handwritten text, etc.… Transferring to electronic format with a scanner or reprinting with redrawing is all time consuming and time consuming, therefore it is easier to retake such materials with a mobile phone camera.
Personally, I use the SonyEricsson K550i with a 2 megapixel camera. The photo of a sheet of A4 paper with text corresponding to Arial, size 10, is quite readable on both the monitor screen and in print. Reset documents are imported via a Bluetooth adapter from a mobile to a computer and put into folders, inserted into tasks and contacts.
I also use the Internet Explorer plug-in SaveCHM, which saves the page in the browser in the CHM format. The resulting file is easy to read on any computer running Windows and on a Windows Mobile PDA. Accumulated .chm files are sorted and copied to the project folder. If, during the course of the work, interesting information came up that was not related to the project, then it is also saved as a CHM file. In her free time she is being worked on, commented and information is entered either in “Tasks” with a reminder, or in “Contacts”.
After the completion of the project, some of the records are transferred to the Bitrix. Solved problems. Thus, my personal Knowledge Base is being formed, which then allows applying the solutions obtained with other projects with minimal time. In addition, when working with other specialists, it is enough to simply save the card in rtf format and send it in any way. In the resulting file will be saved not only textual information, but also graphics and attached files.
Note: If you insert files as attachments to your entries in Outlook (Tasks, Contacts, Calendar), the built-in security system may block access to them, which sometimes leads to their loss. Often this happens with CHM files. Therefore, all files that are inserted into cards as applications are also saved in the folder “My Documents”.
Materials for the site. Work with electronic correspondence.
In most cases, these are screenshots of design pages, design sources in .psd, .cdr, .ai and other formats. They are characterized by large volumes, from 2 to 500Mb. To store them using a mobile screw 2.5. Today it is a 320GB Seagate Momentus SATA-II. For him, I had to specifically buy a mobile box with the stated SATA-II support, since due to increased power consumption and incomplete compatibility with SATA-II to SATA-I, SATA-II mobile boxes with SATA-II screws sometimes do not work - being connected to a computer, they periodically disappear from the list of screws.
Organization of file structure of materials:
My documents
Project Name 1
Backup
2008-08-11 - Backup Database
2008-08-10 - Site Backup
Materials
2008-08-04 - Documents on site structure
2008-08-06 - New home page design
………
Project Name N
Backup
………
Materials
………
Outlook
The tasks of the folders are quite clear from the titles. When adding new materials in the name of a new folder, the date of addition is first indicated and its contents are briefly characterized.
Outlook folder contains Outlook service files - contacts, tasks, archive, etc. Outlook itself has been configured so that the data files are stored in the My Documents folder.
The work computer contains the My Documents folder with the above structure. At the end of the working day, the entire folder is copied to the mobile screw (every day). At home, it is also copied to the computer in the same My Documents folder (2-3 times a week or more often, as needed). Then the entire mobile screw 2.5 is completely copied to screw 3.5 on the desktop (1 time per week).
During the work on the project, electronic correspondence by mail and ICQ is accumulated. The ICQ dialogue is processed immediately after the end, the e-mail is also immediately or towards the end of the day. If these are comments and comments on the project, then everything goes to “Tasks”. A new task is created or added to the task “Flow: Project 1”. If this is a private conversation with useful information, then it is added to the "Notes" field of the contact card of the person with whom the conversation was. If, however, it is impossible to tie a conversation to a person’s card, then a card is usually created on a project called “General situation” or “Notes” and everything is added there.
IMAP protocol is used to receive and store email. As a result, the mail is stored at the provider on the server, and on various computers (work and at home) through TheBat synchronization is carried out with the mail database stored at the provider. It is also important to have a web interface for mail from the provider in order to be able to view mail from almost any computer. It is also very good if you have access via the https protocol - this increases the security level of working with mail. Thus, by sorting and decomposing letters into folders at work, I get the same thing at home, unlike mail for which the POP protocol is used. Encryption and password access are enabled for the mail database to restrict access by third parties to TheBat email clients on the computers used.
When the project is completed, a backup copy of mail containing the project correspondence is copied to the appropriate folder in My Documents. Since TheBat does not allow making backup copies of individual mailbox folders, you must first make a backup of the entire mailbox, then delete all messages that are not related to the project, then create a backup copy of the mailbox for archiving and only after that the mail is restored from the first backup copy . After that, the folder with the correspondence on the project is deleted. Such quirks have to be resorted to, as sometimes it is necessary to transfer mail to other employees and it is undesirable to give access to other mail besides the project. The entire history of QIP correspondence is also copied to the materials.
Results
With this organization of my business:
All current project materials are always available.
Ready to provide all or individual project participants with the necessary information on the project with minimal time.
There is quick access to all project accounts from both a computer and a PDA.
Ability to work on virtually any computer.
Reliability of information storage - the maximum that I can lose - is materials in 1-2 business days.
Recommended literature
This organization of receiving, processing and storing the information array was not organized and developed from scratch. In this I was greatly helped by the books of Gleb Arkhangelsky:
Time formula Time Management on Outlook 2007
Time Drive: How to manage to live and work
Time management
In my opinion, practical work can begin with the book “The formula of time. Time management on Outlook 2007 ”, further summarize the accumulated experience in the course of its development with the help of“ Time Drive: How to manage to live and work ”. And only then, for general development and application in work, familiarize yourself with the book “The organization of time”.
If you want to improve the efficiency of organizing time and your work, then it is better to read them not along the “diagonal”, but to work seriously, with a pen and a marker for marking. You don’t read Darya Dontsova’s novels, after all. ;-)
Of course, rebuilding all your work in a new way is not easy, so it’s better to start with small steps. For example, translate contacts into a digestible form, then learn to organize data storage in a convenient form, etc. etc. As the Chinese say - "The path to 1000 li begins with the first step."
http://www.cmsbitrix.ru/notes/note.php?ID=517
Introduction
When working on a project, for example, when developing a site on Bitrix, various information accumulates: contacts of project participants; electronic correspondence; accounts, etc.
The main problem is to keep the records and materials on the project in a readable, organized form and format that is convenient for data exchange.
In this publication I will tell you how I organized the technology for collecting, processing and storing information on the project.
')
Toolkit to work with the information array
Before you begin, first give a list of tools used:
TheBat Pro is an email client for working with mail and communication with project participants.
www.ritlabs.com
QIP - ICQ-client, used for operational negotiations with project participants.
www.qip.ru
Microsoft Outlook - to store contacts, tasks, calendar entries and notes.
office.microsoft.com/ru-ru/outlook/FX100487751049.aspx
SaveCHM plugin for Internet Explorer - to save pages in a browser in CHM-format.
www.yarix.by.ru
Mobile phone Sony Ericsson K550i with built-in Bluetooth, microSD-slot and a 2 MP camera.
www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/overview/k550i?cc=en&lc=en
MyPhoneExplorer - to exchange data with a mobile phone SonyEricsson K550i.
www.fjsoft.at/en
Seagate Winchesters: Momentus 2.5 320 GB for storing portable data and Barracuda 3.5 320 GB for backing up the first.
www.seagate.com
PDA Asus 696.
ru.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=8&l2=0&l3=0&l4=0&model=1559&modelmenu=1
Microsoft ActiveSync - software to synchronize data on a computer and PDA.
www.microsoft.com/rus/windowsmobile/activesync/default.mspx
The main parts of the project information array
Contact information and accounts
As a rule, these are contacts of customers, their representatives, specialists and employees involved in the work on the project.
Accounts in most cases: information to access the site via FTP, SSH; MySQL settings for scripts, access to the MySQL interface; settings of electronic boxes for the site; codes service statistics and affiliate programs, etc ...
Thematic and non-thematic materials related to the work on the project.
When developing a site, it is always necessary to solve various technical problems associated with the implementation of the site’s capabilities. Either they are resolved immediately, or in conjunction with Bitrix technical support, or you have to search for information to solve them on the Internet. Sometimes it happens that during the search for a solution there are materials that are not related to the project, but may be useful in the future.
Materials for the site. Electronic correspondence.
The technical task, the design of the site pages (as a rule, in the format of graphic editors), ready HTML-layout, documents describing the sections of the site, information materials for filling the site, etc ...
Contact information and accounts
Microsoft Outlook 2007 is used to store contact information and accounts.
Cards in the “Contacts” section are divided into 2 groups: “Project name (contacts)” and “Project name (information)”.
The first group is designed to store information on people participating in the project. For example, customer, customer representative, designer, programmer, etc. The second is for storing project information. These are accounts for access via FTP, SSH, MySQL, codes of statistics, codes of partner programs, etc.
Group names are indicated in the “Company” card field. The very grouping of cards and their withdrawal is carried out on the same field. Thus, the grouping of the output of all records for one project is carried out. But if the number of cards is less than 7-10, then they can not be divided into two groups, but put it all into one “Project Name” group.
In addition to the standard fields of the contact card, the “Notes” field is used to store correspondence fragments, photocopies of materials, application files. In this field, I kept about 0.5–1 MB of text, up to 5 application files with a total volume of up to 5 MB, up to 5–7 photos to 1024x768 pixels totaling up to 2-3Mb.
In Microsoft Outlook 2007, compared to Outlook 2003, a copy of a fragment of an HTML page with the preservation of styles, images and design is more correctly carried out from the clipboard, the possibilities for inserting images, application files are improved, the amount of stored information for the Notes field and others
For access accounts via FTP, SSH, Mysql and MySQL-settings for scripts, one card is created with the name of the type FTP: SSH: MyQL: Name of the project. At the beginning of the "Notes" field, the most frequently used access data is indicated. Accompanying correspondence with the provider and other persons on logins and passwords is added at the end of this data with the date, address and subject of the letter. For passwords, the date when it was activated is indicated. When you specify a new password, the old password is saved.
Sample Access Card for FTP, SSH and MySQL
-
FTP
Address: XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
Login: login
Current password: password1 2008-05-25
Old password: password2 2008-05-12
FAR string: project : password@XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX/
Mysql
URL: www.project.ru/phpMyAdmin
Login: login
Current password: password1 2008-05-25
Old password: password2 2008-05-12
Ssh
URL: www.project.ru
Login: login
Current password: password1 2008-05-25
Old password: password2 2008-05-12
For mysql scripts
$ DBType = "mysql";
$ DBHost = "XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX";
$ DBLogin = "login";
$ DBPassword = "*******";
$ DBName = "name";
-
2008-05-25
hosting@provider.ru
Provider Info for www.project.ru
Hello!
We inform that the parameters for the login login are changed
New password: password1
-
Web department company Provider.
hosting@provider.ru
-
For the remaining entries, separate cards are entered. Words in the title are separated by a colon so that you can perform a quick word search.
The accumulated information in Outlook is synchronized with the PDA. This makes it possible to quickly view information on accounts when working remotely or from other computers.
Thematic and non-thematic materials related to the work on the project.
When working on a project, problems periodically arise, for the solution of which one has to contact Technical Support (hereinafter TP). As a rule, the problem is resolved safely, everyone is happy - both the developer and TP.
It takes half a year, the developer is scratching his head - I already did something like this, just remember where it was. The result - it took too much time to find a solution. But this could have been avoided if after a successful solution of the problem, it would have been spent about 5-10 minutes to summarize the work on the problem. All you have to do is add a card in Contacts, describe the essence of the problem in the name of the card, link it to the project by the Company field, and insert the text of the appeal to the TP from the browser in the Notes field. It is necessary to insert a link to the appeal itself at the very beginning, in order to see the original, if necessary, so new information can be added there.
Similarly, if there was some kind of correspondence or discussion on the problem in other places: on the forum, private discussion, etc., then fragments of the correspondence are added to the card with reference to the source and the date the information was added.
In addition, additional materials are being created at workshops on materials available in electronic or printed form. Usually, these are freehand sketches, handwritten text, etc.… Transferring to electronic format with a scanner or reprinting with redrawing is all time consuming and time consuming, therefore it is easier to retake such materials with a mobile phone camera.
Personally, I use the SonyEricsson K550i with a 2 megapixel camera. The photo of a sheet of A4 paper with text corresponding to Arial, size 10, is quite readable on both the monitor screen and in print. Reset documents are imported via a Bluetooth adapter from a mobile to a computer and put into folders, inserted into tasks and contacts.
I also use the Internet Explorer plug-in SaveCHM, which saves the page in the browser in the CHM format. The resulting file is easy to read on any computer running Windows and on a Windows Mobile PDA. Accumulated .chm files are sorted and copied to the project folder. If, during the course of the work, interesting information came up that was not related to the project, then it is also saved as a CHM file. In her free time she is being worked on, commented and information is entered either in “Tasks” with a reminder, or in “Contacts”.
After the completion of the project, some of the records are transferred to the Bitrix. Solved problems. Thus, my personal Knowledge Base is being formed, which then allows applying the solutions obtained with other projects with minimal time. In addition, when working with other specialists, it is enough to simply save the card in rtf format and send it in any way. In the resulting file will be saved not only textual information, but also graphics and attached files.
Note: If you insert files as attachments to your entries in Outlook (Tasks, Contacts, Calendar), the built-in security system may block access to them, which sometimes leads to their loss. Often this happens with CHM files. Therefore, all files that are inserted into cards as applications are also saved in the folder “My Documents”.
Materials for the site. Work with electronic correspondence.
In most cases, these are screenshots of design pages, design sources in .psd, .cdr, .ai and other formats. They are characterized by large volumes, from 2 to 500Mb. To store them using a mobile screw 2.5. Today it is a 320GB Seagate Momentus SATA-II. For him, I had to specifically buy a mobile box with the stated SATA-II support, since due to increased power consumption and incomplete compatibility with SATA-II to SATA-I, SATA-II mobile boxes with SATA-II screws sometimes do not work - being connected to a computer, they periodically disappear from the list of screws.
Organization of file structure of materials:
My documents
Project Name 1
Backup
2008-08-11 - Backup Database
2008-08-10 - Site Backup
Materials
2008-08-04 - Documents on site structure
2008-08-06 - New home page design
………
Project Name N
Backup
………
Materials
………
Outlook
The tasks of the folders are quite clear from the titles. When adding new materials in the name of a new folder, the date of addition is first indicated and its contents are briefly characterized.
Outlook folder contains Outlook service files - contacts, tasks, archive, etc. Outlook itself has been configured so that the data files are stored in the My Documents folder.
The work computer contains the My Documents folder with the above structure. At the end of the working day, the entire folder is copied to the mobile screw (every day). At home, it is also copied to the computer in the same My Documents folder (2-3 times a week or more often, as needed). Then the entire mobile screw 2.5 is completely copied to screw 3.5 on the desktop (1 time per week).
During the work on the project, electronic correspondence by mail and ICQ is accumulated. The ICQ dialogue is processed immediately after the end, the e-mail is also immediately or towards the end of the day. If these are comments and comments on the project, then everything goes to “Tasks”. A new task is created or added to the task “Flow: Project 1”. If this is a private conversation with useful information, then it is added to the "Notes" field of the contact card of the person with whom the conversation was. If, however, it is impossible to tie a conversation to a person’s card, then a card is usually created on a project called “General situation” or “Notes” and everything is added there.
IMAP protocol is used to receive and store email. As a result, the mail is stored at the provider on the server, and on various computers (work and at home) through TheBat synchronization is carried out with the mail database stored at the provider. It is also important to have a web interface for mail from the provider in order to be able to view mail from almost any computer. It is also very good if you have access via the https protocol - this increases the security level of working with mail. Thus, by sorting and decomposing letters into folders at work, I get the same thing at home, unlike mail for which the POP protocol is used. Encryption and password access are enabled for the mail database to restrict access by third parties to TheBat email clients on the computers used.
When the project is completed, a backup copy of mail containing the project correspondence is copied to the appropriate folder in My Documents. Since TheBat does not allow making backup copies of individual mailbox folders, you must first make a backup of the entire mailbox, then delete all messages that are not related to the project, then create a backup copy of the mailbox for archiving and only after that the mail is restored from the first backup copy . After that, the folder with the correspondence on the project is deleted. Such quirks have to be resorted to, as sometimes it is necessary to transfer mail to other employees and it is undesirable to give access to other mail besides the project. The entire history of QIP correspondence is also copied to the materials.
Results
With this organization of my business:
All current project materials are always available.
Ready to provide all or individual project participants with the necessary information on the project with minimal time.
There is quick access to all project accounts from both a computer and a PDA.
Ability to work on virtually any computer.
Reliability of information storage - the maximum that I can lose - is materials in 1-2 business days.
Recommended literature
This organization of receiving, processing and storing the information array was not organized and developed from scratch. In this I was greatly helped by the books of Gleb Arkhangelsky:
Time formula Time Management on Outlook 2007
Time Drive: How to manage to live and work
Time management
In my opinion, practical work can begin with the book “The formula of time. Time management on Outlook 2007 ”, further summarize the accumulated experience in the course of its development with the help of“ Time Drive: How to manage to live and work ”. And only then, for general development and application in work, familiarize yourself with the book “The organization of time”.
If you want to improve the efficiency of organizing time and your work, then it is better to read them not along the “diagonal”, but to work seriously, with a pen and a marker for marking. You don’t read Darya Dontsova’s novels, after all. ;-)
Of course, rebuilding all your work in a new way is not easy, so it’s better to start with small steps. For example, translate contacts into a digestible form, then learn to organize data storage in a convenient form, etc. etc. As the Chinese say - "The path to 1000 li begins with the first step."
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/37136/
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