Open Atrium
We are currently trialling Open Atrium for use within OrganicDesign to manage groups as part of implementing our Platform specification. We are looking for a prototype system to use which is open source software and combines content management and team organisation into a user-friendly interface. Our current favourite open source content management system to use as a base is Drupal, mainly due to its modular structure and large, active development community. From an interface perspective, 37 signals' "Basecamp" is regarded as a leader for project management applications. Open Atrium combines the modular Drupal content management system with a Basecamp-like user friendly interface - here is the summary description from the developers' site:
 | Open Atrium is an open source platform designed specifically to make great teams communicate better. An intranet in a box with: a blog, a wiki, a calendar, a to do list, a shoutbox, and a dashboard to manage it all. |
| — http://www.openatrium.com/about |
Apart from having a number of useful features available from the start, Open Atrium is modular and customisable and allows us to set up multiple groups within one site, meaning we can set up simple trust groups within it.
Contents
Default functionality
- Set up public and private groups (Drupal "organic groups" concept)
- Create Blog posts (public news or internal memos depending on group privacy options)
- Create Book pages (standard content)
- Live chat ("shoutbox")
- Create projects
- Create and assign tasks
- Create calendar events
Default interface features
- Global dashboard (pretty version of "recentchanges" wiki concept)
- WYSIWYG editing
- Easy tagging
- Easy notification of users "notify all users" checkbox
- Easy commenting on various content types
Questions
- What is the best WYSIWYG editor to use? CKeditor is buggy.
- Can aspects of private groups be public. e.g. the Blog?
Development work
In specifying development work we need to be mindful of what is needed to assist the OD team in developing a custom solution according to the software architecture article. It appears that with minor modifications, Open Atrium will be functional as an interim solution. We will use the platform specification as a guide to asses what is needed.
- Self organisation
- Easy setup form - self-org and normal org, e.g. trust groups
- Contacts
- Organisations
- Roles
- Departments
- Proper projects, including milestones, invoicing, time tracking
