What is a project roadmap?
It's a rough plan of upcoming releases and what changes they'll contain. Those changes may be new features, or bug fixes, or behind-the-scenes improvements.
How are Thalia versions planned? What determines which changes are in a release?
We may want to add a new feature, especially one users have been asking for. Sometimes a new feature requires other changes. We might make those changes in one release and add the new feature in a later one.
When planning each release, we include a set of bugs to fix. We prioritize bugs based on its impact on the user; the worst bugs go to the head of the line. If a bug is discovered
during testing, it may take precedence and bump other planned work to a later release. Sometimes a bugfix is trivial, and a developer will do it in the course of other changes.
Thalia will be used by other MIT services, such as Stellar. We implement some features based on the downstream service's needs and schedule.
There are three programmers behind Thalia's wizardry, each with a specialty. It may seem like something less urgent is included in a release while something more urgent was deferred. This may be because the developer who would make the change is already fully scheduled for a release.
Finally, project plans may be affected by vendors. Thalia uses some third-party software to power storage. We may incorporate a vendor's software updates in a release, or defer a feature until a later release of the vendor's software.
In short, the plan changes as development and testing takes place. We base releases off of the plan, but adapt to respond as needs and circumstance arise.
The roadmap is not a commitment. If there's a feature or fix you urgently need, please contact us. We take customer needs into account as we plan, and we need to hear from you.
RELEASES
What's a Sprint?
When we plan a new version, we divide the work up into chunks. A sprint is one chunk of work. Each sprint lasts about six weeks. This allows us to release changes in small, controlled batches. As a result, the releases are easier to test and more stable. Customers can use new features as soon as they're done, instead of waiting until next semester.
RELEASES
CURRENT RELEASE - Thalia 1.0
Sprint 3 - release planned for 12/18/07
Overhauled navigator UI
Alfresco clustering (may move to Sprint 4)
Current release - Sprint 4 Changes - release planned 1/28/08
Implement new access control rules
Finish metadata changes
Add freeform tags
Downloadable slide show
XML schema research
Make bulk upload more usable
Reduce the bug list
Next version - to be named - Sprint 1 development starts 2/1/08
Next Version Features:
General release to DLCs
Finalize the supporting processes that make a general release possible (customer support, operations, etc.) and ensure a good customer experience
Usability testing - scheduled 1/29 and 1/30, contact boell@mit.edu
Incorporating results of usability testing
Stellar 2.0 backend integration - not visible to end users, but will be used behind the scenes in Fall Stellar release.
Moira groups integration
CSS review of documentation
Incorporating CSS documentation recommendations
more Open Source prep ( add official legal language into source files, confirm configuration is general, not MIT specific )
meet with Training again; determine our next steps together
Scheduled for Sprint 1: TBD, need to estimate task times
FUTURE RELEASES
Stellar integration - visible to users in Sprint Stellar release , all behind the scenes in Fall
Schedule:
Sprint planning: 1/23/08
IAP demo: 12:30PM, 1/24/08, Twenty Chimneys (W20-306)
Usability testing: 1/29/08-1/31/08, contact boell@mit.edu for a timeframe
General release to DLCs: February 2008
PAST RELEASES