OnTime 2006 (V6.0) Beta is here!  OnTime is so much more than just a bug tracking application and this new beta adds tons of incredibly cool new functionality in this major release of OnTime.  It's OnTime's 6th major release and it's by far, the biggest improvement to the OnTime product line, EVER!  I’m going to jump right into it. Lets start with a nice screenshot of OnTime 2006's main window. 

NOTE: I've taken all the screenshots using OnTime 2006 Windows client.  However, most of this functionality (with the exception of linking SCM files and Mini-Dashboard) are also available in the OnTime 2006 Web client.

Here are what I consider to be the top 10 features in OnTime (in no particular order)...

1. Unlimited Field Templates

Now you have the ability to create an unlimited number of field templates for defects, features and tasks.  Field templates allow for the customization of add/edit windows to include on the fields that interest you.  Each field template can be assigned to a project or to a certain workflow step.

1. Define View-Only, Required & Editable Fields

When defining a new field template, you can now define whether or not a particular field is visible and if it's visible whether or not the field is also editable and a required field.  This feature provides great flexibility over what information your team members write about each new defect, feature or task that’s added to the system.  Additionally, since a different field template can be assigned to each project and for each workflow step, the visible, required and editable fields can be different for each project and for each workflow step!

1. Field Templates (or Custom Fields) by Project

I know this has been a huge request in OnTime 2005…the ability to Customize the product by Project.  Well, it’s here!  OnTime 2006 now allows for each project to inherit its settings from its parent project (the default) or to set the project’s settings independently.  This screenshot shows how to set Field Templates by Project:

By setting a different field template for different projects, each project manager can now easily customize the same OnTime installation for their own projects.

1. Workflow by Project

Many project managers don’t agree on what the workflow for each item should be.  In OnTime 2005, everyone was forced to use the same workflow.  No longer.  OnTime 2006 allows for each project to either inherit its workflow from its parent project (default setting) or use a completely independent workflow.  You can even force the use of the defined workflow for any given project as demonstrated in this screenshot:

This functionality allows for different project managers to have completely independent workflows for their own projects.

1. Source Control Integration

Now you have the ability to link any number of files from your source code control system to the OnTime 2006 defect, feature or task that you’re working on.  From within the OnTime Windows or VS.NET interfaces, you can easily checkout linked files and view their history information.  The design of the source control integration is a “plug-in” model so we can easily add multiple SCM systems in the future.  Initially, we will support Visual SourceSafe and SourceGear’s Vault.  Here is a configuration screen for the Vault plugin:

To learn more about the Source Control Integration (and see more screenshots), be sure to read Jonas’ blog.  He’s the guy who worked on most of the SCM stuff and he has a 3-part series about the SCM integration in OnTime 2006.

1. Custom Reports & Report Shortcuts

This is one of the biggest features in OnTime 2006.  Custom Reports was a top request among OnTime users and we’ve finally got them!  We’ve made it super easy to create custom reports in OnTime, but in addition to being able to create reports from scratch, you can easily create “Report Shortcuts”.  Report Shortcuts are a new feature that allows each user to easily customize the filter settings of any report and have the report be immediately accessible from anywhere in the OnTime system.

The following screenshot shows how a custom report is defined.

One of the nice things about the Custom Report implementation in OnTime is that you can even write reports based on ad-hoc SQL queries or Stored Procedures that you write.  So you can easily have integrated reports in OnTime that aggregate data from multiple tables and even databases.

1. Unlimited Workflow Definitions & Unprecedented Workflow Power

The new workflow functionality in OnTime 2006 is unprecedented in any bug tracking or feature management system today.  First, you can now define any number of workflows sets: 

Each workflow set can have its own defined workflow “steps”.  Each workflow step now has the following functionality:

• Automatically Modify ANY Field’s Value

OnTime 2005 had only a handful of pre-defined fields that could be automatically modified in a workflow step.  Now, OnTime 2006 allows for any field to be automatically modified, including custom fields.  This screenshot shows how field modifications are defined:

• Restrict Item Edits to a Specific Field Template

When an item is in a certain workflow state, you can restrict which fields are editable during that state.  For example, you can define a workflow template that makes all fields view-only so that when an item has been “Resolved” it can no longer be edited.  You can also define a Field Template that asks the user for only 1 or 2 pieces of information during a certain workflow step.  The possibilities are limitless.

• Ability to Restrict “Next Steps” & Security Roles for Each Step

For each workflow step that you define in OnTime 2006, you can now define what the possible next steps are.  Additionally, for each possible next workflow step, you can restrict which User Roles can put the item into the next step.  This level of power and security allows for the utmost flexibility in defining your software development processes.

• Customizable Notification Lists for Each Workflow Step

In each workflow step, you can now define who should receive an email notification for that step.  Besides the ability to add OnTime users and customers as the recipients for notifications, you can also use special tokens such as the person who last updated the item or the person who originally reported the item as demonstrated in this screenshot:

• Ability to Launch an External Process

Want to make sure that some external system is updated every time a defect or feature is Resolved, Rejected or In Progress?  No problem!  Kick off an external process, a custom application or whatever you like.  You can even pass into your application any of the OnTime fields for the item that’s moving through the workflow as demonstrated in this screenshot:

The above workflow functionality is truly amazing.  The power and flexibility that the OnTime 2006 workflow implementation brings to software development processes is unmatched.

1. Customized Field Labels

OnTime 2006 now allows for the customization of field labels for every defect, feature and task fields.  Additionally, you can even rename the main OnTime “Defect”, “Feature” and “Task” tabs to whatever you like.  Here are a couple of examples:

1. Project Dashboard and Mini-Dashboard

This is one of my favorite features and its likely to be one of yours.  If you’re a project manager, you’re going to love it and if you’re a developer or a tester, you’ll definitely find the mini-dashboard very useful.

Lets start with the Mini-Dashboard.  The optional Mini-Dashboard sits at the bottom left side of the main OnTime window and always provides you an up-to-date pie chart of the current work in your OnTime view.  Your project selection, filter settings and search criteria are all taken into account.  It looks like this:

The Mini-Dashboard allows you to quickly see the amount of work that meets your current filter criteria.  So filter your list to just “My Defects” and voila!  You know exactly what percentage of your work remains open.  Filter your list for a specific project and again, the pie chart is already up to date providing you a view into the amount of work that is listed in your current view.

The full Project Dashboard provides 3 categories of information that are absolutely imperative to the work of project managers.

This information includes:

• User workload – The user workload information provided in a table and 2 pie charts in the upper left provides a quick view of which users have the most amount of work assigned to them.

• Trend Analysis – The trend analysis is an absolute must as you come close to the end of a release cycle.  Project managers always want to know if they’re moving in the right direction, and the 4 bar-graphs in the upper right provide the best information that they could possibly want about their project’s trend.

• Project Summary – The project summary information provides a summary of all the defects and features for the project and provides 4 pie graphs, 2 for defects and 2 for features.  The pie charts break down the total work by both the number of items in the system and the number of hours of work that those items represent.

1. Customer Portal Now Has Project-Based Security

If I had a nickel for every time an OnTime customer asked for Project-Based security in the Customer Portal Module, I could retire!  OnTime User Security Roles already have project-based security, but the OnTime Customer Portal offered only a single security setting for all “Customers”.  This worked great for our ISV customers who use OnTime to track the defects and features for shrink-wrapped applications they distribute to thousands of customers, but our Consulting customers who use OnTime to track all of their customer’s projects (where a project is often for only one customer) wanted better control over which customers can see which projects.  In OnTime 2006, the Customer Portal has been vastly improved with the following new functionality:

• Ability to create multiple logins for each customer
• Each customer login has its own security privileges, including the ability to give some customer logins read-only access while others have read/write access.
• Ability to associate each customer with up to 2 project branches, one for read-only access and one write access.  This provides the flexibility of having “Queue” folders for customers to make their own requests which easily being able to see another folder containing all the approved items.  Consultants will love the fact that their customers will no longer be able to see each other’s items.

With this improved functionality in the customer portal, there will be a higher price.  Pricing for OnTime 2006 is not set yet, but the Customer Portal module in particular will be substantially higher than before.

As you can see, there is a LOT of new functionality in OnTime 2006 and there’s even more planned for Beta 2.  All of the above functionality, with the exception of the “Mini-Dashboard” and the ability to Link SCM files is also available in the OnTime 2006 Web edition.

We’re super excited about the OnTime 2006 release.  The final product is expected to be generally available early in the first quarter of 2006.  We’d love your feedback on all this new stuff, so let us know what you think.

FAQs

Should I wait to buy OnTime 2006 rather than buying OnTime 2005 now?

No.  Here is why:

• OnTime 2006 pricing will likely change, especially for Customer Portal.  If you buy OnTime 2005 with maintenance now, you can avoid any price changes because your upgrade will be free!
• OnTime 2006 will easily upgrade your OnTime 2005 installation.  OnTime 2005 customers will find that it’s as easy as clicking “YES” to upgrade their existing OnTime 2005 databases after installing the OnTime 2006 system.  All your existing data stays intact.
• Familiarity with the OnTime 2005 product will help you take advantage of OnTime 2006’s new features.  OnTime 2005 has a TON of functionality.  If you are already familiar with that functionality, it will be very easy to learn the new functionality provided by OnTime 2006.  If you wait until OnTime 2006 is released, users will have a steeper learning curve.
• Every day that you delay using OnTime 2005 is another day that your team is less productive.  Don’t delay using the OnTime 2005 system because of new functionality that’s coming out…we’re always adding more functionality.  By waiting, you’re keeping your team’s productivity lower than it could be if they were already using OnTime 2005.
• OnTime 2005 Customers are eligible for the OnTime 2006 Beta.  The easiest way to beta test OnTime 2006 now is to be an OnTime 2005 customer.

So don’t delay your OnTime 2005 purchase and avoid any price increases.

Can I upgrade only part of my team to OnTime 2006 Beta?

Typically, no.  OnTime 2006 has a number of database modifications which prevent the previous OnTime clients from being able to access the new system.  So when you’re ready to move to OnTime 2006 Beta, you need to either setup a completely independent installation, or you need to upgrade all of your OnTime clients.  If you are using only the OnTime Web version, then only the web server needs to be updated.

Will Axosoft support go-live license with OnTime 2006 Beta 1?

Yes, absolutely.  As long as you understand that this is a beta product which might have some unresolved issues, we encourage you to go live with OnTime 2006 and we will fully support your through our online forum, email and discussion group.

Do I lose my beta data when OnTime 2006 release comes out?

 No.  Since we are supporting go-live with Beta 1, we will allow you to easily upgrade your OnTime database to Beta 2 and to the final release.

Is there a product documentation for OnTime 2006 that I can download and read?

Not yet.  The product documentation for 2006 is still under development and not far enough along to release.  The good news is that OnTime is designed to be intuitive, so I'm confident you'll find your way around.  If you're already familiar with OnTime 2005, you won't have any problems learning the new stuff.

How much will OnTime 2006 cost and what about upgrades?

Pricing for OnTime 2006 is not yet determined; however, if you are an existing OnTime customer with current maintenance when OnTime 2006 is released, your upgrade to OnTime 2006 will be free.  If you don’t currently have maintenance in place, it is strongly recommended that you add maintenance to your account before the release of OnTime 2006 as this could be a substantial cost savings compared to doing so after the release.

Ready to Try the Beta?

Download OnTime 2006 Beta Now