Collaborative project management

A system comprising:

• a computer;
• a collaboration application executing on the computer;
• and
• a project management application executing on the computer;
• wherein in response to creation of an activity in the collaboration application, the collaboration application functions to:
• link the activity with a task in the project management application;
• receive a specification of a relationship between the activity and the task, including any dependencies between the activity and the task;
• and
• update the project management application with the activity.

A method for integrating a collaboration application with a project management application, wherein the collaboration application comprises a collaboration client and a collaboration server, and wherein the project management application comprises a project management client and a project management server, the method comprising:

• fetching by the collaboration client, a list of all projects associated with an end-user from the project management server, including information about project tasks, wherein the project tasks include milestones, deliverables, tasks;
• in response to the end-user creating an activity in the collaboration client, making a first call from the collaboration client to the project management server to link the activity with one of the project tasks;
• in response to receiving from the end-user specification of a type of dependent relationship between the activity and the one project task, making a second call from the collaboration client to the project management server to determine whether the dependent relationship breaks any existing commitments, and if so, notifying the end-user and prompting the end-user whether to proceed;
• in response to no conflicts existing or in response to receiving an instruction from the end-user to commit the activity despite existence of conflicts, making a third call from the collaboration client to the project management server to update the project management server with the dependent relationship;
• creating an entry for the activity in the collaboration server;
• and
• in response to receiving input from the end-user within the collaboration application that the activity is completed, making a fourth call from the collaboration client to the project management server to update a project management database that the activity linked to the one project task has been completed.