Improving Task Management in the Polkado SDK
Current Issues
Our SDK development is currently facing two key challenges:
- Poor tracking of small tasks - Issues with multiple subtasks lack proper tracking mechanisms, requiring constant manual updates from maintainers.
- Abandoned claimed tasks - Contributors claim issues or subtasks but forget about them for months, while others avoid working on them because they appear assigned.
Proposed Solution
I propose implementing an automated system using either Probot or GitHub Actions with these features:
- Create issues containing checkbox-based task lists
- Allow contributors to claim individual checkboxes (not just the entire issue)
- Automatically track claim status with timestamps
- Release claimed but inactive tasks after a defined period
How It Would Work
Issues would start with standard checkbox lists:
* [ ] Task 1
* [ ] Task 2
* [ ] Task 3
Contributors could claim specific tasks with a command:
/claim <checkbox identifier>
The checkbox would update to show:
* [ ] Task 1 **(claimed by @username on 2025-04-13T11:06:00Z)**
If no activity occurs within X days, the system would automatically remove the claim.
Discussion Questions
- Do we already have tools in place to address these issues?
- Is this approach reasonable, or are there better alternatives?
- What timeframe should we set before unclaiming inactive tasks?
What are your thoughts?