Topics are threaded conversations, that is, a series of messages that indicate how the messages are related. Each series of messages forms a tree with the initial message at its root. The topic component provides threaded conversations that you can place in specific project folders and link to specific project items. For example, you can link a topic to the change requests and file revisions that result from the topic discussion.
The upper pane of the client consists of topics and a series of responses to each topic. A series of topic trees are eventually formed, each of which consists of a root topic and its responses. The topic tree resembles a conversation that may go on among several people. In the client, this is called a threaded conversation because a topic and its responses are threaded together, starting with the root topic. By reading each response in a thread, one after the other, and the responses to those responses, you can see how the discussion has evolved. A number of other operations can be performed on topics or responses such as moving or sharing them.
Topics can raise general questions about the project or start very specific discussions about issues, such as feature implementation. While the responses can lead to resolution of these issues, the historical value of these conversations to the project can be even more significant. Future team members can:
Any type of threaded messaging improves teamwork on product development. However, because StarTeam has tightly integrated components, it enables team members to: