Simple Project Syndication (SPS)

An open data standard for project syndication, enabling decentralized task coordination across distributed ecosystems.

Simple Project Syndication (SPS) is an open data standard designed for efficient project syndication over the Internet. It proposes a schema that facilitates the flow of information among people, documents, and tasks within a distributed ecosystem—departing from traditional hierarchical and centralized models.

• sps.xml – A practical example of SPS implementation.
• sps.xsd – The schema defining the structure and organization of SPS data.

A notable application of SPS was Open-Tasking, a web application active from 2004 to 2005. It used the SPS schema to coordinate collaborative task creation and management. Users could adapt tasks by adding detail or aligning them with others’ skills, enabling both highly specialized and broadly scoped projects to take shape.

Open-tasking’s distributed architecture allowed participants to shift fluidly between roles—as projects evolved, users could move from contributor to manager and back again, reflecting the dynamic nature of real-world collaboration.