tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post4136333275981814374..comments2023-07-12T03:47:45.579-05:00Comments on tommynorman.com: Choosing the Right Scrum Management ToolAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525579727559385079noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-32275168951632624812013-01-07T01:44:31.889-06:002013-01-07T01:44:31.889-06:00Requirements and Test Management Repository"....Requirements and Test Management Repository". This is a test tool software which allows to manage software requirements and describe the scenarios and associated test cases and run them through targeted campaigns. In addition, it provides precise <a href="http://www.kualitee.com/" rel="nofollow">Bug Management Tools</a> of software evolution through a versioning system for projects, requirement and test case.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06736819142095843941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-8802691042789761512009-10-26T04:52:48.154-05:002009-10-26T04:52:48.154-05:00An excellent article and some real insight being o...An excellent article and some real insight being offered in these comments.<br /><br />Bright Green Projects have recently built an <a href="http://brightgreenprojects.com" rel="nofollow">Agile Project Management Tool</a> and launched it successfully after an intense beta testing phase.<br /><br />I would like to echo some of the other comments that a tool alone will not solve your problems. You need to understand the methodology you are trying to follow and then find an appropriate tool to help you follow it. <br /><br />Maybe a simple tool such as stickies on a wall going to be enough, or is a more scalable and globally accessible solution a better option?Adam Feldmanhttp://brightgreenprojects.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-70304058267998219652009-07-28T03:12:58.392-05:002009-07-28T03:12:58.392-05:00Thanks for a great post!
I'd rather opt for ...Thanks for a great post! <br /><br />I'd rather opt for a tool as close to my team needs as it's possible rather than a big all-in-one tool with tones of buttons and loads of configuration to do. <br /><br />Isn't that better to keep it simpler and adjust your team a bit to some constraints imposed by the tool? what's your opinion?IDhttp://www.bananascrum.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-60067735988100414702009-05-15T07:34:00.000-05:002009-05-15T07:34:00.000-05:00I wanted to add that often teams/organizations whi...I wanted to add that often teams/organizations which are new to Scrum try to fix symptoms by using a 'tool' - e.g. the Scrum Master does not have the time to update the burndown chart manually. Instead of fixing the real problem, they 'just' add a tool.<br /><br />However, for some teams a tool can be nice add-on as several commenters already mentioned.<br /><br />Probably you should also add Agilo for Scrum to your list of Scrum Tools (www.agile42.com). ScrumWorks Pro did not please me particularly - may it was just an old version but I didn't see even an ideal burndown (let alone capacity).<br /><br />However, the team should always decide what tool to use.Felix Schwarznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-13017550563413829282009-05-13T13:53:00.000-05:002009-05-13T13:53:00.000-05:00What about ScrumEdge? I've been using it for 2 spr...What about <A HREF="http://www.scrumedge.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="Online Scrum Tool">ScrumEdge</A>? I've been using it for 2 sprints and i love it! I like that it doesn't take much time to set up my projects, backlog and sprints and the charts (burndown, budget and burn rate) are awesome.ScrumEdge - Scrum Toolhttp://www.scrumedge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-59820389377376477922009-05-12T17:19:00.000-05:002009-05-12T17:19:00.000-05:00Of course, I'm biased, but I wanted to say that Sc...Of course, I'm biased, but I wanted to say that ScrumWorks Pro is incredibly easy to use. We make it especially easy on developers with our web client, which is essentially a virtual version of the Scrummiest tool around:a task board. (SWP has a desktop client, too, but it's for more complex functions than updating tasks.) You can take a look here: http://www.danube.com/sw_flash/quick_start_demo/quick_start_demo.htmlJennChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07240906637006736872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-18708363803516410962009-05-11T14:00:00.000-05:002009-05-11T14:00:00.000-05:00I'm in the place Jeremy described. I have a wall ...I'm in the place Jeremy described. I have a wall full of cards for my sprint task board and a page from a flip chart for my burndown. I like that and changing to a tool for sprint management would only hurt what we're trying to accomplish.<br /><br />It's on the product backlog side that I feel I need some help. Excel got me to a certain point, but I have lots of BAs contributing backlog and folks at other sites that would be interested in seeing our development priorities. Excel's ease-of-use plus better multi-user support, reports/graphs (that won't break when someone cuts and pastes in the wrong part of the spreadsheet), on-line visibility, control of who can edit priorities and estimates, and light-weight integration with TFS would get me where I want to be.Billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-54647678344336287742009-05-08T13:11:00.000-05:002009-05-08T13:11:00.000-05:00I will echo what some others here have said. don'...I will echo what some others here have said. don't START with a tool.<br /><br />There are many teams out there that are STILL using notecards because they don't NEED whatever 'additional' stuff a tool adds. I've looked at a number of tools and really yet to find one for example that can:<br /> a) minic the level of 'big picture' you get from wall of cards.. letting you really 'see' nearly everything in a sprint at once.<br /> b) make it as easy to order and rank items in the backlog as it is sorting through a bunch of cards on a conference table or stickies on a wall. <br /><br />it's not just tactile, its things like visability and ease of use. notecards and stickies my seem like only a half step from cavepaintings in terms of the tech level, but there's simplicy, visability, and ease of use that's harder to acheive in a tool limited to a 24" (or typically smaller) screen.<br /><br />tools can have a lot of neat features, but if you team doesn't need those features are they adding value, or more work?<br /><br />learn scrum first, figure out what you need that cavemen tech doesn't get you, and then rank those needs just as if you were ranking features in a product you were going to build. THEN go looking for a tool that meets the most important needs the best.Chuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11266456938380203200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-71128574253553371782009-05-07T14:33:00.000-05:002009-05-07T14:33:00.000-05:00ScrumNinja is another up-and-coming scrum tool. It...ScrumNinja is another up-and-coming scrum tool. It's great for small teams and a lot of people enjoy it's simplicity. The features are still being solidified via customer feedback, and we will definitely take your ideas into consideration. Thanks for this post!David Lowenfelshttp://scrumninja.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-12866749895364202072009-05-07T11:41:00.000-05:002009-05-07T11:41:00.000-05:00.. and to join the queue of the left-outs - Norman..... and to join the queue of the left-outs - Norman, can you add www.targetprocess.com to your? As I read your blog post, TargetProcess fits if not completely, but to a very large extent to all those characteristics of the ideal agile tool that you've covered.Olga Kouzinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04507114979742936747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-54652129000112165082009-05-07T08:54:00.000-05:002009-05-07T08:54:00.000-05:00Most of the companies I work with on adopting Scru...Most of the companies I work with on adopting Scrum are larger and need some type of management tool. Using a digital task board that ties back to these types of tools allows for better reporting on history which is harder to do with the notecard/sticky note approach.<br /><br />I agree that nothing provides the tactile nature of note cards, but we use Conchango's Task Board which connects to Team System and have gotten great results. I am building a setup like the one in this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFn60RhlcG4) to try out and see if we can get some of that tactile nature back.Tommy Normanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04525034029168813147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-68454896071218981672009-05-06T16:34:00.000-05:002009-05-06T16:34:00.000-05:00Thank you for posting the link to ScrumDesk.
Best...Thank you for posting the link to ScrumDesk.<br /><br />Best Regards,<br />Dusan Kocurek<br />ScrumDesk Product ManagerDusan Kocurekhttp://www.scrumdesk.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-77826805589797348682009-05-06T05:52:00.000-05:002009-05-06T05:52:00.000-05:00Tommy,
In answer to your questions. I have used ...Tommy,<br /><br />In answer to your questions. I have used both RallyDev and VersionOne in the past. In my view both are good products, but I always found them lacking in certain areas. Usability is always an issue, especially as the provider has to create their interpretation of Scrum/Agile processes and implement that vision in their product. Therefore you have to understand the provider’s interpretation before getting to work with the tool.<br />The other extreme is that the provider creates a highly configurable product. The downside is the effort involved in configuring the tool to your interpretation of processes.<br />The main reasons for me to use a tool rather than index cards/sticky notes are:<br />1. Distributed teams<br />2. Scalability (managing a backlog of 100 epics/stories in a challenge on stickies!)<br />Recently I did a review of many of the tools on the market to determine if a product existed that would overcome some issues we had with our current tool. As a result we have built our own tool. In the near future we intend to release it to the market. If you would like to be involved in the closed beta of the product let me know or register <A HREF="www.imeta.co.uk/betatestingform.aspx" REL="nofollow">here:</A>Clive Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02441847810268124610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-29216177488098067622009-05-05T12:21:00.000-05:002009-05-05T12:21:00.000-05:00Actually, I agree with Katie, but I would go farth...Actually, I agree with Katie, but I would go farther. There are some reasons to replace cards with an electronic tool, but they are far fewer than you'd think. Maybe your team isn't co-located? Other than that...<br /><br />In most other situations, I'd vote for a wall of cards that everyone gathers around during the scrum and talks to.<br /><br />You could of course ALSO have an electronic tool. Maybe the electronic tool if for managing the backlog, while the cards are for managing the stories in play this sprint.<br /><br />I do find that there is something you lose the minute you step away from a physical medium like cards that hundreds of thousands of dollars in tooling doesn't give you back. <br /><br />Dynamicism & empowerment - You can completely change the structure of the card wall if the team decides something else would work better - probably in less than five minutes. <br /><br />Information radiation - You can set up your wall to show whatever information you find to be important. Do so and you won't need those LCD monitors.<br /><br />Developer pride - Of course, as a developer, there's something immensely satisfying about going up in front of everyone and moving a card to "done"...<br /><br />Of course, most people convince themselves all of this isn't _so_ important and that you get more than you lose from a tracking tool. If you see yourself going in this direction, make sure it's true! And like Katie says, no harm in trying something and then having the team decide which way to go based on empirical evidence.Jeremy Lightsmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04130044068801660189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-25279435035353789522009-05-05T11:24:00.000-05:002009-05-05T11:24:00.000-05:00Whenever I advise Scrum teams on tooling, I tell t...Whenever I advise Scrum teams on tooling, I tell them to take the following steps:<br /><br />1. Make sure your team knows enough about Scrum to practice it. <br /><br />2. Practice it, get some Scrum "muscle memory," and get comfortable with Scrum in your real world using the low-tech tools typically taught in CSM classes (white boards, sticky notes, etc). <br /><br />3. Let your team try any tool you're considering for at least a couple of sprints. Don't buy a tool based on a procurement check-list alone. <br /><br />4. Pick the tool your teams will actually use. There is nothing sadder than making a huge investment in a tool just to find out that your teams hate it and won't use it. <br /><br />Finally, don't think you will learn Scrum from a tool. Scrum is a set of practices, principles and values. Get those down first and pick your tool based on the needs you discover as you implement Scrum in your real-life organization. Tools are great but they're not a substitute for quality process. <br /><br />In the spirit of transparency, I work for Danube but I think this is a good product-selection philosophy regardless of what class of products you're considering. You wouldn't buy shoes without trying them on, would you?Katie Playfairhttp://www.danube.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-63767205739438281882009-05-05T11:05:00.000-05:002009-05-05T11:05:00.000-05:00If only I had time to really take a look at all th...If only I had time to really take a look at all these great products.<br /><br />Clive: Thanks for that link. That is a great list of tools. Which one do you personally use and why?Tommy Normanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04525034029168813147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-13020949159432910812009-05-05T10:41:00.000-05:002009-05-05T10:41:00.000-05:00Nice blog.
For someone starting the process of as...Nice blog.<br /><br />For someone starting the process of assessing tools available on the market try:<br /><br />http://www.userstories.com/productsClive Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02441847810268124610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-16066753728920162572009-05-04T21:46:00.000-05:002009-05-04T21:46:00.000-05:00Good blog. I have used version one. Its a good too...Good blog. I have used version one. Its a good tool with web2.0 features. But it requires some amount of training initially as the tool has got tonnes and tonnes of features. But my favourite is still the "Excel Sheet" :)Nishanth Nairhttp://nishanthnair.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-9852663865304520542009-05-04T18:40:00.000-05:002009-05-04T18:40:00.000-05:00Agilebuddy is another tool that one should/can, co...Agilebuddy is another tool that one should/can, consider.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16923193544659717724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21327984.post-87711149547690747412009-05-04T17:30:00.000-05:002009-05-04T17:30:00.000-05:00You left out Pivotal Tracker. It's a great tool, ...You left out Pivotal Tracker. It's a great tool, and though it's still missing epics (they are on pivotal's backlog) It does most of the other stuff you want. In particular, it is actually easy to move stuff, start and stop and even edit stories w/o opening a new window.<br /><br />Check it out http://pivotaltracker.com/Jeremy Lightsmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04130044068801660189noreply@blogger.com