Plane - Project Management Tool

Plane: An open-source project management tool

Plane is a simple, extensible, open-source project and product management tool. It allows users to start with a basic task-tracking tool and gradually adopt various project management frameworks like Agile, Waterfall, and many more. Their cloud version is currently free of cost but has a...
MoSCoW in Agile

Prioritise your deliverables using MoSCoW

In Agile development methodologies, MoSCoW is not a reference to the city, but rather an acronym used to prioritize and categorize requirements or features. MoSCoW stands for: M – Must have: These are the most critical requirements or features that are essential for the project’s...
DEEP principle in Agile

Using the DEEP principle in Agile

The DEEP principle in Agile is an acronym that represents a set of characteristics that user stories or product backlog items should possess to be considered well-refined and ready for development. DEEP stands for: Detailed Appropriately: User stories should be detailed enough to provide a...
INVEST principle in Agile

Writing meaningful user stories with the INVEST principle

INVEST is an acronym that represents a set of principles used in Agile software development to define and evaluate user stories or product backlog items. It helps teams create well-defined, valuable, and manageable requirements. Each letter in the INVEST acronym stands for a specific principle....
Oversized product backlog

Steps to rein in your oversized Product Backlog

We discussed the Product Backlog in an earlier post. One of the challenges Scrum Masters / Project Managers may face is an oversized backlog that makes it difficult to groom and identify key items to take into your upcoming sprint(s). Cleaning up an oversized product...
Scrum Process

What is a Product Backlog?

A product backlog is a prioritized list of work for the development team that is derived from the roadmap and its requirements. It will typically comprise of a list of the new features, changes to existing features, bug fixes, infrastructure changes, etc. The backlog is...
Project Management RAG Status

RAG status in Project Management

RAG status is a project management reporting technique that is used to quickly and visually communicate the overall health or status of a project, task, or deliverable. The term “RAG” stands for Red, Amber (or Yellow), and Green, and it is used to categorize and...
Rough order of magnitude estimation

What is Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) in Estimation

Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimation is a high-level estimation technique used in software development project management to provide a rough idea of the effort, cost, and duration of a project. It is typically done early in the project’s lifecycle when there is limited information...
Daily Standup

Best Practices to follow for your Daily Standups

When conducting an agile daily standup, there are several best practices you can adopt to ensure a productive and efficient meeting. Here are some recommendations: Timebox the meeting: Keep the daily standup short and focused. Aim for a timebox of 15 minutes or less, depending...
Project Closure

Project Closure: 10 Points to Keep in Mind

In software project management, project closure is a critical process that marks the end of the project. It involves formally bringing the project to a close by delivering the final product to the customer or user and closing out all the project activities. The project...
DevOps

An introduction to DevOps

DevOps is a software development approach that emphasises collaboration, communication, and integration between software development and IT operations teams. The goal of DevOps is to enable organisations to deliver software faster and with higher quality by reducing the time it takes to develop, test, and...
Team Management

Effective Team Management – An Overview

Effective team management is the process of ensuring that the members of a team work together to achieve a common goal efficiently and effectively. Team management involves several key aspects that are critical for success. These include: Defining goals and objectives: The first step in...
Project Checklist

An overview of Project Monitoring

Project monitoring is an important aspect of software project management, which involves keeping track of project progress, identifying and addressing issues, and ensuring that project objectives are met within the stipulated time and budget. In software projects, project monitoring is critical due to the complexity...
Requirements Management using Atlassian JIRA

Software Requirements Management

Software Requirements Management is the process of identifying, documenting, organizing, prioritizing, tracking, and controlling the requirements of a software project. It is a critical part of the software development lifecycle and involves the collaboration of various stakeholders such as business analysts, software developers, project managers,...
Vendor Management

An overview of Vendor and Subcontractor Management

Vendor and subcontractor management is an essential aspect of software project management, as it involves the management of external entities that are involved in the project. In software development projects, vendors and subcontractors can include hardware suppliers, software suppliers, testing services, and outsourcing companies. Managing...

SWOT Analysis – What is it, and how to use it?

SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning tool that helps organisations to identify their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It is a simple yet effective framework that can be used to evaluate an organisation, project, or idea, and can be used in various contexts, such as...