Arguments for and against using tools in agile software development
Arguments for using tools in agile software development
- JIRA for bug tracking (indicated by a paper advocate)
- Participants produce process control software themselves so using the software is natural
- Simple allocation of tasks, e.g. when there are queries. Everything is traceable via the ticket history
- Simple documentation of external feedback
- Specification, etc. can be recorded easily
- Teams distributed around the world
- Cross-team coordination is simplified (e.g. for a quick status update)
- Hours are booked on tickets in the tool for billing
- Evaluations via expenditure
- Positive experience of one participant with very large screen, JIRA+Greenhopper. "Does it work well?" --> "Excellent!"
Arguments against using tools
- Good experiences from using story cards as backlog
- Index cards on the table can be handled quickly and easily in the backlog management
- "Comment and go" instead of real exchange when additional information is added to the tool
- Information recorded on the cards should be limited because the communication between the team and PO is the main focus
- Limited space is therefore an advantage
- GUI-intensive items can be printed out and brought as hard copies to meetings.
- Sufficient metrics can also be determined on paper: e.g. story burn-down or task burn-down
- Many metrics are not used at all
- Planning on paper demands participation. PO must be able to present the story this way, too. Estimate game, etc. is possible.
- Prioritizing the backlog is even a challenge when using tools with greater backlogs. Paper reduces complexity
- System performance can be a hassle when every click takes up time
- First agree on the process rather than struggling with tools from the start
- Lack of transparency, things are more likely to get lost (version not assigned...)
- Task board is located in the office and is highly visible. Everyone sees the current status, often more than once a day (when getting coffee....)
- One participant reported that teamwork declined after introducing a tool for a trial run
Or both?
- Screenshots, URLs, etc. in the tool, but the "reminder" for the story stays up on the board
- Possible/worthwhile using plugins
- Hybrid solutions are also difficult. Having the big picture on the board but the details on paper (e.g. task break-down) may help.