BradEgeland.com
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Expertise
  • Resume
  • Software / Service Reviews
  • Contact
  • Videos
  • Books / White Papers
  • Mentoring Contact Form
  • Awards/Recognition
  • Templates & Downloads
  • Clients
  • Professional Services
  • Past Survey Results

JobTraQ: How Swift Software Uses Their Product to Manage the Development Process

4/16/2012

12 Comments

 
Picture

by Josh Yeager, Swift Software

Our development team uses an “agile” software process, which means that we work in a series of two-week plan->code->test->polish iterations. As we complete each iteration, we install a small new feature set on our internal production server for alpha testing. Each iteration completes a small portion of the overall development plan. After two to ten iterations, a whole set of features that have passed QA are designated as complete, and we build a final release and announce it to our customers.

Our JobTraQ system manages this process for us in several ways. First, it manages our feature wishlist and roadmap. We have a parent project called “Future”, which contains subprojects that stage all of our feature ideas, enhancements, and strategic goals that are not on our immediate roadmap. A second project is called “Planning Queue”, and that project contains all of the tasks and projects that we plan to complete in the next two releases. We simply drag and drop the appropriate features into this “Planning Queue” project as we approach the iteration they will be developed in.  Over time, our product management team prioritizes these items, plans their details, and reviews them with the development team to ensure they are technically sound. We work together to refine the time estimates and identify possible problems, so that all the basic details are decided by the time we’re ready to start working on each task.

Second, JobTraQ manages our iterations. At the start of each iteration, the development team sits down and pulls the top items from the planning queue into a new project for the iteration. They select a set of tasks that can be completed within a two-week iteration, and then they plan those tasks in detail. All of the decisions and designs that they create are recorded in the JobTraQ tasks. Then, throughout the iteration, they track their progress and time spent in those tasks, record notes about their designs and code, and close the tasks when they are complete. To help usall stay coordinated, JobTraQ sends email notifications to the team when tasks are updated and closed, and we have a “burn-up” chart report that is sent to the team every day to compare our closed tasks to our goal.

Example Burn Up Chart

The third thing that JobTraQ manages is customer support. When a new email request comes in, we use the new beta version of our two-way email processing feature to automatically create a task for the request and log the time that it came in. Then, as our support team and the customer reply to each email, all of the replies are logged in that task. Screenshots or attached files are also extracted from the emails and attached to the task. When the issue is resolved, the task is closed. Along the way, JobTraQ email notifications inform the team about the state of the active support cases, and the support task list reminds us about support requests that have not been resolved and questions that the customer has not replied to in a while. These tools help us ensure that no customer request is forgotten or mishandled. We use the same process for support phone calls, although we have to update JobTraQ manually after each call.

The common thread among all three of these processes is that JobTraQ holds all of the information about our plans and our current work, as well as the status and progress of the tasks that we are working on. As a result, we almost never lose track of a project or request. We don’t forget about our bigger plans while we’re working on the details. And we can predict and evaluate our development timelines, support responsiveness, and team productivity. All these benefits are extremely helpful to me as the product leader and to the individuals and teams that work on our product.

In future posts, we will be discussing the ways that we use JobTraQ to manage other parts of our business, and we may even highlight some of our customers’ processes if anyone is interested in sharing. As always, if you have any questions, please comment below.

If you are in need of a full-featured Task Management software tool - I recommend you check out JobTraQ.  Take a tour of the product or request a demo.  Trust me - it will be time well spent. - Brad Egeland


12 Comments
web application development link
5/7/2012 08:55:12 pm

Magnificent items from you, man.I have read your blog and i got a very useful and knowledgeable information from your blog.its really a very nice article.
I really like what you’ve acquired here, certainly like what you’re saying and the way in which by which you assert it. You’re
making it entertaining and you continue to care for to stay it sensible.

Reply
Frisco Girls link
7/5/2012 10:37:24 am

Interesting thoughts, just wanted to mention I came from Google.

Reply
chiropractic emr software link
7/9/2012 05:17:47 pm

This is a really excellent read for me. Must agree that you are one of the best bloggers I ever saw. Thanks for posting this informative article.

Reply
online test software link
7/16/2012 06:53:17 pm

The development process you shared here is really good. I love the concept you share here. thank you very much for sharing this extra ordinary blog.

Reply
Product launch displays link
7/23/2012 04:34:59 pm

Thanks for the FANTASTIC post! This information is really good and thanks a lot for sharing it :) I m looking forward desperately for the next post of yours..

Reply
2013 calendar link
7/25/2012 01:44:58 am

This was a very interesting read, I am really into Swift Software.

Reply
letter of application link
8/21/2012 12:47:30 am

Thanks for the FANTASTIC post! This information is really good and thanks a ton for sharing it :-) I m looking forward desperately for the next post of yours…

Reply
Buy Anarkali Salwar Kameez link
9/11/2012 06:22:15 pm

This information was surely an incredibly great examine. My partner and i has been impressed by the contents of this article. I can not wait around to view what else you might have in store for all of us. I am surely getting excited about the next publish. Thanks regarding discussing!

Reply
casino en france en ligne# link
9/22/2012 07:17:45 pm

I really found very interesting about these topic because you have good content and unique thoughts on writing and explaining how Swift Software uses their product to manage development . So this might be useful to everyone. I really look forward some more updates. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
right here link
10/8/2012 11:12:52 pm

I was very encouraged to find this site. I wanted to thank you for this special read on JobTraQ: How Swift Software Uses Their Product to Manage the Development Process. I definitely savored every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.

Reply
sherwani link
11/4/2012 06:12:04 pm

“I can feel Peeta press his forehead into my temple and he asks, 'So now that you've got me, what are you going to do with me?' I turn into him. 'Put you somewhere you can't get hurt.”

Reply
shilkaren link
9/14/2020 04:07:54 am

"Nice article.
Machine learning for startups and businesses is an essential thing in this competitive business environment.
The author shared interesting facts regarding how can we use swift software in development lifecycle of a process.
advanced python Programming online classes in Pune
Insideaiml is one of the best platforms where you can learn Python, Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence & showcase your knowledge to the outside world.
Visit us at https://insideaiml.com/home"

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author:

    Picture

    Brad Egeland


    Named the "#1 Provider of Project Management Content in the World," Brad Egeland has over 25 years of professional IT experience as a developer, manager, project manager, cybersecurity enthusiast, consultant and author.  He has written more than 8,000 expert online articles, eBooks, white papers and video articles for clients worldwide.  If you want Brad to write for your site, contact him. Want your content on this blog and promoted? Contact him. Looking for advice/menoring? Contact him.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    March 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    November 2009

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.