Agile Projects - User Guide

    Monday, November 28, 2022By: Karen GuanzonIn: Knowledge Base Print

     

    What is Agile Project Methodology?

    Agile project management is an iterative approach to delivering a project throughout its life cycle. Agile project methodology breaks projects into small pieces. These project pieces are completed in work sessions that are often called Sprints. Sprints generally run from a few days to a few weeks.

     

    Unlike the traditional, waterfall project methodology that follows a linear, sequential approach, the main advantage of Agile is that takes a flexible approach, letting teams adjust as they go. Typical examples of where Agile project methodologies are commonly used are in software/product development or onboarding processes/activities.

     

    For more information on the differences between Agile and Waterfall (standard) Projects, please see Inspire Planner Projects - Agile.

     

    Please note:

     

    • Task Duration, Start Date and Finish Dates default to NULL when you create user stories (tasks) in an agile project. You can choose to leave them blank or populate them.
       
    • At present, Project % Complete is designed to work only with waterfall projects. This means that it will not update according to % complete of user stories (tasks) in an agile project.

     

    To create and manage Agile Projects in Inspire Planner, you must first enable it in Inspire Planner. Please see Agile Projects - Admin Guide.

     

    See below for what is included in this help article. You can click on the specific topic to jump to it.

     

    How to Create an Agile Project

    This section will walk you through how to create an Agile project in Inspire Planner.

     

    1. Click on New.


       
    2. Select Agile as the Project Type and click on Next.


       
    3. Fill in the Project Name and Project Key. You may also choose to fill in any other project detail. The Project Key is used as a prefix for Tasks created within the Project. This value must be unique. Click on Save. 

      Please note:
      Project Key is required as a default. However, if you do not wish to use Project Keys, your Salesforce Administrator can set this field to not required.


       

    How to Define Kanban Settings

    Agile Projects allow you to manage Tasks in a Kanban board. You are able to define the Kanban statuses you would like to use for a Project and map it to the equivalent Task status and % complete. This section will walk you through how to define Kanban statuses and mappings for your Project.

     

    1. Click on the Settings tab.


       
    2. Enter a Kanban status and click on Add. Repeat this process until you’ve added all your Kanban statuses.


       
    3. For each Kanban status, define an equivalent Project Task status and % Complete value. Click on Save when finished.



      The order the Kanban statuses are displayed on the Settings page would be the same order it will display in the Kanban board when viewing active Sprints. You can use the arrows on the right to re-order.



      The Kanban statuses you’ve added will now display in the Kanban board when viewing active Sprints.

     

    How to Create and Edit Tasks in Backlog

    The backlog is a list of Tasks that a team may deliver in order to achieve a specific outcome. These tasks can be new features, enhancements, bug fixes, infrastructure changes or other activities. 

     

    With Agile Projects, Tasks can be created and edited either from the Kanban board or from the Backlog. This section will show you how to create and edit tasks within the Backlog.

     

    1. Click on Backlog.


       
    2. Click on + Create task under Backlog.


       
    3. Click on the drop-down arrow and select the Task Type.


       
    4. Fill in the Task subject and press the return/enter key to save. Clicking outside the text area will also save the task.


       
    5. Once the Task has been saved, you can view the Task Details by clicking on the Task Subject.


       
    6. A sliding window containing the Task details will open on the right. To edit the Task details, click on the drop-down arrow at the top right corner and click on Edit. Make your changes and click on Save at the bottom.


       
    7. To change the Task Type, click on the drop-down arrow at the top right corner and click on Change Type.


       
    8. Select the Task Type and click on Save.


       
    9. To close the Task Details, click on the “X” at the top right corner.


       
    10. To delete a Task, click on the drop-down arrow at the top right corner and click on Delete.


       
    11. Another way to create Tasks in the Backlog is to click on Create User Story at the top right corner.


       
    12. Populate the Task details and click on Save.


       

    How to Create SubTasks

    There may be instances where you need to break down a large Task (such as an Epic) into smaller Tasks (typically user stories). In Inspire Planner, you can create an Epic and then create each user story under it as a subtask. This section will walk you through how to create SubTasks. 
     

    1. In the Task Details, click on the drop-down arrow at the top right corner and click on Create SubTask.


       
    2. Populate the Task details and click on Save.


       
    3. A Related List of SubTasks can be found at the bottom of the Task Details. From here, you can also click on Add to create SubTasks.



      SubTasks also display in the Backlog.


       

    How to Create and Edit Sprints

    A Sprint is a short, time-boxed period for completing a set amount of work. This allows the team to focus on a set of Tasks that need to be completed within a timeframe. Sprints generally run from a few days to a few weeks. Tasks must be added to a Sprint for you to see them in the Kanban board. This section will walk you through how to create and edit Sprints for your Project.

     

    1. Go to Backlog.


       
    2. Click on Create Sprint.


       
    3. Populate the Sprint Name and the details of the Sprint.

      Duration - the duration/length of the Sprint
      Start Date - when the Sprint is expected to Start
      Finish Date - when the Sprint is expected to Finish (this will automatically be filled in if you select any of the pre-defined ranges in Duration)
      Max Story Points - the maximum story points for the Sprint. This is optional.
      Sprint Goal - the goal for the Sprint. This is optional.


       
    4. Click on Save when finished. Repeat the steps above to create additional Sprints. The Sprint Name Duration and Max Story Points are displayed on the page.


       
    5. To edit a Sprint, click on the drop-down arrow to the right of the Sprint and select Edit.
       

      Please note:

      It is not possible to move a sprint from one project to another.



     

    How to Add Tasks to a Sprint

    Once you've created Sprints, you can now add the Tasks that are planned to be worked on within each Sprint. This section will show you how to add Tasks to Sprints.


    Please note:

    You must first create Tasks in backlog before you can add them to a Sprint. 
     

    1. To add a Task to a Sprint, simply drag the Task from the Backlog and drop it under a Sprint.


       
    2. As you add Tasks to a Sprint, the story points for each Task is then rolled up to the Sprint row so you can see how many story points you have thus far, compared to the maximum story points defined for the Sprint.


       
    3. Another way to add a Task to a Sprint is to click on the drop down arrow within the Task Details and click on Assign Sprint.


       
    4. Search for a Sprint by name. Select the Sprint and click on Save.

     

     

    How to Assign Tasks

    This section will walk you through how to assign Tasks to resources for Agile Projects. 

     

    When assigning Tasks, you can choose to either manually assign Tasks one at a time within the Backlog or the Kanban Board, or you can also automatically assign Tasks using Project Teams and Roles.

     

    When a Task is assigned to a resource, a related Salesforce Task is created. The assigned resource can choose to update their assigned Salesforce Tasks or they can also choose to update their Tasks directly in the Project, provided that they have been granted "Editor" (read/write) access to the Project itself.

     

    1. The first step is to create Project Team members. Click on Team.


       
    2. Click on New.


       
    3. Search for the user, contact or queue you would like to assign Tasks to. If the resource is a user, you may also choose to automatically add him/her as a collaborator to the Project by setting “Add as Collaborator” to TRUE and specify the collaborator permission level. Click on Save when finished. Repeat this process until you’ve added all your resources.

      Please note:
      At present, Agile projects are not supported in the Inspire Planner External Project Portal. This means that although you can assign Tasks to Contacts, you cannot share the Project with them externally. Instead, you will need to update the Tasks for them within Inspire Planner.


       
    4. To assign Tasks in the Backlog, click on the Assignment Icon. 

      Please note:
      Switching between Tabs within the Project does not automatically refresh the record. Please refresh the page to see the Project Team members you've created.


       
    5. Click on the name of the resource you would like to assign the Task to.


       
    6. To assign Tasks to resources within the Kanban board, simply click on the Assignment Icon and select the resource.


       
    7. To re-assign a Task to a different resource, click on the Assignment Icon again and select a different resource. When a Task is re-assigned, rather than creating a new Salesforce Task for the new resource, the existing Salesforce Task is just updated with the new resource.

       
    8. If you populate the Role for a Project Team member and populate Role for the Task, then Inspire Planner will auto assign Tasks based on Project Team members and Roles.



       
    9. To unassign a Task, click on the Assignment Icon and select “Unassigned”.

     

    How to Navigate within the Kanban Board

    This section will walk you through how to navigate the Kanban Board for Active Sprints for Agile Projects.


    Please note:

    For a task to display in the Kanban Board, you must first add it to a Sprint.

     

    At the top of the Kanban Board are the Kanban Statuses you defined from the Settings page.

     

     

    Each Task is displayed as a card within the Kanban Board. At the bottom of each Task card are several icons that indicate the Task Priority, let you assign the Task to a Sprint, open the Project Task record, log time via Time Tracker, post in Chatter, view the Task Details or assign/unassign the Task.

     

     

    At the top of the page, you will see different options for filtering. You can filter Tasks by Sprint, Task Name or Assigned Resources.

     

     

    At the top right corner, you can apply a grouping to Tasks. For example, you may want to view Tasks grouped by the assigned resource, the task type or the Sprint.

     

     

    To remove the grouping, select "No grouping" from the grouping options.

     

     

    How to Update Task Status

    This section will walk you through how to update the status of a Task. With Agile projects, you update the Kanban status of your Task which will then drive the Task Status and % Complete based on the Kanban Settings defined for the Project.

     

    The Kanban status of a Task can be updated from any of these areas:

    • In the Backlog
    • In the Kanban Board
    • In the Salesforce Task

     

    Update Task Status in the Backlog

    This section will show you how to update the Kanban status of Tasks in the Backlog.

     

    1. Click on a Task to open the Task Details.


       
    2. In the Task Details, you will see the Kanban Status path at the top. Simply click on the Kanban Status that applies to the Task. Then click on Mark as Current Status.

     

    Update Task Status in the Kanban Board

    This section will show you how to update the task status within the Kanban board.

     

    1. Simply drag and drop the Task card under the appropriate Kanban Status.


       
    2. Another way is to click on the Task Details Icon.


       
    3. The Task Details will open on screen. You will see the Kanban Status path at the top. Simply click on the Kanban Status that applies to the Task. Then click on Mark as Current Status.

     

    Update Task Status from Salesforce Tasks

    This section will show you how to update the status of Salesforce Tasks related to Agile projects.

     

    Simply open your Salesforce Task. You will see the Kanban Status path at the top. Click on the Kanban Status that applies to the Task. Then click on Mark as Current Status.

     

    For Salesforce Tasks belonging to Agile Projects, you will need to update the Kanban Status using the Kanban Status Path instead of updating the Task Status. The Kanban Status is what drives the Task Status and % Complete based on what is defined in the Project Settings.

     

     

     

    How to Enable Time Tracking for Tasks

    You can enable Time Tracking for Tasks belonging to Agile Projects. When time tracking is enabled for an Agile project, users are able to log time spent against tasks. This section will show you how to enable time tracking for an Agile Project.

     

    1. Click on the Settings tab.


       
    2. Set Turn on Time Tracking for this Project to Active.

     

     

    How to Log Time for Tasks

    When time tracking is enabled for an Agile project, users can log time spent on Tasks. This section will show you how.

     

    Resources can log time against Tasks from any of the following areas:

    • Their assigned Salesforce Tasks
    • The Time Tracker Tab
    • Within the Backlog
    • Within the Kanban Board

     

    Logging time against Salesforce Tasks and via Time Tracker tab is the same as how you’d typically log time against Tasks assigned to you for Waterfall (standard) Projects (For more information, see Logging Time with Time Tracker). As such, this document will only cover how to log time against Tasks either from the Backlog or from the Kanban Board.

     

    Logging Time in the Backlog

    This section will show you how to log time spent on Tasks in the Backlog.

     

    1. Click on the Task to open the Task Details.


       
    2. In the Task Details, click on the drop-down arrow and click on Time Tracker.


       
    3. A Time Tracker window will open on screen. You can then enter time either via the Daily or Weekly View. In Daily View, simply click on New Entry and log your time. In Weekly View, click on New Row and enter your time.

     

    Logging Time in the Kanban Board

    This section will show you how to log time spent on Tasks in the Kanban Board.

     

    1. Click on the Time Tracker Icon.


       
    2. The Time Tracker window will open on screen. You can then enter time either via the Daily or Weekly View. In Daily View, simply click on New Entry and log your time. In Weekly View, click on New Row and enter your time.

     

    How to Create Components

    Components can be used to group or categorize tasks. For example, you may want to group all the tasks related to a specific feature or function. Components can make it easier for you to report on a group of tasks.

     

    This section will walk you through how to create components for Agile projects in Inspire Planner.

     

    1. Click on the App Launcher at the top left corner. Enter “Component” in the Quick Find box and click on Components.


       
    2. Click on New.


       
    3. Fill in the Component Name and click on Save (or Save & New if you wish to add more components).

     

     

    How to Create Releases

    Releases represent points in time that can be used to schedule how features are rolled out to your customers, or to organize work that has been completed for a project.

     

    This section will walk you through how to create Release in Inspire Planner.

     

    1. Click on the App Launcher at the top left corner. Enter “Release” in the Quick Find box and click on Releases.


       
    2. Click on New.


       
    3. Fill in the Release Name and the details of the Release (i.e., Start Date, Release Date and Status). Click on Save (or Save & New if you wish to add more).

     

     

    How to Specify Components, Fix and Affected Versions for a Task

    This section will walk you through how specify components, fix and affected versions for a task. A version is another name for a Release. This allows you to define which version (or release) is impacted and/or which version (release) the User Story (or Task) is a part of.

     

    1. In the Task Details, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Additional Information.


       
    2. You will see a look-up field for Fix Versions, Affected Versions and Components. Search for and select the appropriate value for each. You can add multiple versions and components. To remove a value, click on the “X” to the right. Simply close the Task Details when finished. Your changes are automatically saved.

     

     

    Reporting

    Reporting on Agile projects is to come. In the interim, you should consider adding a filter in your reports to exclude Agile Projects and Tasks.

     

    There is a Project Type field on Projects that you can use for filtering. Waterfall (standard) Projects will have a Project Type = Waterfall. Legacy Projects may have a Project Type of NULL and needs to be considered as well.


    Tags

    Agile Projects

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