Tag: issue tracking

How to Setup Your New Elementool Account

Hi there, I’m Allison!

On behalf of everyone at Elementool, I’d like to congratulate you on opening a new trial account. During these next 30 trial days, I’m going to help you design your project management process and familiarize yourself with Elementool.



Drawing from our many years of experience in the field, I am going to carefully guide you, holding your hand and showing you step by step how to build a better project management process. Along the way I will also show you how to set up and use Elementool so that you can get the most out of your account.
Every day or two, expect to receive an email from me that features a short clip on a specific subject. Viewing it only requires a few minutes of your time, and you’ll find that it’s time well spent.
Elementool’s various services are designed in such a way that once you know how to set up and use one service – for instance, Issue Tracking – you are able to easily set up and use the rest of the tools. This is because we use the same service design language and usage principles throughout the system, making it easy to understand and operate.

In this clip I’m going to show you how to setup your account. It is very easy and will only take you a few minutes.

The account is divided into two sections: The Control Panel and the application section.
The application section is where you use the account and includes the “Welcome page”, “new issue”, “view issue”, and “issue reports”. I will talk about it in our next clip.
The Control Panel is where you setup the account. It can be accessed only by users that are part of the Admin group.

The green tab is the ‘control panel’. Click ‘control panel’.
Now the first thing you want to do after opening a new account is to set up the issue form. The issue form is the main form that is used for submitting issues to your Issue Tracking account and for viewing and updating the data that’s stored in the account. I’m going to show you how to do this, and it’s much easier than you think.
You can have your form set up in less than 10 minutes, just by following these simple steps:

Please follow these steps to setup the Issue Form:
• Click on Control Panel
• Click on Edit Issue Form
• Click on Edit Fields
• As you can see, your new account comes with a default set of fields. You can customize the current fields, remove them and add new fields.
• On the left side you have the field toolbox, which include a list of all the different field types that the system offers.
• Select a field from the toolbox, hold you mouse button, drag and drop it onto the issue form, in the location you want it to be displayed.
• The Edit Field screen is now displayed. This screen enables you to define the different field settings, such as, field caption, size, default value, tooltip, ‘access permission by group’ and so on.
• To edit an existing field, click on the field’s Edit button. The Edit Field screen will be opened. Again you can use this screen to edit the field’s setting.
• To delete a field simply click on the field’s delete button, and confirm that you wish to delete the field.
• That’s it. We’re done here
Now that the form has been set up, you can start using the Issue Tracking account. That’s right, it’s that simple!

The next important step is to add users to the account. Users are the people who can login and use the system. Each user has a unique username. To set up a user, please following these steps:
• Click on Control Panel
• Click on Edit User Profiles
• Use the Add New User section to add a new user.
• Define the username of the person. The username is unique to every person that uses the account.
• Define the user’s group. You can define user groups based on their access permission and roles in the project. I’ll explain that in another video when we’ll talk about more advanced things that you can do with your account. For now you can use the default set of user groups.
• Type the user’s email address in the email field.
• Type the user’s password and confirm the password. The user will be able to change the password when logging in to the account.
• The Cellular number field is optional in case you want to send people text messages to their mobile phone.
• Click on the Add User button when you’re done. The person will receive an email address with the account details.

Congratulations again on getting started with Elementool! In the next clip I’m going to show you how to use your new account. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us

Welcome

Hi,

My name is Allison.

You just signed up to receive our free eBook:



• Complete Projects on Time
– Discover the 5 principles to meet your budget and deadlines
I sent you the link to this eBook and added two additional eBooks as a bonus:

• Don’t Let the Bugs Out.
– A guide to Issue Tracking, and it’s role in Software Development

• Faster, Easier and Cheaper Software Development: Is It Possible?
– Using Application Lifecycle Management to improve your software development process.

But that’s not all.

In this clip I’m going to show you how to run Agile Development in three simple steps.

Always Remember

Hi, it’s Allison again, and I have an exciting new Elementool feature to introduce you to. We are now offering a Reminder service, and once you start using it, you’re going to wonder how you ever got along without it.



 

Our goal with this new reminder service is to help you prevent stress by relieving your mind of the many things that are weighing it down. When you use the reminder service, Elementool will remember deadlines for you.

To utilize this helpful new feature, please follow these steps:

First, you need to add a reminder field to your issue form.
To do that, please follow these steps:
• Login as an administrator
• Click on Control Panel
• Click on Edit Issue Form
• Click on Edit Fields
• Click on the Reminder field on the Field List on the left of the screen, and while you hold the mouse button down, drag the field to the form.
• Define the fields setting such as Caption and click on the Save button when you’re done.

Now that you added a Reminder field to the form, you can start setting up reminders.

To set a reminder, please follow these steps:
• Open an issue
• Click on the Reminder’s Edit button
• Define the reminder condition. For example: if the Status is not closed by the due date.
• Set the due date for this reminder. For example, October 14 2012
• Click on Update.

After adding a new reminder, the following can happen:

If the condition has been met before the due date, for example, the Status of the issue has been set to close, the reminder will be automatically canceled.

If the reminder condition has not been met before the due date, for example, the Status of the issue is still open and today is October 14 2012, you will receive an email reminding you that you need to close the issue. The reminder will be displayed on your Welcome page in the Reminder box and a reminder notification will be displayed at the top of the screen on the reminder notification list.
So there is no way you can forget about this issue.

How to Create Project Schedule – Part I

Hi, it’s Allison.
In this clip I’m going to show you how to build your project structure in just a few minutes using Elementool’s Scheduling software. We will define a project, iterations and tasks.




When beginning a new project, it is important to first understand what the structure of the project will be. We recommend going with an Agile plan, which is a flexible approach to project management that gives you the ability to make adjustments as needed.

Using this planning structure, you will divide your project into smaller mini-projects, which are known as iterations. Iterations allow for a more controlled development process because clients can offer feedback at the conclusion of each iteration and team members can revise their plans accordingly. We go into more detail about the advantages and the process of iteration planning in Elementool’s Project Management Formula program at www.projectmanagementformula.com.

First you should define the project. You might have one or several projects. Each project contains a list of iterations, and each iteration contains a list of tasks and issues.

To setup a project, you need to follow these steps:
1. Click on Time Estimates.
2. Click on the Add button.
3. Select Add Project.
4. Fill out the project name.
5. The rest of the details on this form are optional.
6. When you’re done, click on the Save button.

Now we have a new project. The next step is to create iterations under this project.
To create iterations, please follow these steps:
1. Make sure the new project’s line is selected.
2. Click on the Add button.
3. Select Add Iteration.
4. An iteration is added to the schedule. Fill in the iteration name.

Each iteration of a project has its own particular list of features. Features are the building blocks of the product that you are creating. For example, on a consumer clothing website, a search engine that allows you to search for an item based on characteristics like style and color is an important feature. Another feature might be the ability to select a size before adding the item to your shopping cart. Once you have a list of features for the project, you will need to write a description of each one, explaining how it should work and what components it needs to include. We recommend using Elementool’s Requirements Management system for defining the project features. Using this tool, you can create the feature list and write the description of each feature. See our Project Management Formula program for more information on features.

Features then must be broken down into workable tasks. For instance, a search engine feature may be broken up into a running search task for a coding expert, and a graphical design task for the graphics expert. Yet another task might be for a copywriter to create text to go along with the search engine feature.
Issues that are stored in your Issue Tracking can also be added to the schedule.

To add a task, please follow these steps:
1. Make sure the Iteration line is selected.
2. Click on the Add button.
3. Select the Add Task option.
4. Type the task name.

To create a task from an issue tracking record, please follow these steps:
1. Make sure the Iteration line is selected.
2. Click on the Add button.
3. Select the Add Issue option.
4. Select the name of the account in which the issue is stored.
5. Type the issue number.
6. Click on Save.
7. The system will display the issue’s title automatically.

Elementool makes it easy to organize tasks, helping to keep each team member on track.

That’s it for now. So simple.
In the next clip I’m going to show you how to build the project schedule and how to assign tasks to team members. Stay tuned…

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to submit them in the comment section below.

How to Eliminate Procrastination Forever

Hi, it’s Allison here again. We all know what it’s like to get caught in the procrastination trap. There’s a job that has to be done, but you’re afraid it’s going to be difficult and time consuming, so you put it off till the last minute. Sometimes you’re tired or not feeling motivated to do anything at all.



Other times you’re overwhelmed by small tasks that keep popping up and getting in your way. Or maybe you come into work in the morning and you have no clue what to do that day. You end up spending half the day at the office without getting anything done because you lack a plan. It’s understandable, we’ve all been there, and we’ve all found ourselves procrastinating as a result. The most frustrating thing is that the longer we procrastinate, the more our tasks and worries pile up. Next thing you know, the day is gone, little has been accomplished – and still the work waits. Procrastinating can slow business, upset the boss, create delays, and wreak havoc on your schedule.

Well you know what? It doesn’t have to be like that. I’m going to show you a smart, simple system that can help you eliminate procrastination permanently. With this easy method, you can sharpen your focus, increase your motivation, and get your work done when you need to get it done.

The secret is to start scheduling meetings with yourself. Your daily schedule should always be fully booked. Every morning, spend about 15 minutes determining the day’s schedule. Think of all the tasks that you want to accomplish that day and schedule them in your calendar as if you have a meeting with yourself.

So, for example, you may write in your planner that from 9am to 10, you are working on a presentation. From 10 to 11, you’ll be returning phone calls. 11 to 12, you’re writing code. 12-1, schedule your lunch. And so on. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well it is! If I can do it, so can you.

Now for your anti-procrastination plan to be successful, you need to follow a few guidelines.

1. Don’t schedule more than 6 activities each day. There’s no sense in over-extending yourself or else you’ll get overwhelmed and then the procrastination problem will be back.

2. Give yourself some free time between activities to catch up on emails, finish activities that require more time, and other small assorted tasks.

3. Always schedule the difficult and high priority activities first. This is really important because you want to get the tough jobs out of the way as soon as you can.

4. When you work on an activity, stay focused on the task. Don’t stop to read emails, check Facebook, or anything else. These are things that can wait until you’re done.

5. Take a 10-minute break every hour. Knowing that you will soon have a bit of time to relax and do whatever you want will make it easier for you to concentrate on the scheduled task.

So, there you have it. Follow this system and you will discover that you can quickly and easily kick procrastination out of your life forever. If you want to learn more, I go into detail on this subject in Elementool’s new Project Management Formula program, so I suggest you check it out!

Elementool is Going Agile

There are big things happening here at Elementool, and the latest is that we are going agile. Agile planning is a flexible approach to project management that gives you the freedom to make adjustments to your plan when needed.



By dividing projects into smaller iterations, or mini-projects, you are better able to monitor progress and to make important course corrections that will allow you to achieve your objectives while also completing the project close to schedule.

Using the agile approach is going to transform the way you run projects, and we are going to make it even easier for you.We will be releasing several amazing new features in the near future to help you run agile projects using Elementool.

With Elementool, you will be able to setup iterations and define the tasks and issues that should be included in each iteration. This innovative feature will allow you to better plan your team’s work on the project.

Our brand new Scheduling system will enable you to plan your project schedule and carefully track the development progress. As a result,your team will be able to make certain that everything is going according to plan,eliminating costly and time-consuming project delays.

Some of these tracking features include a backlog that you will be able to display right on your Welcome page, allowing you to see the status of each task so that you can easilyfollow the progress of your project.

The Burndown chartis another cool feature that we’re developing. It will enable eachteam member to see how their work is progressing so that they always know whether or not they’re keeping to the schedule plan.

One of the most significant features is the integration between the tools, which is a major benefit since it saves you the need to use API to integrate between different solution providers. This gives your team valuable extra time to spend working on your projects instead of worrying about tool integration. And it costs significantly less to pay for just one system rather than using several different vendors.

If you are new to Agile planning and don’t yet know what terms like Iteration,Burndown, and Backlog mean, don’t worry, because you are going to learn them—and many others—very soon with our exciting new Project Management Formula program, where we’ll teach you the special 5-step formula that will enable you to fully take charge of your projects.

Agile project planningis the wave of the future, and Elementool will be here to help you every step of the way. Stay tuned!

Website Facelift

In the next few weeks, we’re going to be making some design enhancements here at Elementool.com. But don’t worry, these changes will not have any affect on the way that you utilize our site.



During the redesign process, the application functionality will remain completely the same throughout the website, so you can continue using it without interruption. Here’s a sneak peek at the changes we have in store for Elementool.com.

It's All About Relationships

Hi, I’m Allison, and I’d like to introduce you to a feature known as Field Dependencies. This is a very helpful feature that allows you to quickly locate and select relevant information when filling in a form.



What the dependencies feature actually does is it enables the creation of relationships between fields in such a way that a dependant field’s value list is determined based on a value selected from the source list.

For instance, let’s say that you have two fields on a form: State and City. The State field lists all 50 states in the U.S., and the City field lists the 10 largest cities in each of those states. Currently, without using Dependencies, the State field list shows all 50 states and the City field displays a long list of 500 cities in those states. So if a user wants to choose their city from that list, they need to scan through all 500 to find the one they want.

However, by using the Dependencies feature, the process becomes much easier. It allows the person to first select their state in the State field. At that point, the Dependencies rule automatically filters the city list so that the City field only displays the 10 cities from the selected state. This means that the user can simply select the appropriate city from the list of 10 rather than poring through a long list of 500.

As you can see, the Field Dependencies feature makes filling out and submitting forms much easier and far less time-consuming.

Learn How to Create SRS Documents in 10 Seconds

Hi, it’s Allison again. When most people think of three little letters that might save your life, SOS comes to mind. But for me, S-R-S is the ultimate lifesaver when it comes to project management. SRS stands for Software Requirements Specification, which is a document that fully describes the expected behavior of a software system.



Sign Up

Functional requirements are documented in an SRS, as are non-functional requirements such as performance goals and descriptions of quality attributes.

The SRS states the functions and capabilities that a software system needs to provide, as well as the constraints that it must respect. The SRS provides the basis for all subsequent project planning, design, coding, and testing. Virtually everyone involved in the project rely on the SRS. The development team, maintenance staff, testers, technical writers, support people, and the marketing department, This is why this document is so important.

There are many significant benefits to having a SRS document. For starters, the SRS improves communication between your team members by saving and displaying the product feature description in one central location that everybody can easily access. It also prevents confusion within your team by maintaining an up-to-date definition list of all the features included in the project. This way you ensure that everyone develops the same set of features, avoiding a situation in which there are several different versions of product documents out there. And because all that information is available in one document, the SRS makes it easy for new employees to quickly learn the details of the project.

Another benefit that comes from the development of the SRS document is that it ultimately saves you the effort and cost of late-stage re-design and re-testing. That is because putting the SRS together requires all stakeholders to agree on the requirements at the beginning of the project.

Given that estimating costs and developing a project schedule can be a challenge for any project manager, the SRS document provides a great deal of help in that area as well by acting as a basis for creating such estimates.

Other benefits of utilizing an SRS document include its ability to provide a basis for enhancement of the product at a later time. The SRS can also provide a baseline when it comes time to develop plans for validation and verification.

Furthermore, the Software Requirements Specification functions as a contract between the client and your company. Once the SRS is complete, you can simply send it to your clients, and it will act as an agreement of what should be developed.

Now I initially planned to give you a template of an SRS document that you can use to create your own. But then I thought, why do that, when you can just use Elementool’s Requirements Management to automatically create SRS documents, in seconds, right from your feature requirements list? Simply:
Go to the ‘View Requirements’ page.
Click on the Print Requirements button.
On the right side, select the features you wish to include in the SRS document.
Move them to the left side.
Click on the Print Document button.
And, voila, I have an SRS document ready in less than 10 seconds.

It couldn’t be easier!


Sign Up

How Long Will It Take?

Hi, it’s Allison again. In this clip, I’m going to teach you an easy and simple way to estimate tasks that you can use right away. Estimating how long it will take to accomplish a task can be surprisingly difficult.



An endless variety of factors and variables can affect the outcome, making an apparently complicated task much simpler than initially expected, or turning a seemingly easy task into a nightmare. But however difficult it may be, estimation is a necessary part of your work. You need good, accurate estimates of task durations in order to build a project schedule and ensure that you deliver your product on time. Coming up with a good estimate is a common challenge that many people struggle with, so, I’m going to teach a simple estimation formula called PERT. Also known as the Program Evaluation and Review Technique, PERT isn’t just a cute name – it’s a vital tool for estimating task duration.

The formula goes like this: Multiply the most likely amount of time that it will take to finish the task by 4 (this is the time that makes most sense, taking into account that you’ll encounter a few obstacles on the way). Then add your ‘best case scenario’ time (this is the fastest that you can complete the task if you have everything that you need, and everything goes according to plan). Now add your ‘worst case scenario’ time (this is the longest time that it will take you to fix the task in case things go wrong). Sum it all up and then divide by 6. The resulting figure is your ultimate estimate for the duration of the task.

Now let me give you an example of PERT in action. Let’s say I want to walk down to the corner market to buy a quart of milk. From my experience, I think this task will most likely take 15 minutes. 10 minutes of walking time, 1 minute to get the item, and 4 minutes to wait in line. So 15 is my Most Likely number. If there is no line, and I walk fast, then I think it will take a total of 8 minutes, so that’s my Best Case number. Now for my Worst Case number I have to consider what might go wrong. And a lot might go wrong. The sidewalk could be crowded, I might nearly get run over by a taxi crossing the street and have to stop to catch my breath, and, worst of all, the line could be three times as long as usual because everyone is stocking up on snacks for the big game tonight. I figure that puts my Worst Case number at 28 minutes.

Now I take the formula: [best case + (4 X Most likely) + worst case] / 6. I plug those numbers in: [8 + (4 x 15) + 28] / 6
And then I get out my calculator. Or, if I’m feeling up to it, I just do the math in my head. My result is 16, and that’s my estimate for the duration of this particular task.

PERT is effective because, even though it gives much more weight to your most likely estimate, it also takes the best and worst case possibilities into account. You will find that it truly makes the difficult job of estimating much easier.