Technology makes it easier to get things done. It could also be argued that technology gave us the biggest time wasters (games, social media, cat videos) known to man. But most days, technology is our friend. It keeps us updated, helps us stay connected, and also help us get our work done (hopefully, you’re using it correctly).
I thought about organizing my home office over the long weekend and took one last satisfied look at my scrum board before wiping it clean. If you want to know what a scrum board is and how to use it, read this previous article.
To recap, a scrum board is used to track the progress of a sprint. A sprint is just a single work cycle inside of a larger project. It’s important for breaking down any project into more manageable parts, but those parts also need to be tracked and managed. We call these parts “stories.” Each story may be broken down further into different tasks. With scrum project management, it is vital that each of these tasks get addressed. This is where a scrum board comes in [1].
I do have a personal scrum board. But I’m finding (more often) that I have to “share” this board with teammates and project stakeholders. They too want to know the progress of the projects. AND…(kind of frustratingly for me) they too want me to add tasks that they’d like to track on MY board.
So how should I do this? How do I share updates and tasks with other people? I can’t take a picture of my board every time and send it to them, can I?
My solution is to find an online project management app that would do the same thing but for everyone involved in the projects. So, I’ve been tinkering around with online apps that can help me organize and manage projects, much like my scrum board. I found a couple of them. Here’s what I found:
Trello:
It is like a virtual board which you can customize with cards and add lists, labels, due dates, pictures, and attachments inside those cards. You can share your boards or projects with other people and send them quick notes and updates. It is available on desktop and mobile. Upgrading your account would give you “productivity power-ups” such as 3rd party integrations and a higher attachment limit.
Here’s mine: (other members removed for privacy)
Asana:
Works the same way as Trello but has a readily available list or calendar view. You can create tasks & conversations from email addresses associated with Asana. Like Trello, you can create workspaces (very much like boards) to organize your projects if you have different ones. It is available on desktop and mobile. Upgrading your account would give you advance options such as unlimited dashboards, advance search and reporting, and admin controls to name a few.
Here’s mine:
Plutio:
Another app to organize projects and task is Plutio. It has an integrated invoice and time tracking system that can prove helpful for freelancers and contractors. The interface is simple and easy to use. The design is basic – no fuss. It is available on desktop and mobile.
Others you can check out:
Redbooth
Podio
Zenkit
I’m still testing these apps out and have yet to stick to one that I (and others) can use. It’s an ongoing experiment. But I’ll let you know when I finally commit to one app. What project management apps are you using? Share those that work for you in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!
Written by Jaie O. The Help
References:
http://www.techno-pm.com/2017/05/scrum-board-example.html?m=1