We reveal our secret recipe for successful online platforms
In the first part of our series we have already introduced you to two software tools that support us in the conception and mostly at the beginning of a project. Now we would like to introduce you to two more tools that we use during the planning, implementation and documentation of the project.
#3 Plan product implementation with Jira
For planning the work of the development team we use one of the most popular tools, Jira . A big advantage of Jira is that it can be integrated with other softwares (e.g. with Storiesonboard, Confluence, etc.).
Prioritization
The epics (expansion stages) and user stories identified in the story map are transferred to Jira for implementation at the push of a button. The user stories, bugs and tasks are put in order by the product owner in the so-called backlog. This makes it possible to control which task is to be tackled next. The next user stories are now specified in more detail for implementation.
- Unwanted system behavior is called Bugs and can also be recorded in Jira and planned into a sprint.
- Other work that has nothing to do with a specific function in the software can be recorded as Task . Examples are "Create mockup for ticket management", "Create story map for webshop".
Execution
Based on the sequence in the backlog, the tasks are planned in so-called sprints. A sprint is a fixed time interval in which we plan the software development (3 weeks each). In an active sprint, the status of the tasks is tracked by the development team. This status is also visible in real time in the story map in Storiesonboard .
A story can have the following statuses:
Open: Initial status when an issue is created
In Progress: Development work has begun
Work completed: Development work is completed. Issue ready for review by the product owner.
Ready for customer review: User story or bug has been uploaded to the staging/acceptance system
Review completed: User story or bug has been tested and is ready to be rolled out to production
Live on production: User story or bug is released on production
Closed: Issue completed, documented and accepted
#4 Documenting Product with Confluence
Once the software has been implemented and rolled out to the productive environment, it is documented. This is important in order to be able to read complex interrelationships and functionalities in the system even after some time. This enables, for example, an efficient error analysis or a simple creation of a user manual.
For this documentation we use Confluence. This is a comprehensive wiki software with advanced collaboration capabilities (comments, tasks, working on a page simultaneously, etc.). The customer has access to his Confluence area at any time and can also export the pages to other formats (Word, PDF) if required. In addition to how the system works, we document in Confluence:
Glossary
In order to create a common understanding of the technical terms, all terms are explained in detail together with the customer in the Confluence under Glossary.
Meeting Notes
Meeting notes can be recorded in Confluence to track decisions and delegate tasks to people.
Thanks to our structured approach, we always maintain an overview and can set the focus in the right place. With the help of the tools presented, our customers can follow every step of the process in real time.
For us, agility means keeping an eye on the big picture and actively and transparently involving the customer in the process.