If a version has sub-versions, should it's time remaining be the same as the sum of it's parts?

[Stuart Grimshaw]

We have a top level version to represent a release, and under that we create several other releases to hold tasks for the different disciplines (PHP, Java, WebDev etc)

If I view the time remeaining for the top level version on any of the Greenhopper screens, the total time remaining for the top level version never matches the sum of it's parts.

Also, when I change the start dates, the time remaining also changes. On 1 project if I set the start date to Aug 8th, I get that there is 4w remaining, change the start date to the 1st & it tells me there's 1 day remaining!

The short version of my question is: Right now, how do I know how much effort there still is on my project?

[Nicholas Muldoon · Accepted solution]

Hi Stuart,

You can find full details here:

http://confluence.atlassian.com/display/GH/How+Hour+Burndown+Charts+Relate+to+Time+Tracking+in+JIRA

Lots to wade through. We are going to make this better. It is as frustrating for us as it is for you.

Apologies.

Nicholas

[Nicholas Muldoon]

Hi Stuart,

Please ensure that the start and end date of your parent version include the entire date range of your child versions. Another point to consider, if you are logging time or remaining estimates between the end date of one sprint and the start date of the next GreenHopper will not capture this information in its report.

Thank you,

Nicholas Muldoon

[Stuart Grimshaw]

All the start/end dates match. The start date for parent/children is 8th August & the end date is 16th September, release date is 19th September.

If I change all the dates (to the 1st August) then the remaining estimate goes up.

Is there some documentation I can use to explain to everyone in the office why that is, and how we should actually be using this feature? Some kind of Best Practive guide?

We've been using Jira/Greenhopper for 12 months now, and we've never really been able to have confidence in what it tells us, our PMs all still copy the data into whatever other tools they like to use in order to actually run the project.