Need guidance on how to use Greehopper for simple use case

Question

Our project is struggling to use Greenhopper to manage our work, we have been using JIRA and are trying to find something better suited to Agile development.  I have watched training videos, read documentation, and read QA forums but can't seem to find guidance on this simple use case.

As the PM, I am planning the next sprint, there are 5 user stories we have prioritized for the sprint, a few bugs, and a few tasks (i.e. configure new build machine).  Each story needs some design, coding, testing, debug, and end user documentation.   The stories are quite different and the designer, developer, tester are not the same for each story.  I create tasks for each story, and subtasks for each sub work item (design, code, test, ... etc.), add them to the next sprint, and assign them to individuals who then add estimates.   How do I see how much work  (any ticket type: task, subtask, bug, improvement) is on Leslie'ss plate for the sprint, and how that work is progressing.

Steven Hughes · Answer

My example of dependencies was poor, because it is not my biggest concern, and is largely  because we are new to Agile.  I don't expect an agile tool to resolve critical path issues or provide a Gaant chart.

However, an agile management tool should allow everyone on the team to easily see how many story points are on  a particular persons plate (for all issue types) for at least the current sprint and preferably for the next few.   This is essentially a request to use the 100% rule: Show all work (including subtasks), for all people.   Unless I'm missing something, currently, I have to create filter as described above, then open all issues for a particular person, pull out estimates and add them myself to see if work is balanced across the team.   Given the maturity of these products, surely there is a better way?

Chris McFadden · Answer

Usually those kinds of priorities and dependencies are raised and addressed in conversation or at least during the Sprint Plannning and stand-ups.  Scrum is not meant to use Gantt charts.

You can use the "Impediment" flag to note issues that are blocked because something else is not done.  A good practice is to create a swimlane at the top of board for these issues.  Instead of using a flag you could also use a link type of "blocked" or somethign like that and drive your swimlane off that.

there is another plug-in called Structure that might be more what you would need that has Gantt charts.

Steven Hughes · Answer

Thanks, this is a step forward!

It appears that per-sprint work load/progress by team memeber is not possible.  I think a work management tool (story points, hours, whatever estimate method is used) should do this is a simple, intuitive way.   If I can't tell that Larry won't get to the design spec for a Story until three days before the end of the sprint, so Jill can't write the code, then I can't manage the sprint.