Free Project Management Software

This week Free Project Management Software is dedicating its space to a discussion of what organizations should look for when evaluating agile tooling solutions. Today’s post examines the RFP’s sections on Team Communication and Collaboration, Reporting, Installation and Administration, and Training.

Team Communication and Collaboration

• Does your tool provide for Sprint Burndown charts?
• Does your tool provide teams a way to load balance work amongst team members?
• Do you provide a software equivalent to a physical task board?
• Does the tool contain a personalized/customizable view of each individual’s tasks across multiple products?
• Does the tool enable customizable notifications?

Reporting

• Are reports based on User Stories and Velocity, or by summing task-level detail?
• How are release dates forecasted?
• Does the tool provide an exhaustive audit/change log?
• Does the tool contain an easily accessible executive/stakeholder “traffic light”-style progress indicator?
• How can reports be delivered to managers and stakeholders (external of the tool)?
• Does the tool have the capacity to report specific changes within a sprint?
• Does the tool include an overview of a team’s tasks, divided by individual?
• Does the tool include non-agile metrics, such as individual burndown charts or gantt charts?

Installation/Administration

• Describe the installation/deployment process.
• Are there any hardware specification recommendations?
• Does the tool offer support for multiple user types?
• Can I define multiple administrators to spread the administrative load?
• Can projects/products have local administrators?
• Does the tool offer role-based permissions? How granular are the role permissions?
• Does the tool offer role templates that apply to multiple products/projects?

Training

• Do you recommend product training for new users?
• Is training available for updates?
• Can we look to your organization for training on agile and Scrum in general?