Tell me more ×
Programmers Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional programmers interested in conceptual questions about software development. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 3 down vote favorite

My team and I are very keen on doing Scrum "manual"-style (with paper and scissors). Though, we are struggling to find a tool to manage our backlog.

The main requirements are:

  • To be able to print the backlog in cards to stick to the whiteboard
  • To be able to assign backlog items to the releases manually

So far we have not found anything that matches these criteria. Suggestions?

share|improve this question
What do you mean by your second point? Are you looking for a way to represent the assignment on a pin-up board or equivalent? – blueberryfields Oct 14 '11 at 15:43
Jira does both and quite a lot more. – Oded♦ Oct 14 '11 at 15:45
to drag stories into compartments called Releases. We use Pivotaltracker, it does so automatically and always in a wrong way. We want to do it manually. – Pomario Oct 14 '11 at 15:47
my boss hates Jira, so it would be very difficult to budge him into it – Pomario Oct 14 '11 at 15:58
@Pomario - didn't realize I was supposed to know what your boss thinks about Jira. – Oded♦ Oct 14 '11 at 15:59

closed as not constructive by ChrisF♦ Dec 30 '11 at 12:20

As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.

3 Answers

up vote 1 down vote accepted

We're using Rally. Once the sprint is defined, cards get printed, put up on the board, and we have a feedback loop between the board & the online record. Everyone in the office can see the board, so anyone can know the sprint status.

share|improve this answer
+1 looks like solid software, but I dislike the UI. Their website looks nicer and more intuitive than their software. JK – mmmshuddup Dec 11 '11 at 21:21
@DaveE: you wrote "Once the spring is defined" -- did you mean "sprint", or is "spring" the name of a feature in Rally? – Bryan Oakley Dec 27 '11 at 17:59
Typo. Fixed. Thanks. – DaveE Dec 27 '11 at 20:10
up vote 0 down vote

Keep it simple - spreadsheets + mail merge

Wouldn't it be simpler to use Excel spreadsheets and print Word document using Mail-merge and putting in the source of your Excel. Put as many cards on your paper (letter/A4) as required and merge the stories into a printable document.

I've used Excel several times and it works. It's simple, you can also add row colouring based on statuses etc. And when it comes to shareable spreadsheets Google Docs works just as good.

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

We use ClearQuest for managing backlogs and features.

share|improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.