Here are the highlights of SwiftKanban release 2.0:-
Release Planning and Visual Tracking:
For many of our users who still use ‘SCRUM’ , or ‘SCRUMBAN’ (a combination of SCRUM and Kanban) we have enhanced the interface of ‘Release’ module in SwiftKanban to enable a simple “Release Planning” capability that allows defining of Release Capacity and scope in a easy-to-use drag-drop interface and this scope can be executed on the Kanban board. There are built-in visual indicators to indicate the release progress and capacity utilization. If you don’t plan your releases upfront and only deploy cards in batches, even then the interface would be useful to just look at the release scope and release throughput. Read more about this feature here.
Iteration Planning
We have strengthened the support for SCRUM in SwiftKanban by adding Iteration planning capability as well, so you can now split your releases into manageable iterations/sprints. The Iteration Burndown chart and other visual indicators help you to track the progress against capacity-all in just one view. You can even use the Release and Iteration options on the Board Filter and when pulling cards onto the backlog. Similar to Release planning and Time-Tracking features, this is also available as an optional plug-in. Read More..
Time-Tracking
We present you with our new Time-Tracking plug-in, which allows you to enter Actual/Remaining hours against the card To-dos that are accounted in the newly added Burndown/Burn-up charts. This is an initial beta version of the feature and we could not resist releasing it to all of you to try it out and provide your valuable feedback. For more information on the feature, see Logging Effort for To-Dos page.
Release Burndown Charts
The SCRUM teams using SwiftKanban can now track the progress of their releases using the newly defined Burndown/Burn-up charts, which retain all the benefits that a Kanban CFD (Cumulating Flow Diagram) provides, and enable the best of both worlds/methodologies in a single solution i.e. SwiftKanban. See Release Planning page for help on Release Burndown Chart.
Throughput/ Velocity Charts
Throughput is a key metric in Kanban for tracking productivity in a given period and identifying process improvement opportunities. We now have this key metric in SwiftKanban that allows Kanban teams to measure throughput in terms of number of cards delivered for a specified period. It also allows SCRUM teams to measure throughput in terms of card estimates/points delivered in a Release/Iteration (also known as Velocity) and enables better Release/Iteration planning. For details on the metiric, see Throughput section in Metrics help page.
User Story Hierarchy Beta
- SwiftKanban now allows defining of a parent-child relationship between User Stories. This is useful in situations where a larger (or parent) user story needs to be broken down into several smaller (or child) user stories for better planning and execution.
- This entire user story hierarchy approach in SwiftKanban is through a highly visual interface that enables creation of child stories as well as linking existing stories to parent user stories.
- Child stories can go on the Kanban board for execution and current status/progress of the stories is shown using visual indicators in a visual map view.
The User Story Hierarchy feature is currently in the private beta stage and if you want to use this feature, we can make it available to you and will be glad to get your feedback in developing it further. Do drop an email to our support team to enable this in your account.
Board Templates
It’s nothing like getting started on the fly! We have introduced Board Templates so that you can create projects with a predefined board for your project type. Pre-configured lanes, card types and policies get inherited into your project during project creation. You define your custom templates and even duplicate your project board as a Template for reusing them later. Read More..
Mobile Devices and enhanced Tablet Support
Based on the feedback from our early beta users, we have now enhanced our support for tablet devices (iPad and other portable devices). You can now add cards, Tasks on your board, filter the board based on various attributes, and work with the board more effectively. SwiftKanban is now supported on your iPhone/Android Smart phones. You can view your cards across various boards, view/add Tasks and comments and collaborate with your team members while on the go!.
Excel Export-Import Improvement
Based on most of our users’ feedback, we have now dropped the password protection in exported MS Excel file so now it is open for sharing and further reporting. Furthermore, you can edit the Excel file attached in Import Status mail and use it for re-import. For help on Export and Import, click here.
Miscellaneous
We have also made a few minor usability improvements, albeit they are equally significant. These include :
- Timesheet report now grouped by Team Members and has an additional sub-total row for each team member, making it easier to check the timelog updates.
- Status reports now have better export output that can be easily used for generating pivot tables.
- A new ‘Project Profile’ menu has been introduced in the projects that would allow users to edit the project information.
- A new link ‘About SwiftKanban’ has been added on the user profile hover, mainly to help our on-site customers check their current SwiftKanban versions.
- While disabling SmartLanes, you can now choose to retain any existing valuestream for your board and avoid any rework.
We heartily thank all our users who have motivated us and provided their valuable feedback to bring out the above features. Do send us your feedback and suggestions at [email protected]. You may even post them on the SwiftKanban Community page.