The assistance of the right tools in the agile project management process is priceless. The article below shares the top 15 tools that all software development teams need to get the job done. CK
Article written by Zack Martin originally appeared in Click Up on August 7, 2018.
We get it, leading an agile project management team isn’t the easiest job. Between jumping from your daily scrum to your next sprint, it can be hard to focus on the work. And if your tools are failing you? Well, good luck.
This list of agile tools will help ease the pain points that can arise from leading a team like that even if you have remote employees. When looking for agile software development tools, we had simple requirements: they need to work well together, be reliable and affordable, and most importantly, work well for team collaboration.
1. ClickUp
If you’re looking for the ultimate project management tool, then ClickUp is the answer. It’s for anyone using the agile methodology. ClickUp is the only project management tool where the goal at the forefront of development was “to move quickly and easily.” ClickUp tops our list for your ability to quickly see an overview of tasks completed, tasks in progress, and dependencies. This ensures you can prevent bottlenecks. ClickUp is in the hands of some of the most famous agile teams including Apple and Google! ClickUp also has a Free Forever plan meaning even the leanest of teams can get their hands on ClickUp – FOR FREE!
2. Github
Github is the largest hosted Git server….but what does that mean? Basically, your developers can store all of your code for a vast number of projects there. Github is so great because is it record edits across an entire team in real time. It also integrates with many other tools so multiple people–from your developers to product owners–can work in the same code at the same time making it truly a great tool for agile teams. Github also will allow you to have a private space for your team members or a public space where members of the community can come and help you improve your code. Bonus question: Did Microsoft overpay for Github? Only time will tell….
3. LeanKit
If you are looking for the ultimate management tool for a Kanban board on the agile process for your sprints, LeanKit is your answer. LeanKit uses cards to represent work items and live statuses. It’s perfect if you have remote employees to ensure everyone can see the Kanban board in real time. Prevent the same tasks from being completed twice and make sure your whole team remains on the same page. LeanKit also works great for cross-team platforms and can be used to keep track of dependencies. LeanKit also works well for cross-functional teams leveraging a Scrum or Kanban boards.
4. ClickUp Chrome Extension
The ClickUp Chrome Extension is an extremely powerful tool being leveraged by agile teams all over the world. The Extension syncs up perfectly with your ClickUp Team and you can create tasks without even opening the ClickUp app. The app also gives you the ability to share websites and screenshots in the task with one click of the mouse. Screenshot your screen and post directly into the task and even markup the screenshot before inserting it. All this functionality in a single extension is why the ClickUp Chrome extension has a 5-star rating on the Google Chrome Store and why it is being adopted as an essential part of the agile method.
5.Planbox
One of the most important parts of the agile cycle is burndown charts. Planbox tracks the progress of burndown charts so everyone knows how far you are from the Sprint’s goals/completion. Planbox also integrates customer feedback, bug reports, and fixes, making it useful for a wide range of users. It also has great evaluation tools making Sprint retrospectives even more thorough. Planbox is highly configurable, ensuring that any agile based teams will be able to tweak it to work for their specific circumstances. Advanced reporting features make it easy to review the status and areas where improvement is needed at Daily Scrum.
6. Slack
Slack is one of the best management tools for teams to stay in touch with each other. Slack makes it easy to divide channels so that teams can have their own areas to collaborate and it even supports a private messaging feature. It’s perfect if you have remote employees as it has a video chat feature perfect for daily scrum meetings. Slack also integrates with tons of great tools including our number one tool, ClickUp!
7. Active Collab
If you are looking for a great and affordable solution for many teams to manage documents and very simple tasks then look no further. Active Collab is intuitive and has great document management, meaning there is not much training required for users to jump into it. Active Collab is also celebrated for its fantastic budgeting and reporting features. The seemingly only downside is that Active Collab has a timeline and column view for the tasks instead of Gantt Charts.
8. Agilo for Scrum
Next on our list is praised as one of the best tools for agile teams. Agilo for Scrum automatically updates the stakeholders and team members on the progress of specific projects. Agilo offers sprint reports and burndown charts so project managers can stay on top of the team’s progress and detail important events and milestones. Agilo, unfortunately, does have a steep learning curve, so some team members may have a tough time picking it up. Agilo also only supports one project at a time which some teams may struggle with.
9. Everhour
Time tracking is essential for any company that uses the agile methodology. The Everhour Extension allows teams to manage time spent on tasks which makes it easier to budget and determine if sprint goals and deadlines are realistic. The Everhour app integrates with ClickUp and syncs through the extension so you can seamlessly track all tasks. Everhour also allows users to enter time manually in the event they forget to time track.
10. Sublime
Sublime is an Integrated Development Environment or IDE for short. Every team using agile needs an IDE. An IDE is basically any program that consolidates a number of tools used for development into a single program. Sublime is one of the most popular IDEs on the market for a good reason! With its clean and simple interface, it provides a distraction-free work environment for coding, debugging, testing, or whatever your day has in store. The idea behind Sublime is it is supposed to be a text editor with a clean interface to work on rather than a myriad of toolbars. It was created by Jon Skinner, an ex-Google engineer who quit to follow his dream of making this incredible program. Oh, and did I mention it’s free?
11. Loom
Loom is a screen recording software that has been steadily gaining traction over the past year. It is being used by more than just agile teams to complete all sorts of tasks. It may seem strange that a screen recording extension made it onto the list, but it is extremely valuable for troubleshooting with a remote team. It is also great for capturing videos of bugs so you can show the development team exactly what to look for and to make it easier for them to weed them out. Loom has been a favorite amongst teams for almost a year now. It is both versatile and adaptable to whatever you need whether that be client success or database management.
12. Google Drive
Another great tool for agile teams is Google Drive because of how quickly it allows team members to grab files from a shared bank of all different file types. In an agile team, where many different people are working on many similar tasks, dependencies can arise. Dependencies can hold up everyone’s work so Google Drive makes it easy to get files you need to clear dependencies quickly. Google Drive also features integration with many other programs including our top tool, ClickUp. The best part about Google Drive it that it’s included with every Gmail account, making it highly accessible!
13. Jira
One of the most well-known project management programs is Jira. Jira is an agile based solution. Jira is loved by many teams around the world but it isn’t without its flaws. The biggest pitfall to Jira is that it can be extremely complex to use and even requires developers just to set it up. Jira is also one of the more expensive project management solutions and even small teams can drive the price into the thousands of dollars range. This can be very taxing on lean startups who can’t bear such costs.
14. Pivotal Tracker
Pivotal Tracker is one of the top programs for managing development teams exclusively. Pivotal Tracker is made to keep your agile team on track with sprint goals. It makes it easier for teams to adapt and evolve to changes that may pop up mid-sprint. They also strive to make goals clearer by increasing transparency amongst the teams. At a glance, you can quickly see what all members of the team are working on, who is responsible for what, and how far away you are from meeting your team’s goals for that sprint. This helps promote accountability across the team.
15. Axosoft
Last but certainly not least is Axosoft. Axosoft is an agile software that is designed to be used as project management software. It allows you to manage everything from planning through release. Axosoft helps you visualize every step of the development process and even makes some impressive looking graphs. It lets you plan features in order of importance so that the most important features get completed first. It also has an awesome tool for helping plan out when certain features will be done.
Conclusion
There are hundreds of tools out there for an agile development approach. The key is finding what works best for your team. Every team with an agile approach has unique with different product requirements, so let us know what agile tools are essential for keeping your team up and running! Best of luck to all you teams out there as you tackle your sprints and keep up agile practices to improve the future!
