Blog
Lifecycle of a software & Application Lifecycle Management within an Agile project
A software or an application is not only limited to one or many programs used by clients. A software is born, lives and dies; that’s why we refer to the “lifecycle” of a software. The lifecycle of an application is made of all the stages punctuating its course; from the starting idea until the users stop to use it, and from the conception and the implementation to its upkeep. The Application Lifecycle Management, or ALM, is the process allowing to manage the lifecycle of the software. We’ll now give [...]
Agile functional specifications
Those who don’t know well Agile management methods can feel that the team is working without any specifications. Goals vary from one sprint to another; we don’t know exactly what’s going to be in the next sprint… It is although far from the truth. Stating that an Agile project doesn’t have any specifications is completely wrong. However, what is true is that the way Agile functional specifications have been designed is entirely different from a traditional method. Small reminder on functional specifications Functional specifications aim to precisely detail all [...]
8 tools to present an Agile Scrum retrospective
The retrospective, which is an essential phase of Agile’s continuous enhancement process, requires all participants to get involve and everybody to be able to talk freely without feeling judged or fear retaliation. It’s the time to assess the past sprint and what has worked well and what hasn’t. It is although not simple for everyone to express their views, whether it’s because they’re being shy, lack self-confidence or are scared to speak in front of an audience. It is therefore sometimes hard to get everybody to speak. We are [...]
8 new features to optimize your project management
Despite the warm summer days and the vacation atmosphere, we don't twiddle our thumbs here at Nutcache as we keep developing and adding new features to help you better manage your projects. With this new software update, you will benefit from the latest additions to Nutcache, such as improved functionality and user-friendliness, simplified project creation and a better control over your resources and daily activities. New ways to manage resources and daily activities Several improvements have been made to the software to facilitate projects and resources management. A new [...]
6 new features designed to improve user experience
Once again, Nutcache's latest update demonstrates how user experience is part of our top priorities. Here are the new features that will make Nutcache even easier to use and your work more efficient. Here’s what you will find in this latest version: A notification center to keep you up to date on what's happening in your projects A search tool to easily find any information in your stories A new option to convert an estimate into a project A persona template creator help you understand the needs of your customers The [...]
Nutcache complies with the GDPR
Nutcache is committed to protecting and safe guarding your personal data, which is why we have taken all the required measures to protect the fundamental right to privacy and the protection of personal data for people affected by the new European data protection law, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). What is the GDPR? The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new privacy regulation replacing the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive. It was designed to protect and empower all EU citizens data privacy and to [...]
Velocity, a key indicator for better planning
How do you estimate the amount of work your team can realize within a sprint? Velocity is one of the most popular measures used by Scrum teams to add up effort estimates. This post intends to demonstrate how velocity can be useful during sprint planning to estimate how long the project will take to complete. We will also take a look at some common pitfalls to avoid. What is velocity and how to measure it? Velocity is the number of story points associated with stories a team completes during [...]
How to use the Cumulative Flow Diagram to visualize your project workflow
Do you know how long it takes for a task to go through every stage of your workflow? One of the tools you can use to track the project progress and visualize the team effort is the Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD). This post intend to show you how you will definitely benefit from applying a Cumulative Flow Diagram to your process. Why use the Cumulative Flow Diagram? The Cumulative Flow Diagram is one of the most popular graphs used by Kanban teams. The CFD’s main purpose is to improve [...]
New sprint KPIs, velocity chart, Scrum roles and much more!
Nutcache's latest update makes available many improvements and new features that will simplify the way you manage your Kanban and Scrum projects. Here's a quick list of some of the things we’ve been working on at Nutcache and included in our latest release: • Kanban Cumulative Flow Diagram • Kanban WIP limit • New Agile Roles (PO, Scrum master, Flow master, etc.) • Story template and INVEST criteria • Scrum Velocity Chart • Scrum Burn-down by effort • Sprint KPIs • Project duplication • Team assignation • Tax handling [...]
7 Methods to Keep Sprint Meetings on Point
Almost every business around the globe relies on Sprint meetings in order to set a direction for the company, disseminate information, delegate tasks, and review the team’s performance. However, most meetings tend to drag on way longer than required, adversely affecting the productivity and the profitability of the organization. According to an article published in the Harvard Business Review, weekly meetings can cost an organization nearly 300 thousand work hours a year, hindering the staff productivity. Everyone appreciates well-planned and productive Sprint meetings that stick to the agenda and stay [...]
How to manage and tag your stories with labels
Labels are visual indicators that can be associated with stories from both Agile boards and Scrum sprints. Use labels to organize and improve your board/sprint workflow and keep track of related stories. Thanks to this feature, you will have a better understanding of your project's progress since labels can make certain aspects of your workflow more visible and set apart stories that are blocked or need discussion. How to use labels Labels are specific to a particular project. Therefore, you can create and manage labels from the project itself or through [...]
A Nerd’s Guide on Sprint Backlog and Product Backlog
Learning about Agile systems can almost be like learning a new language. There are so many terms, ideologies, and frameworks to remember that it’s easy to get things confused or jumbled up. Whether you are confusing Scrum with Agile, still figuring out how to hold an effective Sprint Planning meeting, or unsuccessfully applying Agile frameworks, it can be frustrating and complicated to implement a system if you are unfamiliar with its practices. There are a lot of steps that need to take place during a Sprint Meeting. Running a [...]
Introducing GitHub integration, Google sign in, and significant changes to tax management
Today, Nutcache makes available its latest update that brings changes to the way taxes are managed in the application but also introduces GitHub integration and Google sign in to help you work smarter and faster. MANAGING SALES TAX MADE EASIER Prior to this update, applicable taxes could be set from either the client file, the product/task file, or from the item type file, which could sometime lead to confusion when billing clients for work done as for which tax to use. Now, Nutcache's latest update removes this potential confusion [...]
6 Must Have Skills to Become a Notable Scrum Master
According to the Scrum Alliance, a Scrum Master is “a facilitator for the team and the product owner. Rather than manage the team, the Scrum Master works to assist both.” The Scrum Master is a liaison between the planners and the doers, so to say, and it is up to them to ensure that everyone is on the same page. A great Scrum Master knows exactly what tools and resources a team needs to accomplish their goals and simultaneously removes any barriers or distractions that could slow them down [...]
5 Ways to Improve Teamwork with Scrum Methods
It’s a fact that we are able to accomplish more by working together than as individuals. In a large study conducted by Salesforce regarding workplace challenges, 86% of leaders agreed that failing to work together as a team was the leading cause of project failure. Teamwork is an essential element of a successful company. Businesses that struggle in working together as a unified team will quickly fall behind. Scrum is defined as a “team-based approach to delivering value to the business.” This framework promotes effective collaboration between team members [...]
How Scrum Masters Can Keep Their Teams Focused on Goals
As a Scrum Master, your role is vital to the success of the team, but it certainly comes with a number of requirements. Your list of duties includes implementing the Scrum rules and framework throughout a project, as well as keeping the peace and resolving issues along the way. Even though you are not exclusively a project manager, it is still your responsibility to ensure the team stays on the right track. So how do you keep a team focused and unified without micro-managing or overstepping your authority? Here are [...]
5 Secret Tactics That Will Boost the Outcome of Your Sprint Planning Meeting
Sprint planning is absolutely vital to the success of a Scrum team. You wouldn’t expect a sports team to perform well if they never met for practice, so in the same way, you shouldn’t expect a Scrum team to be able to work together without holding consistent meetings to strategize for the next sprint. Evaluate your team’s attitude and readiness to see if there are any areas that could use improvement before the planning meeting. A Scrum team should be self-managing, but sometimes they still need a little help [...]
Confusing Scrum with Agile? Here’s What You Need to Know
There is a lot of misconception when it comes to Agile and Scrum. Many teams and businesses describe their actions as Scrum or Agile simply because they are buzz-worthy terms in the software development world. While a team can be Agile without practicing Scrum, it cannot practice Scrum and not be Agile. Confused yet? What Agile is and What Agile is not Agile is defined as methods that “generally promote a disciplined project management process that encourages frequent inspection and adaptation.” At its core, Agile is a set of [...]
Nutcache makes project planning and team coordination so much easier!
Constantly motivated by the idea of making the best application possible, Nutcache announces the availability of a new update deployed as of September 28, 2017. This new update puts project planning and team coordination at the center of the user experience by introducing a new visual planning tool: the Agile Planner. A POWERFUL VISUAL TOOL TO BETTER MANAGE YOUR RESOURCES Available from the Projets menu, the Nutcache Agile Planner is a visual project planning tool that allows managers to see at a glance the tasks their team members [...]
Agile – Scrum Sprint Definition, Roles and Planning
What is a Sprint in the Agile Approach? How do you define an agile sprint? The definition of an Agile sprint is one that’s pretty straight forward, unlike other parts of the framework that enjoy the occasional debate, such as “Sprint Zero”. The Scrum Guide describes a Sprint as the “the heart of Scrum” and it is one of the major activities within the Scrum framework. It is the core of the Scrum framework because time-bound sprint sessions are the only periods in which potentially, useable increments are made to [...]
Nutcache enhances its Scrum framework
Nutcache is rolling out its latest update which introduces new features that will improve sprint planning and tracking with significant workflow productivity gains. The burn-down charts When using the Agile/Scrum methodology to manage projects, the burn-down chart is a fundamental metric providing a graphical representation of work left to do in a sprint versus time. Nutcache's new burn-down chart displays the remaining effort for a given period of time by measuring the progress of the 4 following components: By stories By tasks By complexity values By acceptance tests Use [...]
A Simple Guide to Understanding Continuous Integration (CI)
In this model, we explain the definition of Continuous Integration and its relationship with Continuous Deployment and Continuous Delivery, and how these processes occur. When we are done with the preliminaries, we explore further the intricacies of these systems and their workflow. What is Continuous Integration? According to Techopedia, Continuous Integration (CI) is… “Continuous integration (CI) is a software development practice in which each member of a development team integrates his work with that produced by others on a continuous basis.” Software developers often work in isolation and therefore [...]
Leverage Scrum to manage your projects
As announced a few weeks ago, Nutcache is consolidating its Agile shift by adding the Scrum framework to its application. In addition to providing an undeniable advantage to Nutcache, introducing the Agile/Scrum framework will give you faster results and better collaboration and communication among your team members. Agile or Scrum project, which one should I choose? From now on, Nutcache offers you two options when creating a new project: via the Agile-Kanban approach or by using the Scrum framework. The Scrum project The life of a project developed through the [...]
Agile Scrum Development Process Demystified in 5 Minutes [Infographic]
Although Scrum is used for developing complex projects, it’s important to note that it is not appropriate for any and all projects. So, when is Scrum appropriate? The best time to use the Scrum approach is when working with an end user who is not really clear on exactly what they want. In situations like this, you tend to have a long product development cycle before the project is completed and the product goes through a variety of iterations as the end user develops a clearer vision. Using small [...]
What is Scrum? Methodology and Project Management
What is Scrum Project Management? Scrum is one of the most popular agile frameworks in use today and rightly so- it is used to develop complex products and systems. The name scrum is originally a rugby term. In rugby, a scrum is a cluster of players trying to get the ball. In the field of project management, “scrum” refers to the brief meetings where team members come together to talk about their successes relating to a project, how far they’ve come, what the next steps are and any future [...]