Is there a ticket system that also does project management? [closed] - project-management

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Closed 10 years ago.
Were looking to roll out a ticket system that also has project management capability. We're currently using Trac but we find that it's really difficult to config and also has very weak support with workflows. Ideally we want a system that has:
A ticket system that supports workflow
Integrates well with window's Active Directory for user management
Has good integration with our source management (SVN)
Has project management functions and reporting. At the very least some sort of Gantt chart.
Project manager needs to be able to pick tickets and features to go into a certain milestone/sprint
The interface to this system needs to be accessible from any platform (windows, mac etc).
What system should we use? What are your experiences? We are looking at a few examples like Jira, FogBugz, TFS, Jass, etc etc. There's just too many, looking for recommendations.
We are a commercial shop so cost is not an issue.

Personally I find the Atlassian products to be affordable, robust, and well supported, so I went with JIRA when I was looking at ticketing systems in the past. It integrates nicely with AD and SVN which I had no trouble setting up.
One of the reasons I picked JIRA was the reporting functionality which gave great breakdowns of number of issues and progress on each project, and even let you use sql-like syntax to customize as needed.
It's web based, so any platform is not an issue.
I did not use it for project management, but they have a solid plugin community and a quick google search turns up a few gantt plugins such as Gantt Connector.

I think Redmine (opensource, GPL) is a nice alternative.
Below are some of the main features of Redmine (from the site).
Multiple projects support
Flexible role based access control
Flexible issue tracking system
Gantt chart and calendar
News, documents & files management
Feeds & email notifications
Per project wiki
Per project forums
Time tracking
Custom fields for issues, time-entries, projects and users
SCM integration (SVN, CVS, Git, Mercurial, Bazaar and Darcs)
Issue creation via email
Multiple LDAP authentication support
User self-registration support
Multilanguage support
Multiple databases support
I'd also note:
There are many plugins for Redmine on internet
Issue reports generation in PDF
Intuitive interface

I agree with the Redmine suggestion - it's got great functionality compared to the rest of the open-source/free competition, although in my opinion its still a relatively immature and unpolished product.
If you have your own servers or high end VPS, somebody dedicated to IT/admin stuff and don't mind paying the money, I think the Atlassian suite of tools (Jira etc.) are the way to go in terms of features, usability and customization.

You can add my favourite to your short-list: Gemini by CounterSoft.
It's .NET based and just requires Windows IIS/SQL Server, works on all browsers (even for some our client's running IE6 and keeps the MAC boys happy!).
Doesn't have AD support yet, but has fairly flexible capabilities to help you set it up so you get quickly user adoption. By this I mean, define your screens, tweak your on-screen labels, workflows, per-project metadata, nested versions (for your sprints, etc.).
Funnily enough, one thing that it has that really makes a difference to us is inline editing: editing in place when viewing lists of issues, makes things easier when running daily meetings, etc. Reporting is basic, but we dropped in our own custom reports (by creating simple ASP.NET User Controls).
We used it with SVN and it's OK but now switched to TFS Source Control and Gemini still works well with it.

Please try BootStrapToday, it is just fit for your perusal. Equipped with all the features of Ticketing, Tracking, Project Management, SVN and GIT support, Integration with other softwares, Gantt charts, apart from these.. the Two very unique features of this tool are:
1) Automation :
2) Intelligence:
To gain insights of these features in detail do visit www.bootstraptoday.com
I have tried this tool at my office and the collaboration has become much more easier at our premises.
BootStrapToday is also available as On-Premise set up as well cloud based.

Related

Assembla Redmine JIRA Zoho Yodiz review and/or alternatives [closed]

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Closed 10 years ago.
I'm looking for a AaaS to handle the agile/scrum project management for a commercial software development project. We are probably going to use git as SCM and ideally we would like to have a good integration between the code changes in SCM and the tasks/bugs in the project management. I've narrowed down the search to a few options:
Redmine: Mainstream open source, free software development management tool. Tasks, bugs, wiki, blogs, time tracking, git integration, pretty much everything we need. Not hosted. Could be deployed in-house or in a PaaS like CloudFoundry.
JIRA: Lots of features. Integration with Git, Eclipse, plenty of plugins, plenty of functionality. 1 to 4 $/month/person/application. Limited integration with google apps.
Zoho Projects: New generation of management apps, fully integrated with google apps (calendar, docs, tasks). Task Management, Document Sharing, Time Tracking & Billing, Bug Tracking Software, Gantt Charts, Project Wiki, Project Chat, Project Calendar, Project Forums. With bug tracker, ticketing, git integration. Quite expensive (Projects $299 / year, Bug Tracker Add-on $299 / year)
Yodiz: Looks perfect for scrum (scrum board, release board, backlog, planning board, epics, sprints, releases). It has time sheets and integration with SCM, with automatic posting in the tasks/defects when the code is committed (http://app.yodiz.com/thirdparty/pages/git.vz?pid=6). Pricing 5$/user/month + 22$ month for GitHub. There is another similar software fogcreek (http://www.fogcreek.com) but it's VERY expensive.
Assembla: Everything under one roof. SCM repository + all the agile functionality (wiki, tickets, files, etc). 9$ to 99$ per month, 10$/user/month for assembla portfolio. Quite popular.
Assembla looks like a very good option, but I don't seem to find a loot of feedback about it. Could you give me your advice on Assembla, the other tools and maybe other different options.
An interesting project managament/CRM/bug trackers comparison spreadsheet:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en&key=0Ahw066SJeeSadFJGWXRTUVVfaE1WWmpkU09WUkt6Z0E&hl=en&gid=6
Assembla is good at integrating your SCM with your ticket/bug tracking. This is it's specialty. You can use Merge Requests for Code Review and Release Management. It has several ticket views for Management planning and Development planning. Every commit is able to be linked directly to tickets and you are able to track not only your bugs as they flow through the system, but the code that surrounds these bugs.
You should try it, there is a 30 day free trial that will allow you to use all of the various tools associated.
Looks like you are trying to look at different software alternatives for project management. Here is one good comprehensive list (and comparison) of the different tools you can use: http://blog.timedoctor.com/2011/02/02/43-project-management-software-alternatives
That should give you some really good alternatives and you can add that to your research.
Also take a look at SonicAgile.com -- designed specifically for Scrum and it includes support for backlogs, scrumboards, and burndown charts. I wrote a blog entry on its features here:
http://stephenwalther.com/archive/2012/08/08/announcing-sonicagile-an-agile-project-management-solution.aspx

Integration of Magento with third party CRM, POS and ERP solutions [closed]

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Closed 10 years ago.
I have some concerns about the Integration of Magento with other CRM,ERP systems.
How is it possible to integrate Magento with any other Industry standard CRM and ERP system?
How can i fetch the data from a ERP and update Magento database, like transactiona replication. Is this possible? And Whats the right way to do it?
Also, How can i integrate Magento with POS? Is it possible to have bi-directional data update between Magento and Industry Standard POS?
I hope I have stated all my doubts and made it clear. I would be thankful if someone guides me to do the integration, the Right way.
If you're using Magento Enterprise Edition, take a look at Bridge Connect, which is a service specifically built to integrate with common ERP packages. If you aren't using EE, or if you don't want to pay for Bridge Connect, your best bet is to use the webservices that Magento provides for this task.
The big advantage of using these is that they are relatively stable between upgrades, so you won't completely break your upgrade path. The downside is that they are slow. Silly slow. And they leak memory like a boat made of toilet paper. In my experience, though, this is nothing compared to the trouble of upgrading handwritten code when Magento decides to change the underlying database.
As for a POS, in simple cases the Magento admin sales interface may suffice. You can take CC payments, arrange shipments, etc, and your orders will be approximately the same as if they had been submitted from the web. If not, you're back to webservices if you want them in the Magento system.
If your ERP system is handling fulfillment, you may be able to skip the step of adding POS orders to Magento. Let the ERP system be the system of record for inventory, and just update Magento w/ the new accurate inventory quantities periodically.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
Joe
EDIT:
Magento has not stated any plans to change the database that I am aware of, but it has happened several times in the past without warning, and it would be risky to assume that nothing will change. Varien does not make any guarantees about the database format, or whether it will be changed significantly.
When such a change happens, the APIs and objects in the platform are adjusted accordingly, so keeping it above the database level will keep you insulated from those changes, and make the job of evaluating new releases for compatibility that much easier.
The Magento orders/sales database structure was changed in latest release from EAV to flat structure (huge performance boost) and I don't foresee much changes in the near future, however it is highly discouraged to play with DB at the lowest level - try to integrate on Models level.
As for ERP integrations - there are couple options - BridgeConnect offers part of the functionality, webservices too (but there is no order creation in Magento via webservice for example) and you will need middleware or call API from 3rd party system. If you need speed, your best bet is to write a custom integration piece as a Magento extension. If you need flexibility and quick solution - use Webservice (you can extend them too with extensions).
As stated in your accepted answer your best bet is to use the API (either web service or XMLRPC). I used the API to build interfaces into and out of our ERP system using Mule ESB as the event/transfer layer.
If you can't find an API method you need and/or the methods don't work out for you, you can extend the API very easily.
Unfortunately, it looks like as August 2010 Magento does not support BridgeConnect any longer. There are some third party vendors who seem to filling the void for at least a couple ERM solutions.
Unfortunately, after much searching, I still haven't been able to find an integration solution for NetSuite.
Yes, API and XMLRPC/Web Services is the way to go. Another option is to look for pre-existing Magento Extensions that already do what you are looking for. The Bridge Connet is certainly an option and we considered it for our customers, however we ended up developing our own Magento POS Extension for RunIt POS.
The Magento Extension is now for sale on our website at https://www.activo.com/runway-magento-integration-with-runit-pos/ Check this link if you need more info, we also included an overview video and we have setup a demo for you to try if needed.
This is definitely a growing need as I see more and more web stores need to integrate with back end services due to the growing demand of online commerce. We will be rolling out new features and other extensions that enable online merchants do more with their existing Magento stores.
I think you should take a look on Quick Books POS integration with Magento also see ecc extension for sync srevice btw both systems.

Project collaboration tool recommendations [closed]

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Closed 10 years ago.
What project collaboration tools do you recommend for maintaining tasks, bugs, collaborating, messaging, storing files, wiki, etc?
I had a look at Remember The Milk, but not sure if it's ideal! Backpack looks good and reasonably priced; has anyone used it?
I find it nice to have one web based project management tool in which I can get an overview of everything related to the project(s). This includes user (developer) administration, wiki, repository and most importantly time tracking with road mapping.
Redmine does the job for me.
And I normally use a git repository with it. It can be a wee bit difficult to set up on your web server but I found that it was worth the effort.
There's also related questions on stackoverflow like Project tracking/management tool.
Good luck.
I've used unfuddle which is quite good. It has a ticket based workflow along with git and subversion hosting.
A single project account is free, with payed accounts being charged by number of projects and amount of storage space used.
The Atlassian products are great but not cheap.
Jira for bug tracking
Confluence for wiki/collaboration
Pair this with Google App
Email
Chat
And you're rolling.
I would personally look into Mindtouch's products. There are even extensions/plugins that are suited to software development teams.
I'd recommend giving TeamLab a try. Maintaining tasks, collaborating, messaging, storing and editing files and wiki are featured. The only thing they lack is bug tracking.
Perhaps, if you can wait, Google Wave might be a good fit.
Depending on the size of you team (and other factors) a combination of Subversion & BugZilla might suffice.
Of course, Microsoft swears by it's VS Team Systems (haven't used it as the price tag is prohibitive)
TortoiseSVN is comfortable.
I would seriously look into Code Collaborator
Lighthouse is awesome if you want a hosted solution. It's basically the same as Basecamp, except with a software development focus.
The best I've used so far is SmartSheet (www.smartsheet.com) - I feel like one of those TV salesmen...spreadsheet like interface, stores all size files (and file versions), allows for discussions, alerts and reminders. Very flexible and easy to use.
I've heard of a few teams that use Basecamp, but I've always just used Trac. Trac is opensource and has a decent API for extensions.

PPM - Project Portfolio Management [closed]

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What is your company solution for PPM (managing projects, demands, timesheets, etc)? And what is your experience with it?
I'm trying to know about the tool prespective and not your company's particular business process.
Regards for you all!
Roadmap http://www.ppmroadmap.com/ takes the same, lightweight approach as Basecamp and applies it to PPM. In fact, Roadmap supports real-time integration with Basecamp. It's reasonably priced and easy to use.
In our company ms project standard is used for managing projects, demands, timesheets, etc.
I've used microsoft project gantt chart for project scheduling and tracking, it serves the purpose very well. You can download ms project trial version from microsoft website. You can get more details on ms project at this link.
We use Microsoft Great Plains, and hate it! We also use Siebel Service for defect tracking... and hate it!
A while back we implemented Mantis, an open source bug tracking tool for a small project that needed customers to access it (all our corporate apps are internal-access only). Mantis has been so successful we have 3 teams using it and resisting moving to using Siebel.
We also use dotProject for project management - its good, but I'm not sure its quite as good as more expensive Project tools.
So, my experience has been that the open source, web based tools are very good (eg OrangeHRM, WebERP, vTiger), very useable, (and free), and they do a perfectly good-enough job. The commerical apps can sometimes be complete pants.
For Visual Studio teams, Microsoft's Team Foundation Server is getting much better...2010 provides much more syncing and task hierarchical mgmt then 2008 and 2005 before, but still not a fully healthy PPM solution out of the box...if you have the skills, create an entire process template for your org and really get the power out of TFS. Kudos to msft for the 2010 version and the much improved MS Project 2010 product...I'm in the middle of evaluating this myself.
#task is awesome even in its standard edition suite - expensive, but allows total tracking, mgmt, dashboard, timesheet, doc mgmt, etc, etc, etc right out of the box on a SAAS model.
Basecamp has become the trendy adaptation to the PPM problem. I've used it some with clients, but would love to trial it for myself soon.
In our organization we use Microsoft Project 2010 for project portfolio management. It is used to gain visibility & control across all projects & teams, helps enhance decision-making, improves alignment with business strategy, helps maximize resource utilization and managing projects by enhancing project execution. Definitely recommend it.

What facets have I missed for creating a 3 person guerilla dev team? [closed]

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Closed 9 years ago.
Sorry for the Windows developers out there, this solution is for Macs only.
This set of applications accounts for: Usability Testing, Screen Capture (Video and Still), Version Control, Task Lists, Bug Tracking, a Developer IDE, a Web Server, A Blog, Shared Doc Editing on the Web, Team and individual Chat, Email, Databases and Continuous Integration. This does assume your team members provide their own machines, and one person has a spare old computer to be the Source Repository and Web Server. All for under $200 bucks.
Usability
Silverback
Licenses = 3 x $49.95
"Spontaneous, unobtrusive usability testing software for designers and developers."
Source Control Server and Clients (multiple options)
Subversion = Free
Subversion is an open source version control system.
Versions (Currently in Beta) = Free
Versions provides a pleasant work with Subversion on your Mac.
Diffly = Free
"Diffly is a tool for exploring Subversion working copies. It shows all files with changes and, clicking on a file, shows a highlighted view of the changes for that file. When you are ready to commit Diffly makes it easy to select the files you want to check-in and assemble a useful commit message."
Bug/Feature/Defect Tracking (multiple options)
Bugzilla = Free
Bugzilla is a "Defect Tracking System" or "Bug-Tracking System". Defect Tracking Systems allow individual or groups of developers to keep track of outstanding bugs in their product effectively. Most commercial defect-tracking software vendors charge enormous licensing fees.
Trac = Free
Trac is an enhanced wiki and issue tracking system for software development projects.
Database Server & Clients
MySQL = Free
CocoaMySQL = Free
Web Server
Apache = Free
Development and Build Tools
XCode = Free
CruiseControl = Free
CruiseControl is a framework for a continuous build process. It includes, but is not limited to, plugins for email notification, Ant, and various source control tools. A web interface is provided to view the details of the current and previous builds.
Collaboration Tools
Writeboard = Free
Ta-da List = Free
Campfire Chat for 4 users = Free
WordPress = Free
"WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time."
Gmail = Free
"Gmail is a new kind of webmail, built on the idea that email can be more intuitive, efficient, and useful."
Screen Capture (Video / Still)
Jing = Free
"The concept of Jing is the always-ready program that instantly captures and shares images and video…from your computer to anywhere."
Lots of great responses:
TeamCity [Yo|||]
Skype [Eric DeLabar]
FogBugz [chakrit]
IChatAV and Screen Sharing (built-in to OS) [amrox]
Google Docs [amrox]
You've got most of it covered.
I always add space, time and money for 2 more things you might consider strange.
A machine set up just like the average user. No development or debugging tools installed. Make it look like someone just bought it from the Apple store. I do image switching but I've know people who swear by switching to an external boot drive.
Also include a 'free' lunch for a virgin. This is someone to come in and test your program that is NOT a developer and doesn't know squat about your software. You might have to do this more than once but don't ever use the same person again.
As an added note, make very sure the 'free' applications and web sites you use are truly free, not just free for personal use!
Good luck on your project!
Collaboration Tools
Skype = Free - If you can't work face-to-face a tool like Skype can get you pretty close for no cost assuming everybody already has broadband. The mac client works great and since most modern macs have a camera already you should be mostly set.
Consider hudson as a CI server
How do you do time tracking/scheduling/release planning?
Those that help you ship on time? ala FogBugz
Trac and Subversion have a pretty nice integration that lets you link Trac tickets to SVN change sets and vice-versa (SVN change sets can actually move a Trac ticket to a new state).
Some built-in Leopard tools that I find useful are iChat AV and Screen Sharing.
Also, Google Docs, especially spreadsheets and forms are nice (and free).
Change CruiseControl for JetBrains' TeamCity. It's free for up to 20 users, and is more powerful and usable than CruiseControl.
It's easy to set up, and has some amazing features. Such as automatically sending off a build to be performed on any spare computer you may have sitting around in the office.
Version control: svnX is a free GUI-based Subversion client.
RDBMS: PostgreSQL is a free relational database with a track record stretching back a couple of decades. It's easily installed on OS X.
IDE: If (and possibly only if) you're coding Java, Eclipse is an unbeatable (and free) IDE for Java (and other platforms, though I'm not vouching for anything other than it's Java ability).
Screencasting: ScreenFlow is outstanding at $US 99.

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