kanban scrumish tool(s) to get started

Question

After investigating a little bit scrum and kanban, I finally read this answer and decided to start using kanban, picking something from scrum (note that I'm working mostly by myself, and I do have read this question and its answers).

Now, my question is: which tool would be best to get started?

1. whiteboard and postit
2. agilezen.com
3. JIRA with greenhopper
4. a spreadsheet (possibly on Google Docs)
5. brightgreenprojects.com
6. Agilo
7. Target Process
8. something else (please specify)

Notes about each:

1. I would lean towards the whiteboard, but there are several drawbacks (e.g. cannot make automatic charts, time measurements, metrics, and sometimes I work from home - where I need it most - and it's not convenient to carry :-)

2. I don't want to remember another username/password (I promised to myself to signup only to OpenID-enabled services)

3. My employer has JIRA but my group doesn't use it - I might ask for an account (it shouldn't require another password) and maybe later involve the rest of the group. But I don't know if they are using greenhopper and if it's a big deal installing it.

4. I generally hate spreadsheets

5. maybe overkill?

6. I'd be happy to have a localhost instance, but it could be problematic to give access to the whole group (per network/firewalls) - not a deal-breaker but surely a concern

What I'd like to get from this?

• being more productive
• tracking how much time I spend in any given task, possibly discussing the issue with my supervisor
• tracking what "blocks" me most often
• immediately see where I am compared to my schedule
• manage in a better way my long todo list (e.g. answering faster to the "what I should do next?" question)

Do you have any suggestion?

Note on the scrumish tag: read the Henrik Kniberg's PDF. He first introduced the definition of scrumish on page 9.

Answer 1

A novel tool not mentioned before is getsmartQ (out of beta since Dec 2010)

Key characteristics: very intuitive, supports LWP, customizable forms, and task discussions

Pros

• configurable workflow, mark overdue stories, mail notifications (e.g., for upcoming story deadlines), multiple story owners
• Stories form completely customizable, per project workflow and story forms, different roles (people only creating stories)
• very responsive GUI with partial updates
• Apparently good support: I've asked a question and got a good answer within a few hours

Cons

• no easy way to declare something as blocked or to distinguish type (feature/bug/..)
• no API
• no subtasks or story dependencies

In comparison to Agilezen it has a more sophisticated notification system, but apart from that still lacks important features (see cons above).

Note, getsmartQ is under active development and hence missing features mentioned above may have been implemented in the meantime.

Answer 2

agilezen.com seems like the ideal solution for you. I have used it in the past solo for myself and it is convenient. I would not let a prejudice against non-OpenID sites get in the way of making a good choice.

Answer 3

If I may, I think that you are on the wrong path. Anything else than 1. or 4. is overkill and pretty much useless for a non distributed team. So for a team of one person...

Seriously, if you can avoid using a web based application, just do it. First, unless you are already mastering Scrum/Kaban, you need to learn the process, not a tool. Don't let a tool dictate the process. Then most web based tools are just too much click intensive, less easy and fast to update, less transparent/visible than a spreadsheet and a physical board. They are really 2nd category options.

So, I'd go for a spreadsheet and a physical board combo. If you need some charts (I'm still wondering what kind of chart/metrics you want to generate and what value they provide), a spreadsheet is the ideal tool (but honestly, you don't need any tool to draw a burndown). If you need to work from home, take the spreadsheet (or use google docs) and post its with you. Let's be objective, the impediments you mentioned are actually not real.

Last thing, if you had chosen the simplest thing that can possibly work, you would already be doing Scrum, Scrumban or whatever. So, instead of looking for a tool, my advice would be to just start doing it.

Answer 4

pick the tool you already have, and start using it; don't let the absence of the "perfect tool" become an excuse not to start

EDIT: pick the simplest thing that can possibly work. In your case that would be whiteboard and postit notes. These have almost no setup overhead and will provide a constant visual reminder of what you're supposed to be doing.

And I suggest that you get used to making decisions on your own, as you're going to have to be your own Scrum Master ;-)

Answer 5

We've been using JIRA with Greenhopper for a few months, in an effort to go agile. I use it for both Scrum for development, as well as for my personal kanban. The software is pretty flexible, and I'm going to keep with it. The story/subtask management is really handy, and it's fairly easy to use. One thing I like is that you can add stories/cards quickly, and can customize the data. This allowed me to add definition of done fields, work order numbers, etc.

In short, we're happy with it.

Answer 6

I've tried out another kanban product for personal use and am absolutely loving this one. Feels lightweight and simple but actually packs in a fair amount of functionality at the same time.

www.kanbanery.com (free for personal use)

Answer 7

Bright Green have just launched a free version of their tool. It looks good .. the free version is fully functional too: https://signup.brightgreenprojects.com/plan/Free

Answer 8

In the interests of diversity ;-) www.kanbantool.com has just launched too. It's open beta and seems at first glance even more "lightweight" than agilezen.

Answer 9

Target process is good too