2. AgileTrack Overview
3. Stories/Tasks/Defects
4. Iterations
4.2 Date Range
4.3 Release Assignment
4.4 Planning
4.5 Starting/Finishing
4.6 Statistics
4.7 Comments/History
4.8 Issue Lists
7. Searching
A. XML-RPC Interface
4.4 Planning
Planning iterations is an important part of a successful development process. When planning an iteration, the main Issues tab is the place to begin. While planning an iteration, for the sake of speed and simplicity, it is recommended that the issue list be put in edit mode and that the iteration assignments be done from the issue list. Alternatively, each issue can be individually opened, assigned, and saved while planning the iteration.
In AgileTrack, planning is facilitated through the classification and assignment features that are available.
Classification
When a large number of stories is in the system, it can be difficult to sort through them when planning an iteration. Issue classification fields such as importance and urgency allow the main issue list to be sorted so that the most relevant issues are grouped together. The list of issues to be considered during planning is effectively shortened.
Since issues can be assigned to projects and components, if particular projects are deemed to be important, then the stories in those projects can be listed using the available project filters from the issue list. Once again, that allows the list of stories to consider to be more manageable during planning.
While it can be useful to sort and filter the issue list to aid in planning, it is assumed that the users planning an iteration have knowledge of the tasks that need to be done. AgileTrack simply helps organize the information so that planning can be more smooth and effective.
Assignment
While deciding the stories and tasks which should be assigned to an iteration, additional details of the assignment may be considered. Generally a team member will be set as the owner of the the story or task and be responsible for its completion. While planning the iteration, ownership assignment can be handled at the same time. Sub-tasks can be assigned to individual users.
To assist in the accuracy of the iteration plan, time estimates should also be made on the stories that are assigned to the iteration. Providing the time estimate allows the total time planned for an iteration to be measured for purposes of velocity. The estimated time for individual team members can also be viewed so that individuals are not overloaded during an iteration.
Of course, stories themselves should be marked as part of an iteration. Doing so allows the iteration progress to be tracked over time and reports to be generated. Keep in mind that when stories are assigned to an iteration, the sub-tasks of such stories are also considered assigned to the iteration. Remember that iterations are only available for assignment if they have not been marked "Finished".