Agile Tools: Boost your Productivity

 

Project Management Leadership is more of a complex role in Agile development. If you're a Project Manager, you'll likely comprehend the necessity for tools if your team relies on them to assist their workflow. This is where Agile Project Management Tools come in. These Tools enable teams to complete work quickly while maintaining project quality.

According to the 15th Annual State Report, 94% of respondents acknowledged that their organisation had implemented some Agile methodology in 2021. It's no wonder that every Project Management team must employ the right Agile Tools to maximise their project progress.

But before utilising these techniques, it’s crucial to get familiar with them. So, read this blog to learn about the top Agile Project Management Tools. Also, explore their features, advantages and disadvantages and learn which Tool suits your requirements.

Table of Contents

1) What is Agile Project Management? 

2) What are Agile Project Management Tools?  

3) Why do teams require Agile Tools?  

4) What should you look for in Agile Tools?  

5) Top Agile Project Management Tools

6) Handling Scope Creep with effective Project Management Tools

7) Selecting the best Agile Tool for your business

8) Conclusion



 

What is Agile Project Management?

Agile Project Management involves using an iterative approach to develop software where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration among self-organising cross-functional teams. The Agile approach involves short Sprints to quickly deliver working software. Each iteration includes planning, development, testing, and deployment.

Agile Project Management software programs are specifically designed to support the Agile process and provide full visibility into every aspect of your project. Whether you are designing and coding a website, conducting web application scanning for security, or ensuring successful deployment, the right Agile tools can help you manage projects by providing a flexible framework for planning, tracking, and reporting.



 

What are Agile Project Management Tools?  

Agile Project Management Tools are popular because they can raise team productivity, financial results, and customer satisfaction.  

Agile Project Management Tools aim to make it simple and quick to advance a project in tiny increments. Projects are divided into smaller batches so that self-organising and self-managing teams can develop and test them simultaneously. Agile Tools balance the continual buzz of activity by enabling team members to collaborate, concentrate on minor, quick-fix problems, and keep track of impending tasks and work in progress.  

Moreover, you might have to coordinate your activities as a professional service provider with other teams engaged in concurrent initiatives. Due to the added complexity, you must select the Agile tools and techniques that are a suitable fit for your working style.

Why do teams require Agile Tools?  

Agile is the approach that Software Development teams adopt most frequently across the world. When asked what it means, many development teams would likely try to define it in terms of the technologies they use and the various methods they apply, such as Kanban boards, Daily Stand-ups, and Scrum meetings. While there are several Agile Project Management Tools and Techniques, they can only be utilised to define the methodology as a whole.  

Working and thinking in an Agile manner is one strategy a team might use to set itself up for particular activities and projects. Utilising adaptability, flexibility, and transparent communication are the foundations of Agile. This enables teams to produce affordable, user-friendly products while navigating the chaotic and fascinating world of product development.  

This is accomplished by pushing teams to accommodate frequent client and end-user feedback via routine testing and limitless iteration. The work is planned in sprints that address a backlog of work rather than having everything set in stone according to a strict deadline. It frequently applies the failing fast principle and permits reversals and changes in direction.  

Thus, it implies that an Agile work environment changes constantly, and you need powerful Agile Project Management Tools to keep things under control. It serves as the foundation for an Agile team. If you find a good one, your only concern will be pleasing your customers and end users.  

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What should you look for in Agile Project Management Tools?  

It can be challenging to decide among the numerous Agile Tools available. To choose which Tool is ideal for you, consider the following: 

1) How many people are on your team? 

2) Are you a Software Development company, or does your business offer a software product or service? 

3) What kind of clients do you often work for and what kinds of projects do you work on? 

4) What kind of information do you require frequently? Which type of reports? 

5) What stage of Agile adoption is your team in? Is Agile new to them? 

6) How much does a month's worth of an Agile tool cost you? 

7) What experience does your team have with Agile Project Management? 

Whatever your response to the questions above, the following features should be present in all Agile Project Management Tools: 

1) Effective backlog management 

2) Monitoring and planning for a project  

3) Maps of the road 

4) Release strategy 

5) Good collaborative capabilities 

Now that you may have a clearer understanding of the type of Tool you may require, let's look at the top  tools for Agile listed below. 

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Top Agile Project Management Tools
 

Do you need clarification on the range of Agile Project Management Tools available? You and your team should look at this carefully curated list of the Top Agile Tools, including features for your upcoming project:

1) Trello 

Trello is an extremely popular option in the Project Management industry. It is recognised for being visually beautiful and entertaining using cards, lists, and boards. Trello is a well-known organisation application that millions of people use worldwide because it is easy, free, flexible, and visual. Its key features include the following:  

1) You begin by organising and making lists for all your tasks.

2) Then, you can add your tasks to the appropriate lists.

3) Next, use the notifications feature to keep track of any task-related activity, such as comments, deadlines, and checklists.

4) Additionally, Trello offers powerful features including a calendar view of tasks, task voting, and the automatic obliteration of irrelevant tasks from view.

Its benefits include:  

1) When you open your board, all the project's information is visible to you, including the deadline and the team's comments 

2) If you are inexperienced with the foundations of Project Management software or unclear of how to build up a board, Trello offers free inspirational templates created by other managers and CEOs as well as simple how-to guidelines to help you started.  

3) Additionally, they often publish helpful blog pieces on subjects like management, working from home, and productivity advice. 

4) You may keep using the effective tools you currently have thanks to app integrations known as Power-ups. 

Cost-  

Since Trello is also one of the free PMP tools, it's wonderful because it offers automation, 10 team boards, and limitless personal boards. Business Class offers more admin and security tools, permits attachments up to 250MB each, and costs £9.05 per user each month. For bigger teams, they also provide an Enterprise tier. 

2) Wrike 

Wrike is a flexible Project Management and Cloud-based collaboration platform. With this powerful application, any business may improve team cooperation and communication. It was created by Wrike, Inc., a California-based Project Management company. Wrike is a fantastic choice if you're seeking software that will work well with other storage or calendar programmes like Dropbox or iCal. Its key features include the following: 

1) Project Management and team collaboration are the two main feature categories that represent Wrike.

2) The Project Management tool enables teams to manage tasks and resources, keep track of deadlines and dependencies, and monitor time. In addition to the workload view and Gantt chart, it also features a sortable view with customisable data storage.

3) Collaboration tools let teams create assets, communicate, and make decisions. You can track and alter their modifications.

4) You can communicate and navigate swiftly on Wrike.

5) Projects, due dates, and timetables can all be tracked.

6) Set priorities for your work and collaborate with the other multifunctional teams.

Its benefits are as follows:-

1) Free for a group of five members. 

2) The following languages are supported: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, and Portuguese. 

Cost- 

Trello is useful since it allows automation, 10 team boards, and unlimited personal boards and is one of the free PMP tools. Business Class costs £9.05 per user per month, has more administration and security capabilities, and allows attachments up to 250MB each. They also offer an Enterprise tier for larger teams. 

3) JIRA

The demand for Jira Project Management software has increased alongside the development teams because it is the best task management tool for Agile project development. Its key features include the following:  

1) This Agile project technique tool software facilitates the creation of Scrum or Kanban boards.

2) Jira's template maintains an efficient workflow by using the best configuration.  

3) Allows tracking of tasks from beginning to end.

4) There are more than 20 built-in templates available.

5) It's the perfect option for companies that already use Jira Software.

Its benefits are as follows: 

1) Jira Software supports with easily developed cumulative flow diagrams, burndown charts for Agile boards, and time estimation features.

2) Provides integration, reports, and roadmap creation that make it easier to track and manage all Agile software projects with just one tool.  

Cost-  

The Standard plan is free for the first 10 users of an organisation, and it costs £34.94 per month when paid annually.  

4) Planbox 

Except for some individuals who enjoy the run, everyone likes to know how far they are from the finish line. But tracking sprints is essential to an Agile project. Utilising its burndown charts, Planbox does this. Thus, everyone is aware of how close you are to finishing the race.  

Planbox is valuable for various users due to its user feedback, bug reports, and updates integration. The excellent evaluation options in this Agile solution allow for even more extensive sprint retrospectives. Its key features include the following:

1) ETAs for prioritising backlog items 

2) Collaborate on a project with outsiders 

3) Extensive analytics 

4) Cross-platform compatibility is provided by the Planbox Work Management API 

Its benefits are as follows: 

1) Due to its high degree of configurability, Agile teams can make adjustments to make it fit their particular set of requirements. 

2) Reviewing the status and areas where improvement is required is simple because of advanced reporting options. 

Cost- 

For information on prices, go to Planbox’s website. 

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5) Asana 

Asana is one of the best Agile Project Management Tools to look into if effectively managing a team is your primary goal. Asana helps teams organise and manage their work, from simple tasks to crucial projects. It is an excellent choice if you like to make to-do lists. In 195 countries, the business has more than 60,000 paying customers. Its key features include the following:

1) Your projects are combined by Asana into portfolios, which are collections of tasks, teams, projects, and projects.

2) As a schedule, list, calendar, or even a board, projects can be presented.

3) A project can be created from scratch or using a template.

4) In Asana, tasks can be grouped using columns or sections.

5) The Project Management programme offers a sorting and filtering approach based on configurable fields.

6) Simply entering a task name can create a task, but you can also add assignee details, instructions, comments, due dates, and attachments.

7) To collaborate with others, you can mention them and add them as followers.

Its benefits are as follows:  

1) The tool offers a multitude of resources, such as guides, in-depth videos, and message boards 

2) Tracking is heavily emphasised with this  

3) Task lists made by Asana can manage entire projects 

Cost- 

Asana offers four distinct levels of subscriptions: Basic, Premium, Business, and Enterprise. At each layer, more effective Project Management options become available. Basic is a free tool, whereas Premium costs £9.93 per user every month and offers features including a timeline, private teams, and projects. For £22.59 per user per month, the business adds valuable services like portfolios and Adobe Creative Cloud integration. The top tier is enterprise. You must, however, get in touch with them directly for the price. 

6) Axosoft

The Agile Project Management Tool, Axosoft makes advantage of the Scrum framework. Teams can use the interface to make plans, map out the steps of the process, and work well together to identify and resolve problems as they arise.  

Emails are converted into support tickets by a Help Desk function. Customers can share requests and feedback directly with the team through their portal. This open dialogue can make clients feel included in the process while saving your team members a lot of time. Its key features include the following:

1) Customer interaction is supported by a client portal

2) Monitors time, costs, expenses, and milestones

3) Provides tools for collaboration 

4) Progress tracking with Gantt diagrams 

5) User-friendly board interface  

6) Features for managing resources, portfolios, and budgets  

7) Support for classic or Agile approaches is flexible  

8) Team wiki for information exchange 

9) Help desk/tracking of incidents 

Its benefits are as follows: 

1) Workflows that are very configurable and well-structured 

2) Clear schedule views and precise time monitoring for Sprint Management 

3) You can clearly see the development of your team using burndown charts 

4) strong features for data visualisation 

Cost- 

1) provides a 14-day free trial 

2) Pricing for Cloud services begins at $105 per month for a team of five 

3) Installed options for 5 team members begin at $1,250 

7) Zoho Projects 

Currently, one of the Project Management solutions with the finest value is Zoho Projects. Its key features include:

1) This Agile Tool offers team communication, project timekeeping, timesheet styles, and custom fields in addition to being simple to use 

2) In addition to issue monitoring and project time tracking, it supports comprehensive configuration 

Its benefits are as follows:

1) With the use of Zoho Projects, it is possible to keep track of employees' locations as well as their abilities and current availability. 

2) It is the preferred choice for start-ups with modest budgets who want to expand quickly. 

Cost- 

Up to three persons can use it for free. Both versions are payable annually; the corporate version is £7.55 per user per month, while the premium version is £3.35 per user per month. 

8) Monday.com

With the use of Monday.com's drag-and-drop technology, leaders have the freedom to create the ideal tools for their staff to use. Its digital calendar makes it easier to manage personal and professional activities with reminders and alarms. Its key features include the following: 

1) Monday.com offers outstanding workflow optimisation tuning options and lets you add notes for future reference and event reminders.

2) It gives you the advantage of connecting with other companies in the sector for project collaboration.

3) It offers timeline tracking and Kanban boards.

Its benefits are as follows: 

It aids in organising ideas and portfolios, keeping track of time and expenses, and tracking the status of specific activities. Furthermore, it has built-in templates.  

Cost-  

Up to two users can use Monday.com for free. Premium subscriptions, which are billed annually, range in price from £15.10 to £55.37 each month, depending on the number of users.

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Handling Scope Creep with effective Project Management Tools

Scope creep, the gradual expansion of a project beyond its initial objectives, poses significant risks to Project Management. It often arises due to unclear definitions, varied stakeholder expectations, and unforeseen challenges. Effective strategies are crucial to mitigate its impact. A clear project scope statement, defining goals, deliverables, and costs, acts as a reference point, aligning the team and preventing scope creep. Communication is key; regular updates and enforcing the project scope through meetings maintain clarity. Managing change requests is vital; a structured process ensures rigorous evaluation of impacts on scope, costs, and timelines. Recognising that any scope changes necessitate a re-evaluation of timelines and costs, even minor alterations, helps anticipate and control scope creep before the project execution.

Selecting the best Agile Tool for your business

Choosing the appropriate Agile tools is critical for successful Project Management. The market offers a variety of Agile Project Management Tools, necessitating a careful evaluation based on your specific business needs. Factors such as team size, project complexity, and budget should guide your selection process. Assess the features like backlog management, sprint planning, collaboration, and reporting capabilities offered by each tool. It is crucial to find a tool that aligns with your preferred Agile methodology, whether it's Scrum, Kanban, or another framework. In the end, the right Agile Project Management Tool will streamline the Project Management processes, fostering enhanced collaboration among team members and ultimately leading to improved productivity and project outcomes.

Conclusion 

We hope that this list of Agile Project Management Tools helps you decide which one is ideal for you! several software development tools are available if you want to start using Agile Project Management. The secret is figuring out what your team members respond to the best.  

An excellent Agile tool is required to make Agile work for your team and your product because every Agile development team and project has unique requirements.  

We hope that this list of Agile Project Management Tools helps you decide which one is ideal for you!

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