Excel Based Software Development

These include Excel, Access, web-based software, native-based software, mobile apps and firmware, all with a wide range of platforms and programming languages to choose from. It is important to select the right technology that meets your needs, budget and future growth. This Gantt chart Excel template helps you plan, track, and synchronize the activities of a project. Based on the long-standing Gantt chart model, this project plan template in Excel uses a simple visual representation to show how a project will be managed over time. You can enter start dates, duration, and current status of each task and share with your team to keep task owners accountable.

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Agile project management is an iterative, incremental way to coordinate activities for engineering, information technology, and other business areas. Because it is a highly flexible, interactive methodology, teams can quickly identify and respond to challenges, and ultimately deliver better outcomes, faster.

In an ever-changing agile project, a template can provide structure and framework. While it's true that you must remain nimble and adaptable, a template helps keep everyone on the same page and tracks requirements.

In this article, you'll find eight agile project management templates in Excel. We've also included Agile project management templates in Smartsheet, a work execution platform that empowers you to better manage agile projects with real-time collaboration and process automation.

Agile Project Plan Template

An agile project plan is based on features. The plan estimates how long it will take for each feature to be delivered, without much detail on how it will be delivered. And because the project plans are focused on features, you can group similar features into sprints.

An agile project plan is always changing. Once the plan is developed, the project team needs to maintain it and update status and timelines accordingly.

Also known as an agile project schedule, this template lets you add your tasks, who is responsible, start and end dates, and status. The duration for each task will be automatically calculated. This template also features a Gantt chart (a visual representation of your project timeline), which will automatically adjust when you add your own data to the table.

Note: when you add your own dates to the table, the Gantt chart will automatically adjust, however you may notice that there is a lot of white space at the beginning of your chart and it may display dates you did not enter. You can fix this by adjusting the spacing between the dates. Right-click on a date at the top of your Gantt chart and select Format Axis. In the pop-up box, on the left, select scale. Adjust the number in the box labeled Minimum. You will have to add numbers incrementally to adjust the spacing and get it to look the way you'd like.

Simple, powerful project management with Smartsheet. See for yourself.

Smartsheet is a cloud-based platform that allows teams and organizations to plan, manage, and report on projects, helping you move faster and achieve more. See Smartsheet in action.

Agile Sprint Backlog with Burndown Chart Template

Also known as a scrum backlog, the sprint backlog is created during agile sprint planning, where the team will select the top items in the product backlog and add them to their sprints. The sprint backlog includes all the work pushed into the development phase. It is a to-do list of backlog items that must be completed in the current iteration and this list should be very finalized (no one should be adding or removing tasks).

Juno editor 2 3 3d. This template has columns for backlog item, story points, responsible, status, and original estimate. In the day 1 through day 5 columns, you can add the number of extra development hours required each day for the task. In the Total row at the bottom, you'll see the total amount of extra development hours for each day for all tasks in the sprint. The burndown chart then represents this outstanding work.

Agile Release Plan Template

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Agile release planning happens during sprint zero, when there is no product to deliver and the team can instead focus on defining the release goal, the features that need to be delivered, assigning features to a sprint, and estimating the duration of each task. Release planning may change as new stories are added or deleted.

This agile release template allows you to list all your tasks, assign each task to a sprint, and calculate the duration based on start and end dates. You can also indicate the status of each task from the drop-down menu and define each corresponding goal.

Agile Product Roadmap Template

An agile roadmap represents a strategic overview of where the product is headed in the mid-to long-term. It steers the direction of your product and sets expectations within your company. A traditional roadmap can sometimes act as a strict project plan, but in an agile organization, the roadmap just provides guidance and clarity.

The product roadmap can span months, quarters, or years. This template includes Q2, Q3 and Q4 for 2016 (you can always change the grey row to span the length of time you'd like). Each arrow represents a product and shows the estimated length of time required to deliver. You can color code the arrows by stream, by product type, by status, or more.

Agile Product Backlog Template

A product backlog helps the product owner keep track of all the features that stakeholders would like to include in the product. In other words, the product backlog is kind of like a wish list of all possible features in the final product.

Unlike a sprint backlog, the product backlog is always changing and improving. Anyone can add features to the product backlog, with the product owner prioritizing each one.

This agile product backlog template includes drop-down columns for story, sprint ready, priority, status, story points, and assigned to sprint. It also automatically calculates the total story points for each sprint based on the points for each task.

Agile User Story Template

A user story describes a feature from the end-user's perspective. It includes the type of user, what they want, and why they want it. These short, one-sentence user stories create a super simple description of a requirement. Then, the development team develops code that will satisfy the requirements of the user story.

This agile use case template follows the typical agile story structure: as a , I want to so that I can .

Agile Test Plan Template

Instead of a static testing plan that must happen at a certain time, test plans in agile projects should be dynamic and iterative. The testing phase becomes an extension of the requirements prioritization process so that the most up-to-date information is used when defining tests and to avoid any misunderstanding about scope.

While you don't need an extensive agile test plan, you still need to track the actions, expected results, actual results, and whether the test passed or failed. This template includes interactive checkboxes in the Pass column, so when you check the box that the test passed, the whole row will be crossed out.

Agile Project Charter Template

While every project manager's goal is to create a simple, short project charter, many of them take months to write and can include thousands of words.

On the other hand, an agile project charter is much more succinct and takes less time to create. An agile project charter is one page and is high level, yet specific. Its main three sections focus on the mission (the reason for the project's existence), the vision (what will be done in the project), and success criteria (how the team should define a completed project).

Streamline Your Agile Project Management Efforts with Smartsheet

Having a detailed project roadmap is the key to success when leading projects that rely on open communication, flexible targets, and constant feedback. Leveraging a tool with collaborative, real-time features that allows for teams to be agile and pivot quickly, helps ensure that Agile projects are delivered without a hitch.

One such tool is Smartsheet, an enterprise work execution platform that is fundamentally changing the way businesses and teams work. Top project management leaders rely on Smartsheet to help align the right people, resources, and schedules to get work done.

Use Smartsheet to track agile requirements, store documents, establish timelines, and organize backlog items to ensure all iterations of your project are completed as scoped out. Maintain transparency between your team and stakeholders with real-time status, automatic alerts for when items change, and dashboards that roll up details. Use the built-in Gantt chart to view your project timeline including dependencies, milestones, and deadlines, or easily switch to card view to manage items on a Kanban board.

Try Smartsheet to discover how you can maximize your Agile project management efforts, today.

Software Development Team Roles and Responsibilities

Software projects are difficult and they all take careful planning, a talented development team and collaboration of a project's team members, both internally within the company and externally with the software development company.

Software projects can only move forward when the key stakeholders are all in place.

One of the keys to a successful software project is identifying and documenting the software project roles and responsibilities for your project. You'll need to ensure that you define the key stakeholders within your business that will be involved in the delivery of the software solution.

Get the right people. Then no matter what all else you might do wrong after that, the people will save you. That's what management is all about.
-– Tom DeMarco

Among the key stakeholders of a software project are the following eight key roles in software development and their corresponding responsibilities.

PROJECT SPONSOR

Project Sponsors play a critical role in all projects. Project sponsors have the bandwidth to take on the Project Sponsor role, their day job and no other project role, therefore Project Sponsors are not Project Managers, Scrum Masters or Product Owners.

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Unengaged sponsor sinks the ship.
-– Angela Waner

The Project Sponsor is the person or group that provides direction and resources, including financial resources for the software project. The Project Sponsor works with the project management team, aiding with wider project matters such as scope clarification, progress, monitoring, and influencing others in order to benefit the software project.

The Project Sponsor leads the project through the software supplier selection process until it is formally authorised. For issues that are beyond the control of the Product Owner, the Project Sponsor serves as an escalation path.

The Project Sponsor may also be involved in other important issues such as authorising changes in scope, phase-end reviews, and go/no-go decisions when the stakes of the project are particularly high.

Typically sponsors of projects tend to be senior management or director level executives.

SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS (SME)

A Subject Matter Expert (SME) or Domain Expert is a person who is an authority in a particular area or topic. A Subject Matter Expert has superior (expert) knowledge of a discipline, technology, product, business process or entire business area.

The SME role and responsibilities in software development could be summarised as follows: they are normally the people from whom technical requirements are captured.

If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking.
-– General George Patton Jr.

Subject Matter Experts are the accountants, finance controllers, salespeople, production managers and so on who roll up their sleeves each day. They know their roles inside and out and are rarely technical.

However, their lack of technical knowledge is their strength, as they are not bogged down in technicalities and instead are purely focused on business outcomes.

It's imperative that discussions are held with Subject Matter Experts at the same time as the software product vision statement is being created. Feedback from this group of experts can save a lot of back and forth down the line.

However, given that Subject Matter Experts tend not to be technical the right amount and type of engagement are necessary so as not to overwhelm them. One of the ways to get them involved is to have them contribute to the creation of early-stage wireframes and prototypes.

PRODUCT OWNER

Product Owner is a software development role for a person who represents the business or end-users and is responsible for working with the user group to determine what features will be in the product release.

The Product Owner is also responsible for the prioritised backlog and maximising the return on investment (ROI) of the software project. Part of this role's responsibility includes documenting user stories or requirements for the software project.

They act as the main point of contact for all decisions concerning the project and as such, need to be empowered to perform their responsibilities without the need to seek too much prior authorisation from the Project Sponsors.

Appointing the right person to this role, with the appropriate delegated authority to progress the project, is fundamental to the success of the project, especially if an agile methodology approach is undertaken.

In particular, the Product Owner is responsible for:

• ensuring that the software product vision statement is adhered to
• making the final decision on all scope related decisions
• maintaining and updating the product backlog on a continuous basis by
  • refining new requirements
  • removing requirements that fall out of scope
  • adding new requirements identified as being required to achieve the software product vision statement
  • reviewing and setting the priorities assigned to the product backlog and heading up all project planning meetings
• resolving any disputes either with the software development team or internally

Failure to have a Product Owner in place usually means that the software project will execute in fits and starts whilst the software developers are on hold waiting for crucial feedback.

A slowdown in the momentum of a software project can have long-term consequences, not least of missed milestones and deadlines. Don't ever underestimate the importance of the Product Owner role in the success of your software development project.

PROJECT MANAGER (PM)

Applemacsoft mp3 splitter 5 0 120. The Project Manager (PM) is responsible for knowing the 'who, what, where, when and why' of the software project. This means knowing the stakeholders of the project and being able to effectively communicate with each of them.

The Project Manager is also responsible for creating and managing the project budget and schedule as well as processes including scope management, issues management and risk management.

Some of the Project Manager duties can include:

• Developing a software project plan
• Manage deliverables according to the software project plan
• Recruiting software project staff
• Leading and managing the software project team
• Determining the methodology used on the project
• Establishing a project schedule and determine each phase
• Assigning tasks to project team members
• Providing regular updates to senior management

It doesn't matter if you are using an agile methodology or the waterfall method, once deliverables are defined, it is critical that the Project Manager starts to actively exercise change management. Change should not be perceived as negative or something to be avoided.

Change is inevitable and is acceptable in a software project as long as it is managed. The impact of any change needs to be assessed, measured and communicated. The major factors are typically timeline and budget. If the impact is deemed acceptable by the Project Sponsor, then the change can be incorporated.

The Project Manager also oversees software testing, delivery and formal acceptance by the customer. Then the Project Manager performs a project review with the software development team to document any lessons learned from the software development processes.

TECHNICAL LEAD

This person translates the business requirements into a technical solution. Because of this responsibility, it is beneficial to have the Technical Lead involved in the planning phase to hear the business requirements from the customer's point of view and ask questions.

The Technical Lead is the development team leader and works with the developers to provide technical details and estimates for the proposed solution. This information is used by the Project Manager to create the Statement of Work and the Work Breakdown Structure documents for the software project.

It is critical that the Technical Lead can effectively communicate the status of the software project to the Project Manager so that issues or variances can be effectively addressed as soon as possible.

The Technical Lead is also responsible for establishing and enforcing standards and practices with the software development team.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS

The Software Developers (front-end and back-end) are responsible for using the technical requirements from the Technical Lead to create cost and timeline estimates.

The Software Developers are also responsible for building the deliverables and communicating the status of the software project to the Technical Lead or Project Manager.

It is critical that the other team members effectively communicate the technical requirements to the Software Developers to reduce project risk and provide the software project with the greatest chance of success.

SOFTWARE TESTERS

The Software Testers ensure that the software solution meets the business requirements and that it is free of bugs, errors and defects.

In the test planning and preparation phases of the software testing, Software Testers should review and contribute to test plans, as well as be analysing, reviewing and assessing technical requirements and design specifications.

Software Testers are involved in identifying test conditions and creating test designs, test cases, test procedure specifications and test data, and may automate or help to automate the tests.

Some of the Software Testers duties can include:

• They often set up the test environments or assist system administration and network management staff in doing so
• As test execution begins, the number of testers often increases, starting with the work required to implement tests in the test environment
• Testers execute and log the tests, evaluate the results and document problems found
• They monitor the testing and the test environment, often using tools for this task, and often gather performance metrics
• Throughout the software testing life cycle, they review each other's work, including test specifications, defect reports and test results

USER ACCEPTANCE TESTERS

You should expect your software solution provider to carry out a wide array of software testing to ensure that your new software solution meets various quality assurance (QA) criteria.

On from that, representatives of your company will need to perform the final checks to ensure that the software works for the business across a number of real-world scenarios.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is the final step prior to a new software solution being released to production (live). It's absolutely essential that you have the resources to tackle user acceptance testing in a timely and organised fashion, as it is often UAT that creates the bottleneck between the software solution being completed and released to the business.

It's often the case that the aforementioned Subject Matter Experts defined how the new software solution should work and, given their close proximity to the actual work, they can make excellent User Acceptance Testers.

When end users get involved in the final stages of testing, light bulbs go on, and they often have an 'aha' moment. Unfortunately, that is often too late.
-– Frank R. Parth

It's an excellent idea to ensure that those employees participating in UAT are brought in from the start, and understand, or perhaps better still contribute to, the design of the new software solution.

This emotional buy-in and understanding of the software solution's objectives reduces the friction that might otherwise exist in attempting to move end-users from the existing software systems they know, love and use every day. How to turn off camera macbook pro.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ROLES – CONCLUSION

Whilst it's important that your software solution provider has the necessary resources in place to operate your project, it is equally as important that you as the customer understand the roles and responsibilities required within your team to bring your project to successful completion.

The key to project success is clear and effective communication. A critical portion of this communication is identifying the stakeholders and their roles.

Whatever labels you apply to the software project roles above, clear communication of expectations and status to the stakeholders throughout the life of the software project will increase the chances of your project's success.