An Application of IT for Small Business

Small and medium enterprises can catch up with the large market by implementing application of IT in their work.

Of particular note is that for small businesses, technology can be a double-edged sword. Because you need to make a solid decision that the software is right for your business. In the following article, we will take a look at some information technology perspectives for small and medium businesses, please objectively evaluate and make the best choice.

1 – E-commerce

In the era of technology 4.0, it developed like “a tsunami”, landing on all industries and especially the eCommerce industry. Fortunately, technology software assisted the transition. Besides providing functionality that allows businesses to sell online, eCommerce platforms are leveraging AI in a number of ways that can help small businesses increase revenue and cut costs:

– Using natural language processing and autocomplete suggestions, the software can deliver the products and services customers are looking for. One study found that adding autocomplete to your search bar alone can increase sales by 24%.

– Just like you might find on a giant website like Amazon, smart product recommendations use data from a customer’s previous browsing, searching, and purchasing habits to make recommendations and recommendations humanize the shopping experience. After that, one interaction with a recommendation, a customer is three times more likely to convert.

– By analyzing past sales data, seasonal trends, AI can optimize inventory management to ensure you always have the right amount of stock in stock. And so, reducing the number of out-of-stock and overstock items can reduce overall inventory costs by 10% or more.

2 – Customer service

When it comes to competing with larger players, there is one area where the “little guys” have a clear edge: customer service. Customer service can also be a headache if you’re short on staff and critical resources. And with the threat of a bad service review that could sink your entire reputation, and with good reviews, your business’ reputation will grow steadily. Then customer care needs to be focused.

Currently, small businesses are increasingly relying on information technology software to solve problems in the form of chatbots. Chatbots: like customer-facing virtual assistants, use natural language processing, speech recognition, and machine learning to answer questions and complete requests. The benefits that chatbots bring to small businesses are immense.

For simple questions and requests, the chatbot can search the company’s support information to provide answers or direct customers. goods to the right resources without the need for staff to be involved. Operating 24/7, customers don’t have to wait until business hours to solve their problems. If something needs to be delivered to a human, the AI algorithm in the chatbot can go through a script to get basic information for help (call, text, email, etc.). The chatbot can then forward the request to the employee who can best deal with the situation, saving them time while providing a better customer experience.

3 – Project management – UpDiagram

Small and medium-sized enterprises that want to develop must have many projects, “many projects – many resources” is inevitable, but with the criterion of saving, these organizations need to have management technology software. Avoid wasted paper, save space and optimize workflow.

With the emergence and development of the software engineering market, project management tools have grown enormously. Prominent among them is UpDiagram, an extremely convenient and necessary project management software in all companies.

Amazing funtions are waiting for you!

The main function is used for project management. And so, you can create your own project, or use an existing template. In each project has its basic features as follows (unlimited number of projects):

Number of members for the project 20 free copies (with unlimited support for the Trial package)
Multi work view mode format (Kanban, Grid, Calendar, Mindmap)
Various data fields: images, text, list, checkbox, date, progress, to calculation formulas
Import data from projects available from Trello, Assembla, Jira, Excel,…
Integrating other applications such as Microsoft Team, Slack, Rocket, Zalo,…
Email and In-app notification for project activities
Decentralization, assigning tasks, and managing members
Save activity history traces
Active Directory integration
Internal environment settings
Table creation function to integrate multiple data tables into the same project, for example, integrating a management table for the list of materials, workers, … in general the project is the project of building apartments

Some templates: Sprint Planning (Agile Methodology), house renovation management, multi-project management.

Why should a start-up use UpDiagram for project management?

WHY PROJECT MANAGEMENT IS START-UP’s BIG PROBLEM?

A company will face many obstacles and challenges when it first launches its operation, including a lack of funding, poor human resources, a lack of skills and experience, etc. One of the toughest problems that a start-up face is the company’s project management. Whether for managers who are completely unaware of the company’s project management system or who are already familiar with it.

It is frequently challenging for managers to assess the success of the project if they do not seek the assistance of management support tools because they lack the below skills.

For the rest of the people, the problems they face when a start-up starts using these softwares are:

COST
It’s crucial to effectively manage cash flow as a startup. Although there are many available project management tools, the price of these tools presents a challenge for new businesses.

INTERFACE
This is the second important consideration. Is the user interface simple to use or overly complex? Managers use this software to help them maximize their working hours, but it takes them a little longer to learn how to use it. It costs them money and takes a lot of time.

FEATURES
Regarding the features, businesses frequently worry about their usefulness. Will these features assist them in their work, actually increase productivity, and meet their needs, or not. Are these features being updated frequently to match their company’s hardware?

SECURITY
When a start-up choose to use these tools, this is probably a headache for them as well. Information about the company’s projects may or may not be completely confidential. Whether there are any bugs in the software that interfere with its ability to store information.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
What is these tools’ customer support? Are they given the assistance to quickly and effectively resolve application-related issues so as not to impede the business’s operations?

HOW DOES A PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOL SOLVE THE BIG PROBLEM?

– Easily manage the work of team members.
– Easily connect with team members.
– Easily control their workload.
– Monitor the work progress of members.
– Quickly and easily assign tasks.
– Gather and preserve accurate data.
– Project information security.

Whether start-up businesses operate online or offline, it always ensures productivity and that business operations are uninterrupted. As a result, they can measure each team member’s productivity and quickly identify any issues that arise. So managers can address them with appropriate solutions to meet deadlines and enhance product efficiency.

WHY UPDIAGRAM IS FIT FOR START-UP?

In addition to the necessary functions of management software as mentioned above, it also stands out with the following reasons.

COST
Calculating the ideal cost is absolutely necessary for a start-up with limited funding. Updiagram has created a membership package that is excellent for start-ups in light of this issue. Although UpDiagram is relatively inexpensive, only $3/user/month (in addition, every month there are promotions), it still has a wide range of unique features and is fully functional. This makes it easier for administrators to use the application without being concerned about the cost as well as the functions.

INTERFACE
It has never been simpler to manage large groups of people, especially with start-up businesses that lack experience. With a simple and user-friendly interface design of UpDiagram, users can easily access, capture information, and manage the projects of their business or department. Therefore, tracking the performance of each team member and the project’s productivity doesn’t require any more work.

TEMPLATES
Users won’t have to spend a lot of time creating templates for new fields because there is a wide variety of templates available that are always of high quality. For user convenience, UpDiagram frequently updates its template store with a variety of fields, including sales management, SEO checklists, risk management, etc. So UpDiagram can satisfy customers’ needs regardless of the industry they work in.

SOME GREAT FEATURES
1/ Email notifications and reminders, so that users can capture the project progress and the number of tasks to be handled.

2/ Give feedback or comments on tasks easily, so that team members can raise issues and update solutions quickly without delaying the team’s progress.

3/ Export/import data files from Excel or previously created projects in other tools such as Jira, Assembla, Trello, etc into its project space. That helps them save a lot of time and improve work efficiency.

4/ Work views (Grid view, Kanban, Mindmap, Calendar, Gantt Chart) helps users have the best experience when using. UpDiagram has developed a lot of work views to help users easily observe their tasks and the project. Users can easily change the work view to enhance their experience with very simple operations.

5/ Time tracking assists team members in completing their work as quickly as possible. Team members’ working hours can be monitored by managers thereby cutting down on time spent on useless activities.

6/ User/Project Dashboard makes it simple to keep track of information from various sources. The data is presented in a clear manner and is divided into two main directions: The workload table shows work data (volume, progress, notes, and packages), and the most active members show data on the project’s active members.

7/ Roles & Permission gives users the option to assign permissions within the project. With this feature, the project will be tightly organized with each separate role clearly, to avoid confusion. Users can also create the following project permissions using the role view: admin, member, and viewer.

8/ Integrate Slack enhances the project’s management and teamwork performance. Users of Slack will be informed of any action taken on the UpDiagram, such as adding tasks, assigning, etc. Additionally, UpDiagram enables the creation of chat rooms and project discussions on Slack.

9/ Custom Fields (Text, Number, Timeline,…) is an important function to help users manage projects effectively, adding highly customizable functions.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

In order to bring great experiences to customers, it has built a repository of user manuals, a 24/7 support call center. When facing application problems, users can easily contact by email or social networking platforms for support to solve. In addition, UpDiagram also offers in-depth articles and instructional videos that show users how to use their application in order to enhance the customer experience.

With the features it offers, it will unquestionably become an essential tool for supporting startups. Not now, when. Click here to start your projects.

Searching for Artifacts in Scrum Land

To all my explorers, this adventurous journey! Make sure that you have all your Scrum and Agile basic knowledge. If you are ready, let’s start this excavation with UpDiagram!

Agile is the Neverland to project management software development that helps teams deliver value to their customers faster and less “Where To Fix?”. And Scrum is a methodology that’s designed to help self-organized teams execute projects flexibly in an Agile environment.

In this blog, you can imagine Scrum is like an ancient temple in Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider, and the “Artifacts”, which made this destination more attractive and valuable, are what we’re gonna explore today!

1 – Is Scrum “Artifact” an item of cultural or historical man-made?

You can keep that thought in mind, anyways, Scrum artifacts are still made by humans 😅

Out of these play roles, Scrum artifacts are elements that are created to ensure crucial project information can be shared with everyone in the Scrum project management. These artifacts help the Scrum team and stakeholders maximize transparency, inspection, and adaptation in the developing product process.

A Scrum artifact can be included a variety of insights from the performance of the developing process like:

– Progress of the project
– Plans and goals of the project
– Tasks to achieve those goals
– What team have done

To sum up, Scrum artifacts reinforce the empath between Scrum team members and customers. It creates a rigid link to sustain durable and continuous connection to customers, which people also call “Product Value Stream”. The more Scrum tests, get feedback, and improve the product quickly, the faster the stream flows. So to enhance the ability to understand our customers, these main Agile Scrum artifacts were designed to keep everyone on the same page, no matter where they are:

2 – Three Main Artifacts:

Any Scrum project all has these three fundamental vital artifacts:

– Product Backlog: The list of everything that a scrum team must complete before a project is finished.
– Sprint Backlog: Periods of work that the development team works to complete the items on the product backlog
– Product Backlog: all the product backlog items that have been completed during a sprint.

(A) Product Backlog:
Specifying what customers or users truly want is the first important step in every developing product process. But “The customer is always right”, there are some cases, they change their mind despite our well-going progress, what should we do? Product backlog was created with the mission to keep it tracked.

This Scrum artifact is a place that holds what is needed to improve the product needed to build a product like: 🌟 new features; 🔺 enhancements; 🔧 bug fixes; 💻 tasks; 🔊 work requirements;…

This artifact is managed by a Product Owner, he/she will list and arrange ordered information into user stories(items) in priority by some specific agile method:

– User Story: User stories describe what product features or development will be useful to customers or users.
– User Point: Due to the user story, Product Owner will estimate a specific point to that user story, this point will show how difficult a user story is to implement.

Product Owner will calculate this metric base on some acceptance criteria and standards, and it is quite complicated. But with experienced Product Owners that have joined lots of projects, they clearly know what is the appropriate point to the specific user story thanks to their experience from completed projects.

After setting up detailed information for the user story and giving it a point. Each product backlog or user story will then be arranged in priority depending on how important it is and what the user truly wants.

If Product Backlog is a real artifact, it can be compared to the Resurrection Stone in Harry Potter 🔮✨

‘Cause, it won’t be dead and continuously updated due to customer feedback, changes, and stakeholder needs. All of them will be put in the product backlog library and processed into user stories and story points as the beginning phase, it repeats until the project ends or there are no more user demands or changes.

However, to ensure that all the product backlog items are valuable and in order, they will always need to be refined through a process called backlog grooming, that Product Owner needs to do things like:

– Add in a new user story and estimate its points.
– Remove items that are no longer required or canceled
– Review items regularly and adjust them due to update
– Rearrange number order due to priority

Kanban is a favorite mode view that is frequently used by Scrum teams to enhance drag and drop action to Product backlog items. You can try to create your first Product backlog library with some powerful project management tools such as UpDiagram, Trello, Jira,…

(B) Sprint Backlog:
If you know about Scrum, you definitely can miss the term “sprints”. The sprint backlog is like a to-do list of product backlog tasks that have been promoted to deliver the required functionality and meet the sprint goal. Sprint backlogs are created in sprint planning meetings before each sprint. This instructs the development teams on what to deliver for future increments and details the work required to create the increment.

Sprint backlogs are set up by Scrum masters according to the product backlog items. They will break those items into smaller tasks. And later, tasks will be assigned for Scrum team members moving from different stages like development, designing, testing,… and it will be updated during the sprint planning phase regularly. As product backlog, sprint backlog has its process to groom by deleting unnecessary elements and estimating to update the remaining work.

Grid View in UpDiagram

Sprint backlog is preferred to manage in Grid view. Grid View is a view that allows users to inspect, sort, filter, or organize columns in any way they like. Grid View columns may be filtered to pick desired data or changed in the Custom Field area to assist enhance the viewing experience. Especially, all the sprints will be displayed that Scrum team members can easily follow them.

(C) Product Increment:
The last main artifact, but also the most important artifact that we can not miss is product increment. Product increment is deliverables of products that can work at the end of each Scrum sprint. And a specific product increment can also include its increment in the previous versions. But to define it as a valuable increment, it has to be usable. So to check if it is a shippable one, the product owner must criticize it with a standard called the team’s “Definition of done”, which we will discuss in the following extended Scrum artifacts.

3 – Getting Agile Scrum artifacts started with UpDiagram

(A) The kanban board view is ideal for scrum teams
The Kanban view in UpDiagram is ideal for project teams who need a fast overview of a project, users will know what tasks are in progress and what are the tags of each task. You may choose which fields display above the tables, and you can quickly drag and drop jobs between Product backlog and Sprint backlog:

(B) Product Backlog:
– Product backlog items can be collected in kanban cards.
– In UpDiagram, we have unlimited file storage to store our goals, user stories, and other related sprint materials that can even be attached to the cards.

(C) Sprint Backlog:
– Kanban view can also be set up for the sprint backlog: Cards can be dragged and dropped from one column to the next as they move through the workflow.
– Cards can have personalized to-do lists, and team members can collaborate by leaving comments and attaching files directly to the card.

Get your Kanban board set easily in UpDiagram here

(D) Package to know how your sprints are progressing
UpDiagram Packages (Sprints) are group tasks at cycle time, with extra UpDiagram functionality to help teams understand and manage their product roadmap to achieve their target on time. Packages that are available on all plans, leverage tasks are work items so that teams do not have to depend on other applications to complete their duties.

Let UpDiagram instruct you on how to get your sprint package here!

(E) Dashboards for visual overviews of your project
This is a function that provides users with an overview of the overall development of the project. Track particular tasks, Sprints, the number of tasks each Sprint, and a wealth of other statistics. Checking the Dashboard will give you quick visual summaries for your daily scrum or sprints review before meetings. This powerful board shows you the completion rate of tasks, the number of remaining tasks and displays how the project is progressing.

(F) Custom Fields.
Customizing your personalized fields is one of the most concerning features for all project managers. A well-customized field asset will show the Scrum team their project progress and know what to do at a specific time. Sympathizing that demand, UpDiagram allows users to customize their fields that adapt to different user purposes.

Just need a few seconds of glancing at a task, users know all vital information about the tasks and the sprint execution stage it’s in.

Finish our journey!

Scrum artifacts are masterpieces in the Scrum method. Without those artifacts, team members can’t share their crucial information clearly with the involved person in the project.

Finally, we have found the location of our artifacts! But how to get them?

Dig it! ⛏

Yeah, we are not kidding! But to dig those artifacts, we need tools, for example, shovels. Luckily, UpDiagram is such a powerful “shovel” that takes you less effort, time, and money in achieving Scrum artifacts.

Not only all those Scrum artifacts, but UpDiagram is also open to users of other ultimate tools for Agile project management. Contact us to learn more about the software and modern management methods. Signup for free!

6 Reasons to Switch from Jira to UpDiagram

As a project manager, you’re probably getting to know the project management software Jira. If you are a Jira user, have you ever felt this tool is not efficient and its process is too complicated for you?

Cheer up, there’s nothing to panic about. Did you know that each tool is created for different purposes, maybe that’s the tool that might not be suitable for your demand? In this situation, you should consider transferring your project in Jira to a new one that might be appropriate, UpDiagram can be a promised selection in your list. But before the transition, you need to be clear about what you really need to change. Here are 6 reasons for switching Jira to UpDiagram we have researched you can refer to them for your comparison and decision.

Not now, when?

Many teams have chosen Jira over the years:

– Jira includes a large number of tools and functions
– Able to integrate with different external systems
– Provide an overview of team activities
– Allows users to set team permissions
– Qualified for product-centric workflows, such as scrum projects and bug tracking

Since Jira announced some significant modifications to its services, users have faced a lot of trouble. If you’re thinking about switching, there’s no better time than now.

– Many previous subscribers saw their fees increase by 11 percent to 15 percent, depending on the number of users, as of February 2021.
– Another significant change is that Jira will phase down its server-based licensing, with all support for these services ending on February 2, 2024.

Although Jira developers inform that this will enhance overall the performance of their service, these significant shifts are supposed to result in some rising issues for both Jira and most of their consumers.

Jira forces server-based customers to recreate their infrastructure in the Jira cloud from the ground up. Unfortunately, this don’t accomplish with one button click. Continue reading to know what trouble you get with Jira and UpDiagram solutions.

6 Reasons to Switch from Jira to UpDiagram

1. Cost

Jira problem:
Is it worth it for Jira users to pay an arm and a leg in the future? 🤔

Furthermore, as previously said, Jira is predicted supposed to offer a more expensive price plan in the future. At present, Jira’s Cloud service costs $7/month per user for basic services. You’ll likely need to purchase more than just one package in Jira to get all the features you need. Jira’s monthly fee may exceed $7 per user. For instance:

– If you wish to have documentation and wikis, you need to buy a Confluence subscription.
– Trello subscriptions can be purchased for the non-product teams.
– For features like Goals and time tracking, you’ll almost certainly need a third-party add-on.

UpDiagram solution:
The special feature of UpDiagram’s pricing in comparison to Jira is that it is less expensive while still meeting all of the fundamental functionalities and user demands. The maximum you may spend for UpDiagram per month is only $7. Pricing Details:

– Starter (Free) includes unlimited projects and work packages, customization, and fundamental features. Basic customer service (email)
– Professional ($3 per user): Aside from the advantages of Starter, users can also integrate other tools into UpDiagram which helps users manage all in one platform. Time tracking, Gantt chart, tables, and a formula column are all available with a premium support level (Email, Phone, Quarterly review)
– Enterprise ($7 per user): This includes everything in the Pro and Starter programs. Especially, users can request integration and suggested custom development, enterprise assistance (Email, Phone, Quarterly review, Extensive training & personalized support)

UpDiagram also offers an annual billing scheme (savings of 20%) for two-priced packages. It is suitable for businesses who want to entirely switch from Jira to UpDiagram.

Furthermore, UpDiagram offers a discount program for Startups and Enterprises, which includes a two-year free trial of the Pro package with dedicated customer support. Enterprises only make a payment after the first two years. Besides, if an enterprise has a long-term partnership with UpDiagram, it will be able to take advantage of further discounts.

UpDiagram also features third-party integration, such as Slack, Github, Gitlab, etc. This means you won’t have to input your data if you switch from Jira to UpDiagram. So, even if some of your teams opt to stick with Jira, you can easily migrate to other teams which are ready for the transition. The team collaborators’ migration is simple, all you need is just to add their emails (UpDiagram registered) in the import process.

2. Customization

Jira problem:
Jira offers some features that are used for various purposes. Jira projects may require a full-time administrator to effectively set up administrate. In addition to the expense of package purchasing, it implies that your team is investing more time and money in using Jira. ROI reduce because the investment cost is large.

So why not restart with a management platform which takes you fewer resources?

UpDiagram solution:
UpDiagram provides friendliness and ease of use for all users’ levels without code requirements, expertise, and well-trained admin. UpDiagram provides over 20 metadata fields, a variety of ways to customize the view, a large number of feature combinations, and assisting purchase users in “taking care” of the project comprehensively.

(A) The UpDiagram Hierarchy
The streamlined task hierarchy in UpDiagram allows you to arrange your team’s activities quickly and easily. It has an easy-to-follow but completely customizable structure:

Projects > Work Views > tasks > subitems > data fields

(B) Multiple Views
UpDiagram also provides you with a variety of project views to adapt a variety of working methods. In the same project, you may switch between views! And here is a deeper look at these modes:

1- Required task views

Kanban View: Multiple projects may be easily dragged and dropped into other categories to shift them from task to task and project to project.

Grid view: All your tasks are shown in one view (as if they were on a checklist), and you may select data fields for yourself. The Grid facilitates an overview of all work and progress for the Scrum Master and Project Manager. This is an excellent solution for folks that need to know immediately and get their tasks done.

2- Mind map:

This view provides users with a structured overview of the project, allowing them to comprehend the position of tasks, and their dependencies, as well as grasp their priorities.

3- Calendar view:

A view similar to your calendar The jobs will be nicely placed on the Calendar View, and UpDiagram will additionally display the task’s timeline/due date. The mode may be set by the week and month. UpDiagram will collect and display jobs with particular deadlines to the right of the Calendar.

4- My Assignment
Users can view the task that has been assigned to them by clicking on “My Assignment”. Users’ focus easily filters their tasks in Grid, Kanban, and Calendar view to shorten their time and effort to search for their assignments. Furthermore, UpDiagram provides Due Assignment, which allows users to keep track of the due date.

3. Fast

Jira problem:
Slow loading times, in the end, will be a limitation for a project management tool, because we might need quickness in some urgent cases.

Jira is a sophisticated tool that takes specialized knowledge to set up and maintain, its complexity comes at the expense of efficiency and speed. User comment about Jira’s slowness:

“Jira and Confluence(Cloud) are toooooo slow!”
Wonkyung Lyu on Community Atlassian

UpDiagram solution:
UpDiagram always brings a smooth experience, which helps users feel comfortable when participating in project management. Some comments about UpDiagram speed:

“It’s absolutely transparent to my team and me. There is no worry about missing priority or updating status before every meeting. It is easy to learn and use very fast. Their support team is also energetic to give me a hand to build projects as soon as possible.”
Enterprise G2 Reviewer

“Clear layout, beautiful interface Reasonable interface arrangement Fast App Loading Speed.”
Lilina on Saashub

“Fast. I can operate quickly on the tool, and data is converted quickly, without any speed problems when using UpDiagram.”
User on alternativeto

We also recognize that speed is only beneficial when combined with dependability, which is why we take pleasure in maintaining the highest levels of availability!

And to top it all off, UpDiagram is simple to use and has an excellent UX UI, anybody can get into the project process and co-working harmoniously. That means no more workflow will be pending cause other team members waiting and ensuring the progress of the project.

4. One for all

Jira problem:
As previously said, Jira and Atlassian software are siblings. How does this affect a single business?

– Jira is a project management tool for developers and product teams.
– Trello is for kanban projects, marketing, and other simple project workflows.
– Confluence is used to save, share, and keep track of wikis, documents, and playbooks.
– To fill up the gaps, a range of integrations such as goals, OKRs, time tracking, and automation…

Having your work distributed over numerous software applications invariably results in a lot of multiple processes and searching for resources, resulting in a loss of productivity, messages, and composure.

UpDiagram solution:
UpDiagram is here to simplify processes but maximize productivity. This platform is customizable and offers all work perspectives. UpDiagram maintains all of your work in one place, which means it provides you with all of the necessary tools you require. We assist you in becoming more efficient. For example, you can schedule a meeting for tasks that have Date features installed, be up-to-date and alerted with Notification, or integrate Slack, and RocketChat every time the meetings come.

On top of that, we’re always trying to improve your working experience by releasing new features and upgrades every week.

5. Customer support

Jira problem:
Jira’s support documentation is difficult to understand. Searching for specific phrases is both time-consuming and confusing. You’re not simply provided a support doc resource; you might get stuck with its community forums and articles. Overall, troubleshooting Jira bugs on your own is a nightmare.

UpDiagram solution:
We place a high value on offering assistance. In truth, at UpDiagram, our number one Core Value is to “deliver the best satisfying client experience.”

We’re here to help you get the most of every feature and have the greatest possible user experience, whether you need to refer to our thorough Support Docs (guideline, features detail, etc), ask a short question through chat on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn), send an email, or book meeting for a free coaching call.

We’re here to support you whenever you need it, 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

6. Partnership with Start-up

Jira problem:
Jira is an old-established tool; as previously said, Jira costs are high and fluctuate over time. Because they don’t need to partner with startups, Jira’s target users are big enterprises.

UpDiagram solution:
Although UpDiagram has just appeared on the market, UpDiagram provides ideal and similar functions that adapt startups’ and enterprises’ needs to manage their projects at reasonable expenses. And what makes UpDiagram an ideal partner with startups is the desire for a win-win partnership for both sides. With the partnership, start-ups will:

– Within two years, you’ll get a Premium package license for free—up to $0 for a long-term partnership.
– When you provide feedback and suggest additional new functions, you will earn more accumulation points, which will increase your discount for the next payment.

Furthermore, UpDiagram also has a stable pricing plan for startups and enterprises to ensure the pricing will not be increased forever. Let’s contact us for more information.

Conclusion

With more changes, Jira loses consumer sentiment. If you’re searching for a Jira alternative due to pricing, ease of use, performance, convenience, support service, or because you’re being forced to leave their server-based service, go no further than UpDiagram to satisfy all of your work management needs! These offers UpDiagram gives you:

– The interface is user-friendly, modification is straightforward, and the function is simple to use.
– Any team may use it, and any project can benefit from it.
– Customer service is critical. Points of Interest.

Don’t wait, check out this guideline, which walks cloud-based Jira users through the process of importing their data into UpDiagram in minutes.

Agile workflows – the right implementation for your projects

Adopting an Agile workflow has never been more popular, with so many firms adopting the Agile approach to project management. Agile workflow is trusted because that brings convenience, speed, and effectiveness. But what exactly is an Agile workflow, and how do you put one in place? This article contains all you need to understand Agile workflows development and put its concepts into practice in your enterprise.

What is Agile project management?

The fundamental concept of Agile project management

Agile is a method of project management. Agile enables management teams to transcend the traditional sequential model and get more done in less time. It accomplishes this by:

Dividing your project into smaller, individual cycles.
Customers should be actively involved in the product development process, and their feedback should be implemented on a regular basis.

What differentiates Agile workflow from traditional workflow?

Most traditional methodologies allow customer feedback only after the product has been published, such as Waterfall. And so, it is done in stages, with each one starting only after the preceding one is completed. Although the waterfall speeds up the process, it may pollute the efficacy of your product because it has not been tested with clients. As a result, Waterfall or other classic methods are not appreciated in terms of customer collaboration.

But Agile methodologies include clients in the process at all times. It is constantly providing tiny jobs and receiving feedback from customers. This enables teams to adapt fast to changes.

The Agile workflow process with an Agile tool

Let’s take a look at the breakdown of an Agile Workflow.
* Note: We will focus on the software development process because Agile development methods are the most popular form of Agile. On the contrary, no matter what kinds of your project are, most of the workflow processes are similar.

The Agile software development cycle

1. Ideation
Here, your project is planned. The Agile team defines and develops the product backlog. You need to plan out your Sprint.

Assigned task

2. Inception
Once you have defined what’s going to be done. Now, you create your Sprint team. This is what you assign tasks for them.

3. Iteration
Tackling your product backlog items. It means, they’ll start working in each sprint, launch product releases, get customer feedback, and repeat the cycle. Until the product should meet all the customer requirements.

4. Release
When once Sprint is completed, you give the product to the customer and get feedback. Next step, you combine the feedback with testing before going to the next Sprint.

5. Retirement
This is the end of the workflow process. The workflow process concludes with the completion of work on software development. The Agile team can move on to the next project or develop a new product.

The Sprint development cycle

Workload show all packages (Sprints)

Other than “The Agile software development cycle”, “The Sprint development cycle” is detailed development workflows. It’s crucial to break down the Agile development workflow for each sprint. Below are five factors that need attention.

Move Items

* When The Sprint development cycle run in UpDiagram
1. Requirements
Based on the product backlog, you need to clearly define the deliverables for each Sprint. Sprints may be created and managed with UpDiagram. The manager will move the tasks according to the appropriate Sprints.

2. Development
Your backlog items will be designed and developed by the developer. UpDiagram will assist developers in comprehending the significance of various backlogs. They will develop backlog items based on assignment, level and status of tasks.

3. Testing
When tagging jobs in UpDiagram, testers (QA/QC) will actively test the product before it is delivered to clients. Testers can also rely on the user stories listed beneath the comments to provide the most accurate findings. The status of each item can update with one click after testing.

4. Delivery

Give your backlog items to the client base for the final stage of testing. You can use Export Excel to send Sprint reports to customers or you can add your clients to view the whole progress of the project. Role and Permission will help you manage who to see what they should know.

5. Feedback

Get their comments and finish developing on it before moving on to the next sprint. You can leave your comment and communicate via any favorite tools such as Slack, Rocket chat, Microsoft team, Zalo, and so on.

How to create an Agile workflow and organize workflow with a tool

To build an Agile workflow you need to go through 4 steps

Step 1: Forming
Your team need to comprehend the Agile method (principle and practices). To make it simpler for your team to adapt to the new development workflow, you should guarantee to go over step by step these Agile practices.

You will have three things in this stage:
– Implementing and comprehending Agile specialization roles
– Monitor and review Agile activities such as daily standups, sprint planning, and sprint retrospectives
– Understanding the different Agile principles and the reason why we implement them

Step 2: Storming
Begin generating your product backlog and breaking it down into sprints. Your team in the sprint planning process will be responsible for carrying it out. Check that your sprints are appropriate and realistic. Ensure that you are not attempting to handle too much in too short a period of time.

Step 3: Norming
You must assign various members of the team to different sprints and specify what they will work on in each sprint. Start defining the team role and permission. Like most project Agile, you will select a product owner, a project manager, your project team, and the project stakeholder.

Role permission

It is important to note that the roles you establish will determine by the Agile technique you adopt. If you use a Scrum method, for example, you’ll need to choose a Scrum master. Similarly, when comparing Lean and Agile, your team configuration may differ. Adopting Kanban project management or any other Agile management methodologies is the same.

Step 4: Performing
This is the phase that Agile will work. Following the principles of the Agile Manifesto, keep in mind to have daily standups to keep track of any changes. Let the product owner present with your customer, the owner is reliant on the feedback and your team is able to work on it as soon as possible.

Collecting customer feedback by Comments

After working and collecting customer feedback, an agile sprint review should be conducted to move on to the next sprint. Bear in mind that, nothing is perfect for once. You should repeat the process again and again until everything is complete.

The right tool for Agile workflow process

Besides the Agile workflow process, you need an Agile tool to synchronize and unify all your Agile events that help you manage them easier in one place. An ideal tool makes you enjoy the benefit of Agile.

* Fact: tip use the right workflows tool
– Keep track of your product backlog.
– Plan out your sprints.
– Encourage team collaboration.

How to Use UpDiagram to Implement an Agile Workflow

As mentioned above, with the appropriate project management platform, Agile workflow management has been easier.

Because we understand our user’s needs, UpDiagram develops to provide not only the suitable tool but also the solution that satisfies customer needs with agile workflow management.

OK, now let’s start to see how UpDiagram assists you to implement the principles of Agile to manage your tasks and sprint smoothly.

1. Multiple work view facilitates your Agile frameworks management

One of the principles of Agile methodologies is to be ready to adapt to any changes. So, UpDiagram provides multiple work views to easily adapt to your team’s Agile frameworks.

In addition, you can actively change different work views in one project to allow you to select which views your team can work with effectively instead of forcing you to adapt to our interface. UpDiagram support Agile Project with four popular approaches:

1. Kanban view
The display of Kanban view allows users to manipulate tasks, you can drag/drop items everywhere to stay up with the Agile process.Here is the interface of Kanban and how you actually use it to manage your Agile workflow.

Kanban View

2. Grid view
This is the perfect view for fans of GTD-style to-do lists. Here, your tasks are listed down in a simple checklist that can be checked off as you progress. UpDiagram grid view is the solution for you to apply the Get-thing-done methodology. This view is useful for you to keep track of your sprint. You can select each sprint to show tasks to do. At the same time, It is able to show all sprints to help you have an over of your whole project with one view.

Read more: GTD-style to-do lists

If there are too many sprints and tasks, don’t worry because you can sort and filter tasks to define what you actually want to see in a Gird View. And so, this view adapts to your needs, not makes you adapt to them.

Grid View

3. Calendar
Be using this view to carefully plan your forthcoming sprints and know when things from your backlog may be added. You can track your team’s progress and what needs to be done with high priority and the due date is coming. Moreover, details of each task on Calendar view can be easily managed when you open each task popup detail.

Calendar View

Additionally, you can define the timeframe to show your sprints by selecting:
– Week: to view your weekly sprints
– Month: to see your project roadmap in a month

4. My Assignment
My assignment is a quick filter that allows you to show all the tasks and subtasks that you are assigned. It is no longer a distraction when you are looking for your task among thousands whilst you can pay attention to your better deliverables.

2. Track your Sprints with UpDiagram Packages

To add new items/tasks in UpDiagram projects, you have to create at least one Package. Additionally, this package use as a sprint for your Agile workflow process. This helps you create your own sprint lists to divide tasks and ensure deliverables for each sprint.

Closed tasks and sprints can easily archive. Also, you can drag and drop your tasks between sprints to adapt to any changes and move on to the next iteration. As a result, you can even add Scrum points to each list to keep a check on your product backlog items. UpDiagram allows you to add a Calculated column to estimate and calculate Scrum points for each sprint as well.

All packages on Grid View

Simultaneously, a scrum manager filters and changes the status of tasks to save and record progress as references during their scrum meetings.

3. Comments promote teamwork to collaborate

To enhance and encourage the team to communicate and collaborate, UpDiagram allows users to leave their comments on every single task which facilitates your team to exchange opinions, documents and files. Also, you can set Comments as private to take notes for yourself while meeting. Besides, you can integrate your favorite communication software such as Slack, Rocketchat, Zalo, Skype to organize your communication

An Agile project management platform also provides thousands of useful features including:
– Task Status and Priorities – to define and prioritize the urgent tasks first
– Time Tracking – Allow you to track specifically for each task and members to complete
– Android and iOS mobile app – catch up on the progress no matter where you are

Conclusion

Putting in place an Agile process does not have to be complex! Following the steps listed here with the right agile tool to simplify and maximize Agile workflows value to your team. Signup for free to use the right agile platform and Contact us for better consulting for your Agile management workflow.

Top Project Management Methodologies

Project Management Methodologies are used in industries other than technology and construction. Others such as Human Resources, hotel and restaurant management, etc, also adopt productive Project Management Methodologies. It’s impossible to accomplish projects as a project manager when clients and stakeholders frequently provide ambiguous direction. That reason, methods of project management develop a framework for the protection, enforcing standards, and control to manage complicated projects of all requirements.

Project management methods provide a system of principles, standard processes, and the ability to manage projects with multiple perspectives that meet all shapes and requirements across all industries.

The blog will show you:
– The best project management methodologies employed across many industries
– UpDiagram functions that are recommended for particular project management approaches

Top Popular Program Management Methods

Adaptive Project Framework (APF)

The adaptive project framework is an incremental way to meet the goals and outputs of a project. In other words, a project’s strategy is divided into small phases of work. This aids in task dependency structure and creates clear deadlines.
* Read more: Adaptive Project Framework (APF)

The phases of the adaptive project framework:
– Project Scope: Create a project charter to record the project plan (mentioned earlier)
– Cycle Plan: Outline each task and its dependencies
– Cycle Completion: When one cycle is finished, another begins
– Control Point: The customer or stakeholder meets with the team to assess the quality and identify possible areas for improvement in the next cycle
– The final report: Establishes whether or not the objectives were met

💫 Using Adaptive Project Framework (APF) in UpDiagram:
– Project Scope: PMs can use project templates of UpDiagram, already installed all data fields
– Cycle Plan: Users in UpDiagram must create tasks and assign members to suitable assignments
– Cycle Completion: When one cycles is finished, PMs will create new cycles by creating New Packages
– Control Point: Comment and description tasks is the suitable function for this stage. Project Team will know requirement of clients
– The final report: PMs can use functions export Excel to send Sprint report

Agifall/Hybrid

The hybrid approach combines the finest features of both Agile and Waterfall methodologies. Agifall/Hybrid is based on the waterfall process, while execution is based on agile principles.
* Read more: Agifall/Hybrid

💫 Using Agifall/Hybrid in UpDiagram:
UpDiagram is a tool that can satisfy the requirements of the Agifall/Hybrid, UpDiagram combines the efficiency and adaptability of both methods. The key attraction is the ability to generate and move tasks across Sprints; Sprints may still be created continually to keep up with the speed of Waterfall. Meanwhile, the backlogs are still preserved in the original Sprints in accordance with Agile principles, with the goal of modifying based on customer feedback.

Agile

Agile is a project management methodology used in modern Project Management. Agile, which may be viewed as a management credo and is arguably more flexible than earlier management systems, allows management teams to transcend the traditional sequential paradigm and accomplish more.
* Read more: Agile

The five steps in the Agile methodology are:
– Step 1: Creating a release strategy and a product roadmap
– Step 2: Designing and constructing a product feature
– Step 3: Helping to improve and testing product
– Step 4: Launching
– Step 5: Maintenance and closure

💫 Using Agile in Trello:
– In Trello you can use Board view for Agile project
– Users can only construct one board or another project to hold backlogs; they cannot build Sprints

💫 Using Agile in UpDiagram:
– In UpDiagram you can use Board view & Calendar View for Agile project
– Users are easy to Drag & Drop tasks
– You can create Packages that allow you to manage your Backlogs and Sprints. Backlogs may also be readily transferred across Sprints

Get Things Done (GTD)

The GTD (Get Things Done) method is a project management style that focuses on personal productivity in order to develop the best methods for tackling life and work.
* Read more: Get Things Done (GTD)

The five simple steps:
– Capture: to free up mental space by recording your notes
– Clarify: go over your notes and decide whether they should be transformed into tasks, filed for future reference, or discarded
– Organize: designate a single location for your thoughts and tasks
– Reflect: Review your collection on a regular basis to check for relevancy and potential
– Engage: to take action on your things, utilize the system you’ve developed

💫 Using Get Things Done (GTD) in UpDiagram: The five steps will be most effective, when PMs use UpDiagram. That tool provides comment and text fields for “Capture” & “Clarify”, you can note everything with their features. After taking note of the necessary items and considering the future course of action, you need “Organize” & “Reflect”. UpDiagram will assist you to sort them by level, status, and packages. “Engage”– Using data you note, create in UpDiagram to run your project.

Lean

The Lean project management approach concentrates on tools and procedures that are highly focused on client value. The defined tasks and activities that must be accomplished at a certain time reduce the possibility of squandering time and resources.
* Read more: Lean

The five principles of lean methodology are:
– Define Value: integrate processes to suit client needs
– Map the Value Stream: remove any impediments to the flow
– Create Flow: to guarantee a smooth operation, manage team member workloads and production phases
– Establish Pull: developing an on-demand delivery mechanism to eliminate inventory overproduction
– Seek Perfection: constantly improve in order to eliminate any errors

Assigned members

💫 Using Lean in UpDiagram:
UpDiagram allows administrators to recognize inefficiencies in business operating systems and bring more value to customers. UpDiagram creates collaboration between customers and project personnel thanks to the comment and description feature. The core meaning of lean governance is continuous process improvement and UpDiagram can create packages for many processes. Helps to improve the process of capturing information as well as customer requirements.

Rational Unified Process (RUP)

The Rational Unified Process is based on software processes that prioritize iterative development throughout. This enables for fast modifications on high-risk items at each level. As just a corollary, the structure of RUP lends itself to the assembly of high-quality software manufacturing.
* Read more: Rational Unified Process (RUP)

The four project phases:
– Inception: defining the scope of work, conducting an impact analysis, identifying critical use cases, and estimating costs
– Elaboration: creating an architect-designed basis
– Construction: accomplishing the majority of the effort required to construct all software
– Transition: presenting the available to end customers, dealing with problem concerns, and assessing result objectives

💫 Using Rational Unified Process (RUP) in UpDiagram: UpDiagram is a tool that works RUP well, because it can effectively satisfy the 4-phase of the method.
– Inception: Managers can use the built-in templates or write the needs in the description to model the company and gather requirements
– Elaboration: When the management team enters the design phase, they may rely on the diagram to comprehend the project’s direction because UpDiagram includes a Mind Map mode for RUP methodology
– Construction: Data fields displaying job status, assigned, and product completion date (timeline, due date) are frequently utilized
– Transition: In terms of transitions, UpDiagram’s alerting features are critical to timeliness

Scrum

Scrum project management complements the agile method by introducing a significant role known as the Scrum Master. In method have The Scrum Master, the Product Owner, and the Development team. Then, they choose the highest-priority items from the Product Backlog from list feedback, to release in a single sprint.
* Read more: Scrum

These high-priority items are added to the Sprint Backlog and are built, tested, and released by the development team. Throughout the sprint cycle, a daily scrum meeting is held for each project contributor to share: what they completed the day before, what they plan to do today, and hurdles.

A Sprint Review meeting will be held at the end of the sprint to go through accomplishments and adjustments. This evaluation aids in the improvement of future sprint performance.

💫 Using Scrum in Trello:
– Board/Calendar/Table are the views in Trello, they don’t have Grid View, Therefore, the efficiency of the method is significantly reduced.

💫 Using Scrum in UpDiagram:
– Grid View/Calendar/ Board/ Mindmap are the views in UpDiagram. Grid View show all packages and manage Sprints (UpDiagram display full column data fields of task), So the efficiency of the method is increased
– Users allow to create and control Sprints for project
– UpDiagram support project team store product backlogs in Sprints

Scrumban

Scrumban is “the marriage of Scrum and Kanban”. Kanban extends the Scrum technique with metric visualizations and process enhancements. For example, a distinguishing component of the Scrumban approach is the WIP (work in progress) board, which aids in visualizing all tasks from start to finish.
* Read more: Scrumban

This board, divided into three sections (product backlog, add progress, and finished), displays the overall amount of additions to a certain segment. The Scrum team may make changes based on this information in order to keep an eye on workloads.

Drag & Drog tasks

💫 Using Scrumban in Trello:
– Users can Drag & Drop items (tasks)
– Member can add Attachments to make tasks clear

💫 Using Scrumban in UpDiagram:
– Users can Drag & Drop items (tasks), also can move items other Packages (Sprints)
– Member can add Attachments to make tasks clear
– Users allow to create and control Packages (Sprints) for project
– Keep track of the status of tasks

Here are UpDiagram functions that satisfy any project type and project methodologies

UpDiagram is the digital ultimate platform for managing projects, collaborating, integrating, customizing, working smarter, and consolidating all work into a single tool. Let’s look at the functions that relate to the approaches mentioned above.

📊 Dashboards

This is a function that provides users with an overview of the overall development of the project. Track particular tasks, Sprints, the number of tasks each Sprint, and a wealth of other statistics.

Dashboard detail

The methods of optimally exploiting the above function are:
– Agile
– Integrated Project Management (IPM)
– Package Enabled Reengineering (PER)
– Rational Unified Process
– Adaptive project framework (APF)
– Scrumban

🗒 Grid view

Grid View is a view in UpDiagram that allows users to inspect, sort, filter, or organize columns in any way they like. Grid View columns may be filtered to pick desired data or changed in the Custom Field area to assist enhance the viewing experience.

Grid View

The methods of optimally exploiting the above function are:
– SCRUM
– PRINCE2
– GTD
– New Product Introduction (NPI)

✴️ Subitems

UpDiagram’s Subitems will let you break down your jobs. It makes it easier to discuss activities in more depth. Subitems have no effect on large tasks on UpDiagram, but users should be aware that they must finish those Subitems in order to accomplish large tasks.

Using Subitems

The methods of optimally exploiting the above function are:
– Critical Path Method
– Agifall/Hybrid
– Outcome Mapping

🗓 Timeline/due date

Additional timeline and due dates are provided to assist teams in better understanding and managing their product roadmaps. Timelines are established so that managers and teams may understand the status of tasks.

Timeline on Grid View

The methods of optimally exploiting the above function are:
– eXtreme Programming (XP)
– Agile
– Agifall/Hybrid
– Adaptive project framework (APF)

🗂 Kanban view

The Kanban view in UpDiagram is ideal for project teams who need a fast overview of a project, users will know what tasks are in progress and what are the tags of each task. You may choose which fields display above the tables, and you can quickly drag and drop jobs between them.

Tasks on Kanban View

The methods of optimally exploiting the above function are:
– Lean
– Agile
– GTD
– Scrumban

🗂 Package (Sprints)

UpDiagram Packages (Sprints) are group tasks at cycle time, with extra UpDiagram functionality to help teams understand and manage their product roadmap. Packages which are available on all plans, leverage tasks are work items so that teams do not have to depend on other applications to complete their duties.

Change Packages

The methods of optimally exploiting the above function are:
– eXtreme Programming (XP)
– Agile
– Agifall/Hybrid
– Adaptive project framework (APF)

UpDiagram is suitable for a wide variety of project management methods, whether complex or simple. Contact us to learn more about the software and modern management methods. Signup for free! UpDiagram may help you change the way you develop and manage projects now!

The Best Way to Manage Agile Software Development Projects

Have you ever wondered what the advantages of Agile are and why so many professional managers are interested? Managers will tell you about Agile or a few new variants like Scrum and Kanban if you ask them about project management.

The benefits of Agile may be exaggerated, but this methodology truly assists software development teams in sprinting projects and delivering greater goods to clients. So, in this article, UpDigram will present you with The 9 Most Important Advantages of Agile Software Development.

Read more: Agile & Scrum, truly assists

How do you define Agile Software Development?

Agile software development entails dividing huge software projects into claw development periods known as Sprints (each sprint lasts two to four weeks). During which teams build specific features and deliver templates to clients.

Consumers judge the change and provide feedback, which the team incorporates before moving on to the next features. This frequent input, similar to the taste testing you conduct when making a delicious dish, shows you how to enhance the program to satisfy client demands.

Add New Packages On Grid View

Read more: huge software projects, Sprints

What are the Advantages of Agile Software Development?

So here are the top nine advantages of Manage Agile Software development:
– Greater adaptability
– Continuous enhancement
– Improve teamwork
– Boosts motivation
– Metrics that are relevant for data-driven choices
– Improvements in project predictability and control
– Enhances product quality
– Increased client satisfaction
– Greater Return on Investment

Benefits are achieved earlier in the development process this manner.
Read more: Agile development, the Waterfall methodology, Agile team members, Agile principles

Best Way to Manage Agile Software Development Projects?

Certainly, there are also several fantastic Agile benefits for both enterprises and customers. Furthermore, if you want to get the benefits of Agile, you must adopt it correctly. UpDiagram features are designed for the Agile team and it is ideal for enterprises to start your Agile transformation journey.

– How do you make that work?

To get started on your Agile transformation journey right away, we recommend utilizing the world’s most popular Agile project management software. Here’s a brief rundown of key UpDiagram capabilities tailored specifically for Agile teams:

– Views: To easily adjust to project and team needs, pick from four Work Views: Grid, Kanban, Calendar, and Mind Map. Create a project with several heights and angles.

– Packages/Sprints: Manage each Sprint as well as the workload of your team. You may even utilize New Packages to design based system for your backlogs.

– Comments: Task-specific talks and collaboration can help to strengthen teamwork.

– Dashboard: monitor key indicators like velocity, burnup, burndown, and cumulative flow to ensure your projects are on schedule.

– Permissions: Invite stakeholders to your project environment without jeopardizing their privacy.

– Integrations: UpDiagram integrate with Slack to generate and assist you in following, communicating, notifying, and pulling requests from your UpDiagram tasks.

It is Time to Become Agile Manager with UpDiagram

With improved adaptability to faster ROI, the Agile mentality assists teams in avoiding the frequent pitfalls of conventional development.

Thus, if you have software projects with a high level of unpredictability, the Agile operating style can be the appropriate dish for you. With plenty of contemporary functions, UpDiagram makes Agile project management simple.

UpDiagram is an agile software development tool that allows you to solve software development difficulties with agility. Please contact us if you want to learn more about the software, Agile solution and current management practices. Sign up for experience! Now is the time to alter the way you develop and manage projects using UpDiagram!

What is Time Tracking? Benefits and how to use it effectively

For professional project managers, every second(s) of tasks counts in money. So tracking and calculating time is always something they are concerned about. In fact, there are many ways to keep track of time. In the past, they used manual recording methods to keep track of time, in modern times they apply computer science technologies to record time. The trend of using project management tools is increasing, and it is great if a project management software has a time tracking function.

Time Tracking solution for time calculation

Time is an abstract concept, colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Humans cannot “touch” it, but with the need to know the time, people from ancient times have created many different tools, with the purpose of calculating time: hourglass, using writing paper time,…

Instrument diagrams are no longer suitable for track time, so with the trend of technology, project managers have launched Time Tracking, as a completely new way to track the flow of time

It is a kind of computer software function that allows employees to track and record the time it takes to complete a task. This feature is used in many different industries, including freelancers and hourly workers. You can also understand that Time Tracking is like an automatic stopwatch, helping the home. Management and project members are more active in their work. It will record the start time and end time, then give a time, that is the plan the result of the whole recording process (calculated by the end time minus the start time).

For large, professional projects, a stopwatch will be a useless item. Continue reading the blog to see how Time Tracking will be for project management?

Applying Time Tracking function to project management software Project

Managers always face headaches with time management of small tasks, as well as staff time. But with Time Tracking, everything is optimized:

Time will be tracked specifically, making work progress not delayed
Each person will have a different “charging source” of time, clearly each employee.

Because of the optimal ability and efficiency that Time Tracking brings, the management software all possesses this function in their group of time functions. Realizing that efficiency and necessity, the UpDiagram development team. A new generation project management tool, has launched the Time Tracking function in each session management tool with that function.

Management software will optimize the process of calculating the time of your tasks (start – end), this software will give you data such as total, average,. .. the time when performing tasks. The manager will rely on that to calculate the cost for the whole project. In addition, time tracking will integrate with automation technology when used on the tool. Helping to solve work faster, clearer, and more efficiently.

The German proverb says “We need to go with the time, not let the time pass”, this is also the motivation for UpDiagram to develop the Time Tracking function. Users will be able to see the passage of time, helping managers to:

Track details of work completion time
Amount of time worked for employees
It easily costs working time
Create multiple Sessions for complex tasks
Flexible to customize the time

The biggest value that Time Tracking brings is the monetary value. Because for a project manager, the time of tasks can be converted into money. For a human resource manager – an employee’s working time is a whole month’s salary… If time don’t track properly accurately as well as reasonable calculation, which can lead to waste for the manager. In addition to Time Tracking, UpDiagram also has a lot of functions to support through the time flow manager such as Due date – for important dates for those tasks, Timeline helps users to clearly see the progress of tasks. …

It is currently a hot and trending function of project management software. It will not be too difficult to find this function in the management tools. But for the Time Tracking function to resonate with other functions such as Due date, Timeline,… is still quite a few. Contact or book a demo with UpDiagram to learn more about the group of time management functions.

Why is the Import function important for PM software?

Project management is a new profession, but it is evolving at a very fast pace. Along with that development. Project management software is also simultaneously launched. For the purpose of supporting and serving the needs of PM. However, not all software is optimal, you will have to choose a project management tool that is right for you. So the question is if you find new software, will you have to re-import all the old data into the new software?

sources

It also remains to see what your “new home” is, as some project management tools now include a “project input” function. This function will solve the above problem, save time – cost, and more importantly, completely migrate data.

Project management trends by software

The project management industry was born in the years 1841-1915 by two fathers, Henry Gantt and Henri Fayol. It wasn’t until 1950 that the major turning point in the world of project management was when project management was considered a science. This year call “the modern era of project management.”

But this time around PM only manages projects with traditional tools. They do their tasks very well, but it is not optimized for work. So in the process of management, shortcomings still occur. Until later when the Institute of Management Project – PMI was established in 1961. And 1981 build the theoretical system, organized the PMP exams. The knowledge that PMI synthesized was taken as the foundation and developed into project management software.

In the 21st century with the era of digital technology, PMs have learned and mastered the use of project management tools. The time spent tracking each task is too much, it is troublesome to assign personnel… But when using management software, those problems are solved. needs of the PM and based on the theory of PMI created the software as a collaborator. The tools can be mentioned as follows: Monday.com (2012), Jira (2002), UpDiagram (2018),… Up to now, the software for Project Management is increasingly multiplied.

The need for the Import function

The trend of using software products by PM is increasing. Creating an application fever in the domestic and foreign software market. PM can manage multiple projects, but PM can’t use multiple management tools. Each tool will have different functions, depending on different needs. Sometimes managers will be concerned with the cost of the software. Old software has a high cost, you have found new software that is cheap and equally effective. Therefore, constant switching between project management software is essential.

Converting a project from one software to another sounds simple. But if there is no Import function, you will have to:

– It sounds easy but the truth is not, a project is basically a lot of data: images, files, personnel, tasks,…
– If you sit re-entering data from the beginning, with those numbers and words will take a lot of your time, “time is gold” so it will also cost your money.

Understanding what needs and responding promptly, software companies software has developed the Integrate function group with the Import function type.

– The Import function allows users to transfer all the data from the old software to the new software. This is a criterion for evaluating the tool. Is it really good or not.
– The more the management tool has the ability to import, the more attractive it is for users.

Software that can help you “move house”

As mentioned above the most outstanding software in terms of development Import features are:

UpDiagram: with the ability to integrate with 10 different tools and 4 project management software (Jira, Trello, Excel, Assembla) can Import. UpDiagram commits to users 100% data conversation, simple operation, fast-import speed. Users suggest requesting the software to import and the publisher will develop that request into a function.
Monday: There are many Import options for customers with different categories: CRM, Marketing, Software Development, Project Management
Jira: Integrate Jira seems to be more difficult with other tools, but Jira can integrate and get all the other tools.
Trello: Trello developers focus on integrating with supporting tools rather than importing projects from other software.

*Learn about UpDiagram’s Import capabilities here! To exchange information and support, contact us or through the fanpage.

The fundamental reason for software to be better is because of its ability to import. The ability to import makes data entry simple, saving time and costs. Choose software that suits your budget but still ensures features, especially the ability to “move house” – Import.

Hype Cycle: Blockchain Technology is suitable for small businesses

Back in the day, it was considered impossible for a phone to take pictures. But today, taking photos of phones has become the general and biggest standard of phone brands. That technological trend phenomenon is also the phenomenon that is happening with Blockchain Technology today.

In Gartner Hype Cycle terms, this camera technology has successfully crossed a curve, moving from the Innovation Trigger to the Plateau of Productivity. A good phone maker will embrace the place of technology in the Hype Cycle to better understand how they should invest and reach customers.

What is Hype Cycle?

Hype Cycle – described in detail: “Hype Cycle allows businesses to determine when a new type of technology is hyped and when it needs to be in stock. Investing too soon runs the risk of overpaying due to poor performance. Investing too late may cause you to lag behind the competition”.

In short, Hype Cycle is drawn to represent the maturity, adoption, and application in society of all kinds of technologies.

The Hype Cycle is divided into five stages that a product or service goes through:

Innovation Trigger
Peak of Inflated Expectations
Trough of Disillusionment
Slope of Enlightenment
Plateau of Productivity

Blockchain?

Understood as a database system that allows the storage and transmission of information blocks linked by encryption. For finance-focused businesses, their current trend is to include blockchain technology. The Bitcoin Backbone has proven to be an extremely versatile technology, giving us many ways to exchange currencies and manage contracts intelligently.

On the other hand, it’s still new technology. Today we’re going to dive into something that’s trending in the business world. Let’s take a look at Hype Cycle blockchain technologies and clarify how some of the cycle points are applied in small businesses. You will understand each tool that has Hype Cycle blockchain technology and get some recommendations based on current trends of the technology.

Why should finance staff care?

Anyone working in the financial sector must be aware of what is happening in the implementation of financial technology. Hype Cycle: blockchain can help you deal with “what help you survive in a rapidly growing field”. Not only are fintechs placed in the five segments mentioned above, but each segment is also given a “Time to Plateau” estimate.

This type of information is especially useful for financial managers and accountants. Although Hype Cycle can control those who pursue technology. It can also help you push conservative “slow-tech” managers down the technology path.

Innovation Trigger — quantum computing

10 years to go until the “Plateau of Productivity” reach, quantum computing is still an idea, not a reality. Even so, the threat of quantum computing is one of the threats that the blockchain world must be concerned with.

In short, quantum computing allows computations to be performed hundreds of thousands of times faster than instead of running on zero and one, quantum computers run on an infinite number of states from 0 to 1. Instead of performing one calculation before switching to In the next calculation, quantum computers can manage multiple processes at the same time. Because blockchain technology is based on cryptography – one of the things that computing quantum is very good – so quantum computation should affect it. You will need large systems to make an impact on the basics of blockchain.

Finally, it is possible to end up with “quantum-ready blockchain”, built on new technology and more difficult algorithms.

To do:

Make sure any blockchain technology you adopt has a plan for quantum computing.
Read about quantum computers. Even if your business has nothing to do with blockchain, quantum computing will likely affect the security you use. We may be more than a decade away from that impact, but it’s never too early to start preparing.

Peak of Inflated Expectations — Distributed Ledgers

With 5 to 10 years from now, until it reaches its peak, distributed ledger technology (Distributed Ledgers) will still be at the Peak of Inflated Expectations.

The distributed ledger is the backbone of a blockchain, containing information about all the transactions that have taken place in the chain. In many ways, distributed ledgers are like traditional databases with a few key differences.

The biggest difference is that distributed ledgers do not have a single location in which they reside. Everyone involved in the blockchain has a copy of the ledger.

There are also major differences in how data add to the ledger. Instead of the “Single source of truth” that everyone copies, each participant decides “the truth” for themselves. Participants then vote, all of which are automat, estimate, and only added with a majority consensus.

The beauty of the system:

First: There is no place to keep all the important information, eliminating all dependence on a single provider or service.
Second: No one dependent on any single provider can – in theory – change history by changing records. That allows every participant to trust that the data they are holding is the true representation of what happened.

Right now, there are challenges around scaling private distributed ledgers, and the value of a Distributed Ledger relative to existing technology remains murky.

To do:

Plan to have a clear understanding of the benefits and challenges of distributed ledger technology. From there, you can compile a list of your business needs, allowing you to quickly evaluate new Distributed Ledgers technologies as they hit the market.
To plan well and create efficiency, you can use the project management tool UpDigaram. As a project management software, UpDiagram is the right tool for you to apply in your project “Distributed Ledgers technology assessment”.
Start working with existing Distributed Ledgers technology to see how it can make your business run more smoothly or give users more control without compromising efficiency. Distributed ledgers have major benefits for financial companies and the businesses they serve. See if your business can benefit.

Other Hype Cycle Points

These are just 2 of the nearly 20 technologies on blockchain technology’s Hype Cycle. Are any of these technologies evolving in your business or do you have plans for them in the next five years? What other trends do you think there will be?