ScrumWorks

ScrumWorks Desktop Client User Guide - Version 1.7.0 beta

Thank you for using ScrumWorks! This guide should help you get off the ground with the ScrumWorks Desktop Client, the multi-user network desktop application. New users are encouraged to read the Quick Start Guide first for a product use overview. Please visit our support site with any questions or to report issues.
Quick Links
Getting Started The Product Chooser The Product Backlog Window The Sprint Detail Window The Impediment Window Team Management User Management Reports


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    Getting Started

    General Precautions
    As with all systems, please ask your database administrator to make periodic back-ups of the ScrumWorks database. There is no "UNDO" button so user error may result in a loss of data.

    Although one ScrumWorks server handles multiple users, please be careful to avoid write conflicts when simultaneously editing a single Product. Although ScrumWorks receives changes from the server with each request, you can use the Refresh function to manually update your screen if you suspect it's been altered (File > Refresh or the F5 shortcut key).

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    Prerequisites
    1. The operating systems supported are Windows 2000/XP, Linux and Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger).

    2. The minimum hardware requirements are 128 MB of RAM and 150 MB of disk space.

    3. Java Web Start installed (J2SE 5.0). If you have the JRE installed, Web Start is already installed on your machine. If you need to install the latest JRE go to:
      http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp

    4. Intranet/Internet connection for the duration of your ScrumWorks session. A broadband connection is highly recommended for Internet use.


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    Client Installation
    ScrumWorks is a client-server application; that is, there is a desktop client that reads and stores data on a centralized server. This User Guide is intended for end users, see the server installation documentation for instructions on installing the ScrumWorks server component.

    The ScrumWorks Desktop Client is a Java application that launches via Java Web Start. Java Web Start works by locally caching the application and obtaining updates from the server when available. All data access and storage is done on the server over a network connection, so you must stay connected to the intranet/internet during the course of your session.

    1. Install Java 2: make sure the latest JRE or Java SDK is installed on your computer.

    2. Point your favorite internet browser to your server's installation:
      http://hostname:8080/scrumworks
      where "hostname" should be replaced with the hostname or IP address of the server where the ScrumWorks server-side component is installed.

    3. A screen should present you with two boxes, "ScrumWorks Desktop Client" and "ScrumWorks Web Client". Click "Launch ScrumWorks Desktop Client" in the "ScrumWorks Desktop Client" box.

    4. If your browser asks you whether to Save or Open the file, choose "Open" file. At this point, Java should begin loading.

    5. Java Web Start will launch, and ScrumWorks will download and run. The first launch will take longer than subsequent launches. When the server installation of ScrumWorks is updated, clients will automatically receive the updates on their next launch.


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    License Activation
    A valid license is required to run ScrumWorks. License files give ScrumWorks an expiration date. You should've received a trial license when downloading ScrumWorks. Alternatively, you can request one during the ScrumWorks installation or anytime through the ScrumWorks web site. Full licenses are offered at no cost. Please contact us to receive a full license free of charge.

    Once you have obtained a license file by email, please follow the directions below to activate your ScrumWorks software.
    1. Launch the ScrumWorks Desktop Client application as described above.


    2. If you do not have a valid license installed, a red error dialog will appear at the top of the login prompt. At the Login prompt, click the button labeled "Licensing...".


    3. The License Key Entry window has two empty read-only fields. Click the "Browse..." button on the bottom right of the window.


    4. An "Open" dialog will prompt you for your license file. The license file has the extension "license". Please locate it on your computer and click "Open".


    5. Your license key and signature will automatically populate the empty fields on the License Key Entry window. Click OK to accept without editing the contents of the input.

    Your license is accepted if you do not receive an error. If you receive an error dialog, please follow the steps again and be sure that the license file was not modified in any way after receiving it. IF YOU MODIFY THE FILE CONTENTS, THE LICENSE ENTRY PROCESS WILL FAIL.

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    Authentication
    Please be sure that you have properly activated your license before attempting to log in.

    Once you have obtained a valid license file, please follow these steps:
    1. Launch the application as described above.

    2. At the Login prompt, enter your login name and password. Note, your login name is different than your First and Last name. Your login name and password is originally created by the default Administrator user using the User Manager. By default, the Administrator's login name is "administrator" with password "password".

    3. Click OK to continue, or Cancel to exit.


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    Getting Started with Products
    Launch the ScrumWorks Desktop Client and use it to create a new product.

    1. Click the "File" menu, select "New", then "Product" from the drop down menu.

    2. You will then be prompted for various product attributes.

    3. Product Name: Enter any characters (including spaces) to uniquely identify the project.

    4. Initial Release Name: The system creates a default release for new products. Initially, all sprints and backlog items (work) will appear in this release.

    5. Backlog Effort Units: Users can define any units for Backlog Items (hours, days, function points, etc.). Scrum does not define a standard backlog effort unit. NOTE: your choice in this field can be modified later through the "File" > "Properties" menu.

    6. Once the Product is created, the Product Backlog Window appears.

    Users can open the Product in the future from the main menu: "File" > "Open Product".

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    Close an open Product
    There is no explicit "close product" functionality. User work is saved on the server at every step. Simply exit the program or close the main window, or open a new product from the File menu.

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    The Product Chooser

    The Product Chooser is where you start. It gives a quick look at each Product managed by ScrumWorks and lets you choose which Product to open.
    Opening a Product
    The "Open Product" dialog has three sections:
    • Recently Opened Products (most recent first)
      • Lists your five most recently opened products

    • All Products (alphabetically)
      • Lists all Products currently managed by ScrumWorks

    • Sprint(s)
      • Shows the most recent Sprint(s) for the currently selected product

    An "Active" product is one which contains a currently running Sprint, had a Sprint that finished within five days, or has a Sprint that will start in the next five days.

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    The Product Backlog Window

    The Product Backlog window is a dual column interface with current and historical "committed" information on the left and "uncommitted" information on the right. The left pane shows the committed Sprints (historical and currently running), grouped by teams, while the right side contains "uncommitted" backlog items and releases. The right side can be used for potential release planning as well as product owner backlog item prioritization (note that releases can simply be "groups" of backlog items). The left side can be used for planning sprints, making daily updates, or for sprint reviews.


    When Sprints are created on the left, uncommitted backlog items on the right can be dragged across the divider into Sprints on the left.
    Refresh data from server
    Because ScrumWorks is a multi-user system, there is a possibility that the data represented on a user's screen is out of synch with changes made by another user. To compensate for this problem, ScrumWorks offers a screen refresh capability for the Product Backlog window.
    1. From the File menu, select "Refresh". Alternatively, use the shortcut key: F5.

    2. Any changes on the server will be updated on the Product Backlog window.
    ScrumWorks also performs periodic updates: after 30 minutes of inactivity, a dialog warns that the information shown is outdated. When closing this dialog, the desktop client fetches updates from the server. Users have the choice of making this update happen automatically.
    1. Either by selecting the option "Automatically refresh" on the warning dialog

    2. Or from the preferences menu ("User" > "User Preferences").
    Each time you make an update to the data, ScrumWorks receives changes since the last update. This may cause things to move slightly on your screen.

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    Create a new Product Backlog Item (PBI)
    There are several ways to create a PBI in the Product Backlog window.
    1. Click the "File" > "New" > "Backlog Item" menu item from the Product Backlog window. This will create an uncommitted Backlog Item in the ongoing or most recent Release.

    2. Right-click on a Release on the right pane, and select the "Add new Backlog Item to this Release" option from the context menu, to create a PBI in the selected Release.

    3. Right-click on a Sprint on the left pane, and select the "Add new Backlog Item to this Sprint" option from the context menu, to create a PBI in the selected Sprint.

    When performing either of the above actions, an input dialog is shown.
    1. Enter a Title (visible from Product Backlog window).

    2. See Description Field Editing and Syntax for tips on entering a description.

    3. Enter the Estimated effort remaining in the units specified for the product. Please note that effort estimates must be whole numbers (no decimals).

    4. When a Backlog Item is created using the "File" menu or a Sprint's context menu, you can select the Release associated with the Backlog Item. When created using a Release's context menu, the Backlog Item is automatically associated with that Release.

    5. Click OK.


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    Delete Product Backlog Item
    Product Backlog Items can be deleted in ScrumWorks, but deleting PBIs can have unintended consequences when it comes to metrics. PBI effort estimate values and the historical log of changes to those values are used in Scrum metrics like the Product Burndown Chart.

    Please consider carefully before deleting a PBI whether a) the PBI has outlived its use but was historically meaningful in the project, or b) whether the PBI was a mistake and effort estimate history should not be tracked for this PBI in metrics like the Product Burndown Chart. ScrumWorks therefore gives users the option of simply removing the PBI from view or permanently removing the PBI and all effort estimation history.

    For example, a user may create a "test" backlog item and assign it effort. The user then intends to delete the PBI because it was only a "test". In this case, the user probably wishes to permanently remove all effort estimation history in the delete operation.

    As a counterexample, consider a PBI that was added by the Product Owner several sprints before the current sprint. Now, however, the Product Owner announces to the team that this PBI is no longer needed for the product because business conditions have changed. In "deleting" the PBI, the team probably wants to preserve the effort impact this PBI imparted on previous sprints because removing its history would skew certain metrics.
    1. Right-click the PBI in question and choose "Delete Backlog Item" from the drop down menu.

    2. A dialog will ask the user whether to preserve the PBI's estimation history during this operation. Choosing "Yes" will preserve the history but remove the item from view; choosing "No" will permanently delete the item and all estimation history; choosing "Cancel" will abort the operation. Warning: this is an irreversible decision; once deleted, PBIs cannot be restored or undeleted.


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    Completed Product Backlog Items
    Product Backlog Items can be marked "Done" to signify completion of the feature or technical task represented. Product Backlog Items are completed in Sprints, and contribute toward the team's Velocity when marked "Done" in the context of the Sprint.

    Backlog Items can be marked "Done" in one of two ways:
    • Using the Backlog Editor:

      1. Double-click the PBI in question to open the edit dialog.

      2. Check the box labeled "Is Done?". Click "OK" to save the change.

    • Using the context menu:

      1. Right-click on the Backlog Item to bring up the context menu.

      2. Click "Mark Backlog Item as done".
    The Product Backlog Planner will indicate the done status with a green check mark and greyed text.

    Note: Product Backlog Items may only be finished as part of a Sprint, and as such cannot be marked "Done" unless associated to a Sprint. Product Backlog Items marked "Done" cannot be moved to the Uncommitted Backlog; the "Done" flag must first be unchecked.

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    Prioritize Product Backlog Items
    Backlog Items can be prioritized within the committed/uncommitted column it currently resides as well as across columns using drag-n-drop.
    1. To prioritize a PBI ahead of another PBI, left click and drag the PBI.

    2. The cursor will change when dragging. The outline of a box will appear in places where the PBI can safely be dropped. The position of the drop will be indicated by a horizontal black line that demonstrates the drop target.

    3. The cursor will change to a circle with a line through it (no smoking) if the drop target is invalid.

    4. Release the mouse button when the valid drop target indicates the desired priority.

    5. You may reprioritize a block of multiple Backlog Items together. Click here for detailed instructions.


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    Edit Product Backlog Items
    1. Double-click the PBI row in the Product Backlog window. (Alternatively: right-click the PBI, choose "Edit Backlog Item").

    2. The Backlog editor dialog will open. Make changes and save with "OK." (See Description Field Editing and Syntax for tips on entering a description.)


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    Edit Product Backlog Item Estimate History
    1. Double-click the PBI row in the Product Backlog window. (Alternatively: right-click the PBI, choose "Edit Backlog Item").

    2. The Backlog editor dialog will open. Click the button labeled "History".

    3. Add new entries using the text entry fields on the left and pressing 'Add'. The estimate is added to the table on the right ordered by date. No duplicate dates are allowed.

    4. To delete an entry, select one or more rows in the table. Right-click and select 'Delete'. Alternatively, you can press the 'Delete' key on your keyboard after selecting the estimate(s).

    5. To cancel editing, just press the 'Cancel' button. No changes will be saved.


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    Add Tasks to Product Backlog Items
    1. Right-click the PBI in question and choose "Add New Task for this Backlog Item" from the drop down menu.

    2. The Task editor dialog will open. Enter the Task Title, Task Description (See Description Field Editing and Syntax for tips on entering a description), the Point Person and Estimated Hours remaining for the task. The associated product backlog item will be pre-selected but may be changed at this time.
      Note: you can use the Task Description field to list any specific "definition of done".

    3. Click OK to save, or Cancel to abort.


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    Prioritize Tasks
    Tasks can be prioritized within the Product Backlog Item in which they currently reside using drag-n-drop.
    1. To prioritize a Task ahead of another Task, left-click and drag the Task staying within the confines of the current Product Backlog Item. To move a task from the current Backlog Item to another Backlog Item, drag the task outside of the confines of the current Backlog Item and into the confines of the target Backlog Item.

    2. The cursor will change when dragging. The outline of a box will appear in places where the Task can safely be dropped. The position of the drop will be indicated by a horizontal black line that demonstrates the drop target.

    3. The cursor will change to a circle with a line through it (no smoking) if the drop target is invalid.

    4. Release the mouse button when the valid drop target indicates the desired priority.

    Process Tip: Although the Scrum process does not encourage the prioritization of tasks by "management", ScrumWorks allows users to prioritize tasks relatively using drag-n-drop. According to Scrum, only team members, and not managers or product owners, prioritize tasks.

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    Edit Tasks
    1. Double-click the Sprint task row in question in the Product Backlog window.

    2. Edit as desired and click OK to save or Cancel to discard changes. See Description Field Editing and Syntax for tips on entering a description.


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    Move Tasks between Backlog Items
    1. Left-click the task in question and drag the task.

    2. The cursor will change when dragging. The outline of a box will appear in places where the PBI can safely be dropped. The position of the drop will be indicated by a horizontal black line that demonstrates the drop target.

    3. The cursor will change to a circle with a line through it (no smoking) if the drop target is invalid.

    4. Release the mouse button when the valid drop target indicates the desired priority.


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    Delete Tasks
    1. Right-click the Task in question and choose "Delete Task" from the menu.

    2. A dialog will ask you to confirm the action. Warning: this is an irreversible decision; once deleted, Tasks cannot be restored or undeleted.


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    Create New Sprint
    1. Click the "File" > "New" > "Sprint" menu item from the Product Backlog window.

    2. A dialog will open asking for the start and finish dates for the sprint (you can change these later if you need to). Please note the currently acceptable date format is mm/dd/yyyy if you are in the USA (server locale is en_US). Elsewhere, the acceptable date format is dd/mm/yyyy.

    3. Sprints can be named. Provide a text string name that will appear next to the Sprint dates in the Sprint header row. If your Scrum teams are working from the same backlog, the name field is a nice way to distinguish the teams' sprints.

    4. Sprint Goals can be written in free-text format. Your text will be parsed and bullet points added where carriage returns exist. Edit the default text as desired. See Description Field Editing and Syntax for tips on entering goals.

    5. Note: starting from release 1.7.0, Sprints are not associated with Releases, instead Backlog Items preserve their Release associations when they are committed to a Sprint. This change was made in order to enable the ability to work on multiple Releases in a Sprint.

    6. Team: select a team which will be responsible for completing the work added to this Sprint. The Committed Backlog pane is grouped by teams, making managing work for a single team easy. You can find out more about teams here.

    7. Click "OK" to save the Sprint.


      A red line will appear in the Committed Backlog column in the Product Backlog window representing the new Sprint.


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    Adding Product Backlog Items to Sprints
    Product Backlog Items can be added to Sprints two ways:
    • Drag and drop:

      1. To move an existing PBI into a sprint, drag-n-drop the PBI in question onto the sprint header row (or onto any PBI that is already a part of the Sprint).

      2. Release the PBI to add it to the Sprint.

      3. You may move multiple PBIs into a sprint. Click here for detailed instructions.
    • Context menu:

      1. Right-click on the line of the Sprint you would like the Backlog Item to belong to.

      2. Select "Add new Backlog Item to this sprint". It will be added at the top of the Sprint.

    PBIs may be prioritized using drag and drop within a Sprint.

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    Edit Sprint Start Date, End Date, and Goals
    1. Right-click the Sprint row in question in the Product Backlog window.

    2. Choose "Edit Sprint" from the drop down menu.

    3. Edit in the dialog window as desired, click "OK" to save, or "Cancel" to discard changes. See Description Field Editing and Syntax for tips on entering goals.


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    Delete an Empty Sprint
    Sprints that do not contain any backlog items or tasks may be deleted. However, to protect against deleting data accidentally, users cannot delete populated sprints.
    1. Move any backlog items out of the sprint using drag-n-drop, or delete them using the context menu.

    2. Right-click the sprint row and select "Delete Sprint" from the context menu.

    3. Click "Yes" to confirm, or "No" to cancel the deletion.


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    Hide Historical Sprints
    With lengthy projects, it may be desirable to hide past (historical) sprints from view:
    1. From the "View" menu, select "Past Sprints".

    2. Select the number of historical sprints to be made visible.
    Note: a sprint is "past" if the last day of sprint occured before the current day. Currently running or future sprint may not be hidden from view.

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    Create New Release
    1. Click "File" > "New" > "Release" from the Product Backlog window.

    2. A dialog will open asking for release name. Optionally, you can also enter a release start and end date. These are used for reporting purposes. Press OK, or cancel to abort.

    3. The release will be represented as a blue line in the Uncommitted Backlog column of the Product Backlog window.


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    Adding Product Backlog Items to Releases
    There are three ways to add PBIs to releases:
    • Drag and Drop Existing Backlog Items:

      1. You may move multiple, existing PBIs from a Sprint into a Release on the uncommitted backlog, or between releases in the uncommitted backlog. Click here for detailed instructions.

    • "New Backlog Item" menu item:

      1. Click the "File" > "New" > "Backlog Item" menu item from the Backlog Planner.

      2. Enter the Backlog Item information and click "OK". The item will be added to the release of the most recent sprint.

      3. If necessary, drag and drop the Backlog Item into the proper Release.

    • Context menu:

      1. Right-click on the line of the Release or Sprint you would like the Backlog Item to belong to.

      2. Select "Add Product Backlog Item to this Release". It will be added at the top of the Release.
    To prioritize PBIs within releases, drag and drop the PBIs such that the highest priority PBIs are located at the top of the release (closer to the release header row).

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    Delete an Empty Release
    Releases that do not contain any sprints, backlog items or tasks may be deleted. However, users cannot delete populated releases. There must be one release per project at all times.
    1. Move any sprints and backlog items out of the release using drag-n-drop, or delete them using the context menus.

    2. Right-click the release row and select "Delete Release" from the context menu.

    3. Click "Yes" to confirm, or "No" to cancel the deletion.


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    Delete a Product
    Administrators can delete products using the "File > Delete Current Product" function.
    1. Select "Delete Current Product" from the File menu.

    2. Click "Yes" to confirm, or "No" to cancel the deletion.
    3. If you would like your database to be backed up first, select 'Yes', otherwise click 'No'. 'Cancel' aborts the delete operation.
    4. If the backup and deletion are successful, you will receive a success message. If not, an error message will appear.


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    Backlog Effort Column
    The Backlog Effort column is the estimated effort remaining for individual PBIs. There are also some cumulative summary rows: The Sprint Rows and the Uncommitted Product Backlog Items rows. These values are the summed total of PBI estimated effort remaining for PBIs in specific Sprints as well as uncommitted PBIs (respectively). These values are based on PBI estimated effort remaining even though a PBI has been decomposed into Sprint tasks with their own estimated effort remaining. ScrumWorks intentionally tracks these values separately as they can be used to generate different metrics.

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    Task Effort Column
    This column represents the estimated effort remaining for each task created.

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    Description Field Editing and Syntax
    URLs in the description fields for Product Backlog Items, Tasks, Impediments, and Sprint Goals are clickable, like in a browser.

    Hypertext links can be added to description fields simply by entering a URL. For example:
    • http://danube.com
    • mailto:name@company.com
    • file:///c:/My%20Documents/MyFile.txt
    • ftp://ftpserver.com/
    • http://www.google.com/search?q=scrumworks
    Note that if you want to enter a URL which contain spaces, you have to replace them with the character sequence '%20'.

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    Collapsing Backlog Items
    If a Sprint contains Backlog Items, it can be collapsed to hide the Backlog Items. Similarly, Releases can be collapsed if they contain Backlog Items and Backlog Items can be collapsed if they contain Tasks.

    To collapse a Sprint, Release, or Backlog Item, click the '-' (minus) icon next to the title. To uncollapse the item, click the '+' (plus) icon.

    When a Backlog Item is collapsed, the sum of its tasks' hours will appear in the 'Task Hours' column.

    The list of items you have collapsed is stored on the server. The next time you open the product, the Sprints, Releases, and Backlog Items you collapsed in the last session will still be collapsed. Each user's preferences are stored separately so you don't have to worry about having your changes stepped on.

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    Selecting Multiple Backlog Items
    Within the Product Backlog window, you may select multiple Backlog Items for dragging and dropping between Sprints in the committed backlog, or between a Sprint and the uncommitted backlog. You may also drag and drop multiple Backlog Items within the uncommitted backlog (reprioritization).

    You may select a set of adjacent Backlog Items or noncontiguous groups:
    • To select a set of adjacent Backlog Items, single click on a Backlog Item with the left button, move the mouse cursor over the last Backlog Item to be selected, and click on the <shift> key and the left mouse button. ScrumWorks will highlight all the Backlog Items from the first one selected through the last.

    • To select noncontiguous Backlog Items, single click on the first Backlog Item with the left button, move the mouse cursor over the next Backlog Item to be selected, and click on the <ctrl> key and the left mouse button. Repeat the last step for each Backlog Item to be selected.

    • You may remove Backlog Items from the selection by moving the mouse cursor over a selected Backlog Item, and clicking on the <ctrl> key and the left mouse button.


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    Find in the Product Backlog
    You can search product backlog item titles for particular items, using the menu item "Edit" > "Find..." (shortcut <ctrl>-F).

    Using the search dialog, you can find any item in the product backlog which contains the search term entered in it's title.
    You can navigate through the results using the "Next" and "Previous" buttons, or the following shortcut keys:
    • Next result: <ctrl>-G, <alt>-N
    • Previous result: <ctrl>-<shift>-G, <alt>-P
    When done, you can close the Find dialog using the "Close" button (shortcuts: <alt>-C, Esc).

    You can also use the "Find" field at the top of the Product Backlog Window. This find field is incremental. As you type, the selector will move to the next match. If there is no match, the find field will change colors. The shortcut keys work as described above.

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    Exporting the Product Backlog
    You can export the product backlog into an Excel document, using the "File" > "Export" menu.

    The exported Excel document contains all data about the open Product:
    • All Sprints
    • All Releases
    • All Backlog Items, both committed and uncommitted, including the ones which were deleted (if you chose to keep their histories).
    • All Tasks
    • Impediments, both resolved and open


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    Importing into the Product Backlog
    The import window which can be opened with the "File" > "Import..." menu lets you import the content of an Excel document into a Release. When you open the import window, you can import Backlog Items and Tasks by performing the following steps:
    1. Select a Release on the left side of the window. The imported Backlog Items and Tasks will be added to the top of the selected Release.
    2. Use the "Browse" button to select an Excel document which contains the Backlog Items and the Tasks to import. When the file is selected, the content of the file will appear in the center "Preview" panel.
    3. To import the Backlog Items and Tasks shown in the preview, click "Import". The import window will be closed and the Backlog Items and Tasks will be added to the selected Release in the same order as they appeared in the "Preview" panel.

    The format of the import files:

    The rows of the import files describe either Backlog Items or Tasks. Tasks belong to the last Backlog Item in the file before them. As the content of the import files are imported into Releases, every task in the import files need to belong to a Backlog Item (ie. the first row in the file must be a Backlog Item row).
    The columns have the following content:
    • A: Backlog Item Title. Must be empty if the row represents a Task.
    • B: Task Title. Must be empty if the row represents a Backlog Item.
    • C: Backlog Item/Task Description.
    • D: Backlog Item/Task Estimate. Must contain a non-negative integer.
    Example:
    ABCD
    Backlog Item Title PBI description 5
    Task 1 title Task 1 description 7
    Task 2 title Task 2 description 3
    Backlog Item 2 Title PBI 2 description 9
    Task 3 title Task 3 description 2


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    Backing Up ScrumWorks Data
    ScrumWorks data may be backed up by the Administrator user manually from the Desktop Application:
    1. Log in as the Administrator user.

    2. From the "File" menu, select "Create Backup"

    3. ScrumWorks will create a backup of your data and will place it in the directory:
      INSTALLDIR/server/scrumworks/data/hypersonic/backup-yyyy-mm-dd
    Note: During the brief duration of the actual backup, the desktop client will not be available to Desktop Client users. This is momentary and users are notified of the outage. No action is required by an administrator to resume normal operation afterwards.

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    Creating and Applying Themes
    "Themes" are a handy way to label or group product backlog items in the ScrumWorks backlog. You can apply multiple Themes to a single product backlog item because Themes are not hierarchical, unlike folders. Later, we'll show you how to filter and highlight Themes in the backlog.

    There are three ways to create and apply themes to product backlog items:
    1. Right click the backlog item to which you wish to apply a new Theme and choose "Apply Theme" and then "New Theme". Enter a Theme name, then click "OK"

    2. Select a product backlog item row in the Product Backlog Window. From the Themes menu, select "Apply Themes" and then "New Theme". Enter a Theme name, then click "OK".

    3. From the Themes menu, select "Edit themes" and then "New Theme". Enter a Theme name, then click "OK".

    Once a Theme exists, you can apply themes to Backlog Items in two ways:
    1. Right click the product backlog item you to which you wish to apply a Theme. Choose "Apply Theme" and then select the Theme you wish to apply.

    2. Select a product backlog item row in the Product Backlog Window. From the Themes menu, choose "Apply Theme" and then select the Theme you wish to apply.


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    Editing and Merging Themes
    Themes can be edited (renamed) as follows:
    1. From the Themes menu, select "Edit themes".

    2. Select the theme you wish to alter and click the "Edit" button.

    3. Make the desired changes and click the "OK" button to save, or "Cancel" to abort.
    Themes can easily be merged together. For example, the Themes "abc" and "xyz" can be merged into one, in this case say "abc", by editing the "xyz" theme and renaming it "abc". If a single item had both "abc" and "xyz" Themes, only the "abc" theme shall remain after this operation.

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    Removing Themes
    There are three ways to remove associations between Themes and product backlog items:
    1. Right click the product backlog item to which you wish to disassociate from a Theme and choose "Remove Theme". Select the Theme you wish to remove from the product backlog item.

    2. Select a product backlog item row in the Product Backlog Window. From the Themes menu, select "Remove Themes". Select the Theme you wish to remove from the product backlog item.

    3. Deleting a Theme entirely will remove a Theme's association from product backlog items.


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    Deleting Themes
    Themes can be deleted entirely as follows:
    1. From the Themes menu, select "Edit themes".

    2. Select the theme you wish to delete and click the "Delete" button.

    3. Click "Yes" to confirm or "No" to cancel.
    Deleted themes will no longer appear associated to any product backlog item. Be careful, as there is no "undo" for this operation.

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    Show and Hide Themes
    Themes are visible as text labels in square brackets prepending product backlog item titles. Themes are visible by default. A user may choose to hide Themes:
    1. From the Themes menu, uncheck "Show Themes" by selecting it.

      2. To make Themes visible again:
    2. From the Themes menu, check "Show Themes" by selecting it.


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    Highlight Themes
    To aid visual identification of Themes, highlight a Theme in the product backlog:
    1. From the Themes menu, select "Highlight".

    2. Select the theme you wish to highlight.

    3. Product backlog items labeled with the selected theme will display a yellow background color. Highlighting affects both the committed and uncommitted portions of the screen. To indicate status, the highlighted Theme shall be displayed at the top of both sides of the product backlog.
    Remove highlighting:
    1. From the Themes menu, select "No Filter/Highlight".


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    Filter Themes
    The product backlog may be filtered for particular Themes. Because a filtered view is only a subset of the product backlog, no prioritization (drop actions) may happen within a filtered list.

    There are two primary filter modes. In the first, both the Committed and Uncommitted portions of the Product Backlog Window are filtered. The second mode limits filtering to just the Uncommitted side of the window. When only the Uncommitted side is filtered, product backlog items may be moved from the Uncommitted to the Committed portion of the window.

    To filter the product backlog for a particular theme:
    1. From the Themes menu, select either "Filter Committed & Uncommitted" or "Uncommitted only" as per your desire.

    2. Select the theme you wish to filter.

    3. Only product backlog items labeled with the selected theme will be displayed in the filtered portion of the window. To indicate status, the filtered Theme shall be displayed at the top of the filtered list. A "No Drop" label will indicate whether or not drop operations are permitted.
    Remove filters:
    1. From the Themes menu, select "No Filter/Highlight".



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    The Sprint Detail Window

    The second major ScrumWorks Desktop Client window is the "Sprint Detail" window. For example, the ScrumWorks team uses a projector to show the Sprint Detail view on a conference room wall during daily scrum meetings at Danube Technologies.
    Open Sprint Detail Window
    There are two ways to open the Sprint Detail Window:
    1. Double-click any sprint header row in the Product Backlog window.

    2. The Sprint Detail Window for a currently active sprint will open automatically when the product is opened.


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    Add Sprint Tasks
    1. Once PBIs have been added to Sprints from the Product Backlog window, open the Sprint Detail window by double-clicking the Sprint header row and click the "New Task" button in the Sprint Detail Window.

    2. Enter the Task Title, Task Description (note: this space can be used to list the "definition of done"), the point person, the status of the task, Estimated Hours remaining for the task, and choose the associated PBI.


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    Edit Sprint Tasks
    1. Double-click the Task title in question in the Sprint Detail window.

    2. Edit as desired and click OK to save or Cancel to discard changes.


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    Update Sprint Task "Hours Left" (Estimated Time Remaining)
    There are two ways to update task hours remaining:
    Either Edit Sprint Task as described above and modify the Estimated Hours Remaining field, or:

    1. Select the Sprint task row in question in the Sprint Detail window.

    2. Double-click into the "Hours Left" field. The field is now editable. Update the estimated hours remaining using whole number increments (integers).

    3. Click or tab out of the field to save. To leave the field without saving changes hit the "Esc" key twice, before doing anything else.


      While "Hours Left" is displayed as a single number per task, ScrumWorks records all previous values and the dates modified. These changes are reflected in the sprint burndown graph.


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    Sort and Sub-sort
    Users can sort Tasks by each column in the Sprint Detail window.
    1. Click desired column once to sort descending.

    2. Click desired column a second time to sort ascending.

    3. Click desired column a third time to sort by the default.

      Default sort is by "Point Person Descending". You can sort by multiple columns by holding the "ctrl" key and clicking additional column headers. For example, first click on Point Person, then hold "ctrl" and click the Hours Left column to sub-sort by Hours Left.

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    Hide Completed Tasks
    By default, the ScrumWorks Sprint Detail window will hide any tasks with a "Done" status attribute and a Task Hours estimate of "0". The "Hide Completed Tasks" option is on by default. Unchecking this box will show a complete list of all tasks, even those with "Done" status attributes.

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    Historical Task Data
    By default, the ScrumWorks Sprint Detail window hides historical task estimate data and displays only the most current "Hours Left" for a given task. Unchecking this box will expand the task list horizontally by adding a column for each day of the sprint. User should scroll horizontally to see the complete data set. Numbers correspond to a specific task's historical estimate for the given day. Blank fields indicate no change.

    Note: When "Show Most Recent Estimates Only" is unchecked, tasks marked "Done" cannot be hidden.

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    Re-size Sprint Detail Window Panels
    The Sprint Detail window is made up of three panes that can be re-sized independently. Click the divider bars between the panes and move as desired.

    Click the arrow icons on the divider bars to quickly collapse the panes.

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    The Impediment Window

    Add Impediments
    1. From the Sprint Detail Window, click the "Impediments" tab under the Sprint Activities.

    2. Click the "New Impediment" button.

    3. Enter a date, Summary, Detail, and Point Person. See Description Field Editing and Syntax for tips on entering details.

    4. Optionally, you can change the Team field if the new impediment applies to a team other than the one selected or all teams.
    5. Click OK to save or Cancel to discard.


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    Edit/Resolve Impediments
    1. From the Sprint Detail Window, click the "Impediments" tab under the Sprint Activities.

    2. Double-click the row corresponding to the impediment in question.

    3. Edit the text fields, or click the "Resolved" checkbox to indicate that the impediment is resolved.


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    Team Management

    To help manage the development of large Products, more than one Team may work on the same Product. Starting with version 1.4.1, ScrumWorks lets the Administrator create Teams. Each Team has one or more Team Members associated with it, working on the Sprints created for the Team.
    For smaller groups with only one Team, there is a default Team named "Team 1". You can skip this section if you're not going to have multiple Teams.

    The Admin user can add new Teams, change the Teams' composition, and delete Teams using the Team Manager window. It can be accessed by selecting the menu item "User" > "Team Manager" (shortcut key: <ctrl>-T).
    Creating a New Team
    1. Click the "New Team" button.

    2. Enter the name of the new Team in the "Team Name" text field.

    3. Select the Team Members of the new Team from the list "Available Team Members". If you didn't create any Users yet, this list will be empty. See User Management on how to create Users.

    4. Click "<<", to add the selected persons to the Team.

    5. Click "OK" or "Apply" to save, and "Cancel" to abort.


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    Update a Team's name or Team Members (Admin only)
    1. Select a Team from the "Teams" list by clicking on the Team's name.

    2. Edit the name of the Team in the "Team Name" text field, as desired.

    3. To add new Team Members to this team, select the ones to be added from the list "Available Team Members". Click "<<" to add the selected persons to the Team.

    4. To remove Team Members from the team, select the ones to be removed from the list "Current Team Members". Click ">>" to remove them from the Team.

    5. Click "OK" or "Apply" to save, and "Cancel" to abort.


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    Deleting a Team (Admin only)
    1. Select the Team to be deleted from the "Teams" list by clicking on the Team's name.

    2. Click the "Delete Team" button below the "Teams" list.

    3. Click "Yes" on the pop-up dialog to confirm the deletion.


    Note: You can only delete a Team if the team wasn't ever assigned a Sprint. This restriction is necessary to preserve integrity of historical information.

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    User Management

    Starting with version 1.1.1, there are two types of users in ScrumWorks: Administrators and Users. The Administrator is the only user that may create, edit, or delete users, although any User may set their own password. By default, the Administrator login is "administrator" with password "password".
    Edit User Preferences
    Users may edit only their own user attributes.
    1. From the Product Backlog window main menu, select "User" > "User Preferences" (shortcut key: <ctrl>-P).

    2. The "User Preferences" dialog appears.

    3. Non-administrator users can update the password and the "Auto Refresh after Timeout" property as desired. The Admin user is also able to update the first name and last name properties. Click OK to save, and Cancel to abort.


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    User Manager (Admin only)
    The Admin user may edit any regular User's login, password, first name, and last name.
    1. From the Product Backlog window main menu, select "User" > "User Manager" (shortcut key: <ctrl>-U).

    2. The "User Manager" window appears. Select the user in question from the "User list" on the left side of the window, by clicking on the corresponding row.

    3. Update the login, password, first name, and last name as desired.

    4. Select the teams the User is part of, from the list "Teams".

    5. Disable the User's account as described below, as desired.

    6. Click "OK" or "Apply" to save, and "Cancel" to abort.


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    Add Users (Admin Only)
    The Admin user can add new users to the system.
    1. Open the "User Manager" dialog as described above.

    2. Click the "New User" button.

    3. Enter the login, password, first name, and last name, set the teams which the user will be part of, and set whether the user's account will be active.

    4. Click "OK" or "Apply" to save, and "Cancel" to abort.


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    Delete Users (Admin Only)
    The Admin user can remove users from the system. Once Users are removed, any tasks or impediments will remain associated with the User until they are edited. Note: once a task or impediment associated with a User is edited it can no longer remain associated with the deleted User. To escape mistaken field edits, hit the "Esc" key twice before doing anything else.
    1. Open the "User Manager" dialog as described above.

    2. Select the User slated for deletion and then click the "Delete User" button.

    3. Confirm the deletion by clicking "Yes", or "No" to abort.


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    Restrict User Login (Admin Only)
    The Admin user can restrict whether other Users are permitted to login into ScrumWorks. Users can log into both the ScrumWorks Desktop Client and Web Client if their user account is activated in the User Manager.

    To restrict a User from any login access, the Admin should disable the "This person can log into ScrumWorks" option in the User Manager window, after selecting the user in question.

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