Arena's dashboard

Yes, chores-as-chores are a very good thing. Perhaps what is needed is a new concept, a Code Debt concept that is an options just like chores, features, etc.

Cool -- but if we do this can we have some sort of neutral story.. I like to use chores for design stories since they don't mess with the development velocity.

Thanks for the rapid response, Chad. :)

I think, given your assumptions about the types of project Pivotal Tracker users will be handling, that your and Dan's responses are fine. Really I must admit that I am likely an outlier in your userbase. I cannot afford to pick up a "by the book" process. The leniency I am urging in Tracker is aimed at accommodating cases that might be unique to my environment, though perhaps others will see the value as well.

An example (the one that brought me here):

I am working on a federated identity project between the three Arizona state universities: U of A, Arizona State (ASU) and Northern Arizona U (NAU). I can plan implementation only to a certain point. Beyond that point I'm waiting for the other universities to complete tasks. Those user stories that await ASU and NAU participation cannot yet be estimated and cannot be prematurely addressed (ie. even if they are high priority I cannot address them in the current iteration even if I have not maxed my velocity). So yes! I want to knock off early and drink on Thursday! But I don't want it to affect my velocity. I am still able to do X points in Y timeframe. Y just didn't include Thursday and Friday this week.

Ok, so I'm just weird. I can accept that :) To move forward I can use the Icebox the way other tools use their Backlog - its a place user stories hang out when they can't yet be scheduled. This is different than the use your documentation suggests, but so be it. However, I would still urge that "clever" features be added cautiously. Automatic movement of user stories into Current from the Backlog is nice if my process can accommodate that. But since mine cannot I want the discretion to keep Backlog and Current separate (really they could just be collapsed into one list, no?). I guess I'm saying I'd rather have iteration projections and the attendant shifts between those two queues as "suggestions" not automatic actions.

Alright, that's my crazy as a bedbug "what about myyyy feature???" rant. I still dig the tool!!

Thanks for clarifying ... you just need to estimate your stories or make more stories. – Arena, on July 23, 2008 23:33

Nope. I was really talking about the fact that you cannot drop to an empty Backlog. – Duffy, on July 23, 2008 23:15

Disclaimer: I know Duffy :)

This may be confusing, but Dan explains the justification pretty well in the closed bug: "Think of the current iteration as a view of the top of the backlog. Tracker automatically moves stories from the backlog to the current iteration, until the current iteration "fills up" based on the initial velocity of your project, and story estimates."

In other words, you can complete as many stories in your current iteration as your velocity says you can. Say your velocity is 10, and you only have 5 stories in your current iteration. If you drag a story to the top of the backlog (or to an empty backlog), then that story will automatically go to the current iteration. Otherwise, what are you going to do with those extra 5 points of velocity? Drink beer on Thursday and Friday (which I'm in favor of)? Seriously, though, if the real reason you don't want it in the current iteration is because you don't EXPECT to get 10 points of velocity (maybe people are on vacation), then the correct way to deal with that is to adjust your velocity for the current iteration (which Tracker lets you do).

Perhaps you saw this as a problem because your backlog was empty (which never happens after a project is past the first planning session), or you did not have all your stories estimated (which would have filled up your current iteration to velocity)?

-- Chad

Are you maybe talking about the fact that the drop-zone in the back log is hard to see? you have 100 pixels or so of space that a story can be dragged into.

This area should really be more clear ---> I'm thinking it should by styled with a dotted line around the area and the words "drop zone"

We feel your pain.

The Save button is in the design for the next iteration of this screen.

And by "do this" i meant search your contacts, not do copy paste. Anna asked two questions in one. – Thomas, on June 14, 2008 18:53

Thankfully, the rest of the world is not as insular as the geek world. I didn't hear much about it, to be honest. Look here, Arena, for a great Q&A about the new 3G iPhone: http://gizmodo.com/5016398/the-iphone... – Eric Suesz, on June 14, 2008 15:39

That will be very nice surprise:) I hope so.

Let's just hope Steve will surprise us. – Leon, on June 14, 2008 09:14

I haven't found any confirmation that v.2 will do this. I am already afraid if it is not mentioned it won't be included.

As far as the WWDC Keynote, there's no copy/paste ability in iPhone Software 2.0

I guess you somehow have been living under a rock, because yes that was demonstrated and blogged about by pretty much everyone – Thomas, on June 13, 2008 15:10

I like it. People might think it's "story pollution", and claim it's a slippery slope which will lead us to a world where we slice/dice/assign every story in thousands of different ways, leading to confusion.

But in the projects I work on design is one of the main efforts and it would be nice to be able to see, at a glance, what's up with design in the project.

And of course, +1 on the rainbow icon.

Does v.2 do this??? I hope so.

great idea -- i'll design that