I’ve been looking into the state of software tools that specifically support project management for agile development methodologies (see Agile Alliance for more info). I started (of course) with the free stuff.
There’s a good starting list available at the original C2 Wiki, but in the end all open source paths seemed to lead to XPlanner.
I pulled it down, and set it up by following the install instructions. You do need to fill in the blanks (like creating a schema and making the user account with rights) but the Ant scripts are robust and the instructions were otherwise effective (with a bit of re-reading). It installed, it ran, I was able to use it immediately. It’s Java, using Struts and Hibernate, and the code looks okay but not particularly documented. I also came across embedded SQL queries, verbose exception handling, and all kinds of reasonable artifacts that I’m getting used to living without thanks to the Spring Framework.
Honestly I didn’t go too deep, spent maybe 30 minutes with it, and came to the conclusion that it’s got great promise but some frustrating rough edges to it. I came to similar conclusions as Andy Marks in his Blog though he clearly spent a lot more effort reviewing it. There are signs of continued development and a possibility of improved usability, so it’s worth watching.
Other items on my list are:
- Trac (open source), which looks much more polished at least in the screenshots
- Extreme Planner, which is commercial software
- XPWeb, which is open source and has appealing screenshots, as well as claimed integration with CVS and xUnit
- Twiki (open source), which is really a significant Wiki implementation with structured project management support
I get the sense from my initial survey that there’s an underserved need in the agile community. This may be that the various methodologies are still being defined and disseminated, and by their nature they tend to vary in their realizations in each organizational context. So whereas RUP expresses tool requirements very clearly, in Agile management there are still a lot of open questions and a tool has to be much more adaptable.
That said, it seems like the need for a straightforward project management tool built around Projects + Iterations + Stories + Tasks + Tests + Reporting really could fit the bill. Integration with source control, defect tracking, test results, and Wiki capabilities would get me excited.
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