#1 GitHub Issues

GitHub Issues is a GitHub module that helps users keep track of tasks and action items related to the code. Overall, GitHub is a useful code repository manager with a lot of features, but it lacks certain solutions necessary for the commercial use of a software house such as Polcode.

First of all, GitHub Issues doesn’t have a full set of features for tracking and managing SCRUM sprints. It also lacks automatic or manual task time logger—feature necessary to calculate project time properly.

Of course, GitHub Issues has a decent issue categorization and labeling feature, but because the issues can have multiple labels with various meanings with no reflection on actual issue status, chaos in the project is imminent.

These drawbacks can have a negative impact on the project calculation for both the client and the software development house. After all, the software house wants to be fairly remunerated and the client doesn’t want to pay for the work that isn’t documented.

The above is not to say that using GitHub Issues in software development is wrong. The tool just doesn’t work for commercial project management. Unless you invest in premium add-ons, GitHub Issues can lead to miscommunication, undermining your professionalism.

What to Do?

Instead of using GitHub Issues you should seek other, more effective issue trackers that have all features required for a given PM methodology. And if you fear losing GitHub Issues features such as commits or pull requests, there are many issue trackers out there that have integrations for those.

#2 XDSD (eXtremely Distributed Software Development)

XDSD is a software development methodology characterized by a completely different approach to project managing compared to other PM methodologies, such as SCRUM, Kanban, or Waterfall. Unfortunately, the innovative principles of XDSD failed to respond to our needs.

The biggest issue with XDSD is task completion and unclear DoD. Only the tasks subjectively finalized by the author or product owner are paid for, with a maximum of one-hour remuneration for each task or bug solved. Since various tasks and bugs require different time allotments to be solved, this can cause various problems. Also, the organizational overhead this methodology imposes could possibly be compensated only by tripling an hourly rate.

Key Takeaways

• If GitHub Issues doesn’t work with your PM methodology, replace it with an issue tracker that does. You’ll avoid a potential project risk.
• Be wary of XDSD methodology if you want to avoid organizational overhead.

To successfully carry out your software development projects, you need to be able to cut out all elements that underperform. If methodologies and tools you’ve been using don’t generate desired results, be sure to look for other solutions. Holding on to ineffective toolsets can negatively impact your performance and the quality of your work.