Spotlight #2 - Part 1: 5 Custom Features you shouldn't miss in Zoho Sprints

Welcome back to our next spotlight on ' Customization'.

The product's reach is determined by how well it is customized for the end user. When customization is the key element in a product's growth, a scrum project requires tailor-made features to deliver outcomes in iterations effectively. Here is the list of five custom features that will be covered in part 1 of this spotlight.

Let's see how these custom features in Zoho Sprints can help Helen solve her business problems.

Business background

Helen is the 'Technical Lead' of a software sector 'Yards'. Her team is developing a new e-shopping website. They handle work across different teams and as the work items pile up they require an organized way of handling things. Let's see how the custom features can help the team.

Work Item Type and Priority

Case	Solution
Helen wants to add all the requirements in specific types. Instead of using the default work item types (Story, Task, and Bug), she can customize the types.	Helen can use CUSTOM WORK ITEM TYPE and add new work items type. She can create all the categories in her website as the work item types: Electronics - Requirements related to gadgets are added to this type. Fashion - Requirements related to men and women clothing are added to this type. Decors - Requirements related to home decors are added to this type.

This works similar for priority. She can access CUSTOM PRIORITY and set new priorities for her team.

Custom Layouts and Fields

Case

Solution

The default work item form has general fields for work items across domains. However, Helen would like to specify specific fields related to every department of her team. For example, she likes to have a specific layout for clothing related work items, shipping etc.

Helen can create CUSTOM LAYOUTS and FIELDS for every department. These layouts can be associated with specific projects and the work becomes organized.

Shipping Layout - It has all the work item fields right from customer ordering the material to the shipping team working on the delivery.

Decoration Layout - It has the custom fields related to user requests for interior and exterior decors.

Textiles Layout - All the clothing related work items across categories (Men, Women, and Kids) are included in this layout.

Each of these layouts are associated with the relevant projects and the work is made easy for Helen.

Project Templates

Case	Solution
Helen and her team have enrolled in a new project that is similar to the current project they are working on. They have a similar request from the customers for creating a new category for 'KIDS - CLOTHING '. How can they recreate all the items and sprints?	The new project will have sections and layouts similar to the existing project. Helen can create a TEMPLATE by importing all the work items and sprints. She can now associate it to the KIDS - CLOTHING project. This will break the hurdle of recreating the same set of work items multiple times.

Custom Status on Scrum Board

Case

Solution

Since, Helen handles work across different teams, she can track a clear progress of each stage in the sprint. Working with default three statuses: To do, In progress, and Done will work for projects with small goals. However, Helen works for deliverables across different domains. For example, she has to categorize the progress of the work items based on the users purchase order.

Helen's constraint is resolved by creating CUSTOM STATUS . She can create different statuses that are specific to her departments. This can help her in managing deliverables in an organized way across sprints. Every stage is added as a status. For instance, the initial work will be added to To Do and later moved on to any of the following status:

Orders Placed

Items packed in Dispatch warehouse

Shipped

Orders delivered

Orders returned

Redelivery

Work Item Linking

Case

Solution

Helen has got a bulk order for 'Denim Jeans' and this work item is passed on to the warehouse team. Unfortunately, they found a bug in the delivered materials. Now, the warehouse team has to order a new box of materials from the company. The team calls Helen and asks the shipping team to hold back the order. How can she handle this situation?

The customer's order is now dependent on the issue. Only when the issue is resolved the team can ship the product. Helen can now use the WORK ITEM LINKING feature and link work item with the issue.

Work item A - Customer Order - Denim Jeans

Work Item B - Bug in the material

Work Item C - Redispatch materials to the company and place an order for the new box

Work Item D - Ship the new material to the customers

Helen can now set the ‘Depends on’ link type for Item A and select all the depending items (B, C, and D).

A detailed walk-through on linking work items is published in our previous spotlight. Read more .

That's how customization helps Helen and her team to organize and manage their project requirements. In the second part, we will discuss the next five custom features and how Helen uses them to manage her team.

PS: If you got any queries comment here or contact support@zohosprints.com

Happy customizing!

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