An exciting new feature is coming to Rally this Saturday, August 6th. If you’ve ever been confused by a messy burndown chart, fought against a scrum team that seemed to have duct tape over their proverbial mouths, or just wanted a simple update on how an iteration was progressing, then our Iteration Summary Panel is for you.

Before we dive into what this feature can do, a quick note about our release schedule. The Iteration Summary Panel will be available on 8/6 as a Rally Catalog App, and next week, we’ll release it to the Dashboard Catalog.

But…you can start using this as a dashboard panel right after release. You will simply need to copy the app code from a custom tab window, and then paste it into a custom dashboard panel. More info on that process can be found here, or just contact our support team, and we’ll walk you through it.

Once you have Iteration Summary installed as an app or panel, you can use it to get a concise update on:
Available as a custom app or dashbaord panel

  • How much of the committed iteration work your team has completed
  • If there are any open defects filed against committed work
  • If your regression, acceptance, and other tests are passing
  • If all work was completed in a prior iteration

This panel provides quick-and-dirty updates through percentages, color coding, and in some cases, written recommendations. Each section of the panel will update depending on the state of your work, and how late into the iteration the team is. For a listing of rules that control these sections, please see our help article.

If you’re not sure about a recommendation in the panel, you can click the Learn More link to see detailed advice. The linked information comes directly from our coaching organization, which specializes in agile and lean methodologies. We’re excited about these combined efforts by our development and services departments, to provide you with an easier way to know of impending problems with your iteration.

Click the link in blue to be taken to coaching advice

Want even more advisement? Coinciding with this feature is a new services offering, where you can arrange some one-on-one time with a Rally Coach. For a small fee, you can schedule an hour-long phone session to speak with an agile professional about anything that may be affecting your processes and workflows. Click here for more information.

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