In Episode 9 of Elixir Wizards Office Hours, we dive into task writing and backlog grooming, transforming ideas from the discovery phase into actionable tickets. Join SmartLogic Developer Camber Griffin and hosts Dan Ivovich and Owen Bickford as they explore the intricacies of task writing, ticket grooming, estimation, and backlog management in the software development lifecycle.

They emphasize crafting clear, detailed tickets that act as comprehensive guides for development teams. A well-written ticket does more than outline what needs to be built—it facilitates collaboration by including entry points, linking to essential documentation, defining acceptance criteria, detailing QA steps, and identifying potential risks and future hurdles.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• Crafting actionable development tickets from inspiration
• Achieving the optimal level of detail in tickets
• Tailoring ticket content for developers, QA, and stakeholders
• Standardizing ticket format with templates
• Structurally breaking down tasks into manageable sections
• Ensuring flexibility in implementation while maintaining clear specifications
• Proactively discussing architectural and design approaches
• Incorporating related documentation within tickets
• Clarifying acceptance criteria and QA procedures
• Accurately estimating task effort and complexity
• Collaboratively grooming tasks with cross-functional teams
• Adjusting tickets to evolving requirements
• Strategically planning for uncertainties and out-of-scope concerns
• Managing and versioning ongoing documentation
• Keeping the backlog clean, prioritized, and relevant
• Mapping dependencies among interconnected tasks

Links mentioned:

Jira Work Management https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira
ClickUp Project Management Platform https://clickup.com/teams/project-management
GitHub Projects https://docs.github.com/en/issues/planning-and-tracking-with-projects
Zube Agile Project Management https://zube.io/
Pivotal Tracker Agile Project Management Tool https://www.pivotaltracker.com/
Trak Portfolio Management System https://pd-trak.com/
ClearCase Software Configuration Mgmt www.ibm.com/products/devops-code-clearcase
Oban Job Processing in Elixir https://github.com/sorentwo/oban

Special Guest: Camber Griffin.