Redmine is an open source project management tool known for its powerful features and user-friendly interface to bring value in organizing and managing your business.
This article aims to provide a step-by-step guide on how to set up and use Redmine-kanban, a plugin for Redmine that greatly extends the functionality of Redmine, making it an even more valuable tool for managing projects and collaborating with team members while staying organized, tracking progress and effectively building communications.
This guide will cover the following steps to set up and run Redmine-kanban:
Technical requirements for Redmine-kanban
- Redmine version: 4.1, 4.2, 5.1
- Database: sqlite, mysql, postgresql
Installing and configuring Redmine-kanban
To use Redmine-kanban you need to follow these steps:
- Install Redmine
- Create admin profile
- Install and configure the Redmine-kanban plugin
Install Redmine
To get started with Redmine, you need to install it. Detailed instructions for the various supported databases can be found at redmine.org. Once you have completed the installation process, you can proceed to create your profile.
Create admin profile
As an administrator, you are responsible for organizing and managing the work of other users or your team. Users without administrator rights can also manage projects, but this depends on the permissions granted to them by the administrator.
Install and configure the Redmine-kanban plugin
To install the Plugin, follow these steps:
- Download the plugin and copy the redmine_kanban plugin folder to the Redmine plugins folder.
- Run the migration in the Redmine root folder. `bundle exec rake redmine:plugins:migrate RAILS_ENV=production NAME=redmine_kanban`
- Restart server f.i. `sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart`
To configure the plugin, you need:
- Go to Administration -> Kanban
- Set up user roles. The plugin adds permissions to 2 blocks: "Kanban" and "Checklists". Check the boxes for required roles.
- Enable Kanban and Checklists for projects.
When setting up a Redmine account, it is important to think carefully about roles and permissions. Roles define what each user can see and do in the project, and the default options are Manager, Developer, and Reporter. However, you can create additional roles to meet the specific needs of your organization. The permissions associated with each role will affect the workflow and various aspects of the project. For example, a manager might have the option to reject issue, but a developer might not.
We also recommend paying attention to issue statuses, trackers, and workflows. These features are critical to the structure and organization of your project, and you may need to customize them by adding or removing elements as needed.
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Create a project
To create your first project, go to the "Projects" menu in the top left corner and click "New Project" in the top right corner.
After you fill in the details of the project, click the "Create" or "Create and Continue" button. After that, your project will appear on the main page.
Creating and activating users
After registering a user, go to the project settings and select the "Participants" section. Then click New Member to add them to the team.
If a team member is no longer working on a project, it is easy to remove them from the team. Just click the "Delete" button next to their name.
After adding new members to the team, it is important to assign them roles in the project. As an administrator, you can select one or more roles from a list that you have previously approved.
Create an issue
After registering a user, go to the project settings and select the "Participants" section. Then click New Member to add them to the team.
Editing an issue
Thanks to Redmine-Plugin, you can significantly enhance the tasking tools already existing in “pure” Redmine.
Develop your project by organizing teamwork right inside the issue, using the following functions developed by us:
- Checklist items
- Assign every checklist item to different user
- checklist templates
- Changes history
- Answers of checklist items
- Deadline for checklist items
- External block display
External block display
Block issues on which no further work can be done, and indicate the reasons for the blocking, so that you always keep the factors that affect the execution of issues under control.
To block an issue, do the following:
- Select the required issue and switch to editing mode by clicking on the “Edit” button;
- Fill in the “Lock” field with the reason for blocking and save the issue.
To ensure you always know what to look out for first, blocked issues will be highlighted in red on your Kanban-board.
Working with a Kanban-board
A Kanban-board is a visual tool used in agile project management to track and manage issues. This is especially useful for organizing teamwork in IT companies, as it allows team members to see at a glance all the issues they are currently working on, as well as determine the current status of the company.
With the help of the Redmine-Kanban plugin, you can greatly enhance the use of Kanban-boards with the following features:
- Quick filters
- Detail view of the issue on a modal board
- subcolumns
Quick filters and options
For easy work with issues, use quick filters to search and display issues on the Kanban-board.
For example, select only those issues that are assigned to you or groups that you belong to using the “My” filter.
View all issues and customize their display by any parameters: from development status to a specific employee in a few clicks.
To assign or reassign a checkbox to an employee, do the following:
- Select the desired checkbox and click on the button with the ellipsis to bring up the drop-down menu;
- If the checkbox needs to be assigned to you, select Assign to me, or select Assignee;
- Designate a responsible person.
An example of displaying all open issues assigned to employee Adam Blake:
With Options, you can select items to display on issue cards on your Kanban-board.
Detail view of issue on a modal board
While you're on the Kanban-board, manage an issue and view all of its properties right in the modal without refreshing the page.
For effective organization of teamwork, create checklists and assign responsible people to checkboxes right inside the issue.
While you're on the Kanban-board, manage an issue and view all of its properties right in the modal without refreshing the page.
Subcolumns
Combine issue status tracks for convenience: inside one track, create additional ones. For example, in "Development" add "In Progress" and "Done", and in "QA" - "In progress" and "done".
