Use case #3: Project portfolio management
A prerequisite for every solution partner out there, is to be able to run and manage multiple projects at once. In this use case, we’ll be showing you how to manage multiple projects for a solution partner company, using both issue and release roadmaps in Swanly!
Use releases for high-level overview
First of all, you’ll want a high-level overview of phases for each project in one roadmap; and for that, we use releases. Every release above represents a different phase of the project like Preparation, Initiation, Project phases and Closure.
Because projects in this case are usually over a year long, it’s best we use the quarterly zoom level.
Use templates to stay on schedule
There are various checkpoints or phases you’ll need to track to ensure you’re on schedule for each type of project phase; for that, we use templates.
This specific project is about implementing support systems for a big bank, which includes implementing content and documentation management systems with best practices, processes and training for the whole organization.
Last year, the team finished their implementation phase - which was Phase 1.5 - and transferred to one of their last phases - Phase 2.0 - where the whole training and system deployment are planned.
Here, we can see how much time is planned for the delivery of this phase, how much time has already been spent on it, and if any time was spent beyond the original estimate.
Use list view to filter through releases
In the list view, we can easily see a list of all project phases, then use filters and sorting to get the view we need. For example, if we want to quickly check if a phase is in trouble, we can filter by status ‘failed’ and access the report view.
In this case, you can use the release description to give a detailed status update on why the project phase failed and what the next steps are.
As you can see, it is very easy to share reports with colleagues and stakeholders by simply copying the link to the report and sending it; and of course act based on data.
Track on the epic level with issue view
To access the low-level plan, all you need to do is switch from release roadmap to issue roadmap timeline, so you can view all epics scheduled, with activities that you can now track on the epic level; so here we’ve gone more granular.
Our epics are ‘discovery and design’, ‘best practices library’ and so on, and each has tasks under it.
Each of these epics has a template on its own, different from the ones we used for the release roadmap. When you open the epic on the timeline, you get a closer look at the planned phases, then when you need to see the epic’s progress, you can use the report view.
Here, you can track the epic’s scope progress, time spent on the activity, and the epic’s burndown chart.
Efficiency at both high and low levels
Swanly makes planning and tracking projects simple and efficient, at both, high and low levels. It also gives you the option to standardize your release process all together with templates, so you don’t waste time when planning future projects.
Moreover, Swanly configuration is as simple as it gets, which means that setting up is a piece of cake! :)
For more use cases, check out how Swanly can be used to manage your product development, or how to manage digital marketing campaigns.
Also, keep in mind that you can install Swanly for free and start using it right away (yes, it's totally free for 10 users or less), or try it out for a month!