How to Tackle Multiple Projects With Redmine

Discovering a good project, deciding the course of action, and accomplishing it in time adds value at an individual and organizational level. During this summer, we were assigned a new marketing project by a company. We were already working on two other projects by another company.

Accepting an additional project and managing it at the same time was a complex issue. But fortunately, we company deployed Redmine – project, and software management application. Redmine made the management of projects easier than it was before.

Here is how I used or how to use Redmine for multiple projects at the same time;

How to Tackle Multiple Projects with Redmine?

Redmine is an incredible application that allowed me to get access to the projects that have public access as a project manager and also allowed me to keep other private projects confidential among the team members.

We used Redmine for tracking project progress, handling bugs, and also the smaller day-to-day fixes on existing applications. We went with the standard system as it was our start with the software.

• It was pretty easy to use. After installation and signing up, I made 3 projects. You click on the projects tab on the main page. After opening the projects page, you click on the new project, name the project, and add details. These images show how to add a project in Redmine.

• After successful creation, your project page shows multiple options like overview, activity, issues, and new issues, etc. See the image below.

• After that, I created issues or tasks within each project, which is a tracker with custom fields for key elements of the idea with start date, a due date, and a target version (the milestone).

• Here you add team members, and depending on what information you need to link with each of the project ideas, you can also use predefined drop-down selections, checkboxes, text input fields, etc... I entered all the detailed information of our plan and the name of team members as per their assigned position (i.e., content creator, designer, and developer).

• We also set project deliverables, and each task was to be completed in a set timeframe. Contingency was also added in the time to reduce the risk factor.
• Every single detail was fed in the Redmine software from time to time by all the concerning parties and kept all team members up-to-date about the position of the project.

All new information that we add is shown on the grant chart in timeline mode and the calendar, which helps to keep the team on track and follow the deadline.

Now, you know how to manage multiple projects in Redmine. After our successful experience, we now maintain an "Active Queue," which, when refilled with the next batch of tasks to happen, contains 7-10 days of work. Every day my I check on the progress. Here is how our workflow or list of task status values looks now;

• New - not in play yet.
• Pending - usually in the active queue and part of "Work in Progress."
• Design/Explain - a point for issues that require more information from the author or project manager.
• Develop/Rework - allocated to the task holder to be created/improved
• Branch Test - assigned to team tester to check
• Approve for Upload - Go/No Go from the manager
• Upload - team leader, will merge in Version Control, check, and push to production
• Live Test - assigned to team tester to check
• Final Acceptance - Back to the manager for review
• Closed

Why is Redmine a Better Option?

Redmine is an authentic, most reliable, well-organized, and well-managed web-based application that allows you to manage one or more tasks or projects at the same time. It is economical and features flexibly designed processes and works on "Kaizen," i.e., continuous improvement so its customers can get the best output.