Item: Trello
Rating: 8
Author: Michael Sypes

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Trello within our IT department. It is a great tool for planning out projects and tracking their progress. It has a simple intuitive interface and makes it easy for users to organize plans and communicate with each other as they proceed. It's not the only tool we use, but it is a favorite.

Pros and Cons

Easy visual organization of overall tasks
Straightforward intuitive ways to dive into more detail per task
Handy communication tools among group members
Checklists for tracking progress
Tagging system for tasks/cards

No way to track time on tasks
Communication within cards is easily overlooked from a higher perspective/view
No built in way to track history/progress as a project moves forward

Return on Investment

Trello has proven a good method for initial planning of projects within our team
Better than snapshots of whiteboard plans
Reasonable tracking of progress through tasks

Alternatives Considered

Pivotal Tracker and ServiceNow

Trello is very good for communicating plans between developers and management. It's much better than my memories of Pivotal Tracker, tries to provide better tools for agile methodology, but I found it rather difficult to use well. For initial planning within our team we use Trello, and for communications and external tracking of tasks and projects with the rest of the company we use ServiceNow, which provides the bulk of our tracking of incidents, projects, tasks, change management, etc. I've used Acunote for personal projects because I like the way it helps me organize, plot, and track my time for projects, which Trello isn't designed to do.

Other Software Used

ServiceNow

Likelihood to Recommend

Trello is great for small groups, or even for individuals, looking for an easy way to plan and organize projects. For larger teams, it may become a zoo of cards and communication threads. Also, Trello does not have tools for managing time on projects, so you can't easily project expected time, nor track actual time for tasks. There are no burndown measurements for establishing sprints and that sort of thing.

Users and Roles

20 - Eight people in my immediate IT group use Trello regularly. We are programmers, database specialists, a business analyst, and a team lead. We also have additional outside folks weigh in on projects as needed, e.g., marketing or finance, depending on the project goals. Other units within the company may be using Trello as well.

Support Headcount Required

There are no special skills required to use Trello. It has a very intuitive interface, so it is easy to poke around, become familiar with its tools and use right away. The options available also make it fairly easy to use specific items according to your own preferences, such as color tags.

Business Processes Supported

Initial project planning
Group communication
Tracking progress

Likelihood to Renew

10

I'm not in charge of such a decision, but I am sure that we will continue to use Trello for the same purposes we have in the past.

Usability

10

Trello is ridiculously simple to use. Its user interface is well designed. Buttons and labels are clear, so you can tell at glance what something means. Plus, it's easy to back out of anything if you don't like what you've done, so there is no fear of messing things up unintentionally.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Feel confident using Familiar	None

Easy Tasks

Creating task cards and organizing into groups as desired
Making checklists
Communication at the project and task level

Difficult Tasks

Tracking time is nearly impossible
No history to see how a plan has changed over time

Mellow Management with Trello

Overall Satisfaction with Trello