Best project management tools, version control, builder and wiki

Question

Hey. I am assembling a new team of software developers, and I am looking at various tools that overcome the previous nightmares that I had with other teams.

Over the past 5-6 years, these are some of the transitions that I went through:

SourceControl:
CVS => VSS => SVN

Project management, bug and problem tracking:
Paper => PostIt Notes => OneNote => BugNet => OnTime

Wiki and documentation:
Word + Network Share => ScrewTurn Wiki

Automation Builder:
Cruise control + MSBuild

Now, especially because of the SVN and wiki situation, I am learning this command with something fresh. We used to have run-down nightmares with SVN, and the more we try to fix it, the worse. Another challenge I have is to find something stable and integrated. You can imagine that BugNet + SVN + ScrewTurn + CruiseControl + MSBuild are completely different animals, so integration and synergy are very important; I don’t want to jump between 10 different applications to report an error or assign tasks, as well as check the work done and view the repo log.
So, the new team and I have been discussing this for a couple of days, and I think we narrowed it down to two possibilities:

1. TFS 2010
Pros:
- The all-in-one solution. It really has it all, including the new SCRUM process template.
- Very user friendly user interface and SharePoint integration.
- WYSIWYG Wiki and Office Integration.
Minuses:
- High upfront costs for hardware and administrative time. The software is also, but it does not affect us because we have an MSDN subscription with free software.
- I do not agree with the initial TFS control. SC is file-based and with central storage like SVN and VSS. I really do not want to fall for the same problems as in the past.

2. FugBUgs + Kiln + CC
Pros:
- Kiln uses Mercurial, with all the benefits of distributed source control.
- Minimal initial costs and planning time for its launch and launch. $ 30.00 per user per month.
- Very user friendly web interface.
- Editor WYSIWYG Wiki.
- A very simple tool for tracking issues and project management. It would be easy to integrate SCRUM processes.
Minuses:
- Shortcomings of builder automation tools for more integrated processes (for example, TFS). Thus, this will mean that we will have to keep banging our heads with command line features and community tasks in order to support our construction workers.

That day I used Visual Studio Team System 2005, and I did not use the best memories of the system; but the new TFS 2010 looks very solid. FogBugz and Mercurial love new kids in the block, and they bring new thinking to new processes, but, as always, it's a double sword. Anyone with solid experience with any of these? Are we missing this 3rd option? Do you have this silver bullet for my problems?

• Tool integration
  1.1. Source management
  1.2. Wiki
  1.3. Build automation
  1.4. Project management
  1,5. Tracking problems.
• Minimizing branch control conflicts and grouping conflicts (yes, we need to branch and merge)
• Friendly user interface (not all are CMD hackers)
• WYSIWYG Wiki.
• Learning curve for developers.
• Time for all this to be done by VS. Long term value.

The new team has 4 team members + 1 project manager (Scrum Master) and 1 product manager (product owner). Therefore, we are talking about a relatively small and new team. the scope and projects that we will work on are large, enterprise applications with several projects and branching variations.

Answer 1

I suggest you use TFS 2010 and Visual Studio 2010 (if you are developing .Net applications)

You do not need to worry about SC in TFS. TFS stores everything in a SQL Server database. TFS runs on a web server, so you can connect your control source wherever you want.

WI tracking is a plus. TFS has an amazing WI tracking mechanism. You can customize your WI if you want. TFS supports an additional software process such as MSF, CMMI, or Agile.

The test capabilities of TFS 2010 are perfect. If you are using Visual Studio 2010, you can maximize your performance with TFS 2010.

Branching is always annoying when it comes to merging; but TFS 2010 always helps you. You can track changes in your sources before branches and merges.

The TFS 2010 build engine supports WorkFlow. Thus, you can very easily customize the build process; if this is not for you, you can use additional batch files (MsBuild).

TFS 2010 simplifies administration, followed by TFS 2008 and 2005. You can easily create assembly agents, machines, project collections, etc.

TFS 2010 supports almost all MS products; such as MS Office. Excel has excellent integration with TFS or MS Project. Do not forget Sharepoint.

TFS is not only a source code management system, TFS is a project management system, application lifecycle management system, job tracking system, etc.

But I know that you cannot use TFS from MSDN Subs for commercial purposes. Because it is only for the test, and only 5 users can connect (I'm not quite sure)

At least you did not need to configure TFS on a dedicated server if you want (this is not recommended). You can configure on Win7 if you want, and TFS can run on SQL Server Express

So, I offer you TFS 2010. If you are developing .NET applications, nothing could be better than TFS.

Answer 2

How big will your team be, and what methodology / roles will all users use?

I would say if this is a huge team, TFS can more suit your needs.
Especially if you need to publish to sharepoint or have more specific roles in your team.

However, if you need a smaller solution that works best for a smaller team, something like SVN / Trac / Cruise Control may best suit your needs.

Answer 3

It sounds like you're looking for something like Trac .

Trac is an advanced viking and problem tracking system for software development projects. Trac takes a minimalist approach to web-based project management. Our mission is to help developers write great software while staying on the sidelines. Trac should put as little as possible on the development process and policy set by the team.

It provides an interface for Subversion (or other version control systems), an integrated Wiki, and convenient reporting tools.

Trac can be extended with plugins. Trac-Hack wiki is a place for plugins.

Here is another stackoverflow question asking for recommended Trac plugins .

Answer 4

Redmine for salvation.

Answer 5

So far, I have been very pleased with the atlassian product (s). JIRA integrates very well with subversive activities. If you include a text tag in your commit message, JIRA will also display the related code changes. Instead of using FishEye, websvn was the tool of choice as the svn web front end. If you're just looking for a “wiki”, foswiki , then it will do pretty well. But I look more from the linear angle in the tool chain.

Answer 6

Absolutely not a crime, but ... you keep changing - you thought why? And how confident are you that you cannot change again. Spend extra time and effort getting it this time.

Without consulting specific tools, I advise you to do two things.

1) find a tool chain, not just a tool kit. See For example. Look for a true “tool chain” that discusses tools that work well together. A smoother workflow should save time and may increase the chances of a project succeeding.

I note that you say: "You can imagine that BugNet + SVN + ScrewTurn + CruiseControl + MSBuild are completely different animals, so integration and synergy are very important," so I think we agree that

2) you need to accept from people who will use these tools. Do not present to them a fait accompli, ask in advance what they think. In fact, canvas them for suggestions. This point can be difficult in light of the previous point.