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Connecting Project Management to Development Tools
Development teams often work in one set of tools while project managers use another, creating information silos and duplicate data entry. GitScrum bridges this gap by connecting directly to development tools, creating a unified view of both project status and code progress.
The Integration Problem
| Without Integration | With Integration |
|---|---|
| Update both Jira and GitHub | One source of truth |
| "What's the status?" meetings | Real-time visibility |
| Manual cross-referencing | Automatic linking |
| Duplicate issue tracking | Single task system |
| PM doesn't see code status | Unified view |
Unified Workflow Architecture
Data Flow Design
UNIFIED WORKFLOW ARCHITECTURE
═════════════════════════════
┌─────────────────┐
│ GitScrum │
│ (Central PM) │
└────────┬────────┘
│
┌─────────────────┼─────────────────┐
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐
│ GitHub │ │ Slack │ │ Calendar │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ • Commits │ │ • Notifs │ │ • Deadlines│
│ • PRs │ │ • Commands │ │ • Sprints │
│ • Branches │ │ • Updates │ │ • Meetings │
└────────────┘ └────────────┘ └────────────┘
DATA FLOWS:
├── Commit → Task progress update
├── PR merge → Task completion
├── Task comment → Slack notification
├── Due date → Calendar event
└── Sprint → Team schedule
Developer Workflow
DEVELOPER DAILY WORKFLOW
════════════════════════
MORNING:
1. Check GitScrum for assigned tasks
2. See sprint context and priority
3. Open task, click "Create Branch"
4. Branch auto-created with task ID
DEVELOPMENT:
5. Code in IDE (normal workflow)
6. Commit with task ID: "GS-123: Add feature"
7. Commits auto-link to task
8. Task shows code progress
REVIEW:
9. Open PR (task ID in branch)
10. PR auto-linked to task
11. Task status → "In Review"
12. Reviewers see task context
COMPLETION:
13. PR merged to main
14. Task auto-moves to "Done"
15. Sprint progress updates
16. Stakeholders notified
DEVELOPER TOUCHED GITSCRUM:
├── Morning: Check assignments (2 min)
├── During day: 0 times
└── All updates automatic
Project Manager View
PM UNIFIED DASHBOARD
════════════════════
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Sprint 15 Progress │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░░░░ 65% │
│ │
│ REAL-TIME STATUS (from code): │
│ ├── GS-123: API auth (PR #234 in review) │
│ ├── GS-124: Dashboard (3 commits, in dev) │
│ ├── GS-125: Bug fix (PR merged, done) │
│ └── GS-126: Reporting (not started) │
│ │
│ BUILD STATUS: │
│ ├── main: ✓ Passing │
│ ├── develop: ✓ Passing │
│ └── feature/GS-123: ⏳ Running │
│ │
│ DEPLOYMENT: │
│ ├── staging: v2.3.1 (yesterday) │
│ └── production: v2.3.0 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Integration Patterns
Code-First Status Updates
CODE-DRIVEN STATUS
══════════════════
PATTERN: Let code drive project status
TRIGGERS:
├── Branch created → "In Progress"
├── First commit → "Development"
├── PR opened → "In Review"
├── PR approved → "Approved"
├── PR merged → "Done"
└── Deploy completed → "Shipped"
BENEFITS:
├── No manual updates
├── Always accurate
├── Developers don't context-switch
├── PM has real-time view
└── Auditable history
Communication Integration
COMMUNICATION FLOW
══════════════════
GITSCRUM → SLACK:
├── Task assigned → DM to assignee
├── Status change → Channel update
├── Comment → Thread notification
├── Blocker → Alert channel
└── Sprint complete → Celebration!
SLACK → GITSCRUM:
├── /gs create [task] → New task
├── React with ✅ → Mark done
├── Thread reply → Task comment
└── /gs standup → Start standup
CI/CD Visibility
CI/CD IN PROJECT VIEW
═════════════════════
TASK DETAIL:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Task: GS-123 Implement user auth │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ PIPELINE STATUS │
│ ───────────────── │
│ Commit: abc123 "Add OAuth flow" │
│ ├── ✓ Build (2m 34s) │
│ ├── ✓ Unit Tests (4m 12s) │
│ ├── ✓ Integration Tests (6m 45s) │
│ ├── ✓ Security Scan (1m 23s) │
│ └── ✓ Deploy Preview (ready) │
│ │
│ Preview: https://pr-234.preview.app │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Implementation Steps
Phase 1: Essential Connections
PHASE 1: CORE INTEGRATION
═════════════════════════
WEEK 1:
├── Connect GitHub/GitLab
├── Configure task ID pattern
├── Map repositories to projects
└── Test basic linking
WEEK 2:
├── Set up status automations
├── PR → status transitions
├── Merge → completion
└── Train team on conventions
SUCCESS CRITERIA:
├── All commits have task IDs
├── Tasks auto-update from PRs
├── PM can see code progress
└── No duplicate status updates
Phase 2: Communication
PHASE 2: NOTIFICATIONS
══════════════════════
WEEK 3:
├── Connect Slack/Teams
├── Configure channel mapping
├── Set notification rules
└── Test slash commands
WEEK 4:
├── Fine-tune notification volume
├── Add daily digests
├── Configure DMs vs channels
└── Team feedback and adjust
SUCCESS CRITERIA:
├── Right notifications, right channels
├── No notification fatigue
├── Team using slash commands
└── Async standups working
Phase 3: Advanced
PHASE 3: EXTENDED INTEGRATION
═════════════════════════════
WEEK 5-6:
├── Calendar integration
├── CI/CD visibility
├── Webhook automations
└── Custom Zapier flows
WEEK 7-8:
├── Reporting dashboards
├── Cross-tool analytics
├── Custom integrations
└── Documentation
SUCCESS CRITERIA:
├── Full traceability
├── Single source of truth
├── Automated workflows
└── Measurable time savings
Best Practices
For Tool Integration
- Code owns status — Let development drive project state
- Reduce not add — Fewer manual updates
- Right tool, right job — Code in IDE, project in PM tool
- Unified view — Everyone sees the same data
- Document conventions — Team knows the patterns
Anti-Patterns
INTEGRATION MISTAKES:
✗ Parallel systems (GitHub Issues + GitScrum)
✗ Manual status still required
✗ PM can't see code progress
✗ Developers updating two places
✗ Information scattered
✗ No linking convention