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Setting Up Agile Workflows in GitScrum
GitScrum adapts to your methodology, not the other way around. Whether you run strict Scrum, flow-based Kanban, or a practical hybrid, GitScrum's flexible configuration supports your workflow. This guide helps you set up the right workflow for your team.
Choosing Your Workflow
| Workflow | Best For | Key Elements |
|---|---|---|
| Scrum | Feature development, projects | Sprints, planning, retros |
| Kanban | Support, ops, continuous | Flow, WIP limits, pull |
| Scrumban | Mixed work types | Sprints + flow control |
Scrum Setup
Core Configuration
SCRUM WORKFLOW IN GITSCRUM
══════════════════════════
ENABLE SPRINTS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Settings → Workflow → Sprints
├── Enable sprints: Yes
├── Sprint duration: 2 weeks (typical)
├── Sprint start day: Monday
├── Auto-create next sprint: Yes
└── Sprint goal: Required
BOARD COLUMNS:
─────────────────────────────────────
┌────────────┬────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬──────────┐
│ To Do │ In Progress│ Code Review │ Testing │ Done │
└────────────┴────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────┘
Column config:
├── To Do: Sprint backlog items
├── In Progress: Active development
├── Code Review: PR submitted
├── Testing: Ready for QA
├── Done: Meets Definition of Done
ESTIMATION:
─────────────────────────────────────
Settings → Estimation
├── Method: Story Points
├── Scale: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 (Fibonacci)
├── Required for sprint items: Yes
└── Velocity tracking: Enabled
CHARTS:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Sprint Burndown: Daily progress
├── Velocity Chart: Points per sprint
├── Sprint Report: Completion details
└── Configure in Reports section
Sprint Workflow
SPRINT LIFECYCLE IN GITSCRUM
════════════════════════════
SPRINT PLANNING:
─────────────────────────────────────
1. Open Backlog view
2. Review prioritized items
3. Set sprint goal
4. Pull items into sprint
├── Drag from backlog to sprint
├── Watch capacity indicator
├── Balance across team
└── Commit when filled
5. Start sprint
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Sprint 26 Planning │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Sprint Goal: Complete user authentication │
│ │
│ Capacity: 42 points available │
│ Committed: 38 points (90%) │
│ │
│ SPRINT ITEMS: │
│ ├── [8] GS-100: Login implementation │
│ ├── [5] GS-101: Password reset │
│ ├── [8] GS-102: OAuth integration │
│ ├── [5] GS-103: Session management │
│ ├── [3] GS-104: Remember me │
│ ├── [5] GS-105: Security audit │
│ └── [4] GS-106: Bug fixes │
│ │
│ [Start Sprint] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
DURING SPRINT:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Daily: Update task status
├── Move cards across board
├── Add blockers when hit
├── Log work (optional)
├── Monitor burndown
└── No scope changes (protect sprint)
SPRINT END:
─────────────────────────────────────
1. Review: Demo completed work
2. Close sprint: Incomplete → backlog
3. Retrospective: What to improve
4. Plan next sprint
Kanban Setup
Flow Configuration
KANBAN WORKFLOW IN GITSCRUM
═══════════════════════════
DISABLE SPRINTS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Settings → Workflow
├── Enable sprints: No
├── Continuous flow mode: Yes
└── No sprint boundaries
BOARD COLUMNS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Define workflow stages:
┌──────────┬────────┬───────────┬──────────┬─────────┬──────┐
│ Backlog │ Ready │ Doing │ Review │ Deploy │ Done │
│ ∞ │ 10 │ 6 │ 4 │ 3 │ ∞ │
└──────────┴────────┴───────────┴──────────┴─────────┴──────┘
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
No limit WIP limits for flow columns No limit
COLUMN CONFIGURATION:
─────────────────────────────────────
For each column:
├── Name: Descriptive stage name
├── WIP Limit: Max items allowed
├── Color: Visual identifier
├── Description: What belongs here
└── Exit criteria: When to move
WORK ITEM TYPES:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Feature: New capability
├── Bug: Defect fix
├── Task: Technical work
├── Support: Customer request
└── Each type can have class of service
WIP Limits
WIP LIMIT CONFIGURATION
═══════════════════════
SETTING LIMITS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Settings → Board → Columns → [Column]
├── Enable WIP limit: Yes
├── Limit: [number]
├── Behavior: Warn or Block
└── Visual indicator when at limit
RECOMMENDED LIMITS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Team of 5:
├── Doing: 6 (slightly more than team)
├── Review: 4 (don't let pile up)
├── Deploy: 3 (quick flow-through)
├── Total WIP: ~13
Adjust based on:
├── Team size
├── Flow observations
├── Bottleneck locations
└── Start conservative, adjust
LIMIT ENFORCEMENT:
─────────────────────────────────────
Soft limit (Warning):
├── Shows ⚠️ when at limit
├── Allows adding (with warning)
└── Good for starting out
Hard limit (Block):
├── Prevents adding over limit
├── Must complete before adding
├── Forces discipline
└── Recommended for mature teams
Kanban Metrics
KANBAN METRICS IN GITSCRUM
══════════════════════════
CYCLE TIME:
─────────────────────────────────────
Settings → Metrics → Enable
├── Start column: Ready
├── End column: Done
├── Track: Per item type
└── Display: Average and percentile
LEAD TIME:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Start: When item created
├── End: When item done
├── Shows total time from request
└── Customer-facing metric
CUMULATIVE FLOW DIAGRAM:
─────────────────────────────────────
Reports → Cumulative Flow
├── Shows items in each state over time
├── Widening bands = bottleneck
├── Flat lines = blocked flow
├── Healthy = consistent flow shape
└── Great for spotting problems
THROUGHPUT:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Items completed per week
├── Track by work type
├── Use for capacity planning
└── Reports → Throughput
Hybrid Setup
Scrumban Configuration
SCRUMBAN: BEST OF BOTH
══════════════════════
WHY HYBRID:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Sprint structure for planning
├── WIP limits for flow
├── Planning cadence + continuous flow
├── Good for mixed work types
└── Practical for most teams
CONFIGURATION:
─────────────────────────────────────
Settings:
├── Sprints: Enabled
├── WIP Limits: Enabled
├── Continuous flow: Within sprint
└── Velocity + cycle time tracked
BOARD:
─────────────────────────────────────
Sprint view with WIP limits:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SPRINT 26 │
├──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬───────────┤
│ To Do │ Doing │ Review │ Testing │ Done │
│ ∞ │ 5 │ 3 │ 3 │ ∞ │
├──────────┼──────────┼──────────┼──────────┼───────────┤
│ [Task] │ [Task] │ [Task] │ [Task] │ [Task] ✓ │
│ [Task] │ [Task] │ [Task] │ │ [Task] ✓ │
│ [Task] │ [Task] │ │ │ [Task] ✓ │
│ [Task] │ 3/5 │ 2/3 │ 1/3 │ │
└──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴───────────┘
WORKFLOW:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Plan at sprint start (like Scrum)
├── Pull work during sprint (like Kanban)
├── Respect WIP limits (Kanban)
├── Demo at sprint end (Scrum)
├── Track velocity AND cycle time
└── Retro for improvement (Scrum)
Customization
Custom Workflows
ADVANCED CONFIGURATION
══════════════════════
CUSTOM COLUMNS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Settings → Board → Columns
Common additions:
├── Blocked: Items waiting on external
├── Needs Info: Clarification needed
├── In QA: Dedicated testing stage
├── UAT: User acceptance
├── Ready to Deploy: Approved
└── Design your actual workflow
CUSTOM FIELDS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Settings → Custom Fields
Examples:
├── Risk Level: High/Medium/Low
├── Customer: For agency work
├── Due Date: External deadlines
├── Environment: Dev/Staging/Prod
└── Match your needs
AUTOMATION:
─────────────────────────────────────
Settings → Automation
Rules:
├── When moved to Done → Notify channel
├── When blocked → Alert manager
├── When overdue → Escalate
├── When PR merged → Move to Testing
└── Reduce manual work
TEMPLATES:
─────────────────────────────────────
Item templates:
├── Bug template: Reproduction steps, expected, actual
├── Feature template: User story, acceptance criteria
├── Task template: Technical details
└── Consistent item quality
Best Practices
For Workflow Setup
- Start simple — Add complexity as needed
- Match your work — Scrum for projects, Kanban for ops
- Enable WIP limits — Even in Scrum
- Track metrics — Improve based on data
- Iterate workflow — Retro on the process itself
Anti-Patterns
WORKFLOW SETUP MISTAKES:
✗ Over-complicated initial setup
✗ Too many columns (> 7)
✗ No WIP limits
✗ Ignoring metrics
✗ Process that doesn't match work
✗ Never adjusting after setup
✗ Cargo cult ceremonies
✗ Tool over outcome