logs in Kinalta
Some believe project logs are no longer useful for Agile projects. Nothing would be further from the truth.
But what is a project log?
A project log is a tool to record any important information about a project, as they occur, typically with a date. The right level of detail is critical, and you should decide it based on the type of project, duration, etc. Make sure it allows for audits, governance and proper monitoring of the project.
logs in Kinalta
You can record anything you want in a project log. However, there is a very well known method called RAID.
Typically, it consists of four different logs and together they form the RAID log. Each log records a different kind of event.
R: for RISK
record potential risks to the project. anything that can impede, delay or put the project at risk. try to evaluate the risk level in the log entry.
A: for ACTION
record something that happened. It should be important enough, an important milestone or a group of actions. This is because you probably have a task management recording all other actions happening in the project. You may skip this log if you have an extensive task log.
I: for ISSUE
record significant problems during the lifecycle of the project. It can be any kind of issue: operational, customer related, question or any major challenge to the project.
D: for DECISION
during any project they are many decisions taken. It is a good idea to record major, and sometimes minor, decision. It is a record that will often become priceless when you need to go back and review decisions made, and when they happened, by whom, etc.
Format the information for each entry in each log with the following in mind:
to enable transparency in what happened
to help the team to remember
to learn from past projects
to monitor progress
to identify problems
to document decisions made
The RAID log does not replace task management or any Scrum activity. It should complement the other project management tools and activities.
If you are not using a project log or a RAID log for your projects, you are ignoring a very powerful way to track and manage any project. The simplicity of the method is very deceptive. First because it relies on you to select what to put in the log. Second because it yields a lot more benefits than its simplicity would suggest.
selecting the log type in Kinalta
In Kinalta every project has a log panel. When you select a project, click on the left menu "Logs" to activate it.
All four RAID types are supported, but unlike when you are using a spreadsheet, all types are combined in a single "project log". This makes it possible to see in chronological order everything that happened with the project.
Kinalta also includes other types of log entries in addition to, strictly, RAID types.
Some important types like "Risk" will appear in a different color in the log entry list, so you can immediately identify them.
Also, RAID is also used in project emails. You can tag them with one of the four RAID types. Similar to the project log, the list of emails will show a little label with the RAID type of the email (if you selected one).
Anyone in the team, product owner, scrum master, team member can add entries to any project log.
Kinalta is an App for Lean Project Management
Use Kinalta to follow up and monitor multiple fast paced projects.