Importance of Issue Log in Project Management
Posted By : Himani Sharma | 30-Apr-2019
Introduction:
Effective communication and coordination are two key aspects which are imperative for the success of any project/program.
Project teams across Oodles Technologies have raised concerns on the extent and effectiveness of communication between key project roles - including project team members, senior management, project sponsors or even clients.
Today there is no formal mechanism of raising or tracking project queries and sharing that information with others in the group. This is coupled with the fact that information is scattered across multiple mediums - Chat, Mail, Client call recordings, etc.
Query Log is the single source of truth - source for gathering and offering information with all team members. It is a common repository where all the queries/doubts are maintained for everyone in the team to refer to. Team members are able to document their queries in order to get them answered.
Typically the questions are organized by feature, release, sprint for the purpose of gathering, sampling, analyzing and interpreting information from respondents.
Objective:
The objective of this process is not to replace what we already have but to streamline the approach for seeking functional clarifications in a timely and structured manner. This would also enable us to document the requirements in a clear and concise manner, thereby making them manageable.
The main advantage of the Query Log is that it helps the team members in asking and collecting the appropriate information and making sure each question is specific and understandable, in sequential order.
Query Log helps in mapping answered queries back to a need identified by the team members.
This document defines the approach and guidelines for using the query log.
When the document is prepared:
The presence and utilization of this document are introduced to the project members over the kick-off meeting. This document is utilized by each and every member of the project to highlight pending issues and problems they have experienced.
Who engages in the planning process:
All individuals from the project write in the Issue log. The project manager maintains the Query log and designates singular issues that must be settled. The manager additionally ensures that the queries are concluded in time to their fulfillment. It is recommended to share the Query log document with the entire team so that every individual in the project can get the current status of the issue.
When is the document required:
A Query Log is a great tool to have in your project management during planning and implementation phases of the project. It is utilized every time there is an unforeseen event or issues that arise beyond the limit of the planned work. Additionally used as a supporting document for informing project members about ongoing and final changes.
Approach:
Queries from project team members to be maintained in a single (running) log. All stakeholders (Client, BA, Dev & QE) should meet formally every week at a designated time to review and discuss the queries. Formal meeting invites to be sent. The meeting will be recurring. Participation is MANDATORY.
Pre-Meeting Mindset:
Business flow related queries should be documented in the query log, along with the complete information at least one business day before the scheduled meeting.
Meeting Points:
During the meeting, the reporter will take and record the client’s verbal/discussed information for his / her inputs on the query.
Post Meeting Actions:
Post meeting, the reporter will document the inputs received during the meeting.
The client will review the comments added by the reporter and either accept them or update them as need be.
The query will follow the complete lifecycle from Open-Close status.
Once closed, the summary of the entire discussion will be documented as an additional comment on the Query Log where the base requirement is available.
Query log will be maintained on a weekly basis, with new queries being appended to the log.
NOTE: The above approach does NOT apply to a showstopper query. Any showstopper query should be raised on priority outside this process.
Guidelines:
The list of Columns required for constructing the Query Log is described below:
1.Issue Number/Issue reference number (ID): This column is for identifying the query uniquely. It can include typical numbers or Combination of module name acronym with the numbers
Examples: 1 OR 00001
INV-01
2.Module Name: This column is for adding functionality in which context is not clear
Examples: Accounts
3.Sub-module: This column is for adding the feature in which context is not clear
Examples: Invoice
4.Query Summary: This section will contain a summarized view of the query
Examples: To Show Invoice History in Paid invoices
5.Query Type: This column is to show the query category, so the nature of the query can be clearly understood by the resolver
Workflow: This will include navigational and transactional questions that how a flow works
Examples: Current flow is that If the user logs in to the application, and tries to perform trading without completing the KYC process, he would see the KYC completion validation message.
Instead, can we take the user directly on the KYC screen rather than just showing the validation message?
Field Validations: This category includes query related to a specific field and its behavior
Examples: Name Field
As of now, we have only permitted alphabets in the name field with a maximum limit of 30 characters. Please let us know if you want alphanumeric data as well.
Enhancement: If some additional item can be added in ongoing functionality
Examples:
Can we add the Hide/Show Password icon in the Login Screen for better user experience?
Technical Description: This will include technical queries in the project
Resource: This category includes queries related to human resources, materials, and equipment in the project.
Third Party: Queries related to suppliers, vendors or any outside third party can be added in this category.
6.Query Description: This section will contain a detailed view of the query which helps query resolver to get a clear understanding of what has occurred, so they don't need to pursue individuals up and defer the reaction.
Examples: For a future perspective, the user may need to review the different changes made in an invoice
For this, we can record certain changes like change in status, payment and invoice item with time and the user name who changed the details and after then it can be shown below the invoice
7. Query Raiser: This column is for mentioning the person name raising the query. This individual is the person who initially recognized it, as they may demonstrate an asset later as far as addressing questions that progress in the direction of its goals.
Examples: Himani
8.Priority: This column is for mentioning the degree of query that how soon this should be resolved and the criteria for marking Priority is mentioned below:
- High: When the user is completely blocked and is unable to take any further step on functionality which has to be deployed in this build only. Resolution required immediately
- Medium: When the user is blocked somewhere in functionality but has a workaround available
- Low: When the user is confused for some minor function and it can be taken in later stages
9.Query date: This column is for mentioning the date when the query is raised
Examples: 1 Apr 2019
10.Response/Resolution: This column is for summarized response documented by the team member, basis inputs from the client. User must enter the summarized response, not the complete chat or email responses.
11.Remarks or References for Query: if any reference point is given from the requirement doc or BUG id or any URL for comparing. Use this section to attach a document for reference as well.
12.Status: It's essential to note whether the issue is open, in progress, blocked or done. This is the place you'll monitor settling it.
This column is for mentioning the current status of the query, where
- Open: When the query is raised but no action has yet been taken.
- Answered: When a response for the query is made, but a person may not be satisfied by the response and need a discussion
- Closed: This status is for the time when the person is completely satisfied with the response"
13. Query Resolver: Person name who resolved the query, as there may be the case when the query is resolved by the lead or Project Manager or by the BA
14.Resolution Date: Enter the date when the query is marked as closed
Conclusion:
To conclude, Query Log provides a safe and reliable interface to capture and record the inevitable project problems, whenever left unattended or unresolved, may crash the project and create obstacles with project deadlines. Therefore, by maintaining the query log, a team is able to monitor dependencies in the project for each issue and prioritize them easily, yet makes trust and fulfills your client that you're taking care of the project speedily and genuinely.
Thanks
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About Author
Himani Sharma
Himani brings years of experience as a Quality Analyst, demonstrating expertise across the entire Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC), and Agile Methodology. Her skill set includes Release Planning, Risk Analysis, Test Planning, Estimation, and Reporting. Himani is proficient in Manual Testing for both web and mobile applications, Configuration Testing, as well as Load Testing using JMeter. She has successfully led teams in client projects. She is well-versed in bug reporting tools such as JIRA, Trello, Mantis, and Bugzilla. She has extensive experience in API Testing using Insomnia and Postman. Additionally, Himani is skilled in using debugging tools like Charles Proxy, as well as other tools like TestRail and Confluence. Her valuable contributions can be seen in client projects such as Pesamill, Belfrics, Coinzoom, ERM, Wethio, and HUMA.