What’s Coming in Orangescrum: Q4 Feature Roadmap for Cloud & Self-Hosted

As businesses grow in size and complexity, project management solutions need to evolve to support organizational scalability, enhanced team collaboration, and process optimization. 

Orangescrum’s Q4 feature release focuses on empowering businesses with robust tools to manage their teams, projects, and resources more effectively, ensuring seamless project execution across departments and locations. 

In this feature release, Orangescrum introduces seven key enhancements that aim to drive productivity, improve reporting, and align your organization’s goals with every task and project.

1. Organization Hierarchy
2. Business Unit Management
3. Program Portfolio Management
4. Test Case Management
5. Custom Dashboard and Report Module
6. Mapping Epic to Initiatives and Features in Agile Project Management
7. Introducing Dewey Decimal Format for Viewing Tasks and Sub-Tasks 

Let’s dive into the details of each of the features. Each of these enhancements will elevate your project management experience, ensuring your team remains agile and aligned with your organizational objectives.

1.Organization Hierarchy

One of the most anticipated features of the Orangescrum Q4 release is Organization Hierarchy Management. 

This feature offers businesses the ability to design, visualize, and manage their entire organizational structure on a single platform. 

Whether you’re managing multiple teams across various departments or operating in a global environment with complex reporting structures, this tool simplifies how you maintain organizational transparency.

Why Organization Hierarchy Matters:

A well-defined organizational hierarchy ensures that roles, responsibilities, and reporting structures are clear to all members of the team. 

This enhances accountability, streamlines decision-making processes, and ensures that managers and team leads can delegate tasks efficiently without confusion.

With Orangescrum’s Organization Hierarchy feature, every role in your organization can be represented visually, from C-level executives down to individual team members. 

Managers can track their subordinates and understand the flow of work across departments. 

This holistic view not only boosts operational efficiency but also helps in performance tracking and resource allocation.

Key Capabilities:

• Customizable Structures: Build a custom hierarchy to match the specific reporting needs of your business. Whether your teams are organized by function, region, or product, Orangescrum gives you the flexibility to structure your hierarchy exactly how you need it.
• Departmental Visibility: Get a bird’s-eye view of your entire organization, with easy access to department heads, team leaders, and individual contributors.
• Streamlined Task Delegation: Assign tasks and projects based on reporting structures, ensuring that work flows seamlessly from top to bottom without bottlenecks.
• Performance Tracking: Managers can easily evaluate team performance, monitor task completion, and address issues proactively by understanding who reports to whom.

Use Case Example:

Imagine a global e-commerce company that operates across multiple countries. 

With Organization Hierarchy, the company can map out its regional teams, from the global CEO at the top down to customer support agents in various countries. 

Each regional manager can oversee their respective teams, while higher-level executives maintain a comprehensive view of the entire workforce, ensuring no task or resource is overlooked.

2.Business Unit Management

In dynamic organizations, managing business units across multiple locations and departments can be an arduous task. 

Orangescrum’s new Business Unit Management feature (which can also be referred to as Business Domain Management) addresses this challenge by offering a centralized solution to oversee business units, locations, departments, and their associated resources.

The Importance of Business Unit Management:

Organizations often operate across different business units—such as accounting, marketing, or product development—that span multiple regions. 

Each unit typically has its own set of responsibilities, locations, and departments, which need to be managed cohesively. 

Without proper visibility and management tools, resources can become misallocated, leading to inefficiencies and delays.

Orangescrum’s Business Unit Management streamlines this complexity by allowing users to organize their business operations in a logical, layered structure:

1. Business Unit (Accounting)
2. Location (various cities worldwide)
3. Department (Finance, Payroll, etc.)
4. Resources (Team members and their skill sets)

This tiered management approach ensures that resources are assigned effectively, with a clear understanding of each department’s goals and deliverables.

Key Capabilities:

• Location-Specific Management: Easily manage business units spread across different locations while keeping a holistic view of operations.
• Resource Allocation: Allocate resources, both human and material, to the appropriate units and departments based on location-specific needs.
• Departmental Synchronization: Create a unified approach to departmental management by tracking performance, workloads, and resource usage across all business units.
• Skillset Mapping: View and assign resources based on individual team members’ skill sets, ensuring that the right person is assigned to the right task.

Use Case Example:

A multinational technology firm could leverage Business Unit Management to oversee its various business functions—accounting, marketing, and IT—operating in cities around the world. 

The firm can allocate resources (such as specialized engineers or project managers) to these units depending on the project needs of each location, streamlining operations and improving communication between departments and their global counterparts.

3.Program Portfolio Management

Handling multiple projects within a large program can be challenging, especially when those projects contribute to broader organizational initiatives. 

Orangescrum’s Program Portfolio Management feature provides a high-level overview of these programs, enabling managers to visualize and align every project under a common initiative.

The Power of Program Portfolio Management:

In today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations undertake numerous strategic initiatives that span multiple departments and regions. 

Each initiative can be broken down into smaller features, allowing for better tracking and execution. 

By implementing Program Portfolio Management, managers can track these initiatives, ensuring that all contributing features align with larger business objectives.

This feature allows for a seamless breakdown of initiatives into manageable features, providing full visibility over program progress. 

Whether you’re overseeing a national-scale program like a Skill Development Initiative, or managing smaller departmental initiatives, this tool ensures that each feature within your program is working toward the overall initiative’s success.

Key Capabilities:

• Program-Level Insight: Track all initiatives and their associated features from one central dashboard, making it easier to monitor progress and ensure alignment with business goals.
• Feature Tracking: Break down large initiatives into actionable features and tasks, streamlining execution and providing clear accountability.
• Cross-Departmental Coordination: Manage programs that involve multiple departments and ensure that all features are executed in sync to deliver cohesive results.
• Risk Mitigation: Identify potential bottlenecks or risks within individual features that may impact the overall success of the program, and resolve them proactively.

Use Case Example:

Let’s consider a Skill Development Initiative aimed at upskilling employees across various departments in a government organization. 

This initiative could consist of different features such as curriculum development, learning platform deployment, and skill evaluation. 

Orangescrum’s Program Portfolio Management allows you to monitor each feature individually while ensuring that they collectively contribute to the broader initiative’s success.

4.Test Case Management

Quality assurance is a crucial part of project delivery, and as organizations expand their project portfolios, test case management becomes increasingly critical. 

Orangescrum’s Test Case Management feature offers a structured approach to planning, executing, and tracking test cases, ensuring that all potential bugs or issues are identified before project completion.

Why Test Case Management is Essential:

Every project, particularly those related to software or product development, relies on rigorous testing to ensure quality and functionality. 

Managing test cases, especially across multiple projects, can be cumbersome without a dedicated tool. 

Orangescrum’s Test Case Management allows QA teams to create, manage, and track test cases efficiently, providing a clear roadmap from test planning to defect resolution.

Key Capabilities:

• Test Planning: Create and organize test cases based on project requirements and objectives.
• Execution Tracking: Track the progress of test cases in real-time, ensuring that testing milestones are met on time.
• Defect Management: Identify, document, and resolve defects or bugs discovered during testing, ensuring a smooth handover to production teams.
• Automated Reporting: Generate detailed reports on test case outcomes, providing insights into quality assurance effectiveness.

Use Case Example:

A software development company working on multiple client projects can use Test Case Management to manage their testing processes across all projects. 

QA teams can create specific test cases for each project, track the execution, and address bugs or issues identified during testing, ensuring that every product delivered meets the client’s expectations.

5.Custom Dashboard and Report Module

Data-driven decision-making is a cornerstone of modern project management. Orangescrum’s Custom Dashboard and Report Module empowers users to generate tailored reports and dashboards that provide meaningful insights into project performance, team productivity, and resource utilization.

The Benefits of Custom Dashboards:

Every organization has unique reporting needs, whether it’s tracking project timelines, measuring team performance, or analyzing budget allocation. 

Orangescrum’s Custom Dashboard and Report Module allows users to design their own reports, presenting the most critical data in a format that’s easy to interpret.

Key Capabilities:

• Customizable Dashboards: Design your own dashboard to display the metrics and KPIs that matter most to your business.
• Advanced Reporting: Generate comprehensive reports on project progress, resource allocation, team performance, and more, tailored to your needs.
• Real-Time Data: Access real-time data to monitor project health and make informed decisions quickly.
• Exportable Reports: Export reports in various formats (e.g., PDF, Excel) for easy sharing and analysis.

Use Case Example:

A marketing agency working on multiple campaigns can use the Custom Dashboard and Report Module to track campaign progress, team productivity, and resource allocation. 

The ability to generate customized reports allows them to provide detailed progress updates to clients while internally optimizing team performance.

6.Mapping Epic to Initiatives and Features in Agile Project Management

Orangescrum’s capability to link Epics to Initiatives and Features enhances your project management workflow by establishing clear relationships between high-level goals and actionable tasks.

The Importance of Linking Epics

Every project consists of numerous elements that contribute to overarching business initiatives. 

Linking Epics to Initiatives and Features ensures that every task aligns with broader organizational objectives, providing clarity and focus for project teams. 

This feature empowers teams to manage their work more effectively by establishing direct connections between what they’re doing and why it matters.

Key Capabilities

• Seamless Linking: Easily connect Epics with related Initiatives and Features, creating a comprehensive view of project alignment.
• Link Epic to Initiative: Establish direct associations between specific Epics and relevant Initiatives to enhance strategic alignment.
• Link Epic to Initiative List: Create a list of all Initiatives associated with a particular Epic, making it easier to track related goals.
• Link Epic to Features: Connect Epics directly to individual Features, ensuring a clear relationship between high-level goals and specific deliverables.
• Link Epics to QA & Bug Fixes: Facilitate quality assurance by linking Epics to associated QA activities and bug fixes, ensuring all aspects of the project are accounted for.
• Improved Visibility: Gain insight into the relationship between high-level objectives and individual tasks, facilitating better tracking and accountability.
• Holistic Project Overview: View all connected components within your project, allowing for a streamlined management process.

Use Case Example

A software development team working on a new application can leverage the linking feature to connect their Epics (e.g., user authentication, payment processing) to broader Initiatives (e.g., improving user experience, enhancing security). 

By establishing these connections, the team ensures that their daily tasks align with the project’s strategic goals, ultimately leading to more successful project outcomes.

7.Introducing Dewey Decimal Format for Viewing Tasks and Sub-Tasks

Navigating complex projects often requires clarity in task management. 

Orangescrum’s new feature to view Tasks and Sub-tasks in Dewey Decimal Format offers a structured and intuitive way to organize project components, making it easier for teams to track progress and understand task relationships.

The Benefits of Dewey Format:

The Dewey Decimal System is a well-established organizational method that helps categorize and organize information efficiently. 

By applying this system to task management, Orangescrum provides users with an intuitive way to navigate complex task hierarchies and ensure clear understanding across teams.

Key Capabilities:

• Organized Task Structure: Categorize Tasks and Sub-tasks in a logical format, enhancing clarity and ease of navigation.
• Improved Tracking: Quickly identify and access related tasks, making it easier to manage progress and dependencies.
• Enhanced Communication: Facilitate better discussions among team members by providing a clear reference for task organization.
• Simplified Workflow: Streamline task management processes by utilizing a familiar structure that team members can easily understand.

Use Case Example:

A project management team working on a comprehensive marketing campaign can use the Dewey Format to categorize various tasks, such as content creation, social media promotion, and performance analysis. 

By organizing tasks using this system, team members can quickly find related items, ensuring smooth collaboration and effective tracking of campaign progress.

Conclusion:

Orangescrum’s Q4 feature release offers powerful tools designed to enhance every aspect of project and program management. 

Whether you’re looking to manage complex organizational structures, streamline business units, or track key program features, Orangescrum’s new features empower your team to operate at peak efficiency. 

These improvements are geared toward helping businesses scale, improve collaboration, and deliver results that align with their strategic objectives.

By embracing these features, your organization can achieve new productivity levels, transparency, and strategic alignment, ensuring that every project contributes to your business’s long-term success.