GitLab is a helpful resource for developers to use when collaborating on tough, strenuous projects. It allows everyone to have access to the client brief and their team members’ submissions for any necessary reference. GitLab is a major enforcer of the agile process, as it improves multi-member project efficiency. It’s your basic one-stop shop when shaping software with multiple components contributed. It’s a major departure from the Waterfall approach to software development.
How Does GitLab Work?
You can use the GitLab DevOps platform for managing your coding and software development projects. This platform is to be used by all team members and the project manager for idea development and implementation over multiple project stages. At all times, you can access the client brief, project roadmap, and other resources involved in the project.
Rather than follow a subsequent breakdown of tasks, GitLab involves multiple “issues” being addressed at once by team members. Therefore, much more is being completed at a time. All team members are simultaneously making progress on the completion of the coding. This means that a finished product is developed faster and with multiple sets of eyes available to view for any flaws that need fixing.
Following the general principles of agile development, this program heavily considers the end-users. This is why it enables revision of the coding even after the software has been sold on the market. If users find any flaws, they can be attended to immediately so the product is usable, enjoyable and reliable.
The breakdown of the project into stages and tasks also allows improved efficiency for completing it. This results in team members handling more manageable workloads. This allows them to put better effort into their assigned tasks, known as issues, with GitLab. It also helps to get more done at one time so it can be combined into a draft for everyone to see.
The problem is that it’s quite difficult to know whether the issues have been evenly distributed. Are some team members working overtime to get them done on time? Or are those whose submissions are late just not working at their most productive levels? This is why it’s necessary to implement GitLab time tracking when working through GitLab. That way, you can discover if some issues require multiple team members’ attention or if they need to be redistributed for equal workload among all team members.
Improve Project Efficiency with GitLab Time Tracking
Through GitLab time tracking, you can outline your plan for your code development stages and ensure everyone is properly on track to meeting them. Ultimately, by breaking down the process into chapters, you will establish some discipline to the timing of completing issues. This means that in the end, the client will receive the finished product on time. It also helps to establish timed deadlines so you can designate space for reviewing and revising before the requested date of completion.
To ensure everyone is designating the necessary time to their issues, you can rely on helpful time tracking programs like actiTIME. Its many tracking settings involve manual or automatic recording of hours of labor or road mapping projects by setting timed deadlines. You can develop the scheduling of the project for your committed team to reference and follow. As the project manager, you will also have access to the dashboard that presents the GitLab progress and the hours that your team is investing to complete issues. This can help determine whether everyone is fulfilling their responsibilities to contribute to the entire purpose of having the product done at its best quality by the client’s requested deadline.
Monitor Team Productivity
GitLab time tracking will enable you to monitor your team’s productivity levels. You can review the hours being recorded and compare them to the progress that other team members are making as they spend the same time on their issues. Are some team members working faster than others? This would be worth investigating.
If you notice that one team member is falling behind, you may need to determine if they are not productive enough. In that case, you may need to take action by motivating them to improve their speed and work efficiency, or possibly replace them with a new team member. It could also be possible that their issue is more time-consuming because it requires more steps or components than originally perceived.
Because of time tracking, you can take proactive steps before the lag impacts the original scheduling plan. You can recognize any inconsistencies among the team members and find the right solutions to reinforce the production flow.
Prevent Team Member Burnout
Through GitLab time tracking, you may recognize one worker committing hours far beyond what a regular workday should be. Perhaps an issue arose that involved a lot more work on their end than originally expected, and they are investing all their time and energy into completing it so the project is not halted. Many workers would not report this, as there is fear that it would reflect poorly on them. It’s also easy for the project manager to miss this because many GitLab workers are coding remotely. However, by monitoring their time tracking reports, you can notice the discrepancy and help your team members before they burnout.
Too much workload in too little time could cause overexertion and lead to mental exhaustion. This could cause very flawed, poor quality work, which may need to be redone in the end. Fortunately, if you learn from the time tracking that this is happening, you can find another pair of hands to assist the overworked team member. That way, they will produce quality content without sacrificing their wellbeing.
Ultimately, GitLab time tracking will improve the efficiency of your production. You can stay on top of the timing and ensure that everyone meets their deadlines with necessary adjustments to their issue-load if necessary. Your team will be creating effective, seamless code in the end. This will leave your company with ecstatic clients and a well-reputed task force who will draw more and more business because of their successful project results.
