Preface

Redmine is probably the most underused collaboration and management tool existing on the open source market for 10 years. Decision makers within corporations are often unaware of Redmine's full potential and ability to expand in all areas of business just by performing several actions inside Redmine and agreeing to several conventions within the company. Almost all departments of a company can store its documents, collaborate, coordinate, and benefit from its usage over an extended period of time because in every business it's crucial to know who did (or who is going to do) what, when, and why. So for example, in software development, one Redmine ticket within feature tracker can tell us who is going to do what—fulfill the client's request, such as export report to Excel; why—because it is the customer's request from within project A; when—the date when tasks were scheduled or done. Additionally, we can take a look at how it's done using issue-code relation. However, this should not just be limited to software if it's a design project, for example. Designers can also attach their design to a particular Redmine ticket/task if they use repository to store files. If it's a janitor company, then they can store photos of before and after repair, and so on.

Instead of just installing Redmine and using its features out of the box, this book tries to teach readers to think outside the box, and customize Redmine to improve user experience, customize workflows, and harness the power of its flexible design.

Choosing the right management tool can mean the difference between success and failure of a project. Flexible project management tools bend themselves to fit your needs. Whether it's a simple project communication, collaboration, or more complex project methodology, such as SCRUM, or issue-code relationship, or different methodology for each project, this book will teach you how to quickly customize Redmine for maximal business benefits and user satisfaction. It goes even further than project management and collaboration, illustrating how Redmine's flexible trackers could be used for automated recurring tasks and processes. Additionally, readers are advised to visit the book's website at http://www.redminecookbook.com and take a look at the blog and frequently asked questions section.

Note

Redmine is open source and donation supported, driven mostly by volunteers who donate their skills and time toward the project. They also need to pay for servers, computers they develop on, and so on. Consider donating to the project through the following link:

http://www.redmine.org/projects/redmine/wiki/Donors