Scrum Tracking Tools

The best Scrum tracking tool is, hands down, the burndown chart manually drawn on a scrum task board. Why is this best? Because 1) it takes the least amount of overhead, and 2) it entices conversation that aids the team’s information sharing (see The Taskboard is the Heart of Scrum) and 3) acts as an “information radiator” visible to passers-by. (see Starting options for a Task Board)

However, when working with a distributed team, an online tool becomes a necessity, and this need outweighs the overhead cost (and distractions, limitations) of using an online tool.

Some of my favorite tools, categorized here as Free and Commercial, available at this time:

Free
– PivotalTracker – very light-weight
– SeeNowDo
– Target Process – free for up to 5 users
– VersionOne – Team Edition – free for up to 10 users
– Rally – Community Edition – free for up to 10 users
– CardMeeting
– FireScrum – OpenSource
– XPlanner – OpenSource, conceived in XP, can be adapted for Scrum; tips for getting started
– ScrumShark
– BananaScrum
– Agilo

Commercial
– VersionOne – Team Edition – extra features over the free edition
– Rally – Enterprise Edition
– Mingle  
– ScrumWorks Pro
– Basecamp + Burndown plugin for Basecamp: 

Yes, there are many more tools out there, also commented upon on another great list.