JimFlow – my bachelor thesis

To complete my bachelor degree course “Software Engineering” at Heilbronn University, I have written my bachelor thesis with the title Develop a system for monitoring, recording and processing of state changes on a work plan.

The goal was to create a proof of concept for a full automated system to track the state changes on a work plan. After I have completed the thesis and also received my bachelor degree, I have started to create JimFlow with my workmate Robin.

Should we use a physical board or an electronic tool?

In the agile world, this question is the center of many heated debates. Both solutions have their advantages and both have their flaws.

Physical Kanban boards have visibility and presence. They encourage face-to-face communication, enhance stand-up experiences and serve as a constant reminder of team goals and achievements.

Digital boards are accessible from anywhere, making remote collaboration a breeze. Digital boards are great for distributed teams and maintenance of charts, and they link directly to the associated tickets.

JimFlow is a hybrid tool that combines advantages of both worlds: A physical board linking all tickets to its digital counterpart. Through the use of corresponding QR Codes, a camera monitors the physical board, automatically detecting any QR code movement.Then, using JimFlow software, an electronic image of the board is being generated, viewable in any web browser.

Robin has created the component JimFlowPrint which enables you to print your tickets out of your ticket system with just one click while I have created the other components to track those printed tickets on the physical board.