What is an item, really?
We built Sirap.io to help teams define their work, break it down into smaller, manageable pieces, collaborate on execution, and monitor the progress of each individual item.
At Sirap.io, our core philosophy is to avoid prescribing a specific work organization method or process, such as Scrum. Instead, we provide the tools to structure your work by
breaking down team objectives into manageable units, and
tracking their progress (or lack thereof) over time.
These manageable units of work are called Items in Sirap.io. An item represents a single, discrete piece of work.
This is what an item looks like in Sirap.io:
How far should you go to break down tasks?
Take the ‘Paint the fence’ item as an example. As a simple to-do item, it works; it represents a task we need to accomplish. However, it’s still a relatively complex task.
If you're assigned to this task (the 'who'), but you've never painted a fence before, it's just a statement of a task (the 'what'), but provides little guidance as to the 'how'. How do you actually go about painting the fence?
Therefore, many teams would prefer to further divide the tasks into smaller components, such as:
However, there are valid reasons to break down a piece of work as far as possible, as well as valid reasons not to do so.
✅ Break it down further:
Individual parts of an effort become visible and trackable.
You can assign individual parts to different people. For instance, Eva can buy the paint, while Charles can sweep the area.
As you deal with each item, you can check off items on the more detailed list one by one, providing a clearer indication of your progress.
❌ Don't break it down further:
If you’re an experienced painter, you’ve likely done it hundreds of times before, knowing all the steps and necessary materials by heart. You should only spend time breaking down a problem further if doing so actually helps you or your team solve it better.
Breaking down efforts into smaller, manageable parts demands time and effort.
If you break down every problem or issue into its smallest components, you’ll accumulate numerous hundreds and thousands of items over time.
Sirap.io, we trust that you and your team will engage in a discussion and determine the appropriate level of detail for your specific type of work. You should select the level of detail that best suits your needs and preferences across the team.
However, over time, many teams become tightly knit and develop deep expertise. This expertise often leads to the use of jargon, acronyms, and tacit knowledge—knowledge that’s not explicitly written down but is expected to be understood by all members. Newcomers to a group usually don’t grasp these concepts and can greatly benefit from the team being slightly more detailed than many of its members might need.
Single source of truth
Because everything is centralized in Sirap.io, your team benefits from a single source of truth. Everyone has access to the latest information, fostering transparency and shared understanding of what each team member is working on.
Working with Sirap.io involves:
Breaking down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable items.
Organizing these items into logical structures (using Workspaces and Groups) that align with your team's workflow.
Collaborating with team members to prioritize and progress on these items.
Regularly tracking the progress of these items, using different visualizations of your items such as Calendars and Boards.
The 'end goal' is to complete all items. However, work often evolves. Solving problems and implementing solutions often leads to new ideas and challenges, resulting in more items being added. This is a natural process, and Sirap.io is built to handle this.
Over time, teams can accumulate hundreds or even thousands of active items across many workspaces. Sirap.io’s robust filtering and search tools empower team members to swiftly locate their required information without getting bogged down by clutter. By isolating discussions and attachments from individual items, Sirap.io effectively reduces distractions.
Sirap.io prioritizes trust and accountability over rigid restrictions and hierarchical structures. By fostering a collaborative and trusting environment, Sirap.io helps teams grow stronger over time.
What is an item, really?
We built Sirap.io to help teams define their work, break it down into smaller, manageable pieces, collaborate on execution, and monitor the progress of each individual item.
At Sirap.io, our core philosophy is to avoid prescribing a specific work organization method or process, such as Scrum. Instead, we provide the tools to structure your work by
breaking down team objectives into manageable units, and
tracking their progress (or lack thereof) over time.
These manageable units of work are called Items in Sirap.io. An item represents a single, discrete piece of work.
This is what an item looks like in Sirap.io:
How far should you go to break down tasks?
Take the ‘Paint the fence’ item as an example. As a simple to-do item, it works; it represents a task we need to accomplish. However, it’s still a relatively complex task.
If you're assigned to this task (the 'who'), but you've never painted a fence before, it's just a statement of a task (the 'what'), but provides little guidance as to the 'how'. How do you actually go about painting the fence?
Therefore, many teams would prefer to further divide the tasks into smaller components, such as:
However, there are valid reasons to break down a piece of work as far as possible, as well as valid reasons not to do so.
✅ Break it down further:
Individual parts of an effort become visible and trackable.
You can assign individual parts to different people. For instance, Eva can buy the paint, while Charles can sweep the area.
As you deal with each item, you can check off items on the more detailed list one by one, providing a clearer indication of your progress.
❌ Don't break it down further:
If you’re an experienced painter, you’ve likely done it hundreds of times before, knowing all the steps and necessary materials by heart. You should only spend time breaking down a problem further if doing so actually helps you or your team solve it better.
Breaking down efforts into smaller, manageable parts demands time and effort.
If you break down every problem or issue into its smallest components, you’ll accumulate numerous hundreds and thousands of items over time.
Sirap.io, we trust that you and your team will engage in a discussion and determine the appropriate level of detail for your specific type of work. You should select the level of detail that best suits your needs and preferences across the team.
However, over time, many teams become tightly knit and develop deep expertise. This expertise often leads to the use of jargon, acronyms, and tacit knowledge—knowledge that’s not explicitly written down but is expected to be understood by all members. Newcomers to a group usually don’t grasp these concepts and can greatly benefit from the team being slightly more detailed than many of its members might need.
Single source of truth
Because everything is centralized in Sirap.io, your team benefits from a single source of truth. Everyone has access to the latest information, fostering transparency and shared understanding of what each team member is working on.
Working with Sirap.io involves:
Breaking down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable items.
Organizing these items into logical structures (using Workspaces and Groups) that align with your team's workflow.
Collaborating with team members to prioritize and progress on these items.
Regularly tracking the progress of these items, using different visualizations of your items such as Calendars and Boards.
The 'end goal' is to complete all items. However, work often evolves. Solving problems and implementing solutions often leads to new ideas and challenges, resulting in more items being added. This is a natural process, and Sirap.io is built to handle this.
Over time, teams can accumulate hundreds or even thousands of active items across many workspaces. Sirap.io’s robust filtering and search tools empower team members to swiftly locate their required information without getting bogged down by clutter. By isolating discussions and attachments from individual items, Sirap.io effectively reduces distractions.
Sirap.io prioritizes trust and accountability over rigid restrictions and hierarchical structures. By fostering a collaborative and trusting environment, Sirap.io helps teams grow stronger over time.