Teams usually select Jira as an answer for difficulty monitoring, however the software program can even function a basic mission administration platform to enable you to plan, monitor, and handle your agile software program improvement initiatives — with out having to do a lot further work or set up any further software program.
In truth, Jira features a pre-built template that provides a easy workflow to enable you to coordinate assets and monitor duties related to a mission. We’ll use this template as a part of a step-by-step information on how to get began with Jira for mission administration.
What is Jira?
Jira is software program that was initially designed for builders and engineers, but it surely has developed right into a full-service mission administration platform that may assist any crew or division coordinate duties. Jira additionally connects seamlessly with different Atlassian merchandise corresponding to Trello and Confluence, and it connects with many third-party instruments as effectively.
One clarifying notice earlier than we dive in: This how-to information will give attention to how to use Jira for mission administration, not Jira Service Management (previously Jira Service Desk). Jira Service Management gives further instruments for service groups, corresponding to a customer-facing portal that enables them to submit assist requests. While the software program names are related, and there’s some overlap in options, these are two separate merchandise that aren’t interchangeable.
Who is Jira for?
Due to its give attention to difficulty monitoring, Jira was initially created as a device for software program improvement groups, and it actually shines on this space in comparison to different general-purpose mission administration software program. However, Jira can be utilized by groups of every kind, and it gives templates for advertising and marketing, design, gross sales, operations, human assets, authorized, finance, and extra.
SEE: A Complete Guide to Software Development Project Management
How to use Jira for mission administration
Step 1: Choose a Jira mission administration template
While you’ll be able to construct a mission in Jira from scratch, you’ll save your self a variety of work by selecting and customizing one in all their pre-existing templates. First, head on over to Jira’s template library and browse the templates which might be designed for your crew (we’ll be utilizing the mission administration template for the needs of this information).
- Once you discover a template that you just like, hit the massive blue “Use template” button on the fitting hand aspect of your display screen.
- A pop-up will ask you to both choose an current Jira website or create a brand new one.
- Make your choice, then hit the blue “Create page” button.
- Jira will open in a brand new tab and ask you to give your mission a reputation.
- Type it in, then click on the blue “Create project” button.
Step 2: Invite your teammates to Jira
Assuming this isn’t a solo mission, you’ll want to invite your teammates so as to begin mission monitoring in Jira. Even in case your teammates don’t have an Atlassian account already, you’ll be able to nonetheless add them immediately to your mission by clicking the spherical grey “Add people” button (which appears like a plus signal subsequent to an individual icon).
Type of their emails, or add them immediately out of your linked Google, Microsoft, or Slack accounts. Then choose whether or not every particular person will probably be an Admin, Member, or Viewer; which position they’re given will decide their permissions and entry. Once you’ve received the roles set to your liking, hit the blue “Add” button.
Step 3: Configure your Jira mission
Now that you just’ve received your mission template arrange and invited all of your teammates, it’s time to truly configure your mission administration in Jira. At the highest of the mission window, you’ll see a horizontal bar that lists a number of mission view choices: Summary, Board, List, Calendar, Timeline, and so forth.
To rapidly add duties, choose the List view and hit the “Create” button. Once you’ve entered all of the duties, scroll down to assign every process to a crew member and set a due date. If the duty isn’t at present being labored on, you’ll be able to go away the crew project and due date fields clean to point out that it’s a part of the backlog.
If you need to customise your mission much more, replace every process’s standing, give it a class, set the precedence, and add a label. These further {qualifications} make it simple to filter your duties to see solely particular ones, which will probably be extraordinarily useful down the road as you add extra of them. You can even create subtasks beneath a mother or father process, which retains advanced initiatives organized.
Step 4: Track your progress
As your crew proceeds along with your mission work, make it possible for everyone seems to be updating and checking off duties as they’re accomplished. If you’re new to utilizing mission administration with Jira, it could take a while and follow to get used to managing your workflows in a brand new system, so be affected person and repeatedly test in along with your crew.
Fortunately, Jira gives a number of options that allow groups to monitor how they’re doing. The Summary tab of every mission acts as a dashboard that summarizes the important thing metrics of every mission. Some of the widgets embody a pie chart exhibiting in progress duties vs. accomplished duties, a bar chart that breaks down duties by precedence, and a crew workload chart that reveals how a lot work every particular person has been assigned.
Jira additionally gives a local time monitoring characteristic, so you’ll be able to see how a lot time is being spent on every process. If you want extra capabilities than Jira’s native time monitoring characteristic, you can too choose a third-party time monitoring device from the Atlassian market.
Step 5: Complete your mission in Jira
Once your crew has lastly checked off all of your duties and accomplished the mission, it’s time to shut it out. There are two methods to do that in Jira—learn solely and archive. If you continue to need folks to have the ability learn the mission and duplicate it, set the permissions to learn solely. If you need to fully retire the mission, use the archive operate to take away it from energetic use.
Key options and advantages of Jira for mission administration
Template library
Jira gives dozens of templates that make it simple to create a brand new mission and begin setting it up proper out of the field. These templates are tailor-made to totally different groups’ wants in addition to totally different mission administration methodologies.
Some of the methodologies supported by Jira templates embody:
- Agile mission administration.
- Scrum mission administration.
- Kanban mission administration.
- Lean mission administration.
- Waterfall mission administration.
Team collaboration instruments
There are a number of methods to collaborate along with your crew in Jira. You can tag one another in feedback on duties and react to them with emojis to present that you just’ve learn them. You can even combine Jira with widespread work communication instruments, corresponding to Slack, to be able to hold utilizing acquainted platforms whereas ensuring Jira stays up to date.
Automation
All that point spent updating process statuses actually provides up. To scale back useless repetitive work, Jira gives automations to hold issues transferring with out customers lifting a finger. Some examples of automations embody auto-assigning work, syncing mother or father and baby duties, and cloning points. Jira gives a variety of pre-built automation templates to select from, and you can too create your individual from scratch as effectively.
Reporting and analytics
Team-managed initiatives in Jira get entry to 4 varieties of stories: the burnup report, the cumulative move diagram, the rate report, and the spring burndown chart. Jira additionally embeds metrics in every mission to be able to monitor your progress with out having to click on over to a separate reporting module. More metrics additionally seem within the widgets on the Summary tab of every mission.
FAQ
Is Jira appropriate for mission administration?
Yes, Jira was designed as a mission administration answer for software program improvement groups, however it may be utilized by many various kinds of groups as effectively. If you’re looking for a less complicated mission administration software program with a decrease studying curve, we additionally advocate trying out Trello, one other Atlassian software program that makes a speciality of kanban boards for mission administration.
How to use Jira to monitor mission progress?
Jira embeds metrics immediately within the mission views to be able to monitor your mission progress because the work is accomplished. The deployment frequency and cycle time insights make it doable to optimize your workflows as you go. Once you’ve accomplished a couple of initiatives in Jira, it’ll additionally have the ability to mission insights and analytics from the backlog to enable you to enhance future initiatives. Jira additionally offers a local time monitoring characteristic, or you’ll be able to allow a third-party time monitoring.
Can Jira do Gantt charts?
Jira gives two barely totally different Gantt chart choices, known as Timeline and Roadmaps. Timeline shows a Gantt chart for a single mission or crew. Roadmaps show Gantt charts for the complete group, permitting for extra long-term strategic planning.
How do I exploit Jira as a mission supervisor?
When it comes to utilizing Jira for mission managers, first create an Atlassian account and select a template to use in Jira. Then invite your teammates to your mission and configure the mission information. Track your progress as you go, then archive the mission or change it to read-only as soon as all of the duties are accomplished.
