Project management is a complicated process where several participants work together, including product managers, developers, designers, QA, sales, marketing, and more. Many tasks need to be organized and managed, which needs a tool. That’s where Jira is the perfect solution. You might be wondering – What is Jira, and why do I need it? Not to worry, this article will explain all about Jira, so keep reading.
What is Jira, and why do I need it?
Jira is a subscription-based project management tool for managing & tracking tasks, projects, and teams. Jira has the flexibility to support any project incorporating a variety of apps and integrations. It can be used by various industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and IT. As software created to automate a company’s process, Jira is huge and consists of several modules and extensions that can help your company achieve its objectives.
What is Jira used for?
Jira leverages all kinds of project management skills, including software development, agile project management, scrum management, content management, bug tracking, marketing, professional service management, and much more.
Let’s look at them in more detail below:
Using Jira for Kanban
Setting up the Kanban board in Jira is simple. Either create one during the initial set-up or add it to your existing project. Jira’s Kanban workflow also operates on a drag-and-drop system for tasks, making it easier for you and your team to move tasks while you work on them. You can use this style to manage all your marketing efforts, track bug fixes in your software, track software development, and all other types of projects. It is very simple, and teams of all experience levels can understand it.
Using Jira for Content Management
Jira can integrate with popular publishing platforms like WordPress and Squarespace. This way, you won’t have to worry about any issues while transferring your content from one platform to another and managing your publishing workflow. Once you’ve selected content management, Jira will create a Kanban workflow around everything you’ll need to draft, edit, and publish content for your business.
Using Jira for Scrum
Jira allows you to create scrum boards that track your sprints and backlog to execute projects efficiently. To set up a scrum board in Jira, you have to either select ‘scrum’ as a management style during the initial set-up or create a new scrum board in your existing project. Jira makes the scrum board creation process simpler, allowing you to port the steps you created on your Kanban board. These steps will help you specify where these tasks are in the ‘progress’ stage.
Using Jira for Software Development
Jira has shaped itself as an Agile Project Management tool, and if you are new to Agile methodology or tools, you can use the existing templates that will help you learn the process. Once you have created your development project, you can create your backlog, shape it into sprints and plan your release. All this can be done by creating your own feature development process and linking your tasks to create a seamless process.
Using Jira for Issue Tracking
With Jira, you can identify and create new tasks, attach screenshots of software issues, prioritize issues for completion, and track them along your workflow. You can also customize your workflow to differentiate bugs from other types of tasks to prevent confusion between your product development teams and quality assurance team.
Features of Jira
Jira covers many of the project management basics, but there are a few key features that sets it apart from other platforms.
Project Roadmap
It allows you to create a clear vision of your product, including short- and long-term goals. The project roadmap functions as a work breakdown structure for your development or sales teams. It is essentially the backbone of your project management plan in Jira.
Time Tracking
Jira provides time tracking that covers several parameters and views that include:
- Working hours per day
- Working hours per week
- Time formats such as days, hours, weeks, etc.
It also offers plenty of integration options with more advanced time-tracking programs.
Detailed Reporting and Tracking
Jira offers detailed reporting that is easy to understand and use. It covers:
- User workloads
- Created vs. completed tasks
- Task conclusion times
- Time since issues
- Average age of issues
Jira tracking covers Agile metrics and formats such as:
- Control charts
- Scrum board tracking
- Cumulative flow charts
- Burndown charts
- Sprint reports
If you are looking for additional reporting capabilities, Jira’s add-ons include additional reporting tools that you can integrate.
Mobile Application
Jira’s mobile application is exceptionally helpful for project managers that are constantly on the move and don’t have time to spend hours on the desktop. The mobile app allows you to manage projects and backlogs, create and edit your tasks and issues, and receive notifications about project updates. The Jira app is available on iOS & Android phones and tablets so that you won’t miss out on anything.
What packages are offered in Jira?
Jira is offered in four packages:
- Jira Software – It includes the base software with agile project management software.
- Jira Service Management – It is used by IT operations or business service desks for service projects.
- Jira Work Management – It is designed for generic project management such as business projects for HR, legal and other business teams.
- Jira Align – It is designed for strategic product and portfolio management.
What is Jira Service Management?
Jira Service Management is used for Service Management projects while featuring a customizable web portal for customers and Service Level Agreements (SLAs). It is used for Service Desk, Customer Support and Ticketing Support, IT Service Management (ITSM), Enterprise Service Management, Asset Management, Change Management, Service Requests, Incidents, and Problems. These are mainly used by DevOps, IT Operations Managers, IT Service Desk Agents, Support Managers, Service Owners, and Enterprise Architects.
Key Takeaways
With tools for SMEs and large enterprises, Jira is a diverse service that suits many. It has many add-ons that make it even better. Project management can be complicated, but tools like Jira make it much easier.