Jira is a software developed by Atlassian and is used by team members for issue tracking, project management, and bug tracking. The use of this application lifecycle management tool has quickly gained popularity as it has evolved into a work management tool that can be used for different types of functions. This includes agile software development and test case management.
If you still don’t see the need for this software or looking for jira alternatives and want to learn more about it, look no further. This insightful post has everything you’re searching for as it’s an overview of every crucial detail you need to know. Without further ado, let’s dive right ahead and see how Jira is beneficial in meeting your needs.
What Are The Packages Offered By Jira?
Before you even learn how to use Jira, you first need to know its three different packages. These include:
- Jira Software: This version is specifically meant for software development teams. The software teams use it for product management, handling basic software-development tasks, and bug tracking. Also, it features agile functionality and provides all the Core’s features.
- Jira Core: It’s the basic Jira project management platform meant for use by non-technical teams. The departments that use Jira Core include finance, operations, marketing, and HR, typically utilizing the Core tool for general task management, requesting workflow approvals, and changing requests.
- Jira Service Desk: This package is designed for use by IT professionals. It’s also used by other types of service desks, including helpdesk agents, call center managers, and other support professionals for changing management, incident management, and issuing tickets.
What Are The Different Uses Of Jira?
After its development, Jira was meant to be used in various types of project management tasks. Here’s an overview of some of the primary uses of Jira:
- Issue Tracking
The most common use of the Jira software is tracking. It’s an excellent choice as it does the tracking through detailed custom reports and dashboards. You can also use this software to:
- Prioritize tasks that need to be completed
- Identify and generate new issue tasks
- Attaching screenshots of software matters
- Track your workflow
The Jira software also allows you to customize your tasks, depending on your project needs. This is useful in differentiating bugs from other kinds of tasks or issues. Therefore, this helps ensure no confusion between the product development teams and quality assurance teams. Jira does this by informing the relevant parties whether work reviews are necessary once you’re done with the task. This way, the outcome for the user won’t have any errors.
- Used For Kanban
Kanban is a visual workflow management technique implemented at the individual, team, and organization level to define, improve, and manage services. It usually needs complete transparency of work and real-time communication of the capacity. Jira enables you to set up the Kanban board without breaking a sweat. You can do this by either adding one to your current project or designing one during the initial setup process.
When doing the initial setup process, you’ll need to answer several questions, including;
- How experienced are you at using Jira?
- What are you planning to use Jira for?
- What’s the kind of management style you intend to use?
The advantage of Jira’s Kanban workflow is that you get a clear picture of the project you’re doing. This includes pinpointing the challenges throughout the process and the tasks passing through the workflow. Jira’s Kanban workflow makes it simpler to move duties for you and your team, thanks to its drag-and-drop system. While this management type is simple to make suitable for all team members regardless of their experience, the entire process is still elegant.
- Used When Collaborating
Another critical use of Jira is promoting collaboration among team members. You can achieve this on this software as it supports features such as:
- Formatted commenting
- Support mentioning
- Sharing issues through email
Thanks to these features, all your team members get to see your work with ease. This ensures everyone throughout the whole project is on the page to guarantee a seamless operation.
- Used For Methodical Tracking
The Jira software lets you monitor how much time you spend performing every task using self-generating timesheets. Therefore, you get to check how far every project has progressed using easy-to-read Gantt Charts about the weekly activity. Also, it allows you to create and check resource planning and use a simplified Project Planner for project budgeting.
- Used For Scrum Software Development
Jira is also used by Agile teams when developing software through the Scrum method. By doing this, they’re in a position to quickly concentrate on whatever changes they’ve made. Likewise, the scrum board is beneficial in the delivery of increased value in a systematic manner.
- Used In Workflow Management
You can also use the Jira software to personalize your team’s specific needs, regardless of the complexity. This is achievable as this software can be used both by technical support and development teams in making sure projects get completed more quickly. You can choose to either opt to get your server and be given a license upfront or choose a monthly subscription.
- Used For Product Management Teams
This software incorporates templates that allow you and your team to develop a roadmap for all your projects. Doing this allows everyone to figure out the longer-term view of their tasks, track their work, and share their roadmap with other team members. The Jira software also enables you to include additional details to surfacing dependencies, roadmaps, and forecasts to know when you might finish your tasks.
- Used In Detailed Reporting
The Jira software offers you outstanding reporting functionalities which are detailed and straightforward to use and comprehend. You can use its standard reporting system to include things such as:
- Time since issues
- Average age of issues
- Completed vs. created tasks
- Time conclusion times
- User workloads
The Jira tracking also incorporates Agile formats and metrics, including:
- Control charts
- Sprint reports
- Cumulative flow charts
- Scrum board tracking
- Burndown charts
Takeaway
The Jira Software is convenient, and you need it to ensure the seamless operation of tasks. Using it leads to increased transparency and visibility which are essential in achieving the set business goals. Hopefully, reading this guide has enlightened you on its merits. Knowing this, you can start using it and enjoy its benefits to reach the company’s goals.
