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Mastering JIRA Workflows!Best Practices, Tips & Tricks!

Christina Bang!

Atlassian Sales Engineer!

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Agenda!1.  Power of Workflow!

2.  Terminology!

3.  Dive In!•  Concepts!•  Default workflow!•  Build your own: where to start, examples!

4.  Advanced and Super Advanced!•  Using and creating plugins!•  Common Transitions!

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PDF Guide!My own cheat-sheet!

I created ʻcopy-and-pasteʼ text for emails!

Do things in order, or else:!

DOWNLOAD HERE:!

atlss.in/workflowguide!

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Power of Workflow!My favorite feature!!

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Workflow: best feature of JIRA!!Purchase Orders!

> $5,000: Office Manager!> $10,000: Senior Manager!

1.  Automate a process!

2.  Enforce a process!

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Workflow: best feature of JIRA!!Thank youʼs!

3.  Replace a form!

4.  Route information!

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Workflow: best feature of JIRA!!5.  Audit trail!

Who did what, when!Permanent Record!

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Workflow: best feature of JIRA!!6.  Any business process!

Resume tracking!Changes to website!Action items!Idea gathering!

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Dive In!Concepts!

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Push vs Pull!• Push process!

•  Hand-off!•  Ownership!

• Pull process!•  Unassigned!•  Issues-in-waiting!

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Open vs Restricted!

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In progress

Resolved

Closed Reopened

Open

In progress

Resolved

Closed Reopened

Open

Issue basics!Issues always have a state!

•  Open, Closed, Verified, Ordered!•  ʻStatusʼ is for search & reporting!

Done or not done?!•  Does it have a Resolution?!

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Terminology!

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Do you speak JIRA?!

Workflow has:!

1.  Statuses for Search!

2.  Transitions you will Click!

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Close Issue

In progress

Resolved

Closed Reopened

Start Progress

Reopen Issue

Resolve Issue

Open

Start Progress

Do you speak JIRA?!Transition Conditions !

•  Restrictions !•  Before the action, wonʼt see it!

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Close Issue

In progress

Resolved

Closed Reopened

Start Progress

Reopen Issue

Resolve Issue

Open

Start Progress

Do you speak JIRA?!Transition Validators !

•  Check points !•  After the action, warning message!

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Close Issue

In progress

Resolved

Closed Reopened

Start Progress

Reopen Issue

Resolve Issue

Open

Start Progress

Do you speak JIRA?!Transition Post-Functions !

•  Auto actions !•  Users donʼt have to know!

Example: !ʻEscalate Issueʼ will automatically!•  Assign to team lead!•  Update the priority!

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Close Issue

In progress

Resolved

Closed Reopened

Start Progress

Reopen Issue

Resolve Issue

Open

Start Progress

What else workflow touches!•  Screens!•  Fields!•  Permissions!•  Roles!•  Notifications!•  Resolutions!•  Canned reports & filters!

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Schemes save you time!

Saved configurations!

•  Write once, apply to many!•  Allow more flexibility!•  Structure new projects on-the-fly!•  Granular control!

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ʻUnresolvedʼ = field has no value!

OPEN issues are allowed to have Resolutions!

Resolutions Matter!

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Resolution Field flips it ON!ReOpen Issue clears Resolution!

Dive In!Default Workflow!

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Default workflow breakdown!• Software development!

• Simple at first glance!•  Open like Atlassian!•  Powerful + flexible = complex!!

• Push process!•  Notifications, ownership!

• Resolved = done!

• Closed = delivered!

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Close Issue

In progress

Resolved

Closed Reopened

Start Progress

Reopen Issue

Resolve Issue

Open

Start Progress

Conditions, Validators, Post-Functions!

Built into default transitions!

Affect notifications, Resolutions!

Depend on !•  Permissions !•  User roles!

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Start Progress Transition

Only the assignee can execute this transition

The Resolution field will be cleared

Dive In!Build your own!

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Where to Start?!

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Modify the default Build from scratch •  Push process (ownership)

•  Software dev process

•  Using default permissions, roles

•  Built in notifications

•  Simple changes

•  Pull process (queue)

•  Don’t want the default system dependencies

•  Very different process from default

•  Few steps (2)

•  Many steps (7+)

K.I.S.S.

Before you build!• VISUALIZE open or restricted; push or pull!

•  IDENTIFY things to add/edit!•  Issue types!•  Fields!•  Screens!•  Statuses!•  Resolutions!

• PLAN transitions carefully!

•  TEST when done!

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Example 1: Add an Approval Step!

•  Statuses: Waiting for Approval, Approved!

•  Resolution: Approved!

•  Field: Reason for Approval!

•  Screen: Approve screen!

•  Users: add group ʻManagersʼ!

•  Conditions: Approve (restricted to Managers)!

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VISUALIZE IDENTIFY PLAN TEST

Close Issue

In progress

Waiting for approval

Approved

Reopened

Start Progress

Reopen Issue

Approve Issue

Open

Closed

Send for Approval

Start Progress

Example 2: Build from scratch!1.  Anybody internal can enter an idea!

2.  Track both ideas & active work!

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Blog tracking!

•  Statuses!•  Draft waiting for review!•  Publish date scheduled!•  Published!

•  Resolution: Published!•  Issue Type: Blog Entry!•  Field = Target Publish Date!•  Field = Blog Category!•  Condition: category owner!

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Publish

Start Progress

Draft Complete

Schedule Blog Close as not

published

In progress

Draft waiting for review

Publish Date Scheduled

Closed – not published

Open

Published

VISUALIZE IDENTIFY PLAN TEST

With any workflow!• Visualize so you can do things in order!

• Most annoying JIRA ʻgotchaʼ - follow the cheat-sheet!

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Advanced!

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Workflow Plugins!

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Plugin Cool Stuff JIRA Suite Utilities Compare number condition $<PO<$$

Mandatory field on transition Copy value from another field

JIRA Toolkit Participants field for notifications Time since last comment

Misc Workflow Extensions Previous status (request clarification) Comment required validator Set issue security based on user role

Workflow Designer Visualize while you build

Super Advanced!Workflow Blackbelts!!

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Common Transitions!

•  ʻGotchaʼ for new JIRA workflow admins!

• Add or change a step, modify transitions!

• Confusing to keep track!

• Allows more granular control!

• Can edit in XML!

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Build your own plugins!

• Skeletons and Guides: atlss.in/jirahub !

• Use existing as examples: plugins.atlassian.com!

• JIRA Development Forum: atlss.in/jiraforum !

• AtlasBar & Charlie Lounge!

• Atlassian Partners: atlassian.com/partners!

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Take-aways!

1.  Keep it simple!

2.  Visualize before you click!

3.  Issues are defined by!•  Resolution !

•  Status!

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Thank you!

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Resources for any workflow!

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Videos: atlss.in/jiravids !

Quick Start Guide: atlss.in/jiraquick !

Workflow Docs: atlss.in/jiraworkflow !

Plugins: plugins.atlassian.com!

PDF Workflow Guide: atlss.in/workflowguide!