Jira, a complete tool to carry out your projects

Jira a solution oriented towards agile

Jira was originally a product very much oriented towards the world of software development, but over time this solution has evolved into a powerful and flexible work management tool that can be applied to almost any use case, in agile-oriented contexts.

Even though this tool still has a strong bias towards the software world, as agile methods are increasingly used in other environments, Jira becomes relevant when a project or team integrates agile concepts.

Although the level of customization in itself makes it possible to adapt to all types of projects, Jira will not be optimal in all cases. For example, the traditional waterfall approach which, in the case of a large-scale project, will become difficult to manage with this tool, even if it remains possible.

As a reminder, Jira is by default oriented towards Kanban or Scrum, as these are the most popular methods. The Scrum method is strongly linked to the software world. This is not the case with Kanban, which is originally a method used in the manufacturing sector to identify and optimize bottlenecks in a production line.

The benefits of Jira for users and companies

The benefits of Jira are quite numerous. For the user, the tool allows greater visibility on his work in progress, which allows him to adjust and optimize his time and autonomy. The rest of the teams and the company definitely gain in transparency. Indeed, Jira makes it possible to know the progress of one or more projects in real time, to follow the velocity of a team and to have a delivery forecast: this leads to better pro-activity and better organization because the issues are identified more quickly. In short, these advantages are real gains for the company as a whole.

The functionalities are the same for all users. It is still possible to authorize more advanced rights, but it is generally useless or inadvisable to do so because it is possible to get lost in the tool's many customizable features.

Depending on the profile of each person (e.g. PO or PM), certain functionalities will be favoured for one role rather than another: such as reports, roadmaps or time tracking for project managers. Useful features for other profiles will be favored: commenting on tasks, recording work time or indicating dependencies between tasks.

The tool has a real added value for the project manager because it allows to virtually create features, such as preparing a page dedicated to the refinement and planning of tasks, for example.

Some tips to know:

• Jira is a turnkey solution. The version is free for less than 10 users and offers all the basic functionalities for project management.
• The paid versions, like all online tools, will give access to more or less advanced features. But they are especially useful for large companies (https://www.atlassian.com/fr/software/jira/pricing).
• Atlassian encourages, of course, the use of its entire range of tools. Thus, for software teams in particular, Jira will be more interesting if one uses other tools such as Bitbucket (for code management) and Confluence (for documentation).

Jira is therefore a precious tool to ensure the smooth running of one or several projects, whether you are a small, medium or large company. Its efficiency is not to be questioned. It covers the basic principles of agile project management, but it also allows you to improve your soft skills such as collaboration, communication and time management.

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