ITS Employee

trueBackground and Context

This section is tailored to give you context on the "who, what, why" of JIRA.

What is Jira?

JIRA is a platform that combines issue collection and agile project management capabilities into a single application. Here at ITS, we’ve coined the platform as ITS PRO, which is our Project Management, Reporting, and Optimization platform. Used for time tracking and project management, ITS PRO serves as service enhancement tool that enables us to be successful in delivering products and support to our customers.
- JIRA, at the most basic level, is an issue and workflow tracking tool. It started in the industry focused on software (ie bugs) and later abstracted to all different types of issue tracking.
It is commonly used as a robust project management tool in a lot of organizations.
JIRA has also expanded to support other work areas:
- provide service-desk functionality (not enabled for us)
- agile/waterfall project management functionality (enabled for us)
- time tracking (enabled for us)
Since JIRA has been around for 10+ years, there is a huge community and expansive documentation built out. A simple google can potentially find you answers that apply.
JIRA is currently being managed by the Workplace Technology Services in IT Services at UCSD. They provide support and training around using the tool.

JIRA Terminology

JIRA, like every SaaS tool, has it's own nomenclature.

The basics include the following:

Term	Definition
Issues	Issues are the the core of JIRA. An issue is a piece of work. Issues are classified by type and have fields related to that. Examples include "Story", "Epic", "Task", "Bug", "Activity"
Projects	Projects are an organizational structure for issues. All issues must be created within a project.
Project Key	Every project has a name and a key. A key is a short-hand version of a project name. For example ESRFIS is a project key. Every issue that belongs in that project starts with the key followed by a number (ESRFIS-1,ESRFIS-2)
Fields	Fields are just fields that are placed on an issue. There are different types of fields such as checkboxes, open text, typehead, etc (think of filling out survey questions).
Custom Fields	Are fields we have created in order to track relevant information
System Fields	Are fields that come with JIRA and can be utilized for special purposes.
Filters and JQL (Jira Query Language)	Filters are saved searches. JIRA allows you to search using JQL (think of a simple SQL) and then save them as a filter. Filters are utilized in many parts of the system.
Dashboard	A "one stop shop" to display widgets and filters
Boards	A graphical display of a filter. A board allows you to visualize the work in a specific way (boards and backlogs). At the core, it is using a filter to decide what information to display
Tempo	A graphical display of time tracking. Tempo "My work" allows you to visualize how you log your time. Logging time is done on a given issue.

Some important system fields:

Term	Definition
Components	Components are project-specific fields that can be used to categorize work such as components/modules of an application or workstreams within a project. An issue can have one or more components. Components can only be created by a project admin.
Due date	This field is used to track the planned completion of the task / milestone / epic. The PAH uses this date for volatility metrics. If the planned due date gets more refined, it is OK to change the due date.
Epic Link	This field is used to create a parent-child relationship between an Object and a task. A task can only belong to one Object (via the Epic Link).
Fix Version / Affected Version / Releases	This field is used to track the scope of work needed for a version to be marked done. In software, bugs are associated to affected versions, and stories and tasks are associated to fix versions. Fix Versions are also used as milestones in the system (Portfolio).
Issue link	This field is used to link issues or collab pages together.
Labels	Labels is a global field that is used to tag or categorize any type of work. An issue can have one more labels. This field isn't standardized across projects because anyone can create a label.
Original Estimate	This field is used to determine the effort (in hours) necessary in order to complete a piece of work. We encourage people to change the estimate field as data becomes available.
Parent Link (Portfolio only)	This field is used to create a parent-child relationship between an Object and Project Record. An object can only belong to one Project Record (via the Epic Link)
Resolution date	This is the actual completed date of the issue (or when it was closed). For project records, when we evaluated the project and agreed that the project is completed.
Time Spent / Logged Work	This field keeps track of how many hours a person(s) spends on an issue.
Target Start	This field is used in portfolio to help with scheduling and visualization.
Target End	This field is used in portfolio to help with scheduling and visualization

UCSD Terminology

UCSD, like every company, has its own methodologies, processes, procedures, policies, and nomenclature.

At UCSD we use Object Task Lists (OTL’s) to manage project timelines and organize our deliverables. Essentially, the objects are a list of concrete deliverables needed to complete the project, while the tasks are the actions required to produce these deliverables.
- Objects are nouns that are clear and understandable by clients.
  - Examples: requirements document, one function of a software product, a reusable API, a single server instance
- Tasks are verbs and include specific details like who is responsible for the work, how long it will take, and when it will be done.
  - Examples: hire new design SME, send scope document draft to project team for feedback
Inside ITS PRO (JIRA), we transform these OTL’s into “issues.” These issues allow us to manage the work that we do and report the time spent completing these deliverables and tasks. By tracking our time against these issues, we can use data and analytics to create insights about the project and its overall progression.
- ITS PRO classifies every object as an and task as a .
- For more information about the project management process: ITS PRO Ontology
- Helpful videos that introduce ITS PRO and JIRA:
  - ITS PRO Introduction Video
  - JIRA How-to Videos

Below isn't an exhaustive list, but some useful definitions for you.

UCSD	JIRA	Definition
Object	Epic	An Object is a deliverable that will be delivered as part of a project. Objects should be created with object types in mind. When creating one, an object type can be selected from a field. and categorized using These objects normally start with a noun. Some examples can be found here.
Task	Task	A task is our to-do items and the actions we need to take to deliver an object. Tasks should be estimated effort and duration and be associated to an object on create. These normally start with a verb. Some examples can be found here.
Activity	Activity	Activities are time tracking categories for operational work that may be reoccurring or necessary for a production service to keep up and running. Activities should also be associated to Objects and for reporting/categorizing purposes we also attach them to Component/s (a system field)
Project	Project Record/ JIRA Project	A project record is a specific issue in the ITS Portfolio that provides metadata about any given project. It is used to help senior leadership understand how projects are progressing. This mostly applies to project managers, but included in here as informational. JIRA Project is the place where the issues are stored. Project Record is the metadata associated to it.
Task Phase	Phase	A field that only lives on tasks, that help define what part of the project the task relates to.

Common JIRA Activities

As an UCSD ITS employee, below are a few activities you may be required to do inside JIRA:

Logging Time

Why do we track time?

Background of timetracking

You'll always know what you're doing and why you're doing it.
Without proper time tracking, it is impossible to manage and balance resources, prioritize efforts, and allocate sufficient bandwidth to support maintenance and project work.
Translate our work into meaningful and transparent data which will allow us to:
- Identify areas we are on-target or ahead of the game with respect to project timelines, deliverables, and anticipating customer needs.
- Manage project timelines better based on the collection and analysis of data.
  - For example, if the actual time taken is drastically longer than the estimated time of completion, then the project needs to reprioritize tasks and/or adjust the projected deadlines.
- Collaborate across projects and identify common roadblocks.
Identify opportunities for self-evaluation, skill-building, and professional development.
Identify time management improvements, as well as time-wasters or unnecessary tasks.
More information on the benefits of time tracking: https://ucsdcollab.atlassian.net/wiki/display/PPMO/Benefits+of+Time+Tracking

How to track time in JIRA

Quick video (with no audio):

There are two methods to log time in ITS PRO, which are explained in the following video:

~15 minute video (with audio): How-to Video for logging time
More tips and tricks:

Searching for issues

If you visit its-pro.ucsd.edu, you’ll be taken to the System Dashboard. From here, you’ll be able to quickly find any issues that have you have been mentioned in, or issues that have been assigned to you.
To search for issues, click on at the top of the website to expand the dropdown menu. The dropdown menu will show your Recent Issues that you’ve visited for easy access. If issues have been assigned to you and are still open, you’ll be able to find them under “My open issues” in the Filters section.
If you’d like to search for specific issues, you can select “Search for issues” which will bring you to the following page (Issue Navigator) with different filter options.
- Project: You can narrow the search to specific FIS projects by typing “Financial”
- Type: Filter by issue type (Epic, Task, Milestone)
- Status: The status of the issue (Open, In Progress, etc.)
- Assignee: Filter by anyone or specific people
- More: A more comprehensive list of filters that you can use
  - At the far right corner, the button will allow you to choose a List View or Detail View. If you use the Detail View, you’ll be able to use the “Columns” feature which can show specific details such as Status, Due date, etc.

Creating, Commenting, Closing Issues

How to create (and close) tasks in Jira

There are two ways to create tasks in JIRA. The first way is a more general method, while the second is a more direct method.
Generally, while using JIRA you can press the “ ” button at the top of the page and a pop up will appear. This will allow you to create any type of issue in JIRA, but we’ll only be using it to create Tasks.
Fill in the appropriate fields:
- Project: The project that the task should be assigned to. If you begin typing “ESR Financial…” the various projects associated with ESRFIS will appear.
- Issue type: Make sure that it’s a Task
- Summary: Title of the task (it should be in verb-object format, e.g. “Review Budget Plan”)
- Epic Link: This is the Epic that the Task should be assigned to. If you know the name or key of the Epic, you can begin typing it in and the field will show suggestions. If you don’t know the name, you can select the dropdown menu and scroll through the available suggestions.
- Priority: Assign accordingly
- Phase: Assign accordingly (https://ucsdcollab.atlassian.net/wiki/display/PPMO/Project+Phases)
- Labels: Assign accordingly
- Original estimate: Estimate the time that this task will take. Use the 50/50 method to estimate to the best of your ability – “Will this take longer than 8 hours? No. Will this take longer than 4 hours? Yes. Will this take longer than 6 hours? No? What about 5? Sounds good.”
- Reporter: Will default to you if you’re creating the task, but someone else can be designated as the reporter – just begin typing their name or email into the box.
- Assignee: Person(s) that will be completing the task
Another way to create tasks in JIRA is by directly navigating to the Epic that that you want to create a new task for and scroll down to “Issues in Epic.” To the right, click the “+” to create a new task for that Epic.
- In this case, since we chose to create a new task using this method while on the Budget and Planning Design Epic, the “Epic Link” is grayed out, and already assigned to this Epic.
- If you’d like to add comments to any Task or Epic, you can navigate towards the bottom of the page. You can notify someone of the comment by using the @mention function.
- When we complete tasks, it’s essential that we go back into JIRA and close them because it helps our reporting tools provide accurate feedback and analysis on the project’s health and projected timeline. When you complete your task, it’s as simple as navigating to the respective task and clicking “Close.”

Transitioning issues

There are three ways to transition issues:

JIRA Board Transitions

When on a JIRA board (more about this in the next section), you can drag and drop issues between columns to move them between statuses.

JIRA Issue Screen

On a JIRA issue screen, you can clickon the action buttons to move something between the statuses. Notice that these words are similar to the ones used in the JIRA board.

Logging Time

Note: The above only moves something "In Progress". You can't log time to automatically move something to "Backlog" or "Closed"

Navigating a JIRA board

Remember, a board is just a graphical representation of a filter/project. So, there are two ways to get to a JIRA Board:

By clicking on Projects → Find your project. By default it will bring you to the first board (if it exists). If not, the side panel can help you create/navigate to the board.
By clicking on Boards → Find your board.

Saving a filter

Saving a filter is an easy step after you have searched for the issues. If you haven't figured out how to Search for issues, I highly recommend you do that before this section.

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