2. Stop Worrying!
and the workflow
Emma Rush
2

3. 3

4. Agenda
• Overview of the problem project
• Pain points
• Setting up a workflow
• Approach
• How we used the workflow and JIRA to take the pain away
4

5. The Project - Micro Videos
• A library of training videos
• Hundreds of videos
• Focusing on specific tasks
• Very short
• Several stages in production
5

6. 6

7. Ease the workload

8. Project Problems
• Labour Intensive
• Changes difficult to apply
• Lack of clarity
8

9. Management Problems
• Not working well with high volume
• Problems on the horizon
• Need a searchable video library
9

10. Process Mayhem
10

11. Reporting Problems
• No Reporting
• Lack of visibility
• Canʼt delegate tasks
11

12. Productivity Problems
• Abundance of Time Suck
• Manual Reports
• Lots of page editing
12

13. No Clear Pathway
13

14. Needs
• Process Clarity
• Searchable Library
• Management Reporting
• Increased Productivity
14

15. Headache
15

16. Use Confluence?
• Ad-hoc Workflows
• Scaffolding
• Reporting
• Chart Macros
• Advanced Search
• Some Bespoke Work
16

17. “ ”
Use the right application for the task.
17

18. JIRA Panacea
18

19. Where to begin?
19

20. Learn by sketching
20

21. Configuring Fields and Screens
http://bit.ly/mGAD78
21

22. “ When learning workflows, hands on,
practical experience is vital
”
22

23. http://bit.ly/aXJuRc
23

24. Enlightenment
24

25. “ The pen is mightier than the mouse.
(in the first instance)
”
25

26. Planning
• Important Stages in the Process
• Stages and Linked steps
• Transitions
• Screens and Custom Fields
• Roles and Notifications
26

27. 27

28. 28

29. “ Collaborate with stakeholders early to get the best
design for your workflow
”
29

30. Everyone loves a flowchart
30

31. Planning
• Learn JIRA Admin Concepts
• Try out example workflows
• Make your plans on paper
• Convert plans into something you can share
• Improve with feedback, iteratively
• Build
31

32. 32

33. Video Requested
Video Accepted
Create Requirements
Get Review
Create Script
Get Review
Create Video
Get Review
Publish 33

34. Kaizen up your process
• Process can be constantly improved
• See problems clearly, early
34

35. Clear Pathway
35

36. Using JIRA
1
• One Project for Training videos
• One Issue Type
36

37. The Boiler Plate
37

38. Reporting
• Use statuses for reporting
How many tickets are open
Which status they are in
Where the bottlenecks are
38

39. Reporting
“ Reporting. The key to getting a project on track
”
39

40. project = TRAINVIDS AND issuetype=”Training Video” AND status = Open
40

41. Dashboards
41

42. 42

43. 43

44. 44

45. 45

46. “ Dashboards put information that your team needs
at their fingertips
”
46

47. Ticket Wrangling 47

48. How to keep on top of your tickets
• What information will you need to find quickly?
• Make custom fields to suit
keeping content fresh
find tickets for specific software version
48

49. 49

50. 50

51. 51

52. 52

53. 53

54. Issue Management
54

55. Reflections
• Pimping out the workflow with Conditions
• Custom Fields Vs Components and Versions
• Additional options in the workflow
55

56. I the workflow
56

57. “ Get your project on track. Put it in a JIRA
workflow
”
57

58. Manage Process
• Reporting
• Visibility
• Added Review and Testing into the Process
58

59. I the workflow
59

60. Attribution
• Process Mayhem
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bispham2/3997915098/
• Unclear Path
http://www.flickr.com/photos/osucommons/3230009752/
• Enlightenment
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40230585@N08/3695173456/
60

61. Attribution
• Wrangling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationallibrarynz_commons/4535966085/sizes/o/in/photostream/
• Boiler Plate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mk94577/4081258769/
61

62. !"#$%&'&(
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62

63. !"#$%&'&(
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63

64. A Brief History...
64

65. JIRA Text-Based Editor
65

66. JIRA Text-Based Editor
GOOD BAD
• Better than XML • No Visual Representation
• Part of Core JIRA • Requires Lots of Planning
• Not Very Intuitive
• Frustrating
66

67. JIRA Text-Based Editor
V Y
O O
G R
O T
N
67

68. SysBliss Workflow Designer
68

69. SysBliss Workflow Designer
GOOD BAD
• Prettier than text • Looks Different than JIRA
• Visualizes Workflows • Takes Over Entire Interface
• Lots of Right-Clicking
• Does Basically what JIRA Does
69

70. SysBliss Workflow Designer
ut
, b
y E
v V
r o o
G OL O
N 70

71. JIRA 4.4 Workflow Designer
71

72. JIRA 4.4 Workflow Designer
• Built Into JIRA
• Clean UI matches JIRA
• No Right-Clicks
• Functions Not Possible in Core Editor
• UX Enhancements = SPEED
• View Workflow From Any Issue
• 120+ Issues/Features Resolved
72

73. !"#$%&'&%!!"#$%&"'()"*+
73

74. Up-Front Workflow Design
• Workflow Creator is not the Consumer
• Back and Forth - “Can you see it now?”
• Paper / White Boarding
• Gliffy *nod*
• Never catch everything
• Consumers Have No View into Problem Areas
• Difficult to Revise Once Implemented 74

75. Iterative Workflow Design
• Easy Creation: The Diagram IS the Workflow
• Consumer View Enables Collaboration
• Easy Revision: The Diagram IS the Workflow
• PNG Export Enables Workflow Diffs
• Donʼt Feel Like You Have To “Get It Right”
• Ongoing Collaboration = More Beer!
75

76. Initial Collaborative Design
76

77. Workflow Test Run
(read-only workflow views)
• Controlled by JIRA Permissions
• Link on View Issue Screen
• Highlights the Current State
77

78. Update and Publish
78

79. A Workflow For
Making Workflows
79

80. An Educational Video
80

81. Summary
• Collaborate on Initial Design in Workflow Designer
• Super Fast Edits
• Immediate Feedback
• Test Workflow in JIRA
• Donʼt Worry About Breaking Stuff
• Easy to Change
• Freedom to Grow Workflow Over Time 81

82. Try It Now!
http://atlss.in/jiraeap
82