Atlassian JIRA Tutorial Series of 20+ Hands-on Tutorials:

What is JIRA?

Atlassian JIRA is an issue and project tracking software to plan, track and manage your projects. JIRA is mainly used by agile development teams to customize your workflows, team collaboration, and release software with confidence.

For your convenience we have listed all the JIRA tutorials in this series:  

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JIRA Tutorial List

Tutorial #1:  Introduction to Atlassian JIRA Software
Tutorial #2:  JIRA Download, Installation, and License Setup
Tutorial #3:  How to Use JIRA as a Ticketing Tool
Tutorial #4:  How to Create Sub-Task with Example
Tutorial #5:  JIRA Workflows and Reports
Tutorial #6:  Administration and User Management
Tutorial #7:  JIRA Agile Tutorial
Tutorial #8:  Agile Project Portfolio Management Plug-in for JIRA
Tutorial #9:  Scrum Handling with JIRA
Tutorial #10:  JIRA Dashboard Tutorial
Tutorial #11:  Zephyr for JIRA Test Management
Tutorial #12:  Atlassian Confluence Tutorial
Tutorial #14:  Test Automation for JIRA with Katalon Studio
Tutorial #15:  Integrate JIRA With TestLodge
Tutorial #16:  Top 7 Most Popular JIRA Plugins
Tutorial #17:  7 Best JIRA Alternatives in 2018
Tutorial #18:  JIRA Interview questions
Tutorial #19: Jira Time Tracking: How To Use Jira Time Management Software?
Tutorial #20: Complete Guide To Tempo Timesheets: Installation & Configuration

Let’s start with the first tutorial in this Training Series!!

Introduction To JIRA Software

Before we get into what this tool is, how it can be used and who it is used by, I want to lay out some ground rules that will help us learn any tool easily and effectively in a short period of time.

I personally think that learning any tool has 2 phases to it:

• Understanding the underlying process
• Learning the tool itself- features/capabilities/shortcomings, etc.

Take the case of JIRA. Think that you are a newbie and know nothing about it. You have heard about it from various friends, online references, etc. You want to try your hand at it. How can you do that?

Ask yourself these questions:

• What kind of tool is it?
• Who uses it?

JIRA is an Incident Management tool. What is Incident Management? This is the stage when you forget all about the tool and work on the process.

Before we see more details about this tool, let’s get familiar with the incident management process.

Incident Management Process Overview

Any task that is to be completed can be considered an incident.

Top 10 Incident Management Requirements are:

1. An Incident has to be created
2. Additional information needs to be added to the Incident to make the description comprehensive
3. Each stage of its progress should be marked and moved along the steps until completion
4. The stages or steps that the Incident needs to go through should be defined
5. It might be linked to other Incidents or have some child incidents
6. Incidents might have to be grouped according to some common rules
7. Concerned people should be aware of the incident creation/change in the state
8. Others should be able to provide their feedback on certain defects
9. The Incident should be searchable
10. Reports have to available if we need to see any trends

Whether it is JIRA or any other incident management tool, they should be able to support these core 10 requirements and enhance them if possible, right?  In this series, we will look into how JIRA fares with respect to our list.

Download And Install

It is a Defect tracking/Project Management tool by Atlassian, Inc. It is a platform-independent software.

You can download and try it free for 30 days at this page: Download JIRA

Who Uses This Software?

 Software project development teams, help desk systems, leave request systems, etc.

Coming to its applicability to QA teams, it is widely used for Bug tracking, Tracking project-level issues- like documentation completion and for tracking environmental issues. Working knowledge of this tool is highly desirable across the industry.

Basics Of JIRA Tool

JIRA in its entirety is based on 3 concepts.

• Issue: Every task, bug, enhancement request; basically anything to be created and tracked is considered an Issue.
• Project: A collection of issues
• Workflow: A workflow is simply the series of steps an issue goes through starting from creation to completion.

Say the issue first gets created, goes to being worked on and when complete gets closed. The workflow in this case is:

Let us get hands-on.

Once you create a trial, an OnDemand account gets created for you and you will be able to login to it.

Once logged in, the Dashboard page is displayed (unless otherwise chosen) to the user. The Dashboard page gives a snapshot of the description of the project you belong to; issue summary and the activity stream (the issues that are assigned to you, the issues that you created, etc).

You can do that by going to the main menu and choosing the Project name from the “Projects” dropdown.

We defined earlier that a project is a collection of issues. Item number 6 in our list – the feature that enables the grouping of the issues is fulfilled with this concept. Projects have components and versions under it. Components are nothing but subgroups within a project based on common grounds. Also, for the same project, different versions can be tracked.

Every project has the following main attributes:

• Name: as selected by the administrator.
• Key: It is an identifier that all the issue names under the project are going to start with. This value is set during the creation of a project and cannot be modified later even by an administrator.
• Components
• Versions

For instance, take a web-based application; there are 10 requirements that need to be developed. There will be 5 more features added to it later on. You can choose to create the project as “Test for STH” version 1 and Version 2.  Version1 with 10 requirements, version 2 with 5 new ones.

For version 1 if 5 of the requirements belong to Module 1 and the rest of them belong to module 2. The module 1 and module 2 can be created as separate units

Note: Project creation and management in JIRA is an admin task. So we are not going to cover project creation and will continue the discussion using an already created project.

Taking the details in the above example, I have created a project in JIRA called “Test for STH”, the key is “TFS”. So, if I create a new issue, the issue identifier will start with TFS and will be “TSH-01”. We will see this aspect in the next session when we create issues.

How the Project details are displayed:

Please note the left-hand side navigation.

When I choose the “Components” option, it displays the two components within the project:

When I choose the versions option, the versions within the project are displayed

Choose Roadmap option, the version information is displayed along with dates giving a general idea about the important milestones in the project.

Choose the calendar option to view the milestones date wise:

At this point, there are no issues created for this project. If there were, you will be able to see all of them by choosing “Issues” from the left navigation menu.

In the next session, we will learn how to download and install JIRA and all about working with JIRA issues. Please feel free to post your questions and comments below.

A Complete Overview of Jira Download, Installation and Setup:

In this informative JIRA series, we had a brief introduction on JIRA tool in our previous tutorial.

We will go through the installation procedure of Jira software with a step-by-step guide for Jira download, installation and license setup.

Topics covered in this article:

• Jira Software download and Installation
• How to invoke Jira for actual use

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

Using windows installer, which is the simplest way, one can easily set up Jira in the working environment using an external database.

Check for the following requirements before installing any other software:

1. Is the operating system used supporting Jira installation?
2. Is Jira license procured?
3. The database is set up and ready for use?
4. Is Jira to be run as a windows service?
5. Is the JavaScript enabled in the browser to be used to launch Jira?
6. JDK/JRE version is the latest?

Note: Last 2 requirements are for the client side (i.e. for the end users).

Steps to Download and Install Jira Software

#1) Download ‘Atlassian-Jira-Software’ corresponding to your windows operating system environment.

Select the OS environment type and click the ‘Download’ button. The download page will look as shown below:

#2) Navigate to the folder on the machine in which the installation exe is downloaded. Run the installer exe, preferably as administrator (right click on the exe and choose ‘Run as administrator’ option).

a) The installation wizard will start as shown in below image:

b) Select the appropriate radio button for the type of installation, as shown in the following image and then click the ‘Next’ button.

c) Configure the ports that will be used by Jira software as shown in the below image (ports on an individual machine can differ – they might not be exactly the same as shown in the below picture)

d) Next page will show the summary of choices done. (refer the below image)

e) Click on the ‘Install’ button.

This will start the installation process (copying of files etc.). At the end of the installation, it will show the page as shown in the image below.

f) Observe ‘Start Jira 7.12.3 now’ checkbox. If this checkbox is checked, then after installation Jira will be started automatically. Click on ‘Next’ button.

g) Click on ‘Finish’ button.

• Now launch Jira in a web browser.
• Create/Sign-up for Jira account. Once you log in, you need to enter the type of license.

Setting up Jira License

• Select the type of license and your organization name. (Refer the following image)

• Click on ‘Generate License’ button. Jira will display a confirmation popup (refer the below image). Click on ‘Yes’ on the confirmation popup. This will display the ‘Administrator account setup’ page.

• An administrative account needs to be set up as shown in the below page. Enter the mandatory details and click on the ‘Next’ button.

• Jira will automatically finish the setup as shown in the below image.

Once Jira setup is finished, the Jira server starts running, and the end user can launch Jira client instance using a web browser. (Refer the below image)

URL could be like: http://localhost:8084/secure/WelcomeToJIRA.jspa

Note: In large organizations, Jira server is set up in one place. Maybe in different geographical location and client, the URL will be created accordingly to use for a large number of users.

In this tutorial, we learned how Jira software can be installed and used by individuals.

Creating and working with Sub-tasks and Merge Task in JIRA:

We came to know about the JIRA Bug Tracking Tool in our previous tutorial.

We all know that the JIRA issue is a standard and standalone issue. But JIRA facilitates breaking down of issues as well.

This can be achieved in multiple ways. It has a provision to copy the issues so that a user does not have to enter all the fields again to create a new similar issue. JIRA Training Series will give you a clear knowledge of the concept.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

Jest Code-Coverage & Html Report Generation

This tutorial explains about JIRA Sub-tasks, the creation of a JIRA sub-task, converting an issue into a sub-task and vice versa, cloning (copying) an issue, correcting/moving an issue, etc in detail.

A sub-task is nothing but a division of a parent issue (task) into chunks of work that can be assigned and tracked individually.

Sub-Tasks In JIRA

As we all know that a task/issue in JIRA is the mentioned story/requirement which is worked upon.

In case the issue is too big and complex then the issue can be broken down into logical sub-issues known as ‘Sub-tasks’ in JIRA. These smaller issues can be managed properly.

Each sub-task can be worked upon by a separate person, which in turn allows monitoring the progress of the main issue in a better way. Also, the person working on a subtask gets a better understanding of the area.

Once sub-tasks are created, the main issue is referred to as the parent issue. All the sub-issues of the parent issue are displayed as a summary on the same page/screen of the parent issue in the ‘Sub-Tasks’ section.

=> It is important to note that a sub-task has all the same fields as a normal/standard issue. Sub-tasks have different issue types.

Types Of Sub-Tasks

(List can vary from one organization to another)

• Sub-task
• Merge-To_Branch sub-task
• RCA

Procedure To Create A Sub-Task

#1) Open (search) the issue for which the Sub-task or Sub-tasks are to be created.

#2) Click on the ‘…‘ button (referred to as ‘Ellipsis’, available at the top right-hand corner) so that the drop-down menu gets expanded.

#3) Select the ‘Create Sub-task’ menu item. (refer the below image for ‘Ellipsis’ and menu item).

This will display the ‘Create Subtask’ popup page (on top of the main issue page).

Note: A Jira administrator has to enable the ‘Create Sub-task’ submenu. Most of the organizations will have it. Also, the sub-task issue type has to be added to the issue type scheme of the project.

Note: Ellipsis (‘…’) button was known (named) as “More’ in the earlier versions of JIRA and was placed alongside buttons like ‘Edit’ on the toolbar.

On the above-shown page select ‘Sub-task’ in the issue type drop-down and then provide input for the mandatory fields and any additional fields and then click on the ‘Create’ button available at the bottom of the page.

Newly created sub-issue (usually referred to as sub-task) will be displayed in the ‘Sub-tasks’ section of the main/parent issue.

Note: Fields on the ‘Create Subtask’ popup page can be customized to show the widely used fields. This can be done by clicking the Configure Fields (with the wheel as an icon) available at the top right-hand corner of the page.

After clicking it will pop up a dialog where the fields which are not required can be unchecked and vice versa. The user can switch between the default fields and the customized page using “All’ and ‘Custom’ links.

Another type of sub-issue is called as ‘MergeToBranch-Subtask’, which is specifically used while the codes move/merge from project/product branch to another. For instance, when it is required to move from a development branch to a branch already in production then this sub-task is widely used.

The procedure to create a merge type of Sub-task is the same as that for Sub-task except that the ‘MergeToBranch-Subtask’ option needs to be selected in the issue type drop-down. Once the merge-to-branch issue is created, ideally the Product Owner must approve the code move.

Note: Sub-tasks cannot be further divided into more Sub-tasks. In case the need arises that a Sub-task is to be broken further, then it is required, that the Sub-task is first converted to a standard-issue and then this issue can have Sub-tasks.

Thus, an issue can be converted from a standard/parent (standalone) issue to a Sub-task and vice versa. However, if an issue already has Sub-tasks of its own, then JIRA will not allow the user to convert the issue to sub-task.

In such a case, all the Sub-tasks are to be converted first into standalone issues and then convert the parent issue to Sub-task.

It is important to note that Sub-tasks cannot be made Sub-tasks of another issue (i.e. cannot be moved directly from one issue to another). The procedure is to first convert Sub-tasks to standard issues and then make them Sub-tasks of another parenting issue.

Procedure To Convert A Standalone Issue Into A Sub-task

#1) Open (search) the issue which needs to be converted.

#2) Click on the ‘on ‘…‘ button (referred to as ‘ellipsis’, available at the top right-hand corner) so that the drop-down menu gets expanded.

#3) Select ‘Convert to sub-task’ menu item. –>This will open a page which will require 4 steps to be completed to finish the conversion.

#4) Step1: Enter the parent issue number in the ‘Select Parent Issue’ edit box.

=> Keep on typing the first few letters of the project (For Example, ‘SAMP’), which will then pop up the list of issues (history) that are eligible for selection. Select the desired issue number. Select the type of sub-task and then click on the ‘Next >>’ button. This will open up the ‘Step2’ page.

=> Alternatively click ‘select issue’ link/button (placed beside ‘Select Parent Issue’ edit box), which will popup ‘Issue Selector’ page, on which the user can select issues based on either of the two options/filters namely ‘Recent Issues’ or ‘From Filter’.

#5) Step2 and Step3 are not required as seen from the above image. (also refer the Note section below).

#6) Step4. Clicking on the ‘Next >>’ button will display the ‘Confirmation’ page which is step 4 of the conversion procedure. If all the input/selections look ok then click on the ‘Finish’ button. Once the ‘Finish’ button is clicked the original standard issue will be converted to Sub-task of the given parent issue.

=> At any point in time the conversion procedure can be canceled using the ‘Cancel’ button.

Once a sub-task issue is created, the parent issue of which it is a Sub-task is displayed at the top left of the page.

Note: Following is true for both types of conversions namely from standard issue to Sub-task and from Sub-task to standalone issue.

=> If the current status of the issue being converted is not an expected status for the new issue type then, Select New Status page of Step2 is displayed, where the user must select a new status and then click ‘Next >>’ button.

=> If in case any additional fields are required to be mentioned then the ‘Update Fields’ page of Step3 will be displayed, else ‘All fields will be updated automatically’ message will be displayed on the page.

Procedure To Convert A Sub-task To The Standalone Issue

#1) Open (search) the Sub-task which is to be converted.

#2) Click on ‘on ‘…‘ button (referred to as ‘ellipsis’, available at the top right-hand corner) so that the drop-down menu gets expanded.

#3) Select ‘Convert to issue’ menu item. –>This will open a page (refer the below image) which will require 4 steps to be completed to finish the conversion.

#4) Step 1: On the ‘Select issue Type’ page of Step1, select a new issue type for the standalone/standard issue, and then click the ‘Next >>’ button.

#5) Step2 and Step3 are not required as seen from the above image. (Also refer the Note section above).

#6) Step4: Clicking on the ‘Next >>’ button will display the ‘Confirmation’ page which is step 4 of the conversion procedure. If all the input/selections look ok then click on the ‘Finish’ button. With this, Sub-task will be converted to the standalone/standard issue.

The newly created standard issue will be seen and the issue page will no longer display a parent issue number thus signifying that it is not a sub-task any more.

Move An Issue

Let us assume that while creating an issue, the issue type chosen was incorrect and now the user wants to rectify this. JIRA provides this functionality to change the issue type.

Steps for moving an Issue:

#1) Open (search) the issue which needs to be changed (moved).

#2) Click on the ‘on ‘…‘ button (referred to as ‘ellipsis’, available at the top right-hand corner) so that the drop-down menu gets expanded.

#3) Select the ‘Move’ menu item. This will display the ‘Move Issue’ page, which shows Step1 of the two-step procedure.

#4) Step1. Select a new project where the issue is to be moved (in case if the project is chosen while creating an issue was incorrect). If the project name is correct then no need to change it.

• Select new issue type, from the drop-down in the ‘To’ column.
• Click on the ‘Next’ button. This will take the user to the next step page.

#5) Step2 and Step3 are not required as displayed in the above image.

This could vary depending upon the original issue type and new issue type, meaning in these cases the user will have to provide the necessary details. Now click on the ‘Next >>’ button to go to the next step.

#6) Step 4: Is the page where the user confirms the changed details and once satisfied clicks on the ‘Move’ button.

• This completes the procedure of moving an issue with the new details.

Clone An Issue

There are instances where a new issue to be created is similar (almost) to an existing issue. Instead of creating a new issue all the way, Jira provides a functionality called ‘clone’ to copy an existing issue.

Steps to Clone an Issue:

#1) Open (search) the issue which needs to be changed (moved).

#2) Click on the ‘on ‘…‘ button (referred to as ‘ellipsis’, available at the top right-hand corner) so that the drop-down menu gets expanded.

#3) Select the ‘Clone’ menu item. This will display the ‘Clone Issue’ page on top of the original issue.

• In the mandatory summary field, enters a new summary for the new issue.
• Select ‘Clone links’ checkbox, if the linked issues are also to be copied (as links) to the new issue.
• Select ‘Clone sprint value’ checkbox, if the issue is to be added to the same Sprint as that of the original issue.

#4) After entering/selecting mandatory and additional details click on the Create’ button. This will create a new issue.

JIRA Sub-Task Examples

Example #1: A QA related example could be the task of Test documentation. Test documentation by itself is an activity that might take a week to finish.  Say, it involves the following aspects: Test plan documentation which takes 2 days. Test case documentation – 2 days, Test plan review – ½ day and Test case review – 1 day.  Also, assume that there are 2 resources.

In this case, we can create a JIRA issue of the typing task for “Test documentation” and have the following four subtasks under it:

1. Test plan documentation – assigned to resource 1
2. Test case documentation – assigned to resource 2
3. Test plan review- assigned to resource 2
4. Test case review- assigned to resource 1

By doing so, it is easier to have a better insight into the progress task wise and resource-wise by breaking a sizeable parent task into sub-tasks.

Note: It should not be confused that an issue type of “Task” only contains “Sub-tasks”. An issue of any type can have sub-tasks.

Example #2: An example related to bug could be – if a bug is encountered and needs a code change to fix it, the developer can use a sub-task to track this code-fix that needs to take place. Here, the code-fix (of type Sub-task) becomes a Sub-task under the bug found (of type Bug).

Create Sub-Tasks In JIRA

You can create Sub-tasks by following one of the two methods:

• Create a sub-task to an issue, or
• Convert an issue to a sub-task and choose a parent

We will see the ways below.

Method 1: Creating a Sub-task under a parent issue

When a parent issue is already created the following steps can be followed to create a Sub-task under it:

#1) Open the issue. Go to “More” drop-down in option on the top. Choose the “Create Sub-task” option from the list.

#2) The “Create Subtask” dialogue with the parent issue number will come up. This is similar to the “create issue” dialogue, except that:

• Project: this field does not exist, because the sub-task will have to under the project that the parent is created.
• Issue type- auto-populated as a subtask. The drop-down also has a “Technical Task” as an alternative. In the case of our example 2, marking it is a Technical task will be more appropriate.

#3) Enter the information as desired and click on “Create” to create the Sub-task. Once created, the link to the Sub-task will appear in the “Sub-tasks” section of the parent issue as shown below:

Note:  You can choose to add a new sub-task by clicking on the “+” sign in the sub-tasks section shown above.

#4) Click on the link of the Sub-task that you want to create. The details will be displayed below.

Method 2: Converting an issue into a sub-task

#1) Open a created issue. Go to the “More” drop-down list and choose the “Convert to Sub-task” option. The following screen gets displayed.

• Type in the issue ID or you can search it by using the link provided.
• As the message on the screen specifies:  only non-Sub-task type issues already existing under the same project can be chosen.
• Choose the sub-task type as either Sub-task or technical task.
• Click Next.

#2) Continue with steps 2 and 3 by choosing “Next”

#3) Step 4 will show you the conversion summary. Choose Finish to convert an issue to a Sub-task.

#4) This issue will now be displayed under the “Sub-tasks” section of the parent section.

Some Important Points To Note

#1) You can have as many Sub-tasks as needed under an issue.

#2) You cannot have Sub-tasks to a Sub-task.

#3) Once you create a Sub-task under a parent, the parent can no longer be converted into a Sub-task.

#4) A Subtask can, however, be converted into a parent issue. To do so, go to the “More->Convert to Issue” option.  The following screen comes up. This process is similar to method 2 of issue creation. Choose the new issue type and follow through all the steps to convert the Sub-task into an issue.

#5) For an issue with sub-tasks, the “Time tracking” portion will display the consolidated time of the parent + the sub-tasks.

For Example, if the Parent issue’s Original Estimate field was chosen as 5 hours and the Sub-tasks were set to 3 hours during the creation. The time tracking section of the Parent issue will display the ‘Estimated time’ as a sum of both parent and Sub-task. For our example, it will display 8 hours (5+3).

The same is true with the “Remaining Time” field too. There is an option to just display the parent’s time to track information not considering the Sub-tasks. You can do so by un-checking the “Include Sub-tasks” checkbox in this section.

#6) In the sub-tasks section, you can choose to display all the Sub-tasks or just the ones that are open by clicking on the down-arrow next to the “+” sign.

#7) You can work on your sub-task without having to navigate away from the parent issue. The activities you can perform are listed when the “Actions” option corresponding to each sub-task is clicked on. You can directly choose what you would like to do from the list that comes up.

This sums up all there is to know about Sub-tasks in JIRA. 

Conclusion

JIRA gives us all the possibilities to break down a big issue into smaller ones known as Sub-tasks, using various procedures. Changing and copying an issue is possible in very few simple steps with JIRA.

I hope you would have gained much knowledge about the creation of Sub-tasks in JIRA through this informative tutorial.

A Guide to Managing Issues in JIRA, Creating JIRA Workflow and JIRA Reports: 

JIRA Sub-task was explained in our previous tutorial from the Series of JIRA Tutorials.

We have seen the different kinds of issues and how to create them in our earlier JIRA Tutorials.

This is the next JIRA tutorial in this series where we will learn how to use them, the workflow progress and the reporting feature of JIRA. JIRA issue travels through various states like ‘In Progress’ etc.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

Keyword Driven Framework Plan & Design (Tutorial #10)

On its way, the user may keep on modifying the description, add additional comments, ask for further information about the issue and other various things.

Hence in this tutorial, we will take a detailed look at Issue workflow in JIRA – the lifecycle of an issue, Comment, Email/Share, and Watch options on a JIRA issue.

Issue Workflow In JIRA

Once an issue is created in JIRA, it has its status as ‘To Do’ or ‘New’. This issue resides in the product backlog, which is normally handled by the Product Owner along with the Scrum Master in an Agile environment.

The product owner depending upon the criticality and importance of the issue decides which Sprint the issue should be worked on (For Example, SprintMay2018). Fix version in which the issue will be delivered is also decided and the same is updated on the issue in the ‘FixVersion’ field.

The product owner also decides which Scrum team will work on the issue depending upon the knowledge and competency within the scrum team. This is of course not a hard and fast rule that a team having sufficient knowledge of the area should work on a specific issue.

If sufficient time is available, knowledge transfer can be given to any team so that the team can look into the issue.

During sprint planning (of say SprintMay2018) the designated scrum team moves the issue in their Sprint Backlog.

Sprint Backlog

It is typically a list of issues which are committed for solving by a Sprint/Scrum team during the sprint planning

When the issue is in the sprint, one of the scrum team members assigns the issue to himself/herself. At times the issue is assigned to a person by the Scrum master. ‘Assignee’ field will now show the name of the person to whom the issue is assigned to.

The person checks the initial estimate on the issue and if the feeling is like the issue will require more time than the mentioned estimate, then it can be re-estimated after the discussions with the product owner and the scrum master.

These discussions are important because the scrum master can then take a call of one or more issues that are to be removed from the current sprint to match the total team capacity.

Modifications to the issue like a change in the description are done using the Edit button. In some versions of JIRA, each field can be edited separately using the pencil (edit) symbol.

The Assignee then moves the issue to ‘In Progress’ state by simply clicking the ‘Start Progress’ (‘In Progress’) button.

Once the assignee starts working on the issue, if he feels like the information provided in the issue description is not sufficient for him/her to continue, then the issue progress can be stopped by simply moving the issue to the ‘To Do’ state.

Some organizations have a’ Stop Progress’ button for this purpose. The assignee should write a proper comment describing why the issue is being stopped. Further to this, the issue status can be changed to ‘Awaiting Info.’ (some organizations might not have this customized status type).

Comment On Jira Issue

To get a free text field for Comment, simply click on the ‘Comment’ tool strip button which is located just below the name of the issue (‘test bug’ name of an issue in this case). This button is also available in the Activity section of the issue.

This will display a text field with formatting options, like the one displayed in the below image:

Click on the ‘Add’ button after writing a proper understandable comment, which will save the comment. Different formatting can be applied if required.

Visibility of the comment can be restricted by selecting a suitable option from the drop-down available near the padlock symbol. Choices typically will be like ‘All Users’, ‘Project Roles, ‘Developers’. This restriction is very important if the end customer has access to the JIRA.

The assignee can send an email to the creator of the issue through JIRA itself so that an early answer can be expected.

Email

Email can be sent through the following options

#1) Using ‘Share this link…’ button available at the top right-hand corner of the page.

#2) Using the ‘Email’ menu item available from the menus available after clicking the ‘…’ button at the top right-hand corner of the page.

#3) Using ‘@’ functionality in the comment text field. After writing @ JIRA pops up a list of email ids and the user can choose one or more.

Note: Options 2 & 3 may only be available after customizing JIRA.

The Following popup dialog opens after clicking on the ‘Share’ button.

Username(s) or email id(s) are to be entered in the ‘Username or email’ field. Additional comments can be entered in the ‘Note’ field. Clicking on the ‘Share’ button on popup dialog will send an email to the mentioned users with a link to the JIRA issue.

The assignee can add him/her as a ‘watcher’ by using the ‘Watch issue’ option. By doing this watcher will receive notification for every single change on the issue, like a change in description, new comment and even log work too.

Watch Issue

This menu item gets displayed after clicking the ‘…’ button. After clicking this menu item, the user (assignee in this case) gets into the watcher’s list and the label of menu item changes to ‘Stop Watching’, which in turn can be used to stop watching the issue.

Any other team/project members can add themselves as watchers if they are interested to know what’s going with the issue, as a watcher does not have to explicitly open the issue to check the progress but notification(s) is received.

Once one or more users start watching the issue, the corresponding count will be displayed beside the label named as ‘Watchers’ (refer above image). Logged in user can stop watching the issue by clicking ‘Stop watching this issue’ link or by clicking ‘Stop Watching’ on the ‘Watchers’ list page.

In case, when someone is interested to know the names of the users who all are currently watching a particular issue, then click on the ‘Watchers’ menu item, which gets displayed after clicking the ‘…’ button. (Refer the below images).

Once the assignee is comfortable with the information, then the issue is restarted again. If the issue status was ‘To Do’, then the user can directly start the progress by clicking ‘Start Progress’ (‘In Progress’) depending upon the available button. The issue can again go into the same flow which means the progress can be stopped if required.

Assignee writes a proper understandable comment on the issue. It also adds ‘Log work’ (the time he invested working on the issue) at the end of each day. This facilitates the product owner and the other stakeholders to know the progress on the issue.

As soon as the assignee feels that the issue is solved and code review is done, the changes are unit tested. Once the solution is satisfactory to the assignee, the status of the issue is changed to ‘In Test’ (‘To Be Verified’).

Scrum team tester then assigns the issue to him/her & tests the changes and the surrounding areas.

If the tester finds an issue either in the changes or a regression issue then the test is failed and the issue status is changed back to ‘In Progress’ and assigned to the concerned developer. The tester will log the work with the number of hours utilized.

The developer will look into the new changes required, will fix the same, unit test it and then move the issue to ‘In Progress’. The tester will subsequently test the issue and once satisfied, will mark the issue status as ‘Resolved’ (Done).

The issue is resolved only after a proper demo to the stakeholders at the end of Sprint and all must feel that the DoD is met. Once the fix/product version is delivered the issue is closed.

It needs to be remembered that an issue, in case of a bug, can be closed directly, if it is found to be not reproducible.

There might be a case wherein after some time (days/months etc.) due to a problem triggered by the issue, and it might have to be reopened and which is then traversed through the same cycle.

Note: Button ‘…’ referred above may be named as ‘More’ and the places alongside the ‘Edit’ button in the tool strip on the left of the page, in some JIRA versions or customized ones.

In short, a JIRA issue travels from stages like New (Open) -> In Progress -> In Test -> Resolved (Done).

Along the way, the users/various stakeholders associated with getting the issue fixed add comments/descriptions on the issue accordingly.

Manage Issues In JIRA

The issue once created can be accessed by searching the ID, browsing the “Issues” menu item or going to the project details and checking the issues tab.

When you access an issue and click on its link, the details will be displayed. All the actions that can be performed on the particular issue are available in the header of an issue details screen:

We will go in sequential order from Right to left and discuss all the options.

#1) Edit:  As the name suggests, this option lets you modify an issue created. Click on it and modify the information as desired. Choose ‘Update’ when done. This is similar to the “Create Issue” dialogue.

#2) Comment:  This is a useful way to record the proceedings on an issue and to communicate with the concerned members. Enter your comments and choose the option to restrict viewership:

#3) Assign:  This is the option you would need when you want to shift the ownership of an issue. Enter the Assignee information, comments (anything that you would want to communicate) and choose the viewership of the comment. Once an issue is assigned to the user, an automatic email is sent (if this option is chosen by the admin) and the issue appears on the assignee’s dashboard on login.

#4) More: The following options are available under the “More” menu item:

Agile Board, Rank to Top, Rank to Bottom -> Related to Agile Projects – the details of which are going to be coming up in a later article.

Attach Files, Attach Screenshots -> Lets you attach files to an issue.  The screenshot option will auto-capture a screenshot. All you need to do is a print screen on your machine and you can directly copy it here into JIRA.

Add Vote, Voters, Stop watching, Watchers -> Voting is a process that JIRA users can perform to support the resolution of an issue favorably or unfavorably. The options in this section facilitate the same. You can also choose to watch an issue – when you do so, all the changes to it will be notified to you.

Create Sub-Task, Convert to Sub-task -> These are the options that help create and work with Sub-tasks. The details are available in tutorial #3 of the JIRA series.

Labels -> This concept is similar to the “Labels” that we find on various blogs and web pages. You can categorize issues based on Version and Component formally, but when in need of something more informal, this option can be used. For Example, all the issues raised to track peer review comments can be labeled “peer review” to view and track them easily.

#5) Log work:  This is a way to track the progress on your issue in terms of time. When this option is used, the following dialogue opens up. As you can see, the detailed information about how much time is spent on an issue, how much is remaining, etc can be logged here.

#6) Move: JIRA issues can be moved across projects. However, the move from one project to another might mean a different target workflow, a different issue type, a new status, etc. It is therefore advisable to analyze thoroughly how the move is going to affect the issue before going ahead with this.

#7) Link:  This is a very versatile feature of JIRA that allows you can logically link issues with one another and establish relationships/dependencies.

An example situation where this can be used in QA projects is when a certain defect prevents you from working a certain requirement. You can use this option to show dependency.

When this link is accessed, the following dialogue opens up. Using this dialogue is very simple:

The different kinds of associations can be chosen from the “This issue” list box. The list contains:

Alternately, you can choose to include a web-link as a reference.

#8) Clone: As the name implies you can create a duplicate of an issue.

When an issue is Cloned:

• The cloned issue’s summary begins with “CLONE” prefixed.
• There will be a link established between the parent issue and the cloned issue.

#9) Email Issue: Click on the icon. Enter the information for the recipient of the issue information in the below dialogue that opens up. An email with the JIRA issue details will be sent.

10) Export: JIRA also provides a way to write the issue information to external files. To do so, click on the “Export” button at the rightmost corner and you will see the formats to which you can download a JIRA issue:

How To Move A JIRA Issue Through The Different Stages Of Workflow?

#1) An issue created in JIRA is always in the status “Open” upon creation.

#2) The workflow stages that it goes depends on the project type and the workflow assigned to the project while creation.

#3) Only Admin will be able to choose this and once chosen, it cannot be changed and all the issues under the project will go through the same workflow.

#4) When the “Start Progress” button is clicked the issue status changes to “In Progress “and button label changes to “Stop Progress” which when clicked will revert the status back to “Open”.

#5) Clicking on the “Workflow” button will display you a list box of the next stages that an issue can go to.

#6) If the issue needs to be set to “Resolved” directly, there is a “Resolve issue” button available. On clicking it you will be able to choose the reason for saying the issue is fixed.

#7) To view the workflow that a certain issue goes through, click on the “View workflow” link that is next to the status field of an issue in the issue details page. For Example, for my issue the workflow displayed is:

JIRA Reports

JIRA also comes with a robust reporting feature. There are many kinds of reports that it facilitates.

Browse through a project whose details you would want to get a report of and go to the “Reports” tab. Here you will see a list of all the reports that can present for you.

Choose the report and set the data criteria and you will have a custom made the report in hand within no time.

Also, for an incident management tool, a user would expect strong search features and JIRA fits the bill in this area too. So, be sure to leverage that to your benefit.

Conclusion

This brings us to an end the ‘JIRA- User’ part of the series.  As always, we hope these JIRA tutorials in the series will not only help you use Atlassian JIRA issue tracking software successfully but also aids you in achieving the best results for your Project/Incident/Test/Defect management activities.

Learn Jira Admin Aspects: JIRA Administration and User Management Tutorial

We learned about the JIRA workflow in detail in our previous tutorial.

We are going to learn all about the JIRA Administration today. This is a unique opportunity to learn the admin aspects of a Project/Incident/Test Management tool.

Not all of them are as effective (and simple) and as accessible from the UI as it is for JIRA. So, as always, concepts are more important than the tool-specific details – lookout for the operations and their importance- that will help you to estimate what you can expect from the “Admin” module of any tool.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

Note: When you create a trial, a new JIRA URL will be created for you and the first user who registers will be the admin by default. Use that initial ID to learn the features that are going to be discussed in this article.

JIRA Admin Project Management

Project Management is one of the first and most important concepts in administration.

A JIRA Admin can:

• Create a project
• Configure an already created Project.

Create A Project

#1) Once you log in, on the Dashboard itself you will have a few options to get started:

#2) You can either click on the item in the list or you can choose:

Or go to the Administration->Projects menu option:

And then on this page, you will have an option to “Add Project”

#3)  Choose any of the above 3 methods to add a project. In the below window, choose the type of Project.

Note: Please note the “Import from external systems” link at the bottom of the page.  If you have been using a different bug/issue tracking system and would like to migrate to JIRA. This is the option you could use. Also, if all you had earlier is an excel sheet for all your issues, you can create a project by importing all the issues in the CSV file into JIRA.

#4) Enter the Project Name, Key (once chosen cannot be changed) and assign a Project Lead (the person who is responsible for the overall project). Click Submit when done.

#5) The project gets created and the following details are displayed. By going to the “Administration” link you will be able to configure the project (in case of an already configured project, you can edit the configurations).

Configuring A Project

As you can see below, you can choose the issue types that need to show up, the workflow that the project follows, versions and components, people involved and the level of access permissions they have, etc. (Click to enlarge image)

User Management In JIRA

User creation is the most important part of the User Management process, it is not limited to just that.

The important user-related activities performed by a JIRA Admin are:

• Edit a particular user information
• Delete a user
• Creating users groups
• Creating Roles
• Permissions
• Setting Preferences

We will see the creations, deleting and editing of an issue in detail below. For the rest of the operations, we would encourage you to try them on the site with your trial ID.

Note: With the trial, you can add up to 10 users to your account i.e., 9 additional users and 1 admin, yourself.

Firstly, Go to Administration->User Management:

There are two ways to which you can add users to JIRA.

• Create them manually.
• Send an invite to join JIRA to a user’s email ID

Let us look at creating manually in detail:

#1) Click on Create User button in the below page:

#2) Enter the user details in the “Create New User” dialogue that opens up. In the below example I have entered only mandatory fields. The others are self-explanatory and can be set as required.

#3) On Clicking create, the user gets added and the following confirmation page comes up for the user.

An email is sent to the ID provided to the user with the information on how to set up a password that would enable the user to login and use JIRA.

Method 2 of User creation, via Email invites:

#1) Click on the “Invite Users” button in the User Management->Users screen and enter one or more email ID’s in the below dialogue that opens up. When done, click Send.

#2) The invitation sent message comes up when the message is successfully sent.

#3) In case of an email invite, the user is not added until the recipient of the email invite acts on the received invitation.

Editing A User 

#1) Go to the User Management -> Users page. All the users available will be displayed. The top portion of this page contains a “Filter” section. This can be used to manipulate how/what user information needs to be displayed. You can choose to keep it empty, in which case it displays all the users available.

#2) Below the filter is a list o fusers organized in a tabular form is displayed. (Click to enlarge image)

#3) Note the “Edit” link in the “Operations” column. Click on the corresponding “Edit” link for the user whose information is to be modified.

You will be able to change the following profile information.

Delete A User

Choose the “Delete” link corresponding to the user you would like deleted from JIRA. The following confirmation message is displayed and you can choose to delete a user or cancel the operation.

A JIRA Admin can additionally:

• Configure the look and feel
• Configure workflows
• Set Project/issue-level security details.
• Can add custom fields/screens
• Integrate a JIRA project with development tools to make sure that the commit, revert, changes, etc. can reflect immediately in JIRA.
• Configure Dashboard settings
• Set time/time zone information.
• Configure and set email preferences

Please note that all the admin aspects of any tool should more or less support the activities we have detailed above.

Also, admin access to a tool is very powerful and, “with great power comes great responsibility”.  :)

Typically, Admin access is limited to just one person in an organization to make sure that accidental inconsistencies do not happen.  All the requests for changes, new projects or new users are directed through the admin.

JIRA Agile Tutorial: Agile Project Management Using Jira Software

Our previous tutorial on JIRA Administration explained about JIRA Admin and User Management.

Agile methodology for software development has gained immense popularity in recent years. JIRA Tool supports the Agile Software Development methodologies like Scrum and Kanban.

Using JIRA Agile boards and reports you can now plan and track all your Agile Project management tasks using one tool.

Agile Projects follow an incremental approach to the development of the requirements.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

The highlights of an Agile/Scrum Project are:

• The Requirements are created/agreed upon and then grouped together into a Product Backlog
• The Requirements (User Stories) are ranked in the order of priority and business importance
• Once ranked, the stories are assigned developmental cycles (Sprints) that last for approx. 4-6 weeks.
• The detailed documentation is avoided. Instead, a scrum board is maintained that will show the status and progress.

JIRA successfully supports all the activities listed above for projects following an Agile Methodology. Let’s see how.

Note: Firstly, you will need a JIRA Agile add-on if you have not installed it already.

User stories in JIRA are created using JIRA Issues:

• You can have a product backlog by creating a main User story and having various sub-tasks under it.
• Or you can create an Issue type -Epic and Issue type – Story linked to it. To do so, in the ‘Create Issue’ page you can go to “Configure Fields” and choose the “Epic Link” field to be included in the issue creation screen. – This is the most commonly used method.

Note: You will not be able to link Epic to another Epic.

The next important feature of an Agile Project is the Scrum board. JIRA provides a solid basis to facilitate it. The feature is called a “Board”, and it is right there under the “Agile” menu item. (This menu option will be available only if you have the JIRA Agile add-in; this was previously called ‘GreenHopper’)

JIRA Features To Achieve The Agile Process

Feature #1: A user can create and manage boards in Agile. – It will display the issues from the same project or multiple projects so the progress can be monitored from one place

Feature #2: There are two kinds of boards in JIRA Agile. What are they and what they do is explained in the below window? Choose the appropriate board and continue through the steps to create a Board. You will have to choose the projects from which issues are to be considered. In this article, we are going to discuss a Scrum board.

Feature #3: After a board is created you will be able to configure it as you see fit. Basically, there are two modes to a board – Plan and work. As the name implies, a plan is a part where you can categorize your requirements (stories) into Sprints. Work mode is when you can track the time spent and the overall progress. Apart from these two, you can generate several reports.

Feature #4:  Plan Mode

The following is how the Planning mode looks like:

• The Planning mode displays all the user stories created for the project.
• You can use the LHS menu to decide the basis on which the issues need to be displayed. You can choose to view all the issues or only the ones related to a certain Epic.
• Change the order in which issues need to be considered simply by dragging them up or down in the backlog.
• From the RHS side menu upon clicking on an issue, you can create links, subtasks, legwork and perform any other activity like you would on a normal issue.
• You can use this screen to create a sprint too if you have the right permissions.
  

Feature #5: Work Mode

This will display the Active sprint information. All the user stories are going to be categorized as Todo, In progress and Done to show the progress clearly.

Feature #6:  Agile Reports

Go to Agile Board->Reports. As you can see, there are lots of custom Agile Reports that can be generated using JIRA. All you have to do is, choose the report that you would like and decide the data based on which this report should be generated. (Click to enlarge image)

Feature #7:  Managing Boards

With the right permissions or if you are an admin, you will be able to configure a Board after its creation. To do so, go to “Agile->Manage Boards”. In the following screen, select the “Configure” option next to the board that you want to edit from the list of all boards available. (Click on image to enlarge)

From the following page that comes up you will be able to define/edit the details as needed:

Conclusion

That completes how JIRA can be used for Agile Projects.

In my opinion, the tool when used right can provide a solid support for this methodology. Since the focus on documentation is low in Agile, JIRA can be your one-stop-shop to have everything in one place.

Now, the obvious question: How is JIRA agile helpful for testers?

Frankly, for the QA fraternity, the scope of JIRA is either for bug tracking or task tracking – these do not change whether they are Agile Projects or regular ones. But having a good knowledge of this methodology by itself and the tool provided support is important because the IT world is shifting its focus to Agile – and we want to know all there is to know about it to make the best of it.

JIRA Agile Tutorial: Agile Project Management Using Jira Software

Our previous tutorial on JIRA Administration explained about JIRA Admin and User Management.

Agile methodology for software development has gained immense popularity in recent years. JIRA Tool supports the Agile Software Development methodologies like Scrum and Kanban.

Using JIRA Agile boards and reports you can now plan and track all your Agile Project management tasks using one tool.

Agile Projects follow an incremental approach to the development of the requirements.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

Jest Code-Coverage & Html Report Generation

The highlights of an Agile/Scrum Project are:

• The Requirements are created/agreed upon and then grouped together into a Product Backlog
• The Requirements (User Stories) are ranked in the order of priority and business importance
• Once ranked, the stories are assigned developmental cycles (Sprints) that last for approx. 4-6 weeks.
• The detailed documentation is avoided. Instead, a scrum board is maintained that will show the status and progress.

JIRA successfully supports all the activities listed above for projects following an Agile Methodology. Let’s see how.

Note: Firstly, you will need a JIRA Agile add-on if you have not installed it already.

User stories in JIRA are created using JIRA Issues:

• You can have a product backlog by creating a main User story and having various sub-tasks under it.
• Or you can create an Issue type -Epic and Issue type – Story linked to it. To do so, in the ‘Create Issue’ page you can go to “Configure Fields” and choose the “Epic Link” field to be included in the issue creation screen. – This is the most commonly used method.

Note: You will not be able to link Epic to another Epic.

The next important feature of an Agile Project is the Scrum board. JIRA provides a solid basis to facilitate it. The feature is called a “Board”, and it is right there under the “Agile” menu item. (This menu option will be available only if you have the JIRA Agile add-in; this was previously called ‘GreenHopper’)

JIRA Features To Achieve The Agile Process

Feature #1: A user can create and manage boards in Agile. – It will display the issues from the same project or multiple projects so the progress can be monitored from one place

Feature #2: There are two kinds of boards in JIRA Agile. What are they and what they do is explained in the below window? Choose the appropriate board and continue through the steps to create a Board. You will have to choose the projects from which issues are to be considered. In this article, we are going to discuss a Scrum board.

Feature #3: After a board is created you will be able to configure it as you see fit. Basically, there are two modes to a board – Plan and work. As the name implies, a plan is a part where you can categorize your requirements (stories) into Sprints. Work mode is when you can track the time spent and the overall progress. Apart from these two, you can generate several reports.

Feature #4:  Plan Mode

The following is how the Planning mode looks like:

• The Planning mode displays all the user stories created for the project.
• You can use the LHS menu to decide the basis on which the issues need to be displayed. You can choose to view all the issues or only the ones related to a certain Epic.
• Change the order in which issues need to be considered simply by dragging them up or down in the backlog.
• From the RHS side menu upon clicking on an issue, you can create links, subtasks, legwork and perform any other activity like you would on a normal issue.
• You can use this screen to create a sprint too if you have the right permissions.
  

Feature #5: Work Mode

This will display the Active sprint information. All the user stories are going to be categorized as Todo, In progress and Done to show the progress clearly.

Feature #6:  Agile Reports

Go to Agile Board->Reports. As you can see, there are lots of custom Agile Reports that can be generated using JIRA. All you have to do is, choose the report that you would like and decide the data based on which this report should be generated. (Click to enlarge image)

Feature #7:  Managing Boards

With the right permissions or if you are an admin, you will be able to configure a Board after its creation. To do so, go to “Agile->Manage Boards”. In the following screen, select the “Configure” option next to the board that you want to edit from the list of all boards available. (Click on image to enlarge)

From the following page that comes up you will be able to define/edit the details as needed:

Conclusion

That completes how JIRA can be used for Agile Projects.

In my opinion, the tool when used right can provide a solid support for this methodology. Since the focus on documentation is low in Agile, JIRA can be your one-stop-shop to have everything in one place.

Now, the obvious question: How is JIRA agile helpful for testers?

Frankly, for the QA fraternity, the scope of JIRA is either for bug tracking or task tracking – these do not change whether they are Agile Projects or regular ones. But having a good knowledge of this methodology by itself and the tool provided support is important because the IT world is shifting its focus to Agile – and we want to know all there is to know about it to make the best of it.

JIRA Portfolio, an Agile Project Portfolio Management Plugin Hands-on Review:

In this excellent JIRA series, we learned how to use JIRA effectively for managing Agile projects in our previous tutorial.

Portfolio for JIRA is the latest release of Atlassian’s Agile Project Portfolio Management plug-in for JIRA. Its purpose is to facilitate the management of a portfolio of JIRA projects.

It provides a constantly updated, real-time view of progress across multiple teams and projects within an organization, allowing managers to have an up to the minute view on whether or not work is on track to meet release dates.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

It also provides a sandbox environment that can be used to assess the impact of change within a project on release timelines without actually making those changes to the referenced projects.

Jest Code-Coverage & Html Report Generation

In this tutorial, I’ll take you through the background of Portfolio for JIRA and discuss, among other things, how Portfolio assigns resources, uses team availability and the four steps you need to take to create a portfolio plan.

Portfolio for JIRA background

The first release of JIRA Portfolio, first available within the Atlassian Marketplace (Atlassian’s version of an Appstore for their applications) back in May 2014, provided users with a plan that gave visibility over a large number of projects and teams within JIRA – a “portfolio plan”. This allowed managers to plan out work across multiple projects, and allocate work so that timelines were maintained and release dates were met.

However, whilst the key concepts were in place, the synchronization between portfolio plans and the JIRA projects they were made from had to be maintained manually, which made it very difficult to keep portfolio plans up to date. This meant that very quickly portfolio plans would become out-of-sync with the projects that they represented, and the portfolio plans would no longer provide a realistic view of how projects and teams were progressing.

The latest version has been specifically designed to integrate with JIRA Software in such a way that a portfolio plan always reflects the true state of the projects that it represents. Data is gathered from a select scope of JIRA issues, which can be based, as required, on Projects, Boards or Filters.

This data is continuously fed into the portfolio plan so that it is always up to date with the latest changes to the scope.  This includes data such as time estimates for JIRA issues, dependencies between issues, and when teams are available to work on particular issues.

Figure 1: The ‘Schedule’ view for a Portfolio plan, showing the timelines for multiple projects, with JIRA issues mapped against this timeline.

Portfolio assigns resources using a unique scheduling algorithm that builds in any priorities and deadlines set by the user against scope items.

Values of different properties associated with JIRA issues can be set to a defined value which will not be changed by the algorithm or set as ‘Calculate’, allowing the scheduling algorithm to change the value of the parameter in order to meet the given release timeline.

The releases themselves also have this flexibility, allowing Portfolio to calculate a release date based on when the selected scope of work is completed, as opposed to setting a strict release date that needs to be hit.

Note that if the scheduling algorithm proposes a change to a JIRA project, the change must be confirmed (“committed”) by a Portfolio user with the relevant permissions. Changes cannot be made to underlying JIRA projects in an uncontrolled way.

Figure 2: Changes are only made to the underlying JIRA projects and issues when they are committed back to JIRA, preventing changes from being made in an uncontrolled way.

Changes to Issues can also be made by the user from within the Portfolio plan, but a specific “commit” of those Portfolio-level changes is required to make them flow through to JIRA. This prevents project managers on the ground from seeing their projects being mysteriously updated without there being a clear opportunity for users at Portfolio level to keep them informed.

Further, it allows Portfolio for JIRA 2.0 to act as a sandbox environment, where changes can be made to issues at the Portfolio level and their impact on release timelines, etc. assessed before transmitting the changes on to all those working on the projects. In other words, it allows the running of “what if” scenarios.

Creating portfolio plans

Creating a portfolio plan is simple, being made up of only four steps.

Firstly, the scope is defined by selecting the projects, teams or filters to be used to gather issues from which the scope will be defined. Multiple options can be used at this point. Releases associated with those options are then selected to define which releases will be included in the plan.

Next, the teams to be included in the plan are selected, and a default team will be created for each project.

Finally, the issues relating to the selected releases are listed, allowing the user to pick out which issues they want to include in the scope of the plan. Once this is completed, Portfolio uses its scheduling algorithm to create a portfolio plan based on data relating to the selected issues.

The portfolio plan is presented with a Schedule view with three tabs that represent the data used to create it; Scope, Teams, and Releases.

The Schedule can be viewed persistently against all three tabs, or separately as a Report on its own page. Changes on any of the three tabs can be seen on the Schedule view and assessed before they are committed to JIRA.

A timeline is shown with issues placed against it over time, with a simple colour coding design used to show whether or not a release is on track; the line is green if it is on track, and is red if the release date is not going to be met.

The specific dates for the release date and completion date are shown on the timeline, allowing users to see where gaps lie and how large the gap is between completion and release. This view can be configured in a number of different ways to show a breakdown of projects, teams or users, as well as a number of other useful views.

Currently, there is no clear indication on the Schedule view where the release date based on the scope comes close to the expected release date.

As well as being able to see how work is scheduled over time within projects, Portfolio for JIRA also presents this information in a ‘Capacity’ view for the teams to which the work has been allocated.

This view shows what the available capacity of all teams included within the Portfolio plan is, highlighting the number of hours those teams have assigned to them in a particular week or sprint, depending on the Agile methodology being used, as well as showing the utilization of those teams and where available capacity and potential bottlenecks may lie.

Figure 3: The ‘Capacity’ view for a Portfolio plan shows the allocation of work to teams across the plan. Highlighting particular sprints or weeks shows the team utilization statistics, including bottlenecks and free capacity.

Portfolio for JIRA uses team availability, and the skills of members of those teams, in order to further refine the release schedule. When teams are set up users within JIRA can be added into them and allocated particular skills depending on what their role might be.

For example, a team of developers could be allocated skills based on the knowledge they possessed of different programming languages. The portfolio uses this to assign tasks not only to teams but to particular members of teams who have the skills required to complete those tasks. These skills are what Portfolio uses to define where bottlenecks may exist, and help to clarify where additional resources may be required to meet release dates, however, it is not always clear how significant the bottlenecks could be.

The Teams created within one plan can also be shared with other plans using ‘Shared Teams’. This saves time when creating plans by bringing in information relating to those teams such as the skills previously discussed.

The portfolio allows teams working on the same project to work using different methodologies, and breaks down the schedule accordingly; a team using Scrum will see tasks assigned to sprints, whilst a team using Kanban will see tasks assigned based on priority and time estimates.

The ‘Schedule’ view then allows this to be filtered in a number of different ways, using a very similar filtering tool to that used within JIRA for the Issue Navigator.

Figure 4: Teams can be created with skills set against particular team members, allowing the scheduling algorithm to assign tasks specifically to users who have the skills to complete that task.

With multiple projects displayed within a single portfolio plan view, users may define dependencies between projects, whether they be on the teams using those projects or requirements for particular activities to be completed before others can start.

Portfolio for JIRA brings in dependencies that already exist in JIRA, whilst allowing new dependencies to be added via the ‘Scope’ view. These dependencies can be clearly seen in the ‘Schedule’ view by clicking on one of the issues to which it relates, and seeing the related issues also highlighted within the Portfolio plan.

Whilst Portfolio for JIRA brings in information about releases already available within projects, new releases can also be defined from the plan view (i.e. at Portfolio level, potentially spanning more than one project), and thus cross-project releases can be created. This allows work between different projects to be scheduled such that all work is completed to a shared deadline.

Portfolio handles this by creating individual releases within each project that are linked together with a shared schedule.

A single source of truth

Portfolio managers need to be able to quickly view and analyse the progress of all of their teams and projects across an organisation, regardless of the complexity of the organisation or projects within, and Portfolio for JIRA 2.0 delivers this.

It provides a single source of truth for managers to work out the most efficient way of deploying work to teams. The biggest improvement with the latest release is the removal of the requirement for a manual synchronisation with JIRA projects, making sure that portfolio plans are always a realistic assessment of progress within projects and the likely timescales that will be met.

A Detailed Guide to Scrum Handling with Jira: JIRA Scrum Board Tutorial For Managing the Sprint Effectively

JIRA Portfolio was explained in detail in our previous tutorial. In this tutorial, explore more about Scrum Handling with JIRA.

In Scrum or Kanban environment Jira helps in managing the Sprint effectively and efficiently, with its simple UI and easy to use options.

Let’s take an in-depth look at Scrum Handling with Jira now. For complete knowledge about JIRS, read through our Free JIRA training series.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

This tutorial will explain about Project, Product Backlog, Time Estimation of Issues, What is a Sprint, Creating a Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-up Meeting, End Sprint, Sprint Retrospective etc.

Project

For scrum, the project may be called as Scrum Project (Sprint project). In a practical scenario, the user (maybe Product Owner) having admin rights creates the project.

Steps to create a scrum project:

#1) Click on the ‘Projects’ folder (icon) button in the left pane of the page.

#2) Click on the ‘Create project’ button available at the top right-hand corner of the page, which will display ‘Create new project’ page.

Normally the user will be asked to select a project type. Make sure that you chose ‘Scrum software development’ as the project type.

#3) At this step make sure that the template selected is ‘Scrum’. If not click on the ‘Change’ button and then select ‘Scrum’ as a template from the popup dialog displayed.

#4) On the ‘Create new project’ page enter a properly identifiable name for the new project and then click on the ‘Create’ button.

This will show up the newly created project page as shown below:

• As seen in the above image ‘MTP’ is the short name of the project (actual project name of example project = ‘My test Project’) chosen by Jira internally.
• Along with the project a scrum board is automatically created.
  • Like a white/blackboard, which can hold many lines of the write-up, a Jira board displays the issues created for a particular project (it can display issues from several projects too).
  • By presenting the issues as a board, Jira makes it extremely flexible for viewing, managing and tracking the progress of an issue. (We will learn more details specific to Jira boards in a separate tutorial).
• The backlog of the scrum board is empty for the newly created project. Backlog should be filled now with the issues, tasks etc. In a scrum environment, a Product Owner fills the Product Backlog. Product owner may take the help of a Scrum Master wherever required.
  • List of the outstanding issues (which can include feature enhancements, bugs, tasks etc.) for the product is referred as the Product Backlog. A similar list for a Sprint is called a Sprint Backlog.

Product Backlog

• Jira issues (of different types) are created to update/fill a product backlog.
• Product owner receives the requirements (also bugs) from the end customers. Other team members may also suggest some issues.
• Product Owner makes sure that there are sufficient issues for the current sprint as well as the future sprint.

Time Estimation of Issues

• Once the product backlog has issues, it becomes important to determine and update the time estimates on each task.
• Time estimation on tasks, in turn, is important for the Sprint Backlog. It helps to decide the number of issues which can be taken in a sprint depending upon the number of team members in the scrum and their time capacity.
• Each Jira issue has a field called ‘Estimate’ (sometimes referred to as ‘Story Points’), wherein the time estimation in agreed format needs to be filled.

Once there is enough number of issues in backlog and each issue has a time estimate, they are ready to be worked upon in a Sprint. New Sprint needs to be created and issues need to be taken into the sprint.

What is a Sprint?

In a Scrum environment, the respective teams predict to complete a set of issues to be completed in a fixed duration of time, which is referred to as Sprint. The team along with the Product Owner determines the duration of the team.

In most cases, sprint duration is two, three or four weeks.

Create a Sprint

Click on the ‘Create sprint’ button (refer to the above image).

Give a proper decided name to the sprint (E.g. Sprint2018June<Team_Name>). At this step, Jira will display a page as shown below.

Sprint Planning

In a scrum/agile environment, one of the “scrum ceremonies” is sprint planning.

This sprint planning meeting should be called before starting the sprint. Even before that Scrum Master finds out the team time capacity for the upcoming sprint by considering any planned leaves of the team members, or any other time-off like training etc.

The Process:

• Meeting duration: For a two-week sprint, it is normally 2 hours. It is like the number of weeks * 1 hour (i.e. 2*1 )
• The product owner will have a prioritized list of issues in the product backlog.
• Required attendees: Scrum Master, Product Owner, Scrum team.
• Any issues which are not estimated, are estimated
• The team decides which issues can be worked on in the sprint. This is important so that the scope of the sprint is maintained.
• Drag & drop issues in newsprint or change sprint name on the new issues. ‘Start sprint’ button will now be enabled. (refer the below image)

• The team commits to complete the issues in the sprint.

As the team agrees on the scope of the Sprint, sprint is started by clicking on the ‘Start sprint’ button.

Jira will display the next page as shown below:

Enter the required details on the ‘Start sprint’ popup dialog:

• Sprint Name: Enter the uniquely identifiable and understandable name.
• Duration: Select the agreed sprint duration.
• Start date: Select the start date from the calendar control.
  • Note: Some teams start the sprint on Monday and end on Friday. Of course not thumbs rule.
• End date: Jira calculates this end date based on the duration selected.
  • Note: In case a different end date is selected, the duration field is updated as ‘Custom’.
• Sprint goal: This is a non-mandatory field.

Click on the ‘Start’ button after entering the required details. Jira will now display the ‘Sprint board’ as displayed in the following image. ‘Active sprints’ tab becomes active now.

Three columns namely ‘TO DO’, ‘IN PROGRESS’ and ‘DONE’ are shown in the Sprint board, through which an issue will traverse. The columns displayed may vary from one organization to organization. The columns can be configured with the help of a Jira administrator.

Team members then pick up the issues to work upon and move them to ‘IN PROGRESS” column. Once DOD (Definition of Done) of the issue is met, the issue is resolved and moved to the ‘Done’ column in the Sprint board.

Daily Stand-up Meeting

After starting the sprint every day (and till the end of Sprint), daily stand-up meeting (also referred sometimes as ‘Daily Scrum’) is held, typically at the beginning of the day in the morning.

• Intention: To know if there are any blocking problems for any issue being worked upon and also to know how is the progress of each team member.
• Required Attendees: Scrum team, Scrum Master, Product Owner
• Duration: Maximum 15 minutes.
  • Avoid storytelling
  • Avoid sitting down
  • Make sure that each attendee is attentive.
• Each team member speaks:
  • What was completed yesterday?
  • What the team member will work on today?
  • Are there any impediments?

Note: During the sprint progress, the need may arise to add ad-hoc/priority issues in the Sprint. If so to maintain the scope of the sprint, one or more issues will be removed from sprint backlog and added back to the product backlog. Product owner, scrum master and the team should agree upon the changes.

End Sprint

On the last day of the Sprint, sprint should be completed/ended. This is done by clicking the ‘Complete Sprint’ button.

This will display the ‘Complete Sprint’ popup page as shown below:

‘Complete Sprint’ popup page shows:

• Number of completed issues
• A number of incomplete issues.
• Any issues added after the Sprint was started.
• Option to move the incomplete issues either to ‘Backlog’ or to ‘New Sprint’.
  • Typically incomplete issues are moved to Backlog.

Clicking on the ‘Complete’ button on ‘Complete Sprint’ page will end/close the Sprint and will display the ‘Sprint Report’ page. (Refer the below image)

Sprint Report helps in identifying if the scope of the sprint was overcommitted or vice versa.

Sprint Retrospective

This meeting should be held after completing the sprint and before starting a new Sprint.

Duration could be an hour. The main purpose of this meeting is to collect a ‘rapid’ feedback from the team. This meeting helps the entire team to understand ‘what went well’ and ‘what needs to be improved’.

Feedback collected should be worked upon in the next sprint and it is a part of the continuous ‘agile’ improvement.

Conclusion

This informative tutorial explained how various Jira boards are used to manage Scrum.

Hope the step by step process explained in this tutorial would have enriched your knowledge on the concept of Scrum with JIRA.

JIRA Dashboard Tutorial: How To Create JIRA Dashboard With Example

A Complete Guide to Creating Jira Dashboard Quickly:

We explored Scrum Handling in JIRA in our previous tutorial.

Jira dashboard displays various gadgets and one can easily track the progress of the tasks/issues collectively on one page.

For remote cross-border distributed teams, a dashboard can provide important information about both expected as well as some unexpected project developments.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

 

It can also help in reminding the team members who tend to forget updating the task progress. This tutorial will explain all about Jira Dashboard and How to create a dashboard in Jira.

Jest Code-Coverage & Html Report Generation

 

What You Will Learn: [hide]

• JIRA Dashboard
• Steps to Create a Dashboard
• Share a Dashboard
• Customize the Dashboard Layout
• Manage a Dashboard
• Conclusion
• Recommended Reading

JIRA Dashboard

Once a user logs into the Jira software, the dashboard is the first thing which can be seen. Jira admin can customize the view of the dashboard and also things that can be seen on the dashboard.

A dashboard displays gadgets and apps that show up various kinds of information to facilitate the team members to help in tracking the project’s progress. Jira Dashboard gadgets provide much useful information.

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Our Recommendation

#1) Custom Charts For Jira

One way to improve Jira Reporting directly in your dashboards is with Custom Charts for Jira. Decisions can only be made on the data people share, so make reporting in Jira easy enough that everyone wants to do it.

Top Features:

• Customized reporting on Jira data used to be difficult, but now it’s easy to make line, bar, or any kind of simple or two-dimensional charts and tables.
• Everyone (from the non-technical to the advanced power users) will benefit and quickly learn how to make useful reports in a better way on the work happening in Jira.
• The best reports are the ones that everyone can make, use, edit and share, anywhere. Share report configurations between dashboards, or export to PDF, CSV, or PNG.

=> You Can Try For Yourself On The Demo Playground Here

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Following page is displayed after clicking the ‘Dashboards’ link. This page by default will show the ‘System dashboard’ along with the issues assigned to the logged in user and the user’s activity stream.

Steps to Create a Dashboard

#1) Click on the ‘Dashboards’ link/button which will display the ‘System dashboard’ page.

#2) Click on the ellipses (…) button located in the upper right corner of the page.

#3) Select ‘Create dashboard’ from the pop-up menu. This will display the ‘Create dashboard’ page. (refer the below image)

#4) Name: Provide a descriptive name for the new dashboard. From the name itself, the purpose of the dashboard should be easily identifiable.

#5) Description: This is a non-mandatory field. If a user wishes to provide a description, then this can be entered.

#6) Start from: In the ‘Start from’ dropdown list choose either ‘Blank dashboard’ (which does not consist of any gadgets but the user can customize the dashboard) or a pre-existing dashboard like ‘System dashboard’ whose gadgets will be copied.

#7) Favorite: Choose/select this, if this newly created dashboard is to be made favorite. In the dashboards list, a favorite dashboard is displayed at the top of the list.

#8) Shared with: Select the appropriate user and group to share the dashboard.

#9) Click on the ‘Create’ button.

Note: In case the dashboard is not made as favorite, then Jira will display a popup message (refer the below image).

Click ‘View all dashboards’ link. On ‘Dashboards’ page mark the newly created dashboard as favorite. (Refer the below image). Now the new dashboard will be displayed under the ‘Dashboards’ menu.

Share a Dashboard

#1) Open the dashboard page of the dashboard, which is to be shared, by clicking on the dashboard name (Example: ‘Sample dashboard’) under the ‘Dashboards’ menu.

#2) Click on the ellipses (…) button and then select ‘Share dashboard’ option from the popup menu. This will display ‘Edit and share dashboard’ page. (Refer the below image)

To make the dashboard viewable to the desired people, the following can be done:

• To share the dashboard with a group, select ‘Group’ in ‘Share’ drop-down list and then select a group. Click ‘Add’ button. (Refer the following image for example).
• For adding the dashboard to a project, select ‘Project’ in ‘Share’ drop-down list. Select the desired project name. Select the person(s) who can see the dashboard (Example: ‘All’) and then click on the ‘Add’ button.
  • Note: If the dashboard needs to be added to several more projects then the above step needs to be repeated for each of the projects.
• To share the dashboard with any user, select ‘Any logged-in user’ in ‘Share’ drop-down list and then click on ‘Add’ button.
• To share with all the users (whether they log into Jira or not), select ‘Public’ and then click on ‘Add’ button.
  • Note: In case of serial numbers 3 and 4 above, it is like sharing the dashboard with all the public. In this case, all the previous shares will be removed.

Customize the Dashboard Layout

The dashboard can be customized by choosing the desired layout and adding appropriately the available gadgets.

Edit Layout:

• Open the dashboard page of the dashboard to be customized.
• Click on the ‘Edit Layout’ button available at the top right corner of the page. (Refer the below image).
• Choose the desired layout.

Add gadget:

• Open the dashboard page of the dashboard to be customized.
• Click on the ‘Add Gadget’ button, available at the top right corner of the page. This will display ‘Add a gadget’ page. (Refer the below image).
• Select the desired gadget(s) and click ‘Add Gadget’ button beside the respective gadget. After choosing the required gadgets(s) click the ‘Close’ button on the ‘Add a gadget’ page.

After adding gadgets, the dashboard page will look as shown below:

Customize added gadget(s):

Each gadget has its own settings. Settings of a gadget can be changed at any time.

This can change the way in which the gadget gathers and displays information and how often it updates. Referring to the above image, the name of the ‘Activity stream’ can be customized and a number of items that this gadget will display can be changed in ‘Limit to’ field.

• After making the required changes, click on the ‘Save’ button on the gadget. Now the dashboard page will show up as below.

• If a need arises to customize the gadget still further, then click on the ellipses (…) button beside the relevant gadget and then click the ‘Edit’ option from the popup menu. (This will display the dashboard page similar to the one that is seen immediately after adding a gadget). After making the desired changes click on the ‘Save’ button.
  • Note: Popup menu displayed after clicking on ellipses (…) button beside the relevant ‘Colour, ‘Delete’, ‘Edit’, ‘Rename’, and ‘Refresh’.

Manage a Dashboard

Apart from ‘Share dashboard’ and ‘Create dashboard’, Jira provides other options of managing a dashboard, by means of a popup menu, which is displayed after clicking the ellipses (…) button available at the top right corner of the page.

Options are displayed as – ‘Copy dashboard’, ‘Edit dashboard’, ‘Delete dashboard’, ‘Find dashboard’, ‘View as wallboard’ and ‘Set up wallboard slideshow’. (Refer the below image)

Copy a dashboard:

• Click the ellipses (…) button available at the top right corner of the page and then select the ‘Copy dashboard’ option. This will display the ‘Create dashboard’ page. Name of the dashboard which is being copied is selected in the ‘Start from’ drop-down list on the ‘Create dashboard’ page.
• Give a descriptive name to the new dashboard. Enter a description if desired.
• If the user wants to change the dashboard to copy from, then select the desired one in the ‘Start from’ drop-down list.
• Click the ’Create’ button.

Search a dashboard:

In case, if there are a lot of Jira dashboards, then the required Jira dashboard can be searched either using the name or the owner.

• Click the ellipses (…) button available at the top right corner of the page and then select the ‘Find dashboard’ option. This will show up the ‘Dashboards’ page.
• Enter the first few letters of the dashboard name or owner’s name. This will pop up a list of suggestions. Select the correct one. (Refer the below image)
• Click Search.

Delete a dashboard:

• Open the dashboard which is to be deleted.
• Click the ellipses (…) button available at the top right corner of the page and then select the ‘Delete dashboard’ option.
• Click the ‘Delete’ button on the delete confirmation message popup dialog.

Conclusion

This tutorial taught us everything on what is a Jira dashboard and how to create a dashboard in Jira with examples.

 

 

 

 

Zephyr For JIRA Test Management Tutorial

A Complete Guide to Zephyr for Jira Test Management Plugin and Various Reports:

We learned more about JIRA dashboard in our previous tutorial. Here, we will explore more about Zephyr Jira.

With Zephyr Jira, one can do all the testing inside Jira.

This means tests/test cases can be created, viewed, edited, and executed inside Jira itself. Also, there are several other things which can be performed, which we will see detail in this article.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

 

Jest Code-Coverage & Html Report Generation

 

 

What You Will Learn: [hide]

• Zephyr for Jira Project
• Installation
• Features
• How to Create a Test
• Add Test Steps
• Organizing Tests
• Plan/Create Test Cycle
• Add Tests to Test Cycle
• Test Cycle Execution
• Test Progress/Metrics
• Recommended Reading

Zephyr for Jira Project

Zephyr for Jira facilitates test management capabilities for any Jira project.

Using Zephyr, tests (test cases) can be created inside Jira, and executed whenever required, or as part of a test cycle. With some customization (using appropriate gadgets), detailed test metrics can be viewed and tracked.

Installation

Installation can be done in multiple ways, few of which are as listed below:

Note: Zephyr for Jira only works with Jira 5.x or higher.

#1) Download the installation file and use ‘Upload add-on’ Jira option:

• Download and save the installation file on the local hard drive.
• With administrator login, click on ‘Add-ons’ link. This will show up the Add-ons menu.
• Click ‘Manage Add-ons’ link.
• Click on ‘Upload add-on’ link, available at the top right corner of the page.
• Browse and select installation file in the dialog which is displayed.
• Click Upload. Zephyr for Jira will now be uploaded and installed.
• Add license key (if any) or continue with the trial version.

#2) Zephyr for Jira Cloud

Search Zephyr Jira Add-on in Atlassian Marketplace:

• With administrator login, click on ‘Add-ons’ link. This will show up the Add-ons menu.
• Click ‘Find new add-ons’ link.
• Enter ‘Zephyr for JIRA’ in the ‘Search for Marketplace’ box.
• Select ‘Zephyr for JIRA – Test Management’, from the search results.
• Click on either ‘Buy Now’ or ‘Free Trial’ button.
  • This will navigate to the Atlassian home page. One can enter the username/password or create a new account.
  • This will give a 30-day trial version or a proper license can be bought.
• Add-on will be installed and now be ready for use.

#3) Directly opting for either ‘Free 30 Day Trial’ or ‘Buy License Now’ on Atlassian Marketplace.

• Click on either ‘Try if free’ or ‘Buy it now’ button, on the Atlassian Marketplace page.
  • This will navigate to the Atlassian home page. One can enter the username/password or create a new account.
  • This will give a 30-day trial version or a proper license can be bought.
• Add-on will be installed and now be ready for use.

Features

Its Features include:

• Create, view, edit, clone and execute tests (test cases).
• Testing directly inside/through Jira.
• Link test cases to user stories, tasks, requirements, bugs, etc.
• Logical grouping of test cases, with proper folder structure within the test cycles.
• Plan test execution cycles, like system test, etc.
• Link Sprint to folders and test cycles to have increased traceability.
• Searching test executions which were carried out earlier, with execution navigator.
• Pre-defined/saved filters for executive search.
• Export test execution data to the CSV file.
• Configure and track Quality metrics. Streamlined tracking capabilities.
• Inline editing capabilities.
• High flexibility.
• Real-time reporting.
• Integration of agile boards with test boards.
• Advanced searching using Zephyr Query language (ZQL).
• Provision for Test Dashboards.
• Supports many languages.
• Navigation is more of project-centric.
• Integration with test automation tools.
• Integration with CI/CD tools – Collaborative capabilities.

How to Create a Test

#1) Click ‘Create issue’ (+) link. This will display a page as shown in the below image.

#2) Make sure that the desired project, for which the tests are to be created, is selected in the ‘Project’ drop-down box.

#3) Select ‘Test’ as the issue type in the ‘Issue Type’ drop-down box.

#4) Enter the required details and other required additional information in the respective fields.

Note: Creating an issue of type ‘Test’ is similar to that of any other issue types like Bug, Task, etc.

#5) Click the ‘Create’ button.

(i) This will create a new test, which is an issue of type ‘Test’.

(ii) To add test steps and their details test issue needs to be modified.

Add Test Steps

(i) Open the test to edit, preferably open the issue in a new browser tab. This will display a page as shown in the below image.

(ii) Go to ‘Test Details’ section and start adding details in ‘Test Step’, ‘Test Data’ and ‘Expected Result’ columns.

(iii) After adding the required details click on ‘Add Steps’ (button with icon available under the ‘Actions’ column.) button.

(a) This will add Step1 for the test.

(iv) Continue adding more steps, as required.

• Edit a step and its details: Simply click on the cell of the ‘Test Step’ column and then click the pencil icon. Make the required changes and then click outside the cell. (This editing action is similar to the one which is done in Microsoft Excel).

=> Similarly, modify ‘Test Data’ and ‘Expected Result’ columns.

=> Attachment (say for instance an excel file with details of configuration) can be added by clicking on ‘Add attachment’ button (a button with icon + available under ‘Attachment’ column of the respective step).

• Clone a step: Jira Zephyr provides a feature called ‘Clone’, with which a step can be copied.

=> Click on ‘Clone’ button available under ‘Actions’ column, besides the relevant step.

=> This will display ‘Clone Test Step <> & Insert’ page (refer below image).

=> Choose/enter appropriate option and click on the ‘Clone’ button.

=> Make desired changes in the cloned step and then click on the ‘Update’ button. (Refer the above section for ‘Edit a step and its details’ to edit a step)

• Delete a step: To delete a step, click on the ‘Clone’ button available under the ‘Actions’ column, besides the relevant step.

=> This will display ‘Delete Test Step <>’ pop-up confirmation dialog.

=> Click on the ‘Delete’ button.

Organizing Tests

Tests can be organized by Project or by Version (Fix version) or by Component or by Label.

• By Project: As the tests are created for a specific project(s), they can be sorted/organized based on the Project.
• By Fix-Version: Test issues can be further organized by their Fix-version.
• By Component: If components are added to different tests, then tests can be organized based on the components.
• Tests can also be organized by user-defined labels if the labels are mentioned on the tests.

Test Summary page will look as shown in the below image.

Plan/Create Test Cycle

To run tests, the user needs to create a test plan.

=> Click on ‘Plan Test Cycle’ link available under ‘TEST EXECUTION’, from the menu items that are seen in the left pane. This will display a page as shown in the below image.

=> Now click on the ‘+’ symbol, available in the ‘Cycle Summary’ section, which will open up the ‘Create New Cycle’ page.

=> Enter the mandatory and the other appropriate details and then click on the ‘Save’ button.

=> Newly created Test Cycle will be seen on the ‘Cycle Summary’ page. (Refer the below image)

=> Next step is to add tests to the newly created test cycle.

Add Tests to Test Cycle

#1) Click on the ‘Add Tests’ button (available at the right-hand edge of the page. This will display the page named ‘Add Tests to Cycle :< Name of the cycle>’. (refer the below image)

#2) On the above page, select the appropriate Test, then assigned the test to the concerned user by selecting the user in ’Assign To’ drop-down. Finally, click on the ‘Add’ button.

=> Added tests should now be seen in the grid. (Refer below image)

Note: Before starting test execution, make sure that all the tests are assigned to the concerned users.

Test Cycle Execution

This can be achieved in 3 different ways:

#1) Execute from ‘Test Cycle Summary’ page: Test cycle summary page displays a list of test cycles. Click on the desired test cycle to see the list of tests included in that cycle.

=> Click on the ‘E’ button on the respective test row. (This button is available under the ‘Actions’ column).

=> This will open up the Test Execution page for the respective test, wherein the user needs to fill in the mandatory details and the other details as applicable. (Refer the below image)

Note:

• If a test step fails, either create an issue using ‘Create New Issue’ button or select issue number (in case it is an already known issue) in the ‘select defects’ dropdown.
• It is important to note that, the overall ‘Execution Status’ of a test will not be updated automatically when there are multiple steps and if the status is different for steps. Overall test execution status is to be updated manually too.

#2) Clicking on the ‘Execute’ button while viewing the test:

=> Open the test to see its details.

=> Click on the ‘Execute’ button (Refer above image). This will display ‘Execute Test’ popup dialog. Appropriate details are to be selected on this dialog. (Refer below image)

=> Select relevant radio button from the ‘Execute Ad Hoc’ and ‘Add to Existing Test Cycle and Execute’.

=> Select Version, Test Cycle and Test Folder.

=> Select the user in ‘Assign To’ drop-down.

Now click on the ‘Execute’ button. This will open up the Test Execution page for the respective test. For details about filling data on this page, refer to option 1.

Test Progress/Metrics

Test progress or test metrics can be seen by clicking on the ‘Test Metrics’ link. It would show a page similar to the below shown image.

Note: Above displayed graphs can be customized.

• Test cycle(s) can be linked to the ongoing Sprints. This helps in identifying how the testing activities are related to the ongoing Sprint.

=> Open sprint backlog.

=> Click ‘….’ button at the top right-hand corner of the page and select ‘Link Test Cycle(s)’. This will display a page named ‘Link this Sprint to Test Cycle(s).

=> Select desired values in the drop-down fields on the page and then click on the ‘Save’ button.

Other feature:

Test Board: This facilitates in the following operations:

1. Checking the test details such as Status, Summary.
2. Filtering of issues by Status.
3. Quick execution of test cases.
4. Defect and version information.

Test View – By Sprint: This view allows the user to see sprint and its corresponding test cycles, with progress bars.

Test View – By Issues: This view allows the user to see the issue to issue flow, for instance, a story which might relate to more than one test case.

Note: Columns on most of the pages mentioned above are configurable, which means a user can include/exclude columns as and when required.

Hope you enjoyed the whole range of tutorials in the JIRA series till now. I’m sure that this series will be an excellent guide in enhancing your knowledge of JIRA. Now we will continue Jira training series with some advanced Jira tutorials.

 

 

 

 

Atlassian Confluence Tutorial For Beginners: A Complete Guide

Last Updated:November 29, 2021

Atlassian Confluence Tutorial for Beginners: How to Use Confluence Software

In our previous tutorial in this JIRA Training Series for All, we learned about Zephyr for JIRA. Here, in this tutorial we will explore Atlassian Confluence in detail.

As defined in Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word confluence means “a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point”.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

True to the definition Confluence software, developed by Atlassian, is an effective team collaboration software which provides a common platform for teams to work together and share information efficiently.

 

This is a great tool to centralize knowledge repository. Confluence can be thought of almost like a wiki with advanced content creation tools.

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The Confluence content collaboration tool is available both as a SaaS i.e. subscription-based hosted centrally on the cloud as well as Self Hosted application with an option of installing in-house dedicated server or utilizing Confluence Datacenters.

In this Confluence tutorial, we will be discussing the features of the subscription-based option.

Download: You can download this tool from this page.

What You Will Learn: [hide]

• Why do we need Confluence?
• Advantages
• Getting Familiar with Terminology
  • Dashboard
  • Concept of Spaces
  • Space Sidebar
  • Header menu
  • Create functionality
• How to create and manage your own space and pages
  • Step #1: Creating your space
  • Step #2: Creating new pages
  • Step #3: Formatting options
• Sample Document
• Some FAQ’s
• Conclusion
• Recommended Reading

Why do we need Confluence?

How often does it happen that we testers raise bugs, only to find out that the requirements were changed sometime after development started and due to lack of communication about the change testers were not made aware of this change before testing started?

As a result, the reported bug is then closed as Invalid. This can be frustrating for testers as their creditability is affected along with confusion and uncertainty about what other uncommunicated changes may be present in the application being tested.

Another common nuisance is when important information is buried under chains of emails over several mail threads and is difficult to retrieve.

Collaboration tools are a good solution for these scenarios because:

• All information is stored in one central location, which makes it easily accessible to all users, so no more scanning of email chains or meeting notes to look for the required information
• Any updates made to the information triggers a notification to other users, which makes it easy for users to remain up to date about the latest discussions
• This tool has an easy learning curve so does not require any special training or certification to start using this tool
• There are numerous real-life applications that confluence can be used for, we will be discussing some of these applications in this article

Advantages

#1. Content management

Content management includes the creation, maintenance, organization, and deletion of content. The content creation tools are easy to use and include a variety of functions- from basic text formatting, creating tables all the way to linking documents and embedding macros.

The content can be organized into separate spaces, sorted and arranged in hierarchical order as required.

#2. Search

This tool supports a full-text search for all the content. The search results will include any matching results for the text in the pages main content and comments. This results in a very detailed search.

#3. Confluence Templates

This tool comes with some best practices templates that can be used to create pre-formatted pages.

#4. Integration with JIRA

JIRA and Confluence are both developed by Atlassian and have seamless integration with each other. The development work can be tracked in JIRA and the corresponding reports can be generated by automatic linking.

#5. Page and File versioning

As this is a collaboration tool, needless to say, it would be used by various cross-functional teams at all levels multiple times. To keep track of the changes made since the last edit, Confluence saves the older version of pages and files automatically.

This older version can be used to compare the difference or even revert the last edit if required.

#6. Feedback

Team feedback in form of comments can be put on the pages and always referred to or even searched for when required.

#7. User Management

User and group-based permissions can be set up. It is even possible to set up separate viewing, editing and admin permissions for each space. We will discuss the concept of spaces in the next section.

#8. Add-ons and plugins

This tool has a wide range of available add-on plugins that can be used to perform function above and beyond what standard the tool has to offer. Some popular add-ons are Draw.io Diagrams, Balsamiq Mockups, Scroll PDF exporter, etc.

Getting Familiar with Terminology

Dashboard

The dashboard is the landing page that a logged in user sees after successful login. The dashboard gives a quick snapshot of the recent updates by the team along with the recent updates done by the user himself.

Along with the updates, the dashboard also shows the Spaces that the user is a member of. We will discuss more spaces in the next section. The sidebar containing updates and space details is collapsible to optimize the viewing experience.

Below is an example of the Confluence Dashboard.

The dashboard is customizable and the admin can set up a universal dashboard that all users will see.

Concept of Spaces

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the meanings of the word space means “a limited extent in one, two, or three dimensions”. Spaces in this tool are a way to organize the content. Spaces can be thought of as individual file containers where the content can be categorized and organized in a meaningful way.

There is no standard rule of how many spaces need to be or should be created. The user can create any number of spaces with their own specific purposes to facilitate collaboration within teams.

Below is an example of the spaces being created based on the different organizational units.

Space directory contains a list of all spaces that are created by confluence. You can browse the spaces based on the space type – site, personal or my spaces. My spaces refer to the sites created by the logged in user himself and can be either site or personal space.

Below is an example of the space directory.

Confluence permits the creation of two spaces- site spaces and personal spaces. Below is a comparison of these space kinds:

Characteristic	Site Spaces	Personal space
Purpose	Collaboration	Personal work space
Accessible by	- All Confluence users - Access can be restricted based on Groups of users (similar to JIRA)	- Creator of space if site marked as private - All Confluence users, if space is made public
Listed in Space directory	yes	No, accessible under personal profile of the creator

Space Sidebar

The space sidebar is a collapsible menu on the space and pages and is used to navigate different pages. The pages are shown in the form of a hierarchical tree structure.

Header menu

The header menu is visible at all pages and contains the Confluence Logo and a default menu with default options- Spaces, People, Create, help menu, notifications, and personal profile management. This header menu is customizable and more menu options can be displayed as required by the user

This dashboard page is accessible from any page- user can click on the logo on the main menu and user will be redirected to the dashboard.

Create functionality

Create functionality is used to create new pages within any chosen spaces in the desired hierarchical order. We will discuss this functionality in more detail in the next section.

This image below pretty much summarizes the main functionalities that you would be using as a confluence user:

[Image source]

How to create and manage your own space and pages

In this section, we will discuss how to create and manage your own space and pages from scratch.

Step #1: Creating your space

Now choose the kind of space you want to create

Now fill in the required information in the next step. You will be required to enter space name, a space key, and other mandatory or optional field depending on the kind of space you chose.

The space key is a unique key used in the space URL and is auto-generated when user types in Space name, but you can change it if required.

Congratulations, you just successfully created your first Confluence space!!

Now let’s move on to creating some pages and content to share on this newly created space.

Step #2: Creating new pages

You have the option to create a blank new page or chose from available templates.  The very first page will be created as the Parent page. Subsequent pages can be created under this parent page or as separate page depending on how you want to structure your space.

• Creating a blank page

• Creating page from available templates

Depending on the template chosen, you would be required to perform some additional steps like entering the page name, etc. I chose the Retrospective meeting template and was asked to enter the Title and Participants.

The new page will be created and you can edit and fill in the required information.

Step #3: Formatting options

This tool has a huge variety of text formatting and display options.  Let us discuss some commonly used options from the text formatting menu bar briefly.

• Formatting styles – there are several in build styles available for the text e.g. Paragraph, headings, quote etc.

• Font related options – basic functionality to update font color, make text bold, italics etc. is provided

• Lists – By default, there is 3 type of list options provided – bullet point list, numbered list, and task list. Task list is shown by a checkbox in front of it. A checkbox can be checked after the task is done to indicate completion

• Align options – The text can be aligned left, right or center as required

• Page layout – Using this option user can define sections within the document and manage the layout of the page

• Inserting files and images – User can upload files and images to the Page as desired

• Inserting Links – user can add links to other web pages or other Confluence pages in the Confluence documents for easy reference

• Working with Tables – Table options and toolbar provided in Confluence software are similar to table options in MS Word. The symbols are self-explanatory and the functionality is easy to understand and use

• Insert more content option – There are already default options available in Confluence for inserting files and images, inserting links and creating tables. For any additional content like adding Google sheets, or inserting plugins, etc. we use Insert more content option

Sample Document

Following is a sample page that I created to demonstrate some of the functionalities we discussed thus far.

Some FAQ’s

Q #1) This tool seems to be a great way to share and store information. Can you provide some practical applications?

This tool can be used in the various technical and non-technical environment.

Some applications are as follows:

• As Knowledgebase – A knowledge base is basically an information repository. It usually contains documentation about how to do certain things and maybe even information about how to troubleshoot products. An example for this can be for QA team to manage and share information about processes, how to test documents, informative articles, troubleshooting tips etc.
• As your own Intranet – Intranet refers to an internal network of any organization and is a hub of displaying and sharing information. An example for this can be a space created by the Human Resources department to share company policies, vacation policies, upcoming events, user guides for common tools like Time off request too etc. Information can be easily shared and the access is restricted to Confluence users within your company so it is a secure platform
• For Software teams – For software teams, this tool can be used to write and manage product requirements, build and share release notes, collaborate on and record team decisions, create technical documentation, create blogs to share teams progress, etc.

Q #2) I want to rearrange the pages in my space. How do I do that?

This tool provides the functionality to move and reorder your pages within the space as desired by the user. The operation is a quite simple drag and drops operation which allows you to reorder pages under the same parent or move pages from one parent to another parent page.

To move or reorder a page, go to Space Tools-> click on Content Tools -> Click on Reorder pages.

Click on Space name to expand the branches of the space. Now drag the required pages and drop them to a required location. Alternatively, you can also sort the pages alphabetically.

Q #3) I need to find details about a project/document, how do I search for it?

There are 2 ways to search content in this Confluence wiki, you can use quick navigation id or you can do a full search. When a user starts typing text in the search bar in a header, the quick navigation aid starts showing matching results by default.

After you put a search keyword and press Enter, then Full search mode gets activated. The tool will search all spaces, profiles, etc. to look for matching results. Once results are displayed you can refine the search results by author, by spaces, by last modified date or based on the content type.

Q #4) I am in process of finalizing content in my page and that would require lots of edits. How do I prevent spamming everyone’s mailbox by sending a notification to people about every single update that I make?

This is quite easy!  When the page is first created, the notification is sent to all Confluence users of that space. This is setup by default, however, we can control when we want to send (or do not want to send) notification about subsequent edits and updates made to the page.

Remember to select this checkbox once you are ready to share the updates with other users.

Q #5) If I have feedback about the content of the confluence document, what is the best way to provide it?

Use the comments section. Leave your comments in the document, the notification will be sent to all users. Users will be able to see your comment and can choose to reply to your comment, like your comment and can even post their own comment.

Q #6) I got a notification that someone mentioned me on their page, what does that mean?

This means that the person who mentioned you in a particular Confluence page needs your attention on something or has assigned a task to you.

Q #7) Someone updated the original document, how do I know who changed what in my document?

One of the important features of Versioning and retaining a history of document updates. You can go to the page history and check who updated the document.

From this page, you can select the page versions you want to compare and figure out exact changes that were done. Following screenshot shows a comparison between two selected versions of the page.

Conclusion

Confluence is a very effective team collaboration tool and can be used for Knowledge management, documentation purpose, as an intranet for internal information sharing and potentially eliminate communication of changes via emails.

The information entered in Confluence can be managed with ease and the entire content is searchable.

Using confluence, companies can eliminate the need for physical storage space or shared drive. Various teams can use this tool to provide most updated company policies, incentive, announcements etc., technical project teams can use it to manage requirements, plan a project, share process knowledge, share best practices, etc.

It seems to be a great tool for sharing knowledge, but how does that help our tester community?

Well to start with, knowledge of this tool adds to our skill-sets. It can act as a quick reference guide whenever we have any question or need the most updated information.

For QA Managers,  Confluence provides a great platform to share information with the team about testing best practices, how to test documents, troubleshooting guides, automation project planning, updates, and announcements, etc.

 

 

 

How To Integrate JIRA With QTest: A Step By Step Guide

Last Updated:November 29, 2021

qTest for Jira Test Management Tutorial:

Atlassian Confluence was explained in simple terms in our previous tutorial.

At STH, we are all about sharing the best practices, tools, techniques, processes, tips and everything else that we have enjoyed learning and benefited from using. We believe this makes day to day tasks easier and helps us all grow as testers.

Suggested Reading => In-Depth Training tutorials on JIRA

Today is one such attempt – the integration of JIRA with qTest to gain the benefits of test management linked to requirements management.  

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What You Will Learn: [hide]

• What is JIRA?
• Now, What is qTest?
• Why should you integrate JIRA with qTest?
• Great, how to integrate and what do I need?
• Benefits of integrating qTest and JIRA
• Conclusion
• Recommended Reading

What is JIRA?

JIRA is a leading issue and project tracking tool catering to agile QA and development teams. JIRA allows you to manage and track any kind of unit work in the form of “issues” bugs, stories, project tasks with a predefined workflow.

Also read => Complete JIRA tutorials

Now, What is qTest?

qTest by QASymphony is a test management solution that allows teams of all sizes the ability to easily, manage, organize and report on software testing and test case management efforts.

Also read => Hands-on qTest review

Why should you integrate JIRA with qTest?

When you pair JIRA’s best-of-breed issue and project tracking capabilities with qTest’s innovative test case management abilities, the result will change the way your development and testing teams work.

Here are just a few of the benefits for integrating JIRA and qTest:

1. Seamlessly move requirements and defects from qTest into JIRA
2. Get test coverage reports for JIRA issues
3. Real-time bug status changes viewable against Test Run Executions
4. Easily access a detailed traceability matrix report of requirements and test case associations
5. Autofill test run results in JIRA issues. No syncing required!

Great, how to integrate and what do I need?

Check out this JIRA test management integration video for all you need to know about this. The integration is seamless and super easy to set up.

OK, the tools are connected. Now, what?

Let’s start working through the steps of the resulting integrated requirement-test-defect management solution.

First of all, notice how the interface changes. You will no longer see the “defects” tab. This is because all defects raised through qTest will be created in JIRA as issue type “BUG”.

Check this- no defects tab.

Step #1: Retrieve requirements.

Requirements are always managed in a centralized way from JIRA. That part stays as is. But test management should start from requirements too, shouldn’t it? So, instead of having to create a brand new instance, the integration provides a way in which a certain issue type from JIRA can be retrieved into qTest.

Usually, the requirements are of the issue type- “New feature”, “Improvement” or “Story”.

Once requirements are downloaded, they would appear as:

Note that, the icons are different. The JIRA and qTest ID’s both exist; JIRA and qTest properties too. These requirements are read-only here. They can be linked to TCs that exist within JIRA. Any changes to these requirements in JIRA are reflected on refresh.

Step #2: Create test cases and link them to requirements

This process is the same with or without JIRA integration. The test cases once linked to a requirement (retrieved from JIRA) will result in a JIRA issue link so the developers can see the test/tests associated with it.

This not only improves awareness of what the cross-functional teams are up to, but also supports test-driven development.

Check out the link as it appears in JIRA:

Step #3: Create test cycles and run

This step too does not change at all with the integration. Test teams would go ahead and create Test cycles and/or Test suites within qTest and carry out test execution.

If a certain Test run results in a failure or if a defect reported is linked to a Test run, then this relationship reflects in JIRA. Two things happen here:

Number one: The defect gets linked to the requirement (if the test case was linked to a retrieved JIRA requirement).

Number two: The defect will get a link to the Test run whose failure resulted in the issue.

Step #4: Report defects

When a test run or a test step failure results in a defect and a qTest user clicks on the “BUG icon-”, JIRA Create Issue page (with issue type: Bug, auto selected) opens up automatically. Enter the information and create the issue.

The links are created as described in the earlier step.

Step #5: Analytics and Reports

For a quick look up on the JIRA-qTest integration, JIRA users are provided with a qTest Widget. The following information is available on a real-time basis:

• Unresolved Defects: By Test Run Status
• Resolved Defects: By Test Run Status
• Synced Requirements without Test Case
• Top 10 Synced Requirements with Defects submitted from qTest

qTest reports are all available as usual and can be created around JIRA retrieved assets too.

Benefits of integrating qTest and JIRA

#1) Testers can be testers and developers can be developers. I mean, test management systems are built for testers. Take a look at the qTest UI. The sequence of actions you would normally perform in a test project (STLC- Requirement gathering-Test design-Test execution-defects) is how the interface is organized. JIRA is more development centric, so you will not find this structure there.

#2) If your team is into TDD or BDD, your development teams can view the tests created and linked to each requirement right from their JIRA interface.

#3) Any updates to the requirements are automatically refreshed into qTest. So there will never be a discord.

#4) Defects are centralized in JIRA. It does not mean qTest users have to log out of their qTest instance when they have to log a defect. When you choose the option to log a bug, qTest automatically invokes the JIRA instance and returns back to the qTest when the bug is submitted.

#5) Developers can see the “Test run” information linked to a defect, so if there are multiple runs or if the developer wants to know if the defect was retested as the latest test run or not, they can do that from the JIRA interface itself.

#6) Reports both at JIRA and qTest. Through the qTest Widget in JIRA, the analytics can be viewed that show the highlights of the integration. qTest reports, on the other hand, use the JIRA retrieved elements to provide test statistics.

Conclusion

As always, we hope you find this tutorial interesting and useful.

Tool collaboration is a trend that QA and development teams are most thankful for (at least I hope they are) and integrations for JIRA test management, specifically qTest, is a definite benchmark.

 

 

 

 

 

Test Automation For Jira With Katalon Studio

Last Updated:November 29, 2021

JIRA with Katalon Studio – A Complete Overview:

Hope you would have gained immense knowledge on Integrating JIRA with qTest from our previous tutorial.

We have come up with this tutorial to guide you on test automation for JIRA with Katalon Studio.

Before we start talking about JIRA integration, we will have a quick overview of both the tools – Katalon Studio as well as JIRA.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

 

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What You Will Learn: [hide]

• Katalon Studio – Overview
• Jira Integration with Katalon Studio
• Main Features of Katalon Studio
• JIRA – Overview
• Benefits of JIRA add-on
• Installation of Katalon’s JIRA add-on
• Gherkin Custom Field
• Katalon Studio – JIRA Integration: Configuration Steps
• Create Test Cases in Katalon Studio from JIRA Issues
• Submit Katalon execution results & logs to JIRA issues
• Submit Bugs to JIRA from Katalon Studio
• View Katalon Studio Test Execution result through JQL
• Conclusion
• Recommended Reading

Katalon Studio – Overview

Katalon Studio is a simple, powerful and a completely free automation solution for the web, Android, iOS and API testing on Windows and macOS.

It is simple to use, with cross-platform support and built-in JIRA integration. You can setup projects, create tests, run tests, view reports and maintain tests very easily using Katalon Studio.

Jira Integration with Katalon Studio

Main Features of Katalon Studio

• It offers built-in project templates that allow you to organize test cases, object repository, and keywords quickly.
• It bundles with Selenium framework and stable web-drivers implementation to save time on installation.
• It is very easy to integrate Katalon Studio with Jenkins, GIT, JIRA, and qTest using the built in plugins.
• Recording and generating the tests automatically using recording utility and keywords.
• It also allows building advanced test scripts and doing
• Providing interchangeable codeless & coded test design.
• It has an intelligent object capturing feature that has an advanced recorder to detect object properties.
• Supporting page object, data-driven testing, BDD to increase productivity.
• It can execute tests using multiple configurations and data sets.
• Offering flexible execution modes –
  • Remote execution can be done with CI integration console.
  • Run tests on multiple browsers and OS.
• It has dynamic failure handling and auto re-execution feature.
• Viewing reports in multiple formats with advanced logging and screenshots
• It also offers team collaboration.

Visit Katalon Studio website here.

To explore more on Katalon Studio you may refer below STH posts:

• Testing Mobile Apps Using Katalon Studio & Kobiton’s Cloud-Based Device Farm
• Katalon Studio Tutorial: A Free Test Automation Tool You Have Been Waiting For
• How to Solve the Common Web UI Test Automation Problems Using the Katalon Studio Free Toolset

JIRA – Overview

As most of us already know, JIRA is one of the best tools to plan, track and release great software. It is widely used by agile teams.

We won’t go into much detailed talk here about JIRA itself. We are rather interested to learn about Katalon integration with JIRA. If you want to read in depth about JIRA, you can refer to STH JIRA Tutorials.

Katalon Studio offers a JIRA add-on. Let us move ahead and see how we can install and use Katalon’s JIRA add-on.

Benefits of JIRA add-on

The free JIRA add-on helps to create a seamless integration. The major benefits of JIRA add-on are:

• This add-on adds a custom field type to JIRA called Katalon Gherkin. It helps in designing test cases in consistent and concise manner. On adding Gherkin custom field, the content gets populated automatically into the Katalon Studio automation scripts.
• The latest test execution results and artifacts will be presented right on the issue page
• Using JIRA’s JQL syntax, it is easy to look up Katalon Studio execution result status.

Installation of Katalon’s JIRA add-on

Click here to get the Katalon BDD- Test automation for JIRA add-on. Currently, only JIRA server is supported.

You can follow the below steps for installation:

• You need to log into the JIRA instance as an admin.
• Click on the admin dropdown and choose Add-ons.
• From the left-hand side of the page, click on ‘Find new add-ons’.
• Search for ‘Katalon BDD – Test Automation for JIRA’. The results will show those add-on versions which are compatible with your JIRA instance.
• Click ‘Install’ to download and install the add-on.
• Upon successful installation, it will show ‘Install and ready to go’ dialog. Click close in the dialog.
• You are all set to use the add-on now!

Gherkin Custom Field

As we discussed above, upon finishing the installation, you will find that a custom field type called Katalon Gherkin is added to your JIRA instance.  It will allow you to write the test cases’ description and stories in Gherkin syntax.

The Gherkin keywords like ‘Then’, ‘When’, ‘Given’ will be highlighted automatically. Once the issue is imported to Katalon Studio, the content of the Gherkin custom filed from JIRA will be populated into the Katalon test case description.

Follow these steps to add the Gherkin Custom field:

1) Choose ‘Issues’.

2) Select Fields -> Custom Fields and Click ‘Add Custom Field’.

3) Select ‘Advanced’. You will get below screen:

4) Select ‘Katalon Gherkin’ and click on next.

5) Configure the field.

6) Click on Create button.

7) Click on ‘Submit’ button to finish adding the Gherkin custom field.

The below screenshot shows an example of how the Katalon Gherkin custom field appears in the JIRA issue:

Refer below link to learn more about adding and configuring custom fields in JIRA:

• Adding a custom field

Katalon Studio – JIRA Integration: Configuration Steps

1) In Katalon Studio, go to Project -> Settings -> Integration -> JIRA

2) Check Enable Integration Option. The settings will be available for configuration.

3) Specify the server URL, username, and password. Click on connect button.

4) After establishing a successful connection with JIRA, all relevant JIRA projects and issue types will be displayed under submit options. You can select the default JIRA project and issue type for submission here.

Below are the details of submitting options:

Field	Description
Default JIRA Project	The default JIRA project to submit a ticket.
Default JIRA Issue Type	The default JIRA Issue type to create when submitting a ticket.
Use Test Case name as Summary for JIRA ticket	The Katalon Test Case Name will be used as a summary for the submitted ticket.
Attach Screenshot to JIRA ticket	Any taken screenshot during execution will be included in submitted ticket.
Attach Log to JIRA ticket	The execution log will be included in the submitted ticket.

In the latest Katalon version (4.7), we also have a submit option – ‘Automatically submit test result’.  Selecting this option will submit the Katalon test execution result automatically to the linked JIRA ticket.

5) Once you have selected the submit options, click on ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’ button to complete the JIRA integration setup.

Create Test Cases in Katalon Studio from JIRA Issues

Once the JIRA integration setup is done, JIRA icon will be available on Katalon Studio menu bar.

Follow the steps below to sync Test Cases from JIRA to Katalon Studio:

1) From JIRA, prepare the JIRA JQL script.

JQL is JIRA Query Language used in the advanced search.

For example, if you want to see sorted search results, you can use ORDER BY clause in JQL query. JQL is not a database query language. However, it is the SQL-like syntax.

A sample JQL is shown in below screenshot.

2) Now click on JIRA icon from the Katalon Studio menu bar.

3) Upon clicking the JIRA icon, import JIRA dialog will be displayed.

4) Enter the JIRA JQL we prepared in step 1 in the dialog.

Click on ‘OK’ Button. Based on your JQL, Katalon Studio will sync all the JIRA test cases.

5) Once you click on ‘OK’ in step 4, you will be asked to choose the destination for new issues. Here you can mention the location for syncing JIRA test cases. You can either specify the location manually or Katalon will automatically generate a default location.

Choose a destination and click ‘OK’.

6) The syncing process now done and now you can go to ‘Tests Explorer’ of Katalon Studio to check if the JIRA test cases have been synced properly.

Submit Katalon execution results & logs to JIRA issues

Katalon Studio test execution results are automatically synced with the associated JIRA issues. Right inside JIRA, you can review the status and attachments (logs) of Katalon Studio test cases under the ‘Katalon Execution Result’ section as highlighted in below screenshot, showing that the status is ‘Passed’ and the execution log is included in Attachments.

Submit Bugs to JIRA from Katalon Studio

Submit options will be available in Katalon Test Reports after JIRA Integration setup is done.

Follow below steps to submit Bugs in JIRA from Katalon Studio:

1) In Reports, open a test execution that you want to review for issues. In the below screenshot, you can see that a dedicated column for JIRA integration is enabled in Test cases table. Corresponding to each failed test case, it says ‘Click to Manage JIRA issues’.

2) Click on the JIRA bug icon (as shown above). Upon clicking, you will be displayed a list of linked JIRA issues corresponding to the Test Case.

No JIRA issue is currently linked with this Test Case.  Now, we will add and submit an issue to JIRA.

3) Go to ‘Add’ and select ‘Create as New’.

We have 3 submitting options – ‘Create as New’, ‘Create as sub issue’ and ‘Link to Existing Issue’. Let’s have a brief description of each of these options:

Create as New:

In this case, a new issue will be submitted to JIRA.

Create as sub issue:

Here, a sub task of an existing JIRA issue will be created. You will be asked to enter the Parent JIRA issue ID for submitting sub task.

Link to Existing Issue:

Selecting this option will append the test case execution details to an existing JIRA issue.

You will be asked to enter the existing JIRA issue ID for linking.

4) As we have selected ‘Create as New’ option in step 3, we will be displayed a JIRA native submission form. See below screen shot as an example:

Based on your preferences in JIRA integration settings, the summary, screenshot, and logs will be populated automatically in the above screen.

5) After ensuring that all the necessary details are filled, click on the ‘Create’ button present at the bottom of the form.

6) You will be displayed the newly created Jira issue under the Linked JIRA issues section. You can see the ID, summary, and status of the issue. Clicking on the ID will directly take you to the JIRA issue.

View Katalon Studio Test Execution result through JQL

Using, JQL syntax, Katalon Studio test execution result can be queried from JIRA.  The syntax is as below:

“Katalon Status”=<status>

Where the status value can be ‘PASSED’ (the automation tests have been executed successfully), FAILED (the automation tests have been failed at certain steps), INCOMPLETE (the automation tests where one or more steps have got left unexecuted), ERROR( the automation tests in which some errors occurred).

For example, to view all test cases that have ‘ERROR’ in Katalon, you can use the highlighted JQL below in JIRA search:

Conclusion

Hope this tutorial was helpful for you to learn the integration of Jira with Katalon Studio. The tutorial explains in detail how to submit Jira bugs automatically with information generated by Katalon Studio.

You try this by downloading the Katalon Studio for free from here.

 

 

Integrate JIRA With TestLodge Test Case Management System: Step-By-Step Tutorial

Last Updated:November 29, 2021

JIRA Integration with TestLodge Tool: Step-by-Step Tutorial

JIRA with Katalon Studio was explained in detail in our previous tutorial.

Although it’s been possible to integrate JIRA test cases with TestLodge and several of the more popular issue tracking tools for some time, the JIRA upgrade adds new levels of flexibility, streamlining and communication to the testing experience.

For those who already use, and are familiar with JIRA, bringing TestLodge onboard to organize your JIRA test case needs will create a smoother and more efficient work practice.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

 

TestLodge is a test case management tool that is remarkably easy to use. Teams can collaborate on test projects, manage their test cases with ease and report on the test results.

Find out how TestLodge works by reading our newly updated review.

Jest Code-Coverage & Html Report Generation

 

TestLodge recently introduced an enhanced JIRA integration.

As you already know, JIRA is a very popular and widely used bug tracking and project management tool. You can visit the JIRA website here.

Get the best out of these two great tools with TestLodge and their JIRA integration.

Use TestLodge for writing and arranging your test cases and JIRA as your issue tracker. Linking cuts out the needless repetition of having to keep swapping between tools when you want to raise tickets.

This smoother operation helps software testers be more productive by minimizing interruption so they can just get on with the job.

What You Will Learn: [hide]

• JIRA and TestLodge Integration Features
  • #1) Instant information means greater efficiency
  • #2) Pull back the JIRA issue status
  • #3) Re-runs
  • #4) Ticket status
  • #5) Cloud and Server
• Step by Step Process of Integration
• Conclusion
• Recommended Reading

JIRA and TestLodge Integration Features

#1) Instant information means greater efficiency

We will know whenever a test gets failed because an issue is automatically created in JIRA. It’s also possible to set the ‘component’, ‘priority’ and ‘assigned user’ directly from TestLodge. This is a huge time saver because an issue can be raised in TestLodge, which also delivers a more efficient communication between testers and developers.

#2) Pull back the JIRA issue status

Once issues for failed tests have been resolved, it’s possible to request TestLodge pull back a JIRA issue ticket status within a test run so you can see the status along with the test.

#3) Re-runs

Create re-runs based on both TestLodge results and a JIRA issue status. For instance, you could create a re-run with all failed tests that have a resolved ticket in JIRA. Allowing you to only retest the bugs that have been resolved.

#4) Ticket status

When re-running the test, it’s also possible to update the Jira ticket status directly from TestLodge along with also re-assigning the ticket. So if the issue has been verified, you can mark it as closed.

#5) Cloud and Server

For added convenience, the integration works on both JIRA cloud and server so you can pick up your work wherever you are working on it.

Instant two-way communication throughout the integration speeds up data exchange between QA and developer and will have a positive effect on your testing schedule. To minimize the time your team spends testing and to know this vital part of your product or software development is in safe hands, consider using the TestLodge and their JIRA test case management integration.

To explore the practicals, here’s the TestLodge/JIRA documentation.

(Click on the image for enlarged view)

Step by Step Process of Integration

We are going to show you a step by step approach of integrating JIRA with TestLodge.

#1) Log in to your TestLodge account as shown in below image:

#2) Once you are logged in, it will take you to the below screen:

Click on ‘Integrate an issue tracker’.

#3) Now, click on ‘Issue Tracker Integration’. Select issue tracker as ‘JIRA’ and provide your JIRA account URL and credentials. Hit on ‘Save JIRA settings’ button:

#4) It will show up the screen like below.

#5) Go to ‘Projects’ section and create a new project. You can also perform the integration on existing projects. However, I have shown the demo here on a new project for your better understanding.

You can see a ‘Jira project key’ above. Each JIRA project has a unique key. Based on this JIRA project key, the entire project information will be fetched by TestLodge.

#6) Click on ‘See a list of JIRA projects’. It will display all available Jira projects as seen below. Right now I have only one project in my Jira account. So, it’s showing the same.

Below screen print is showing how my project – ‘Test Project’ looks currently in JIRA.

#7) Click on ‘Select’ button above in TestLodge corresponding to your project. You will get the screen like this:

As you can see, the JIRA project key is automatically filled as ‘TP’. Click on ‘Add project’ button

#8) You will get a screen like this (with the message – ‘Project was successfully added’):

#9) Click on ‘Edit’ button in ‘overview’ section:

Select the ‘Yes’ option below and click on ‘Save Changes’. Selecting this option ensures that whenever a test fails in TestLodge, a corresponding bug gets automatically created in JIRA.

#10) Now, create a new Test Suite in TestLodge. (Note: You can also use existing Test Suites)

#11) You will get the below screen once the Test suite is successfully created. Click on ‘Add new test case’ button in order to add new test cases in the suite.

#12) Fill all the test case information

#13) You will get the below screen once the test case is created.

#14) Click on ‘Run Test Cases’ and create a new test run.

Add details and hit ‘Create test run’ button.

#15) You will get the below screen once the Test Run is created.

#16) Now click on ‘Run all tests’ button in above screen.Suppose, your test result is ‘fail’. Mention the comments in the section seen below and hit the ‘Fail’ button.

Tick the ‘If fail, automatically creates a ticket in Jira and associate with this test’ option. This option ensures to log a bug in Jira if your test result is ‘Fail’ in TestLodge.

You can also set other options like Assignee name, ticket priority, and component as seen below:

#17) You will get the below screen upon failing the test case:

#18) Go to JIRA. You will find that an issue has been automatically created as seen below:

All details of the issue as same as what we had in TestLodge.

#19) Change the JIRA ticket status to ‘In progress’:

#20) Now, once you have fixed the issue you would like to rerun the test case in TestLodge.

Go to ‘Test Runs’ section and click on ‘Check & Update now’ to pull back the JIRA ticket status.

#21) Now, click on the ‘Re-Run tests’ button as seen below:

Click on ‘create re-run’ button.

#22) Suppose your test case result is ‘Pass’ this time. Mention the same in a comments section and hit the ‘Pass’ button. Tick the ‘Automatically update the associated Jira ticket’ option. This will ensure updating Jira ticket status as per the current run test result.

#23) You will get the below screen

#24) Go to JIRA. You will find that the ticket status is automatically updated there as seen below

Do you still have queries?

=> Watch this quick video to learn how to integrate Atlassian JIRA with TestLodge tool:

 

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have learned how TestLodge can be integrated with JIRA.

The steps of integration are quite simple and easy. Hope you will be able to perform the integration by going through the step by step procedure we have explained above.

Jira integration with TestLodge saves a lot of time in test management process as the bugs get automatically created in JIRA and their status gets updated on each test run without any manual intervention.

The integration features like instant information, pull back the JIRA issue status, reruns, cloud and server, auto update, etc. are really time saving & efficient.

So, overall the integration between TestLodge & JIRA proves to be very helpful in test project management.

 

 

 

 

Top 7 Most Popular JIRA Plugins (Best Jira Add-Ons In 2022)

Last Updated:December 27, 2021

Best Free Jira Plugins: List of the Top JIRA Add-on from the Jira Marketplace

The integration of JIRA with Testlodge was explained in detail in our last tutorial.

JIRA is a software development tool developed by Australian company Atlassian.

Agile project management is the core application of this tool. This interesting name comes from the Japanese word ‘Gojira’, which means ‘Godzilla’. There are more than 25000 add-ons for Jira.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

Explore our Series of In-depth tutorials on JIRA for more knowledge on JIRA concepts.

 

This tutorial will explain to you the top 7 trending JIRA Plugins in 2020. Before getting into that, let’s take a quick look at the basics of an agile software team and Jira.

Jest Code-Coverage & Html Report Generation

 

What You Will Learn: [hide]

• Agile Software Development Team
  • Need For A Test Management Tool
  • Jira Tool For Agile Project Management
• Top 7 Jira Plugins (Best Free Jira Add-ons)
  • #1) Requirements and Test Management for Jira (RTM)
  • #2) Tempo Timesheets For JIRA
  • #3) ScriptRunner For Jira (Version 5.3.16) By Adaptavist
  • #4) Automation For Jira (Version 3.11.12) By Code Barrel Pty Ltd
  • #5) Structure For Jira (Version 4.6.1) By ALM Works
  • #6) BigPicture For PPM, Project Management (Version 6.12.3) By SoftwarePlant
  • #7) SQL For Jira Driver – Convert JQL To SQL (Version 6.8.3) By MarketPlace Expert
  • #8) Katl-com For Power Scripts & Power Apps (Version 4.0.16) By CPrime
• Conclusion
  • Recommended Reading

Agile Software Development Team

Now, let’s see what is an agile software development team.

The term ‘agile’ came into existence in early 2001. Before agile several methodologies and their combinations were used widely.

In agile methodology, an iterative approach is taken towards software delivery. Instead of delivering it all at once near the end, agile software is built incrementally from the start of the project. These little bits of user functionality are known as User Stories and each release is called Iteration.

An Agile team is a group of people who perform cross-functional activities that are necessary to produce a working, tested iteration of a product.

Need For A Test Management Tool

Developing a quality software product is a complex procedure. It consists of versatile components at different levels. As and when a requirement comes, it is always best to follow a good workflow.

In simple words, for a proper organization, it is not enough to get a team of developers and testers and tell them or mail them what you exactly need.

A properly documented workflow and constant tracking of all the development stages are important for quality software releases.

Now, let’s know more about the most popular project management tool, JIRA.

Jira Tool For Agile Project Management

Jira is listed in the top 10 best test management tools (2020) and it is desired in most of the agile software development companies.

One of the main advantages of this tool is its add-on support. Jira can be integrated with special add-ons to increase it’s potential. There are a lot of useful add-ons for Jira.

The tool is built to plan, track, release and report activities in an agile software development team.

#1) Planning: Jira supports sprint planning, creation of user stories & issues and in the distribution of tasks.

The tool offers multiple project creation and user permissions. The administrator can create projects and give access to the required team members.

#2) Tracking: Jira helps to view the team’s activity clearly. The tool offers a precise way to track the workflow progress and manage the daily activities based on a priority.

Each task can be assigned to the respective person and they can record their work and time through their daily updates in Jira.

#3) Releasing: Releases can be done with proper version details so that the product can be delivered with confidence that the whole data you have is always clear and up-to-date.

#4) Reports: The dashboard of Jira contains many reports. We can add the required ones to our dashboard. Managers require a clear understanding of the budget and progress at any stage of a project.

Jira gives brilliant reports for concluding and estimating all the essential metrics and performance indicators.

The software is available through a monthly subscription or can be deployed on a server with the license. Atlassian offers a 7-day free trial for Jira and later the plan should be upgraded for further use.

There are three plans available now, they are:

• JIRA software plan.
• JIRA software with documentation plan through Confluence.
• JIRA software with a helpdesk support plan through Jira Service Desk.

Features of JIRA:

#1) Project Management: Agile is the core application of Jira. The tool offers smooth usage with all the desired features for scrum boards. It can be used for kanban and mixed methods like Scrumban as well.

#2) Brilliant Project Tracking and Reporting Interface: Jira offers easy project tracking at any stage of an ongoing project.

It has a customized query language called JQL which allows the user to sort or filter issues according to the different criteria. A Jira user can create a project, stories or issues from any page through the main menu bar.

Drag and drop feature makes it easy to create sprints in the backlog and create reports in the dashboard.

The user can see the status of reports anytime in their dashboard. Beautiful work organizing through sorting, filtering, and color-coding is another attractive feature of Jira.

#3) Android and IOS Applications: Jira has applications that are compatible with iOS and Android devices. These enable members to stay online and engaged anytime.

#4) Plugin or Add-on support: Jira supports a lot of external add-ons or plugins. These plugins can be used to control almost everything about a product inside the tool.

These tools can be bought from the Atlassian Marketplace. Some of them are Confluence– for knowledge trees, Bitbucket– for development workflow, Bamboo– for continuous integration, etc.

Users can use these add-ons to improve Jira and can further enhance it with hundreds of apps that are available in the Marketplace.

Let’s go through the top trending add-ons in 2020!!

=> Contact us to suggest a listing here.

Top 7 Jira Plugins (Best Free Jira Add-Ons)

We have finally reached the Topic of today’s tutorial. This tutorial is prepared using the latest information from Atlassian.

1. Requirements and Test Management for Jira (RTM)
2. Tempo Timesheets For Jira
3. ScriptRunner For Jira (Version 5.3.16) By Adaptavist
4. Automation For Jira (Version 3.11.12) By Code Barrel Pty Ltd
5. Structure For Jira (Version 4.6.1) By ALM Works
6. BigPicture For PPM, Project Management (Version 6.12.3) By SoftwarePlant
7. SQL For Jira Driver – Convert JQL To SQL (Version 6.8.3) By MarketPlace Expert
8. Katl-com For Power Scripts & Power Apps (Version 4.0.16) By CPrime

While selecting the best JIRA Apps, one should check if it is compatible with their version or not. To be more precise, there are two types of versions, the cloud version, and the server version.

---

Recommended Tools:

#1) Requirements and Test Management for Jira (RTM)

Requirements and Test Management for Jira isn’t just a requirements management tool. It’s an app that enables the whole software development process right inside
your Jira.

A transparent structure for your requirements is just as important as an accurate method for testing them. The two processes are closely related to each other because
they focus on the quality of your product.

With how flexible Jira is when it comes to extending its possibilities, you can have all the necessary tools and objects in one place without having to integrate with external software.

If you’d like to get rid of your current requirements management tools or are just starting your software project, RTM for Jira will help you build an environment where all your teams can work – from requirements to release.

Key Features:

• Plug-and-play configuration
• Built-in requirements management
• Based on Jira native functionalities.
• Tree-structured view with folders and subfolders for each module.
• End-to-end software project traceability.
• Traceability Matrix and Requirement Coverage reports (User Dashboard available).

=> Visit Requirements and Test Management for Jira Website

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#2) Tempo Timesheets For JIRA

Tempo Timesheets is the #1 time management product in the Atlassian ecosystem since 2010. With Tempo Timesheets, you can build granular reports in seconds and drill down on data to get the detailed information you need.

Managers can review and approve their team’s timesheets, as well as analyze high-level information on work performed across your organization to make better business decisions. Convert calendar events to worklogs for added value and productivity.

Features

• Multiple ways to track time.
• Google & Microsoft calendar integrations.
• Automated suggestions
• Measure & report on CAPEX and OPEX.
• Build custom reports
• Available in multiple languages
• Available for all JIRA environments
• Leverage REST APIs to integrate with your favorite business tools.
• Mobile app available
• Free 30-day trial

Popular Plans:

Up to 10 users: $10/month
11 – 100 users: $3 per user/month

=> Visit Tempo Timesheets For Jira

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#3) ScriptRunner For Jira (Version 5.3.16) By Adaptavist

Compatibility: Jira Server 7.2.0 – 7.9.1, Jira Cloud 7.2.0 – 7.9.1

This tool tops the trending add-on list in 2020. This app has 19.2 installs. Even though the trending add-on list gets updated frequently, ScriptRunner always finds its place in the first 5 add-ons.

This add-on is developed and maintained by Adaptavist. They have add-ons for Confluence and other Atlassian tools.

ScriptRunner for Jira transforms Jira with complete Automation of the work process. This add-on is the leading toolset for automating and enhancing the basic Jira. ‘5.3.16’ is the latest stable version of this tool that is available in the Atlassian marketplace.

The add-on is available for cloud as well as server versions of Jira. The release ‘5.3.16’ is compatible with Jira Cloud and Jira Server versions 7.2.0 – 7.9.1.

Important: ScriptRunner is a powerful tool, which exposes the core functions in Jira. This might create a mess if not done correctly.

Benefits of this Tool:

• Automatic creation of issues on project creation and adjustable notification settings, allows the user to get notified on the changes of issue fields and others. With this plugin, a user can add a default comment on the issue creation if he wants or can create custom messages.
• Customized User interface and experience.
• Improved functions and server-side validations for Jira. With this tool, an administrator can set the fields that are enabled or disabled and make desired the fields mandatory or optional.
• Display calculated details and values in the issue fields.
• Bulk update of issues with common actions or field changes and comments.
• Jira Query Language (JQL) is more powerful with this plugin. Enhanced JQL search lets you find the exact issues accordingly from the brilliant queries. Task automation, enhanced reporting, and backlogs are other advantages of this plugin.
• Script solution is another highlight of this plugin. Scripts can be scheduled to run at the desired time. Hundreds of use cases are available in the tool for script solution. Escalation services are also available.
• REST Endpoints is an added advantage with which the ScriptRunner can be integrated with external applications such as Twitter.

Popular Plans:

The popular plans are:

• $5 / month for up to 10 users and
• $2.5 per month for 11 to 100 users.

A 30-day free trial is available for both plans.

Although some tools have been released as an alternative to ScriptRunner, this immensely powerful add-on is the topmost solution for many Jira user demands.

This add-on can be downloaded from here.

---

#4) Automation For Jira (Version 3.11.12) By Code Barrel Pty Ltd

Compatibility: Jira Server 7.1.0 – 7.9.1, Jira Cloud 7.1.0 – 7.9.1

This tool by Code Barrel Pty Ltd is an Atlassian Codegeist 2016 Winner. The app has 4.3k installs.

This award-winning tool offers the simplest way to automate team planning. Understanding of Jira API is not mandatory to use this tool. ‘Version 3.11.12’ is the latest stable version of this tool that is available in the Atlassian marketplace.

This add-on is available for cloud as well as server versions of Jira. The release ‘Version 3.11.12’ is compatible with Jira Cloud and Jira Server versions 7.1.0 – 7.9.1.

Automation for Jira offers over 40 components and combines the functionality of many individual applications. This add-on can be operated without using scripts or Jira API.

Benefits of this Tool:

• Automation for Jira offers simple functionalities to automate the tasks through a combination of triggers, conditions and simple actions to handle complex automation.
• Sub-tasks and parent tasks can be synchronized.
• Add sub-tasks when an issue is created.
• Features like Copy from existing issues, comment on issues when resolved, etc.
• Automatic assignment of issues. Options to assign to previous assignee/commenters etc.
• Create recurring issues.
• Reopen issues automatically when a certain notification or comment gets added.
• Automatic response to known defects.
• Automatic SMS notifications for high-priority issues.
• Set default values to fields.

Popular Plans:

The popular plans are:

• $5 / month for up to 10 users and
• $2.5 / month for 11 to 100 users.

30 days free trial is available for both the plans.

This add-on can be downloaded from here.

---

#5) Structure For Jira (Version 4.6.1) By ALM Works

Compatibility: Jira Server 7.2.0 – 7.9.1

This add-on has more than 4.3k Jira Server and Data Center customers worldwide. Atlassian’s top customers mostly use this add-on.

For huge businesses with thousands of issues, under several parallel projects, with shared resources, Structure is an essential add-on for visualizing the progress of work and it makes sure that the job is done.

SThe structure offers tracking, managing and visualizing progress across Jira projects and teams for Atlassian’s customers. This add-on is developed and maintained by ALM Works, a Russian based development company.

The add-on is compatible with the Server version of Jira only and offers useful functionalities like time recording, reporting and enhanced overview of time.

The ‘Version 4.6.1’ is the latest stable version of this add-on that is available in the Atlassian marketplace. The add-on is available for cloud as well as server versions of Jira. The release ‘Version 4.6.1’ is compatible with Jira Server versions 7.2.0 – 7.9.1.

Benefits of this Tool:

• Personal and company-wide overviews of project big-picture and portfolio.
• Ability to arrange issues in hierarchies of infinite depth.
• Relationships between different projects and issues can be visualized easily using this tool.
• The aggregate progress of all the projects or issues can be easily monitored.
• Integrating with Structure-Gantt, which is another product from the same company, can extend this add-on.

Popular Plans:

The popular plans are:

• $10 / month for up to 10 users and,
• $600 / month for up to 25 users.
• $1100 / month for up to100 users.
• $4000 / month for up to 250 users.

This add-on can be downloaded from here.

---

#6) BigPicture For PPM, Project Management (Version 6.12.3) By SoftwarePlant

Compatibility: Jira Cloud 7.0.0 – 7.9.1, Jira Server 7.0.0 – 7.9.1

This add-on has more than 4.8k installations. BigPicture offers easy building and managing of multiple parallel projects.

With this add-on, a user can easily manage roadmaps, resources, and risks. The add-on offers a portfolio for Jira compliant and management of Project Portfolio, Resources, etc. The add-on is most suitable for large-scale Atlassian customers.

The Gantt, Risk, Roadmap, and Resource modules in this add-on offer updates about the necessary information that is required for work.

This add-on is developed and maintained by SoftwarePlant Company. BIGGANTT and BAG TEMPLATE is the other products from this company.

The add-on is compatible with the Server and cloud versions of Jira. ‘Version 6.12.3’ is the latest stable version of this add-on that is available in the Atlassian marketplace.

The add-on is available for cloud as well as server versions of Jira. The release ‘Version 6.12.3’ is compatible with Jira Server and cloud versions 7.0.0 – 7.9.1.

Benefits of this Tool:

• The BigPicture suite contains the Gantt chart module which can be used to create and organize tasks with sorting and grouping.
• Tasks can be managed through a drag & drop function.
• Easily build roadmaps and help the team gain a common understanding.
• Import and Export from/to Excel and MS Project.
• Project managers are often concerned about the risks like resources run out, hardware breaks etc. BigPicture offers easy risk identification and management using drag and drop.
• Resources are usually a concern for most project managers. Enhanced task allocation feature in BigPicture allows quick and easy task assignments through its Resource view.
• Mark and color tasks.
• Quick inline editing of issues.

Popular Plans:

The popular plans are:

• $10 / month for up to 10 users and
• $2.50 / month for 11 to 100 users.

30 days free trial is available for both the plans.

This add-on can be downloaded from here.

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#7) SQL For Jira Driver – Convert JQL To SQL (Version 6.8.3) By MarketPlace Expert

Compatibility: Jira Server 7.6.0 – 7.9.1

This tool integrates SQL and JQL (Jira Query Language) together to achieve enhanced reporting and analytics. SQL for Jira Server has over 700 installations.

The tool offers powerful data visualizations and calculations.

The add-on is not compatible with the cloud version of Jira. It supports Jira Server 7.6.0 – 7.9.1. ‘Version 6.8.3’ is the latest stable version of this add-on that is available in the Atlassian marketplace.

Benefits of this Tool:

• Search data by using a combination of SQL and JQL integration extends the ability to group data, perform operations on data and filter them.
• Integrating with Jira Analytics and Eclipse BIRT add-ons can further extend this add-on. Both of them are free add-ons.

Popular Plans:

The popular plans are

• $10 / month for up to 10 users.
• $250 / month for up to 25 users.
• $50 / month for up to 500 users.
• $100 / month for up to 1000 users.
• $250 / month for up to 1500 users.

30 days free trial is available for the plans.

This add-on can be downloaded from here!

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#8) Katl-com For Power Scripts & Power Apps (Version 4.0.16) By CPrime

Compatibility: Jira Server 7.0.0 – 7.9.1

This add-on, as the name suggests, offers powerful scripts for Jira.

This add-on is developed and maintained by CPrime. Other add-ons from CPrime are Agile Reports for Jira, Power Custom fields Pro, Power database fields, etc.

This add-on is comparable to ScriptRunner to some extent and is FREE. Over 5k Jira users use this add-on.

‘Version 4.0.16’ is the latest stable version of Katl-com that is compatible with Jira Server 7.0.0 – 7.9.1.

Benefits of this Tool:

• The app is free.
• Automate and schedule actions at a free of cost.
• Less implementation time when compared to ScriptRunner.
• Create post function, validation, and condition in Jira workflows.
• Offers additional benefits like email processing, Workflow viewing, Remote LDAP integration.

Popular Plans:

This add-on is FREE to use.

This add-on can be downloaded from here.

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Conclusion

Jira is a project management tool, which is widely used in an agile team. The tool allows managing, tracking and reporting activities in projects. One of the main advantages of Jira is its ability to extend through thousands of plugins.

We have gone through a list of trending Jira plugins in this tutorial. Each tool is installed by thousands of Jira users and has great reviews too. Atlassian often updates the Trending plugins and add-on list.

=> Contact us to suggest a listing here.

I hope that the description, benefits, and plans of the top JIRA Plugins and add-ons mentioned here were useful to you.

 

 

 

 

Top 20 Most Important JIRA Interview Questions And Answers

List of the Most Frequently Asked JIRA Interview Questions and Answers. Read These Common JIRA Interview Questions to Ace Your Upcoming Interview:

JIRA Alternatives were explained in detail in our previous tutorial.

This tutorial covers the most frequently asked Atlassian JIRA interview questions with detailed answers.

Defect management tools or say Bug tracking tools have been a part of software testing and development cycles for years. “JIRA” is an incident management tool, developed by Atlassian, which is commonly used for defect/issue tracking as well as project management.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

 

This defect tracking tool is not only used for convenience-related features like recording, reporting but is also integrated directly with the code development environment.

JIRA is an efficient tool and has the capability to track any kind of defects/issues. Agile projects are also supported by JIRA.

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Now, above was the basic description of Atlassian JIRA, defect tracking tool. Through this article, we will discuss multiple interview question and answers which will help you understand this tool much better as well as on the other hand will help prepare for your interview.

JIRA Interview Questions And Answers

Given below is the list of most frequently asked JIRA interview questions and answers.

Q #1) Why is JIRA used?

Answer: Atlassian JIRA is basically an issue and project tracking tool which allows us to track any project related work by following a proper workflow.

Enlisted below are few reasons which determine the usage of JIRA:

• Able to track project progress from time to time.
• JIRA use-cases include project management, feature implementation, bug tracking, etc.
• Work-flow can be easily customized as per our requirement.
• Along with issue tracking, history of the work done on issues, when, what and by whom can also be tracked.
• JIRA is platform-independent and can run anywhere.

Q #2) Explain the JIRA workflow.

Answer: Workflow defines the series of steps or stages an issue/ bug goes through during its lifecycle from creation to the closing of the issue.

The workflow here includes the creation of an issue, a series of actions performed to fix the issue and the last step includes the closing or say completion of the issue after verification.

Refer the below diagram for better understanding:

Q #3) Enlist the report types generated by JIRA.

Answer: There are multiple reports available in JIRA which are used to show the project statistics throughout the project life cycle. There are general reports available for analyzing issues as well as different reports for Scrum projects and Kanban projects.

General reports generated as and when required for analyzing issues includes:

• Average Age Report
• Created vs Resolved issue Report
• Pie Chart Report
• Recently created Issue Report
• Resolution Time Report
• Time Tracking Report
• User Workload Report
• Version Workload Report
• Workload Pie chart Report

Examples of reports generated for Scrum projects are:

• Sprint Report
• Control chart
• Burndown chart
• Cumulative Flow diagram
• Epic Report
• Release Burndown
• Velocity chart
• Version Report

Examples of reports generated for Kanban projects:

• Control chart
• Cumulative Flow diagram.

For generating reports for your project, follow the below steps:

• Navigate to desired project dashboard.
• Click on Reports tab from left-hand side to view different reports.
• Click on Switch report to view the different reports.

Q #4) Explain the step by step procedure of how an issue is created in JIRA.

Answer: Whenever an issue or defect is encountered while testing, it needs to be reported so that the developers can work on it and take the necessary action to fix it.

We will see step by step as how an issue is created in Atlassian JIRA.

a) Log in to your JIRA account by using valid credentials and get directed to the dashboard.

b) Click on ‘Create’ button displayed and you will be navigated to a window for creating an issue.

c) Enter all the necessary details as required to create an issue. The below field example can be understood better by the image below.

• In the Project field, a project for which we are creating an issue is selected. In this example: STH_Learning(STHL) is selected from the dropdown containing all the available projects.
• In the Issue type field, the nature of the issue is selected from the dropdown which contains options like Bug, Task, Improvement, Story, New Feature, etc. In this example, ‘Bug’ is the nature of the issue.
• The Summary field contains the one line title of the issue which imparts the critical information about the issue in a summarized way. The more effective the issue headline, the more you can show the criticality of the issue. Of course, the headline should be easily understood without any chances of misinterpretation. The example I have taken here, however, is not much critical.
• The Reporter is the one who reports the issue. In most of the cases, the name of the Project Manager is selected in this field.
• In Description field, the detailed description of the issue is written. As you can see in the below example screenshot, Steps to reproduce the issue, Actual result, Expected result are included in the description.
• In the Affect Version field, the current build version of the project is selected in which the issue has been encountered.
• Fix version field is basically selected by the concerned developer people, who choose the version as and when their work for the particular issue has been finished and the issue has been fixed.
• Priority field defines which issue should be considered first to be fixed. Tester selects the priority of the issue from the dropdown based on its effect on the application. This example issue is basically of a Medium priority.
• In the Attachment field, any video or screenshot related to the issue is being uploaded.
• In Environment field, operating system and browser details are mentioned on which issue has been encountered.

d) After all the details have been completed, click on the ‘Create’ button displayed on the window to create the new issue.

e) The issue id is generated which can be used in the future as a reference for tracking the progress of the issue.

Q #5) Explain the three color indicators and their significance.

Answer: For any particular issue in JIRA, 3 colors like Blue, Green, and Orange is used to denote the amount of time spent on any particular issue. This information is displayed under ‘Time Tracking’ section. Each color has its own significance like;

• Blue: This color is to denote the ‘Original Estimate’ i.e. the time estimate to be invested in resolving the issue. This field has been labeled as ‘Estimated’.
• Orange: This color determines the time left for resolving the issue. This field has been labeled as ‘Remaining’.
• Green: This color defines the actual time that has been used or say spent in resolving the issue so far. This field has been labeled as ‘logged’.

Q #6) For any particular issue, what all are included under change history?

Answer: Change history section displays the activities of changing any records with information regarding the person who has made the change as well as the time at which the changes have been made.

The change history also displays information about the old and new field values in the case of the change in any field.

Change history includes the following records of the changes:

• Creation and deletion of a comment.
• Creation and deletion of an issue link.
• Deletion of a Worklog.
• File attachment changes
• Issue field changes

Change history for any issue can be viewed in JIRA by following steps:

• Open any particular issue.
• Click on the ‘History’ tab present in the ‘Activity’ section.

Q #7) Mention a way with which an issue can be shared with other users in JIRA.

Answer: An issue can be shared with other users in JIRA by using the share option available on the issue description page.

When share option for any particular issue is clicked, it contains the link to the issue to be shared along with ‘Username or Email’ and ‘Note’ field that has to be filled.

Q #8) What is the importance of labeling issue?

Answer: Labeling an issue is basically done to categorize an issue within a particular section which in turn can be easily searched with the help of labels.

Label for a particular issue can be initially set at the time of creating the issue, while it can edit also within the issue. Label field is displayed under the ‘Details’ section as shown below in the figure:

Q #9) How is an issue linked in JIRA?

Answer: As the name itself defines, Linking means the association between the two.

In the same way, in JIRA issue is linked with any other issue in cases like:

• Relate to another issue
• Duplicate to another issue
• Block another issue.

For displaying the details of the Linked issues, there are two fields available in JIRA: ‘Linked issues’ and ‘Issues’.

Linked issue section contains the dropdown for the options to be selected as the reason for linking the issue. As per the selected option, the suggestion of the issues to be linked in displayed in ‘Issue’ dropdown.

Linking of issues can be done either on the same or different JIRA servers.

Q #10) What is the purpose of the JIRA dashboard?

Answer: The first page which is displayed whenever we get logged in to JIRA application is ‘Dashboard’ which is basically the default or system dashboard.

A personal dashboard can also be created and designed by adding different gadgets and can be edited also as and when required. These gadgets are the means to display the project progress in terms of issues, etc.

Let us understand the steps as how a personal dashboard can be created:

a) Enter valid credentials and get navigated to JIRA dashboard.
b) Click on “…” displayed on the upper right-hand side and choose option ‘Create dashboard’. You can also choose ‘Copy dashboard’ in the case of copying the currently viewed dashboard.

c) ‘Create Dashboard’ page is displayed.
d) Enter all mandatory information and click on ‘Create’ button.

e) After creating a dashboard, you get navigated to a page where there are multiple options to select and add gadgets to your dashboard.

f) There is also an option available to choose and edit the layout of your dashboard.

Any particular Dashboard can be edited, copied, shared, delete from the Manage Dashboard section.

Q #11) What do you mean by Scheduling an issue?

Answer: Scheduling the issue means scheduling the work of issue for a particular ‘due date’.

For this function to work, one must have ‘Schedule issue permission’ by JIRA Administrator. In this case, a field with ‘Due Date’ is being populated.

Q #12) Explain how particular project details are listed in JIRA.

Answer: Every project has some main attributes which have to be displayed in the project summary.

This attributes include:

• Name of the project
• Key
• Components
• Versions (if present)

Please refer below screenshot of Project ‘STH_L’ summary page as your reference. Although not much activity has been done in this project but this image will give you a clear idea.

As you can see from the image, the middle display area of the page shows the ‘Activity’ screen containing details on the activities done on issues or project.

The right-hand side section displays the basic information about the Project like Project Lead, Key, Issue Status, etc.

The left-hand side contains various options like Components, issues, Reports, Active Sprints, etc. The related information is displayed as per the selection from the option.

For Example: If I select the ‘Issue’ option, the below-displayed screen will appear.

Q #13) What are issues types that are created and tracked via JIRA?

Answer: JIRA has some defined set of default issue types which are displayed under ‘Issue Type’ section.

Other issue types can be added, edited and deleted as per requirement of the project. Some of the common issue types are Bug, Task, Sub-task, Epic, Story, etc.

Their details can also be seen under Issue type section as shown in the below figure.

As the definition of ‘Issue Type Schema’ mentioned in JIRA application,

An issue type scheme determines which issue types will be available to a set of projects. It also allows specifying the order in which the issue types are presented in the user interface.

There are two types of Issue type Schema:

• Default Issue type schema
• Scrum Issue type schema

Q #14) How is a sub-task created in JIRA?

Answer: Sub-task is the way of splitting up of parent issue into a number of small tasks which are tracked and worked on separately.

The parent issue contains the information of all its sub-tasks which can be only of the same project. A parent issue cannot be closed unless and until all its sub-tasks are closed. A sub-task has the same fields as that of any standard-issue but their issue types are different.

Now, let us see step by step how a sub-task is created. I have created an issue in the below example for the understanding creation of the sub-task.

a) Open a parent issue by searching with an issue id or create any new issue id.
b) On the right-hand side of the issue description screen, you will see “…”. Click on it and options are displayed.
c) Click on Create Sub-task from the displayed dropdown option.

d) Create a sub-task window is displayed.
e) Enter all the mandatory details and click on the ‘Create’ button.

f) Now the created sub-task gets added to the parent issue under sub-task section as shown below in the figure:

g) There are also options available to convert an issue into a sub-task as well as sub-task into an issue.

Q #15) Explain the term Cloning an issue.

Answer: Cloning an issue means copying an issue.

In this condition, a clone of the original issue is created which consist of same information as is present for the original issue. Cloning of the issue is done so that multiple users can work on the same issue, however, the operation done either on the original issue or clone issue has no effect on each other.

All the information of the original issue are cloned expect few as mentioned below:

• Time tracking
• Comments’
• Issue history
• Status and Resolution

Let us see how to create a clone of an issue:

a) Open any issue by searching with an issue id or create any new issue id.
b) On the right-hand side of the issue description screen, you will see “…”. Click on it and options are displayed.
c) Click on Clone from the displayed dropdown option.

d) Clone Issue window is displayed.
e) If required, you can edit the summary of the issue and click on the ‘Create’ button.

f) Another issue is created with ‘CLONE’ added in the summary.

Q #16) Explain the Kanban board.

Answer: Kanban boards are created for the projects where the team has their prime focus on visualizing the workflow and managing the project’s work in progress.

The most important feature of Kanban board is that it is found in work mode because the projects do not have their work as planned.

Let us see how the Kanban board is created in JIRA step by step.

a) Log In to the JIRA application using valid credentials and get navigated to the dashboard.
b) Click on Project dropdown and select the option ‘Create Project’.
c) Select ‘Kanban Software development’ and click on the Next button.

d) Enter all the necessary details and click on the Create button.
e) Kanban board is created as shown in the below example.

Note: I have just taken a basic example of creation

In the case of Kanban, the incoming task is given more priority and hence it is considered as the best methodology for cases like bug fixing and maintenance release.

Q #17) Mention one similarity and one difference between JIRA Scrum and JIRA Kanban.

Answer:

Similarity: Both JIRA Scrum and Kanban is considered as the most powerful process tool for optimization of work and the processes as both processes focus is on continuous optimization and visualizing the workflow. In these cases, large and the complex tasks are broken down and each individual tasks are worked on and completed efficiently.

Difference: Scrum board is the work mode where progress of sprints and tracking of its work is done. Here the team determines the list of issues that has become backlog and then these issues are moved to sprints as per team plan.

In the case of the Kanban board, the work in progress activities is being maintained and their process flow is tracked. Here the team decides the increase and decrease of the number of issues that is to be displayed in each status of the workflow.

Q #18) What are the most useful JIRA add-ons.

Answer: Some of the most useful JIRA add-ons are listed below:

• Jenkins-CI
• Usersnap
• Slack
• HipChat
• GitHub
• PagerDuty
• Tempo Timesheets

Q #19) What comes under JIRA Schema?

Answer: JIRA Schema consists of the following:

• Workflows
• Issue types
• Custom fields
• Screens
• Field configurations
• Notifications
• Permissions

Q #20) How is the security setting helpful in JIRA?

Answer: The security setting for any issue is defined or say set either at the time of the creation of the issue or while editing the issue.

The basic reason for security settings is to restrict user access to the issue so that not all users are able to work on that issue. Security setting also allows the access of the issue to the member of chosen security level.

Conclusion

Through this article, I have covered everything which is necessary to know as a part of understanding and learning this famous and most useful issue tracking tool i.e. JIRA.

Although it was not possible to take any ongoing project as an example to make things clear, I have created a new id and new project in JIRA, so that I can provide my answers with screenshots for better understanding. Hope this article proves helpful for your preparation for interviews.

 

 

 

Jira Time Tracking: How To Use Jira Time Management Software?

This In-depth Tutorial on Jira Time Tracking Explains How To Use Jira Time Management Software. Learn To Configure Jira Time Tracking & Generate Useful Reports:

In this Perfect JIRA Learning Guide For All, we had a look at the most Frequently Asked Jira Interview Questions in our previous tutorial.

Get ready to see how time spent on tasks can be recorded. With time tracking, the estimation can be improved for similar issues and useful reports can be generated accordingly.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

We have covered two important topics here in this article i.e. Time Tracking provided by Jira and Time Tracking using other available, external plug-ins.

 

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What You Will Learn: [hide]

• How Does Jira Time Tracking Work?
  • Why Is Time Tracking Required?
  • Recommended Tool
    • #1) Tempo Timesheets For JIRA
  • How To Configure Jira Time Tracking?
    • #1) Grant The Required Permissions
    • #2) Enabling/Disabling Time Tracking
    • #3) Third-Party Time Tracking Providers
  • Generate Time Tracking Report For A Specific Jira Report
• Conclusion
  • Recommended Reading

How Does Jira Time Tracking Work?

This article explains the need and configuration of the Jira Time Tracking Software Tool in a step-by-step manner along with the screenshots for the tool for your easy understanding.

Let’s Get Started!!

Why Is Time Tracking Required?

1. It helps in reaching realistic estimates.
2. With the help of time tracking, tasks can be compared with similar ones completed in the past (historical data). This, in turn, will allow calculating more realistic deadlines.
3. Most importantly, time tracking can be automated fully (using apps, etc.), and this allows the users to get on with their work without any interruption of manual input.
4. Provides data of time spent on each issue and the project.
5. Real-time reporting allows for better work allocation and assessment.
6. Timesheets can be generated, and that in turn, can be used to generate customer invoices facilitating the payment process.

Recommended Tool

#1) Tempo Timesheets For JIRA

Tempo Timesheets is the #1 time management product in the Atlassian ecosystem since 2010. With Tempo Timesheets, you can build granular reports in seconds and drill down on data to get the detailed information you need.

Managers can review and approve their team’s timesheets, as well as analyze high-level information on work performed across your organization to make better business decisions. Convert calendar events to work logs for added value and productivity.

Features

• Multiple ways to track time.
• Google & Microsoft calendar integrations.
• Automated suggestions
• Measure & report on CAPEX and OPEX.
• Build custom reports
• Available in multiple languages.
• Available for all JIRA environments.
• Mobile app available
• Free 30-day trial

=> Visit Tempo Timesheets For Jira

---

How To Configure Jira Time Tracking?

#1) Grant The Required Permissions

The first step is to grant the required permissions to the individual users of the project. This is usually done by the Jira project administrator.

The following steps must be used to check and apply for the required permissions:

• Click on the Jira software icon, to get different menu items (Refer to the below image).
• Click on ‘Jira settings’. (This will show up the menu under Jira settings).

• Click on ‘Issues’.

• Click on the ‘Permission schemes’ from the subsequent menu items displayed (One needs to scroll to the bottom of the page in the left pane).

• Besides the permission scheme, click on ‘Permissions’, that needs to be changed. (Say ‘Default Permission Scheme’ in the below image).

• Scroll down to the ‘Time tracking permissions’ section. Then, click on ‘Edit’ for the ‘Work On Issues’ category. (Refer to the below image)

• After clicking on edit, ‘Grant permission’ pop-up dialog will be displayed, as shown below (Clicking ‘Show more’ will display all the available ‘Granted to’ options, that can be selected).

• Select the desired ‘Granted to’ radio button (say, Group) and then choose the appropriate choice from the drop-down. Once satisfied with the selection, click on the ‘Grant’ button.

#2) Enabling/Disabling Time Tracking

(i) Time Tracking can be completely disabled or enabled by following the below-mentioned steps:

• Click the Jira software icon and then click on ‘Jira settings’.

• Click on ‘Issues’.

• From the subsequent menu items displayed, click on the ‘Time Tracking’ option in the ‘ISSUE FEATURES’ section. (Refer to the below image)

• To enable or disable, turn on or off ‘Enable time tracking’ toggle option. (Refer to the above image)

Note: By default, the Time Tracking option is ON.

Various Time Tracking Parameters And Their Configuration: (refer the images in the above sections)

• Click the Jira software icon and then click on ‘Jira settings’.
• Click on ‘Issues’.
• From the subsequent menu items displayed, click on the ‘Time Tracking’ option in the ‘ISSUE FEATURES’ section.

• Click ‘Edit global settings’. (Refer to the below image)

• Now the associated and the desired setting can be edited.

Note: Disable time tracking, before making any changes to the time tracking settings. (Refer to the ‘Enabling/Disabling Time tracking’ section to do this).

(ii) Once the desired changes are made to the time tracking settings, make sure that time tracking is enabled again.

The following fields of time tracking settings can be edited, by selecting new value/format, relevant to the respective field:

• Working hours per day: Number of hours in the user’s working day (E.g. 8, 7, etc.). This field can accept decimal values (E.g. 7.5)
• Working days per week: Number of days in the user’s working week (E.g. 5, 4, etc.)
• Time display format: Time displayed on an issue’s ‘time spent’ field will be in this format. The Following formats can be chosen from:
  • Pretty (Example: 4 days, 4 hours, 30 minutes)
  • Days (Example: 4d 4.5h)
  • Hours (Example: 36.5h)
• Default unit: This time unit will be used by default for display if the user does not explicitly specify the time unit for any input.
• Copying of comments to work description: If this option is enabled, comments added on the issue will be copied to the Work description. Time logged by the user will only be visible to the members of the project role or group.
  • If disabled, the user time log entries will be seen by everyone by default.
  • Click ‘Save’ to confirm the settings.

Note: The user will be allowed to enter an Original estimate, while creating a new issue or editing an issue, only if, the Time Tracking field is added to the relevant screens associated with the actions.

#3) Third-Party Time Tracking Providers

Jira supports custom/third-party time tracking providers. These are available in Atlassian Marketplace. With these custom time tracking providers, more advanced time tracking functionality can be obtained.

Steps to change default time tracking provider:

• Search for a custom provider in the Atlassian Marketplace and install the same.
• Click the Jira software icon and then click on the ‘Jira settings’.
• Click on ‘Issues’.
• From the subsequent menu items displayed, click on the ‘Time Tracking’ option in the ‘ISSUE FEATURES’ section.
• Select the installed custom time tracking provider. (Refer to the below image)

Below mentioned are some of the time tracking providers/plug-in:

• Tempo Timesheets
• Pivot Gadget
• Work Time Calendar for Jira

Generate Time Tracking Report For A Specific Jira Report

To generate a near-perfect report, ensure that each issue is provided with an ‘Original estimate’ and the user adds the ‘Log Time’ religiously.

• Open the project for which the report is to be generated.

• Click on ‘Reports’ (menu available on the left side under the relevant project). (Refer to the above image)
• Scroll down to the ‘FORECAST & MANAGEMENT’ section.

• Click the ‘Time Tracking Report’ to configure, and that will display the first page as shown in the below image.

• Choose the appropriate options for the following fields, on the ‘Configure – Time Tracking Report’ page:
  • Fix Version: Version on which the report is to be generated.
  • Sorting: Based on this selection, the display order of the issues will be decided.
  • Issues: Issues to be included in the report (E.g. ‘Incomplete issues’, ‘All’)
  • Sub-task Inclusion: This option will decide which sub-tasks are to be included in the report (E.g. ‘sub-tasks with selected version’, ‘sub-tasks without a version set’ etc.)

• Click on ‘Next’. This will display the report as displayed in the below image.

• A report can be downloaded in the excel format by clicking on the ‘Excel View’ link available at the top right-hand corner of the report page.

Conclusion

This informative article on Jira Time Tracking shows how it makes life easier by providing accurate estimations. Managers can refer to historical data to set more realistic deadlines.

 

 

 

Complete Guide To Tempo Timesheets: Installation & Configuration

This In-depth Tutorial on Tempo Timesheets Covers Installation and Configuration of This Add-on Tool. Learn How To Log time Using Tempo Timesheets:

From our prevklious article on ‘Jira Time Tracking’, we came to know that time tracking is an essential and vital part of the agile development environment. In this article, we will discuss an add-on tool called Tempo Timesheets in detail.

=> Click Here For Complete JIRA Tutorials Series

Topics Covered In This Article:

• Getting and Installing the Add-on.
• Log time with the help of Tempo Timesheet and subsequent time tracking.
• Different ways of logging time on tasks.

 

Setup And Deployment Of Jenkins Continuous integration

 

What You Will Learn: [hide]

• What Is Tempo Timesheets?
  • Software Installation
  • Tempo Add-on Configuration
    • Plan Time For An Issue
    • How To Log Time in Jira?
• Conclusion
  • Recommended Reading

What Is Tempo Timesheets?

Tempo Timesheets is a time logging, time tracking and reporting solution, which integrates quite smoothly and easily with Jira.

Software Installation

This add-on is available in the Atlassian Marketplace. You can also purchase it from the local marketing partners. The Tempo Timesheets tool is compatible with Cloud, Server and Data Centre.

Steps To Install:

#1) Login to Jira with a user having administrators’ rights as well as a global permission.

#2) Click Jira settings (icon) from the main menu to get the following screen.

#3) Click on ‘Apps’ (refer to the above image).

#4) In the subsequent page (refer to the below image), type “tempo timesheets” in the filter edit box and hit the enter key on the keyboard.  You can see the ‘Tempo Timesheets’ add on.

#5) Click on the ‘Tempo Timesheets’ image to open the following page.

#6) Click on the ‘Try it free’ button to start a free trial. (Subsequently, you can purchase this add-on for the required number of users, as the pricing model depends on the number of users who will be using it).

#7) Click on ‘Start Trial’ (refer to the above image).

#8) Once the installation is completed (i.e. add-on added to Jira), the page as shown in the following image, will be displayed.

Now the ‘Tempo’ add-on is ready to use.

Tempo Add-on Configuration

Jira configuration and subsequent configuration of settings/configuration of any newly added add-on are handled by the Jira administrator(s). These configurations are most of the time project-specific, depending upon the project’s requirement and/or thinking of the project manager/scrum master.

To Configure Worklog Options:

#1) Login to Jira with a user having administrators’ rights as well as global permissions.

#2) Click on the ‘Tempo’ menu available under the Jira software main menu and the following page will be displayed.

#3) Click on ‘Settings’ (refer to the above image) to get the detailed setting options of ‘Tempo’ as seen in the following image.

#4) Now click on the ‘Logging Time’ option available under the ‘CONFIGURATION’ section, and this, in turn, will display the various configurable options, as seen in the below image.

Details Of Worklog Options Are Explained In The Following Table:

Setting Option	Description	Default Value
Checkbox The remaining estimate is optional.	The remaining estimate is not calculated in the time-tracking entry if the checkbox is checked and the Original estimate is not mentioned on the Jira issue. If the checkbox is checked and the issue is having Original estimate, then the Remaining estimate will be reduced according to the logged time, till the remaining estimate reaches zero. A User can change the value of the Remaining estimate, once it reaches zero, as it cannot have a negative value.	Checked
Checkbox Worklog description is optional.	In case this checkbox is not checked, then it is not mandatory to enter the description in the Log Work description field. In that case, a default value ‘Working on issue $key’ will be automatically added. However, later on, this text can be edited.	Unchecked
Checkbox Use start and end time while logging time.	If the checkbox is checked, it allows the users to add the Start and End time for a worklog entry. Subsequently, the time worked will be calculated.	Unchecked
Checkbox Users can log time for closed and archived accounts.	With the checkbox checked, the users can add worklog for the non-active user accounts.	Checked
Dropdown Users can log time up to this number of days in the future.	This means that the user is allowed to make an entry for the future. If this setting value is zero, then the user will not be allowed to add log work for tomorrow.	90 Days
Dropdown Maximum hours per day per user.	The number of hours which a user can add for worklog entry.	Unlimited

Note: Several other configurations are usually done by the administrator.

Plan Time For An Issue

#1) Open an issue (For which the time estimate is not yet done).

#2) You will see the Tempo widget (refer to the below image), with ‘Log Time’ and ‘Plan Time’ buttons.

#3) Click the ‘Plan Time’ button (refer to the above image), to get the ‘Plan Time’ popup modal screen, as shown in the below image.

#4) Enter the ‘Planned time’ (i.e. estimate) on the ‘Plan Time’ screen. In this case (referring to the above image), the planned time can be entered for a specific date only.

This can be achieved in two ways, as mentioned below:

1. Enter time in a prescribed format in the ‘From’ and ‘To’ text boxes. This will auto-update the ‘Planned time’ edit box.
2. Enter the estimated time in the ‘Planned time’ (say 30 mins, as displayed in the below image). In this case, it will auto-update the ‘To’ edit box.

#5) To enter the estimated time per day for a given duration or total planned time for a duration, select the ‘Period’ checkbox (refer to the below image) and the ‘End date’ text box will be made visible.

Also, the dropdown with options ‘Per day’ and ‘Total’ will be visible. Choose an appropriate date from the calendar in the ‘End date’ field. Select either the ‘Per day’ or ‘Total’ option from the dropdown. For entering time in the ‘From’ and ‘To’ fields or the ‘Planned time’, refer the 2 different options mentioned above in Step 4.

How To Log Time in Jira?

The following section will describe several ways to add a work-log in Jira.

(i) From The Calendar View:

From the main menu bar of Jira, select ‘Tempo’ -> ‘My Work’. This will open up the ‘Calendar’ view of the issues for the respective user. This is the default view of the ‘My Work’ option. This view shows the issues/tasks assigned to the user in the form of cards.

Different Ways:

#1) Click on the card for the relevant issue. This will display the following modal popup. Enter the desired values in the mandatory fields (as well as non-mandatory, if required) and then hit the ‘Log Time’ button.

#2) Go to the date in the calendar, for which the work log is to be added and hover the mouse over that date. The user will see the options to either ‘Log Time’ or ‘Plan Time’. (refer to the below image)

Click on ‘Log Time’. This will display a modal popup dialog as seen in the below image. In this case, the user has to select the issue, for which the log time is to be added. (This is an extra data entry field than that in the option 1)

#3) Simply drag the issue to the relevant date, and that will display the modal popup dialog, exactly similar to that displayed while using option 1. The issues are displayed on the right-hand side of the page. The user can also make use of the search field to locate a particular issue.

This side panel can be toggled. After adding and saving the worklog, the issue card will have a green checkmark (refer to the below image).

Note: If the work log is entered on a wrong date you can simply move the issue card to the required date.

(ii) From the Jira issue page: (Log time dialog and data entry method remains the same)

Open the Jira Issue

Different Ways:

#1) Click on ‘Log Time’ (refer to the below image). This will open the ‘Log Time’ modal popup dialog.

#2) Click on ‘Open Tempo’ under the ‘TEMPO’ section, that is available at the right side of the issue page (refer to the above image). This will show the Tempo Time tracking options. Click the ‘+’ sign (refer to the below image), and that will display the ‘Log Time’ modal popup dialog.

#3) Click the ellipsis (…) available at the top right-hand corner of the page and then select the ‘Log Time’ option, and this will open up the ‘Log Time’ modal popup dialog. (refer to the below image).

Note: Use your Google Calendar with Tempo to automatically fill your timesheet. It’s easy, with just one click in ‘My Work’ and it turns your calendar events into time entries.

Conclusion

With this, we have come to the end of this article on Tempo Timesheets.

We learned all about the installation and configuration of Tempo Timesheets with the help of respective screenshots.