Jira, Random Notes

Question 1

How do you expand/minimize the vertical menu bar on the left edge?

This is a handy technique to make a Scrum board larger.

Answer 1

There is a “hamburger” or tiny 3 lined icon with lateral lines. It’s found in the upper left hand corner of Jira.

Click it and your left menus minimize. Click again and menu widens.

Question 2

What is the preferred web browser for Atlassian’s Jira?

Answer 2

Chrome

Question 3

What is a great technique for opening multiple windows of information in Jira?

Answer 3

Use a CTRL Click to open up a 2nd, 3rd, etc. tab “window” in Chrome.

Question 4

Why do you add a personal photo through Jira’s “profile settings”?

Answer 4

It makes it easier to “walk a Scrum/Kanban board”.

When you add your photo in Profile (bottom left of Jira), your face is always shown on the Scrum or Kanban board. This makes it easier to “walk the board” or use those boards by using a face of a person.

Question 5

How do you build a “filter” in Jira?

It’s not readily apparent.

Answer 5

1) Click on the correct project as a board or backlog.
2) Click Issues and Filters on left.
3) Click “advanced search” on the right.
4) Build your search at the top. Easy to do simple searches.
5) Click Export in upper right hand corner.
6) Export all fields to Excel.
7) Examine your results.
8) If correct, click the Save as in upper middle.

You have saved a simple filter.

Question 6

How do you send emails from within Jira?

Answer 6

For an Issue, go to the bottom and click the Comment tab area.

Type your message with an @. For example.

@Kraneis . If Kraneis is in your email system it will show the full name in the comment: @RichardKraneis .

Question 7

How do you move an unfinished Story in current Sprint to the next Sprint. Team unable to finish Story in Sprint.

Answer 7

Right mouse click the story, click Move.

If there is a next Sprint, story will be moved to that Sprint. Otherwise it goes to Backlog.

Question 8

How do you “watch” another person’s Issue?

This is possible since Jira is a transparent tool.

Answer 8

1) Open the Issue.
2) Look to upper right hand corner for the “eye” (it’s near the Feedback icon).
3) Click the “eye”.
4) Use the drop down to Click “Start Watching”.

Question 9

How do you send a one time notification to someone regarding an Issue?

Answer 9

1) Open the issue.
2) Go to Notes at the bottom of the Issue.
3) Type a note with the format @lastname .
4) Save

This will send a one time email to the 2nd person regarding the Issue.

Question 10

As background: You are on at least two Jira teams.

Why is it important when adding an Issue that the issue be associated with a Sprint?

Answer 10

If you are on two Jira teams and add an Issue, if that issue is not associated with a Sprint of one of your two teams, you may “lose track” of that issue. You may have trouble finding it.

Question 11

How do you save your work in Jira?

Answer 11

Be careful.

1) Always look for a Save button.
2) If no Save button exists, clicking outside of a field will often update the field.

Question 12

How do you “copy” a Jira issue.

A good example would be you’re taking a Story at the start of Sprint and you want to split the Story into two Stories. Is there a copy command?

Answer 12

Ask Laura B.

Question 13

Is searching the Internet for Jira questions helpful?

Answer 13

Very helpful.

I don’t even know if Atlassian help is useful because Internet footprint of Jira/Atlassian is large and helpful.

Question 14

How do you find a completed Issue from a past Sprint in Jira?

Answer 14

Reports - Sprint Report.

Within Sprint Report you will find thorough listing of all Issues completed in previous Sprints. Just indicate the Sprint you want and look for the issue.

Question 15

How can I clone an old Issue and use it for a Current Sprint?

Answer 15

1) Reports - Sprint Report - Identify Correct Old Sprint.
2) Open the old Issue.
3) Click the ellipsis … in the upper right.
4) Select the “clone” feature.
5) Find your “cloned” Issue, assign it properly, point it if necesary, assign to the correct Sprint.

Question 16

Can I copy an Issue from a previous Sprint for this Sprint?

That would be easier than creating a new one.

Answer 16

Yes.
On left side menu click Reports.
Then click Sprint Reports.
Find the Issue in an old Sprint.
Open it.
Then clone it for the current Sprint.

Question 17

How do I see Sprint goals for our Scrum team?

Answer 17

For our team…
…we look at our Scrum board.

Underneath the Sprint name we find a line of data.
Point at that line of data with your mouse and you will see your complete Sprint goals.

This advice may vary from team to team but it works for our team.

Question 18

How do you see the settings for a Scrum or Kanban board?

Answer 18

1) In Jira, look at the Scrum or Kanban board you are researching.
2) Click the three dots … (ellipsis) ion the upper right hand corner for that board.
3) Click Board Settings choice.

This will show columns, swim lanes, filters, etc. for that board.

Question 19

Simple advice for Jira “newbies”.

What top 3 things would you teach?

Answer 19

1) Use Chrome.
2) Use Settings to customize your photo. Makes Jira easier.
3) Immediately “Configure” your Story issue. What you see when you create a Story may not be complete, forcing you to do 2 screens.

Question 20

You’re a new SM jumping onto a project with another SM. How do you determine who did what on previous Sprints?

Answer 20

1) Go into Reports.
2) Sprint Reports.
3) Click “View in Issue Navigator” in upper right corner.

This will show you Stories and Tasks completed in last Sprint with Assignees. Then click to find out what was done.

Question 21

Research with CK. Use LTC filter as example.

How can you make a Product Owners life easier in finding all “Ready for Acceptance” stories for their team?

Answer 21

Build a special board for the Product Owner.

“I typically set up a special board for the PO that only has the work in the Ready for Acceptance column and Approval to make their lives easier.”

Question 22

Is it easy to create a sub-task for an Issue?

Answer 22

Maybe not.

Create a sub-task for an Issue is not among Issue fields when you try to edit the Issue field.

1) Click on a story to make it active.
2) Click the ellipsis (…) in upper right hand corner.
3) Look for Create sub-task menu command and click it.
4) Then create a sub-task.

Moving forward for that story, you will see the Sub-tasks when you edit and it will no longer be necessary to use the ellipsis.

Question 23

How do you create a sub-task for an Issue?

Answer 23

Edit the Issue and look for the Sub-task fields.

If those fields don’t exist, then click the ellipsis in upper right hand corner, click Create siub-task choice, then create a sub-task.

Moving forward, the sub-task field will already be on your Issue.

Question 24

How do you create new Sprints in the future?

For example, one team was changing their sprint cadence from 2 weeks to 4 weeks.

Answer 24

Answer:

1) Verify you are on the project, it’s active.
2) Click Backlog on the left.
3) Scroll below all Sprints to go to the Backlog section.
4) To the upper right of Backlog you will find a Create Sprint button.

Click that button to create future Sprints with dates.

Question 25

1.21.2020

My Tasks/Stories have “due dates”. Even though there is a due date field in Jira, how do I display that information on my Jira backlog or Jira scrumboard?

How do I easily display “due dates” without needing to open up the Jira card?

Answer 25

Adjust the “Board” settings.

View board, ellipsis, Board Settings, Card Layout, Add the Due Date field. Look at your work.

1) View your backlog or scrum board.
2) Click the ellipsis in the upper right hand corner.
3) Click Board Settings.
4) Click the Card Layout choice on the left.
5) Add the Due Date field.
6) Look at your Backlog or Scrum board and verify everything worked.

Sounds hard, it isn’t. Taught to me by Mark H.

Question 26

How do you change an Issue from a Story to a Task (or to another Issue type).

The answer may vary depending on your Jira interface

Answer 26

1.22.2020

1) View the Issue as a card. In this case I viewed a Story.
2) Click the ellipsis in the upper right hand corner. The ellipsis displays its long menu.
3) Click the Move menu choice.
4) Change Issue type from Story to Task.
5) Click Next “twice”.
6) Click Move to confirm.

Your Story is now changed to a Task. Taught to me by Edward D.

Question 27

How do I create a Quick Filter at the top of my Scrum or Kanban board?

Answer 27

First, create a filter that gives you desired results and Save it. Save the JQL that supports the Filter.

2) Make your Scrum or Kanban board active.
3) Click ellipsis in upper right hand corner.
4) Click Board Settings.
5) Click Quick Filters on the left edge.
6) Add a new quick filter, copy in your JQL, and type a brief description.
7) Go to your Scrum or Kanban board and test your new Quick Filter.

If you don’t like the Quick Filter, you can always return to Board, Board Settings, Quick Filters, and DELETE the quick filter you built.

Question 28

Can you rapidly look at all your filters?

Answer 28

Yes.

If you “starred” your filters you can click on Star and see all your filters in a row.

You then click each filter and can immediately see the results.