How FlexiProject–Jira integration streamlines project management?
Jira is one of the most widely used solutions supporting project management using agile methods. It is also one of the leading solutions used by development teams to create new and improve existing IT programs. However, this solution is much less popular in managing projects that are implemented using traditional, i.e., waterfall methods. In many organizations, however, there is a mix of projects related to IT system development and “regular” organizational or optimization projects. When implementing the latter, project teams are less likely to use Jira and more likely to use software such as FlexiProject. In such situations, the integration of FlexiProject with Jira is a great advantage for the organization. This benefit is that the progress of all projects can be monitored in a single system, i.e., FlexiProject. A particularly popular solution in project management is the Gantt chart. Company management, project sponsors, and steering committees expect to see the progress of a project visually on a Gantt chart, which FlexiProject offers.
Key takeaways:
- How integration with Jira improves project visibility
- How hybrid teams can work in both systems seamlessly
- How Jira tasks appear in FlexiProject’s Gantt chart
- How to manage and monitor all projects in one place
- How integration eliminates duplicate data entry
- What portfolio and reporting features FlexiProject offers
Why is it worth integrating FlexiProject with Jira?
If, as described in the introduction, your organization carries out various types of projects, some of which are implemented using agile methodologies and others using waterfall methodologies, then integrating Jira with FlexiProject, a project and project portfolio management software, makes a lot of sense. This is because in many cases, the use of a so-called hybrid approach is of great value in project implementation. Let us illustrate this issue with a relevant example: a company from the financial sector develops and launches a new PayFlow system, an application for electronic payments. It is easy to imagine that people from marketing, finance, programming, and sales are involved in the implementation of such a project. In the case of such a project, the management expects a framework plan to be presented, and this plan should be prepared and submitted for approval in FlexiProject. FlexiProject has a system Project Charter, a module for creating budgets, a Gantt chart, and allows you to build decision paths easily. Once the project plan is approved, developers carry out their tasks in Jira, while business teams work in FlexiProject. The management board, project sponsor, or steering committee wants a comprehensive overview of how the project is being implemented and does not want to have to look at both Jira and FlexiProject to do so. This situation is solved by the integration of FlexiProject with Jira. Managers then have an apparent overview of how the project is being implemented in a single, easy-to-read Gantt chart. Such a Gantt chart is shown in the illustration below. All tasks from Phase 3 “Development” are automatically imported from Jira – tasks from Jira are marked with a blue diamond next to the task name.
An additional benefit of integrating Jira and FlexiProject is the ability to regularly report on project status through Automatic Project Reviews, a feature offered by FlexiProject. Such a comprehensive view of the project is invaluable because in the business world, there are deadlines to which managers commit themselves, and these deadlines are better controlled in FlexiProject, which is integrated with Jira.
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Practical application of integration in project portfolio management
IT system users dislike having to enter the same data into different systems. This situation usually causes frustration and is rarely sustainable in the long term. This situation can be avoided by integrating Jira with FlexiProject. Development teams – or other teams – work only in Jira, while PMO employees, managers, and company executives can monitor the results of their work in FlexiProject. FlexiProject offers a range of features that allow you to manage projects at a strategic level, regardless of whether they are implemented in Jira or directly in FlexiProject – the only requirement is that FlexiProject is integrated with Jira:
- Project portfolio and program management – Gantt chart available
- Automatic project reviews
- Project plan management
- Key resource management
- Linking strategic goals to projects and KPIs
The project roadmap available in the Project Portfolios module allows you to quickly assess whether projects are being implemented according to the approved plan or are behind schedule. You can also easily monitor the financial situation of the entire portfolio or create your graphical dashboards.
A valuable feature is the ability to manage risks at the level of the entire project portfolio.
If your company implements comprehensive project programs, FlexiProject allows you to link different projects together to form a project program.
Many companies conduct regular project reviews. Company management, steering committees, or project sponsors attend these reviews. Most often, Project Management Office employees are responsible for preparing such reviews. FlexiProject significantly automates this process.
All of the above tools provide project stakeholders with a high level of comfort when managing multiple projects simultaneously. All information is consistent and available in a single tool, which helps to avoid errors and saves time, especially for PMO employees.
How does integration with Jira support project scheduling?
In traditional project management, the project schedule is built based on WBS (Work Breakdown Structure), while in agile project management, we make a backlog and divide it into sprints. In most cases, project stakeholders are more accustomed to – and expect to see – a high-level project schedule in a clear Gantt chart. Building a project schedule in FlexiProject is very easy, even for very complex and large projects. It does not matter whether these are projects implemented entirely in FlexiProject, in both systems simultaneously, or only in Jira.
The figure above shows a project implemented using a hybrid method. Depending on the level of detail you want to include in your project schedule, you can decide which elements to retrieve from Jira. If you wish to keep your project schedule at a high level and not be overly detailed, it is sufficient to retrieve only Epics and Stories from Jira. In this figure, we can see the responsibility for the implementation of individual tasks, their dates, and the required WBS structure. Once the entire project schedule has been created, it can be approved as a plan and then monitored for deviations during project implementation. The project schedule with the approved plan is shown in the figure below.
Learn how to create a project schedule to achievement of the project goals.
Strategic and operational project management with FlexiProject and Jira
Currently, when creating their IT ecosystems, companies make every effort to avoid entering the same data twice into different IT systems. This is no different when an organization uses Jira and another project management program. In such cases, it is worth choosing a program that integrates well with Jira. FlexiProject is such a program. A particular advantage of this solution is the fact that projects can be managed operationally in Jira and at a strategic level in FlexiProject. One of the most rapidly developing trends in project management worldwide is hybrid management, which FlexiProject supports through its integration with Jira.
