Top 5 Tips for a Smooth Jira Rollout

Are you planning to implement Jira as a project management tool in your company? When introducing new software into your business, there are some hurdles that could lead to acceptance and usage of the new software falling behind expectations. This can be avoided, allowing you to get to work productively with the new software right away. Here are our ultimate tips for a successful introduction of Jira to your team.

1. Transparency

Often, employees can be wary of new software, like Jira Software or Jira Work Management. Therefore, it's especially important to inform everyone who is affected. Use your company's intranet or a similar platform to update everyone about the Jira integration process. Aim to clearly outlining the 'whys' and 'hows' of Jira and solve potential doubts before they turn into real problems. This way, you can immediately highlight the benefits of Jira (also compared to the old software) and can prevent distrust and forestall questions.

2. Less complex workflows

Jira workflows offer you many possibilities to adapt the tool to your needs and reduce manual work. The possibilities are virtually endless. Nevertheless, you should limit yourself to the most important workflows during the initial phase. Begin with prioritized workflows that are easy-to-understand and user-friendly for all team members.

3. Onboarding & Training

A perfectly set up Jira instance is of little use if no one knows how to use it. Therefore, you should provide your employees with training materials right from the start, allowing them to familiarize themselves with Jira. Depending on the situation, it may also make sense to adapt the training material to the respective role (e.g. for end users or administrators) of your employees.

4. Gradual introduction of new features

Jira gives you hundreds of practical features, which you can then extend with thousands of Atlassian Marketplace apps. Despite the allure to leverage everything at once, remember that transitioning to a new system takes time. Understanding that people are creatures of habit will allow for a smoother transition. Introduce new features in a phased manner, ensuring each addition is well integrated into your workflow before bringing in the next one. We show you how to find the right apps in the Atlassian Marketplace and avoid wrong purchases.

5. Be sparing with notifications

Thoughtfully consider which events truly require the setup of notification alerts. Overwhelming your team with email notifications for every ticket update, comment or page amendment could very well end up being seen as spam. This could diminish the new software's acceptance and risk drowning out truly important updates.

Jira, as a project management tool, offers a wealth of functionalities and customization options. The main takeaway though is that less is indeed more when it comes to introducing Jira, or any new software for that matter. Give your employees enough time to familiarize themselves with Jira after a thorough training, and gradually introduce new features and workflows.