The Atlassian Jira product features a robust issue tracking system, suitable for action list applications.  Each issue has a unique identifier, a reporter, an assignee, a description, due date, category, and status.  With Violette Solutions, you can be up an running with Jira in as little as one or two days effort.

You interact with this system much like you would interact with an Excel action list spreadsheet.  Just like you add a row, edit the contents, and create tabs in Excel, you create an issue, edit an issue and assign issues to category components.

Where Jira begins to shine is when you move issues through their different stages.  Instead of physically cutting and pasting rows from one tab to another, and deleting rows when the task is complete, you will simply change the status of an issue.  Built-in reports take care of the rest.  Over time, your action lists remain up-to-date, you are able to provide customers with built-in status reports, and you start to create a knowledge-base unique to your own company.

Other basic features that make Jira attractive are the ability to

• add attachments to any issue, so you are able to replicate any paper-based issue tracking system within Jira by simply scanning in the paper original and attaching that scanned original to a Jira issue.
• create customer fields, so you can build search reports around information that is unique to your business, such as customer numbers.
• allow users to share more than one action list, so a single user can see all the actions they own in one place, and alert you to those users who are overloaded.
• allow users to enter time devoted to a specific issue, so you can use Jira to track project costs.
  

In a more advanced scenario, you would purchase the Enterprise license, which allows you to

• create multiple Jira lists within the same installation.
• create custom issues, with their own workflows, such as quality reports, engineering change requests, preventative maintenance tasks, customer call issues, and so on.
  

Where we can help

We have spent the time and energy to learn how to install Jira, customize Jira and train users.  We have learned

• how to leverage the built-in Jira system features, such as workflow and reports.
  
• where to pay attention to areas that allow you to scale Jira when the time comes without having to reorgainize your existing Jira installation. 
  
• how to transfer data into Jira from most existing issue tracking systems, including Excel, Access databases, Bugzilla, and so on. 
• how to install and customize many of the available plug-ins that enhance the Jira system.
• how to tap into the extensive Jira user community.
• how to train on-site IT support personnel to maintain a Jira installation, once it is in place.
  

We believe that a basic Jira installation can be done in one to three days. Additional customization using the built-in Jira mechanisms should take another three days.  You can be up and running with Jira in about 1 week, start to finish.

If your requirements lead us to add new features through the extensive plug, we can discuss options, including

• creating custom reports to suit your specific needs.
  
• exploring or extending existing plugins.
• creating new plugins.
• adding scheduled tasks to Jira, for applications such as preventative maintenance or customer courtesy calls.

Contact us at info@violettesolutions.com to start consolidating your collaboration efforts today.