Jira Service Management and Azure DevOps Integration: Optimize ITSM and Development Workflows
We recently hosted another Exalate webinar, this time diving into how integrating Jira Service Management (JSM) with Azure DevOps can improve ITSM and development workflows.
Let’s face it, businesses can no longer ignore the friction that comes from siloed support and dev teams. Integration, when done right, brings real-time updates, better visibility, and a smoother customer experience.
Who doesn’t like real-time updates on those critical support tickets? We thought you would.
The Hosts: This time around, I got to enjoy the view from the backseat while George and Javier took the lead. They walked the audience through some basic to advanced Jira Service Management and Azure DevOps integration use cases, before opening the floor for a live Q&A.
Here’s what they covered.
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Integration isn’t about one side changing its behavior to meet the needs of the other. It’s about combining strengths, working together, and reducing waste of time and resources on both sides. |
What is Exalate?
Exalate connects teams within and across companies by providing a scalable, reliable, and AI-assisted integration solution, eliminating the need of switching between multiple ITSM systems. Forget manual copy pasting or sending emails back and forth!
How does Exalate work?
Exalate works as a dedicated app on each system you want to integrate. Each tool-admin stays in control. You decide what goes out and what comes in.
Learn more about how Exalate works here.
Why Exalate?
Exalate is a script-based integration solution. It’s Groovy-based scripting engine allows the flexibility to implement deep integration between Jira and Azure DevOps. Got an edge case that doesn’t quite fit in the standard mold? Bring it on.
It’s also available for other systems like Salesforce, ServiceNow, Freshdesk, Zendesk, and more.
Enter AI Assist
To make scripting faster (and more approachable), we introduced AI Assist.
You describe your sync logic in plain language, it turns it into dynamic sync rules, right inside the Exalate admin console.
What we covered?
Javier walked the audience through:
- Setting up a connection between Jira and Azure DevOps
- How the default configuration syncs summary, description, attachments, and comments bidirectionally
Before diving into use cases, he explained some important concepts.
Replica and Triggers
Sync rules define what data gets shared and how it maps across systems. Sync rules has replica.
A replica is a copy of an issue/work item that holds the data you want to share.
Each integrating side has incoming and outgoing sync rules. In Jira, the outgoing sync will define what information should be transferred to Azure DevOps, and the incoming sync will decide how you map the information coming from Azure DevOps.
Triggers kick off syncs automatically, based on conditions written in native query languages like JQL (Jira Query Language) or WIQL (Work Item Query Language).
Moving onto the use cases we covered in the webinar.
First Use Case: Support Escalation to Dev
Scenario
When a customer raises a ticket in JSM, some of those need to be escalated to the dev team in Azure DevOps, either as Bugs or Features.
What We Synced
- Map request types from JSM to work item types in Azure DevOps
e.g., ‘Report a bug’ → Bug | ‘Suggest a feature’ → Feature - Sync status and priority between both platforms
- This ensures both teams stay aligned as tickets progress
- This ensures both teams stay aligned as tickets progress
Triggers Used
When the project name is SUPP and the request type is a bug or feature, send the ticket over to Azure DevOps.
Second Use Case: Product Support Flow
Scenario
The product team creates epics and user stories in Azure DevOps. These entities on the project board are unidirectionally synced to Jira Cloud as epics and stories.
The relation hierarchy between Azure DevOps and Jira is maintained. For instance, ‘Relations’ in Azure DevOps are mapped as ‘Issue links’ in Jira.
Statuses are synced between Jira cloud and Azure DevOps to reflect accurate progress.
The Takeaway
Integrating Jira and Azure DevOps is not only a tech decision, it’s a business strategy. With Exalate, you can tailor the integration to your workflow, your logic, and your comfort level.
Got a unique use case? Think Exalate might be the answer to your scattered support processes and manual ticket escalations?
Drop a comment below, or if you’d rather chat one-on-one, book a call with us.
Let’s make your integration work for you, not the other way around.
