Is Jira the right tool for my needs?

[Todd Palermo]

Hello Community, We are going to start using Jira for a few database replacements and I think Jira is a good fit. My question is really about document control. My company currently uses SharePoint and we make a lot of Excel documents that kind of looks like forms to fill in details of work. This Excel is modified by different departments as well. Some would like to see the Excel dumped and put everything in Jira, but I am failing to see the benefit of breaking up all this data into fields. We currently have no need to search for the specifics in the document. We need to search for the document to view the contents, but never to know any graphical data with a filter. I think this is better left in SharePoint, but I thought I would ask the Jira Community for some good benefits. Let me hear what you think. Thanks!

[Mohamed Adel]

Hi Todd, 

For your use case i would recommend confluence not JIRA, We are using confluence to control our document versions/history and collaboration between the team members. 

You can preview the document using word/excel/pdf macros.

You can update a word document in MS Word and then sync the version with the exist one on confluence.

You can have a lot of benefit from using other plugin to format or make your life more easier. 

[Todd Palermo]

Hi Muhammet,

Thanks for the input. It sounds like you would keep these files in their file format and use Confluence to manage the document. If this is true, then it sounds like you would agree that breaking up the document into data is not a good idea. Also, it sounds like Confluence is really doing the same job as SharePoint (in this example). I am really looking for the benefit of this example to use an Atlassian product, but it seems that SharePoint is already a good product for my example.

[Andy - PTC Redundant]

When using Atlassian products there's an extremely fine balance between JIRA (managing work), Confluence (documenting work) and Databases, such as SharePoint (storing vital files, readily accesible to whole organisation).

[My own organisation uses OneDrive, but we also have a 'heavy duty' intranet server for files exceeding 100MB]. 

Try reviewing each "database" to see how the knowledge can be better managed, if at all. Split it up into categories of data and per user group.

Then go one step further to identify a RACI Matrix and see who needs what and when.

Examples: 1) Are you managing the Issues, Actions & Decisions day-to-day in Excel, but only project teams need the info? Try Confluence. 2) Are elements of the document, such as estimates and remaining work only filled in and viewed by individuals in the same team? Try JIRA. 3) Are Highlight Reports going to both internal as well as external stakeholders? Best to use SharePoint (but then link that Sharepoint site back to Confluence, which in turn should always be linked to the relevant JIRA project.