Couple of questions about Structure integration with Jira Agile

[Martim Schnack]

Hi,

we are currently evaluating the Structure plugin and it looks really good so far. It provides an easy way to add, manage, and visualize tasks.

We have a few questions about its integration with another Jira plugin: Jira Agile.​

• When I reorder items inside Structure, will it also reorder the items inside the Agile Board?
• Apparently I can reorder stories and tasks, but Structure doesn’t allow me to reorder sub-tasks. Is this a limitation or a misconfiguration problem in my instance?
• When a new task is created, it goes to the Agile Backlog. Is there any way to execute an action to move the task to the current Agile Sprint?

Again, the plugin is really awesome. If the things mentioned above cannot be achieve in the normal way, is there a workaround, another plugin, or any other thing that can help us achieve that?

Thank you!

-Martim

[Robert Leitch [ALM Works] · Accepted solution]

Hi Martim,

Thanks for using the Structure plugin and for the great feedback!

In order of questions:

1. Absolutely, you need to set up a JIRA Agile synchronizer - it will keep issue rank in your Structure board in sync with rank in your Agile board; changes made in one board will be synced to the other. It will also synchronize Epics > Story relationships in both directions too.
   
   
2. Could you expand a little on this one - do you mean that Structure won't let you reorder sub-tasks in the Structure board? Can you not move them at all or does it let you move them then they jump back to where they were? Can you re-order them within their parent issue?
   
   If you are trying to move them to another issue and you have a synchronizer running that forces sub-tasks to stay under their parent issues (both the Sub-Tasks and JIRA Agile synchronizers can do this), this would prevent you from moving them to another location (i.e. placing them under a different issue to their biological parent) in the board (they would jump back to where they were originally), but it should not stop you from re-ordering them within the bounds of their parent issue.
   
   
3. There's no standard mechanism for this in Structure, but you could add the Sprint column to your Structure view and specify the required sprint ID when creating the issue. You need to configure your JIRA to add the Sprint field to the issue editor screen, otherwise it won't be editable in Structure.
   
   I'm not sure about automating the process - when you say the current sprint I assume you mean the current active sprint? This may be possible with scripting at JIRA level.

Cheers,

Robert

[Martim Schnack]

Hi Robert,

first of all, thank you for your quick reply.

Here is more a more detailed exxplanation of the problems I am having:

0) Initial configuration doesn't reflect Jira board

• Structure Syncs Settings: https://db.tt/ptyc5HVf
• Structure x Board - side by side: https://db.tt/xtARGsCr
• As you can see, the Stories are not inside the Epics.

1) Reordering Stories inside Structure doesn't reflect in Jira Board

• I've organized the Strcuture, but the Jira Board looks the same: https://db.tt/AVFbVG7p

2) Reordering Sub-Tasks not working

• I reorder the sub-tasks inside a Story, but after a few seconds, they switch back to the original position: http://screencast.com/t/KQcd4xC83

I'll try adding the column for the Sprint.

Thanks!!

[Martim Schnack]

Robert,

apparently adding the Sub-Task filter was causing the issues mentioned above. I've created a new Structure with only the Filter and Greenhopper syncs, and everything works.

I'll keep you posted about #3.

[Robert Leitch [ALM Works]]

Martim, you beat me to it!

I'm glad you got that sorted, looking forward to the update.

[Martim Schnack]

Robert,

my last question (I promise!!!)... I added the Sprint field to the Edit screen and as a column to my view in Structure. Everything works perfectly, but I need to enter the Sprint ID as a number (for instance, "76"). Any way to allow me enter it as a string, like "Sprint 4"?

Thank you one more time!

[Robert Leitch [ALM Works]]

Martim, no worries! Keep them coming.

Unfortunately no, the Sprint field in JIRA only takes the sprint ID. Sprint names in JIRA Agile are not unique.

A quick way to get a sprint ID without leaving Structure is to go to the search bar, switch to JQL and type "search =" and start typing the sprint name. Find the sprint you want in the auto-complete suggestions, and its ID will be in brackets at the end.

[Martim Schnack]

Robert,

Currently when I reorder the subtasks inside Structure, the subtasks are not reordered in the Jira Board.

Is this something I am doing wrong? Or Jira Board doesn't support sub-tasks reordering?

Thank you!

[Robert Leitch [ALM Works]]

Hi Martim,

Which JIRA Board do you mean? Kanban or Scrum?

The Kanban board updates automatically, whereas the Scrum board requires a page refresh.

If that doesn't help clear things up, could you add a screenshot of your synchronizer settings page again?

[Robert Leitch [ALM Works]]

Also: Is it only sub-tasks that aren't being reordered? If you reorder stories in Structure, is this being synced to your Agile boards?

[Martim Schnack]

Hi Robert,

Here's the screenshot of my current Structure Sync Settings: http://screencast.com/t/jbGStJP6

And here are the issues that I'm facing:

• Stories not being reordered: http://screencast.com/t/G0zdO9w9l4
• Sub-tasks not being reordered: http://screencast.com/t/YKrziF0oJ

Thank you so much for your help!

PS: Do you work for Structure? And also is it possible to schedule a time and jump in a skype call so you can sort my questions out? I will be more than happy to pay for it :)

[Robert Leitch [ALM Works]]

Hi Martim, it's no trouble at all, happy to help!

I do indeed work for Structure's creators, ALM Works. I'm afraid we don't offer live support, but our online support via https://jira.almworks.com is second to none!

A quick diagnosis from the screenshot - your Agile synchronizer is set up to sync with the wrong board. Disable or delete that synchronizer and set up a new one, this time be sure sure to select the 'MARTIM TEST' Scrum board in the list of Agile boards.

Leave all the boxes ticked, create, resync and enable, everything should work fine. If not, let me know :)

For reference: JIRA Agile synchronizer documentation.

Those side-by-side screencasts rock.