support help - Chat - is anybody available to have a discussion about product features

[Blaine Zuk]

I'm new to Jira / Atlassian, and am not having a great first experience.  The name Jura came up as a possible defect tracking tool / Project management tool, but I can not find either.

Is anybody out there able to answer a couple of basic questions? to get me started in the right direction?

* Do you have a Gantt Chart timeline feature to track major milestones?

* Am I able to create a task tracking list, that reads like SmartSheet or Excel.

Is there a chatbot feature that I can interact with an Atlassian Rep in real time

[Kathy Hart · Accepted solution]

Hi, I am not an Atlassian Rep, but I use Jira extensively. 

To start at the top and explore the full Atlassian ecosystem you can begin here: https://www.atlassian.com/

I don't think there is a ChatBot feature for Atlassian, but there is a lot of info out there about what Jira can do, and how it can do it. And there are a lot of add-ons, free and paid, to make it do the other things it can't do by itself. 

Jira is immensely adaptable and configurable to the point where it can be quite overwhelming to get started, which is why it is usually suggested that you try a free trial version for 30 days or free forever if you only have up to 10 users.

If you want to talk to a rep, or have a demo, you should probably start here: https://support.atlassian.com/contact/#/ You may have to create a log in, but it is quite safe, and only used to keep track of your support questions. 

To answer your other questions: 

•  Do you have a Gantt Chart timeline feature to track major milestones?
  • If you use the Premium version of Jira, it comes with a feature called, Advanced Roadmaps or Timeline (they are in the process of changing the name). This is similar to a Gantt Chart, but not exactly. It is good for strategic planning and tracking milestones and project progress. 
  • There are several add-ons that let you make a true Gantt chart based on the hierarchy of tickets entered into Jira. You can use three levels of Jira tickets Epic, Story/Task, Sub-task to start with. If you pay for Premium, then you can get levels above Epic that help you with strategic planning. 
• Am I able to create a task tracking list, that reads like SmartSheet or Excel.
  • There are multiple ways to view tickets/tasks in Jira, but nothing in Jira is going to replicate Excel. The idea is that Jira is better than excel in that each line item is an actual ticket with much more background information inside of it that helps the team do their work.
  • If you have a Cloud license, then you can use Jira Work Management projects to track basic Tasks with a very nice list view and a Kanban style progress board. 
  • If you are using the Software style project, then you can have Kanban boards and Scrum boards which are totally configurable. 
  • There are multiple project Templates available in Jira, out of the box, that can help you get started. 

I hope this helps you get started with Jira. 

[Andrés Sotomayor]

Agree 100%.

I will just add that Jira is a very powerful tool with many features, but it comes with a learning curve. The basic stuff is really intuitive, but whenever you need more customization, automation, or integrations, there is more complexity.

For some features, you will need upgraded versions of Jira, or you can always find add-ons on the Atlassian marketplace, which in some cases, are cheaper than moving to a premium Jira plan. In the specific case of task tracking lists that read like SmartSheet or Excel, there are a couple of apps that can do that or apps that integrate Excel, Smartsheet, Airtable, etc., with Jira and Confluence.

Atlassian tools are great. You just need a little bit of patience with them; also, the community is really great and helpful, so you can always come over here with any future questions you might have.

[Blaine Zuk]

Thank you @Kathy Hart  & @Andrés Sotomayor , I appreciate your input.

I believe  the various names , and understanding what is part of the core product and what is an add-on, is causing me some confusion.   

I do have the free trial that has already expired, and less than 10 users, so It looks like I can continue to use it free while I figure things out :) 

So far I am using ".... atlassian.net/jira/core/projects"  plus something called 'BigPicture' which may be an add-on...

Still searching for that elusive Gantt Chart just to set up Long range goals and milestones, so will continue to explore Jira to see if it is a fit for my needs.