I’m struggling with managing our product branches in JIRA. We have a shared core runtime and specific parts for different products. Each product has multiple branches for different versions in the field.
We’re using components to label core and product-specific parts, as well as to identify branches. Fix Versions track our bi-weekly iterations. This setup kinda works, but using components for branches feels wrong. We can’t retire components, only delete them.
We didn’t want to mix iterations and branches in Fix Versions because JIRA can’t do AND queries. This makes it hard to find issues for a specific iteration and branch.
Does anyone have tips for tracking branches and iterations in JIRA? We have about 4 product types, each with 3 major branches to maintain.
I’m wondering if there’s a better way to structure this in JIRA. Any advice would be great!
Have you considered using custom fields for branch tracking? You could create a dropdown custom field for branches, allowing easy selection and filtering. This approach keeps your components clean for actual product components and gives you more flexibility.
For managing iterations alongside branches, you might want to look into using JIRA’s Portfolio add-on. It provides better tools for planning across multiple projects and versions, which could help with your complex product structure.
Another option is to leverage JIRA’s integration capabilities. If you’re using a version control system like Git, you could set up branch creation to automatically create corresponding JIRA versions. This would keep your JIRA structure aligned with your actual development branches without manual maintenance.
Remember, the key is finding a system that works for your team’s specific needs and workflow. It might take some trial and error, but the payoff in improved organization is worth it.
have you considered using versions instead of components for branches? you could create a version for each branch and use it alongside fix versions for iterations. this way, you can easily retire old versions when needed. also, jira’s advanced search can handle AND queries between versions, solving your iteration+branch issue. might be worth a shot!
As someone who’s dealt with similar challenges, I’d suggest exploring JIRA’s ‘Release’ feature for managing branches. It’s designed specifically for tracking different versions and can be more flexible than using components or versions.
Here’s what worked for us: We created a Release for each major branch, then used the ‘Release Date’ to mark when that branch was supposed to be merged or deployed. This approach allowed us to easily retire old releases without losing historical data.
For tracking iterations within branches, we used a combination of Fix Versions (for iterations) and custom fields (for branches). This setup enabled us to run queries that combined both criteria effectively.
One extra tip: we found that using JIRA’s REST API to automate some of the branch management tasks really helped reduce manual overhead. It might be worth looking into if you’re comfortable with a bit of scripting.
Remember, the key is finding a system that aligns with your team’s workflow. Don’t be afraid to experiment and adjust as you go along.