Atlassian Jira: which product should I use?
- Alex
- Sep 22, 2023
- 6 min read
Atlassian Jira has 3 different software products which have varying features - and combined they provide a very powerful productivity management platform. Find out what they are and which ones suit your objectives.
I've been using Atlassian Jira for over a decade and it has changed significantly in that time. The original Jira software was designed primarily for development, in particular software development, but now the feature set has grown substantially and is spread across 3 different software products which each deliver a different purpose.
What is Atlassian Jira?
The methodology known as Agile (eg: Scrum, Kanban) has been a popular framework for incremental development for over 20 years and is commonly preferred over more traditional methods such as Waterfall development.
Atlassian Jira is the perfect complementary tool for Agile and serves as a productivity framework through which Agile development can be administered, featuring both Scrum and Kanban methods presented in an intuitive and user-friendly way.
But what was once a simple software development management platform is now a powerhouse set of 3 different software products with separate user licenses;
Jira Software
Jira Service management
Jira Work Management
The article provides an overview of 3 of these products so you can consider which would be the most suitable Jira product(s) to suit your objectives.
1. Jira Software
Jira Software is the original version of Jira designed for development, originally software development but also suitable for product development and is also useful for general work management within operational teams that have a technical focus. Projects in Jira Software are known as 'Software Projects'.
Key Features
Multiple Boards and JQL - Jira's native query language, JQL (similar to SQL) enables powerful querying and highly customisable Kanban boards. This can be used to set up multiple boards within a single Jira Project.
Backlog - true to its development roots, the Jira Backlog optimises long-term development
Timeline - formerly known as 'Roadmaps', this is useful for a GANTT-style view of Epics, although it's worth noting that if you link multiple Jira Projects on a single Project Board then it would require a Jira Software Premium license.
What does Jira Software NOT have?
Whilst Jira Software has some great features there are a few useful components from the other Jira products that are not available in Jira Software
Calendar - this is used in Jira Work Management, and also in Jira Service Management but specifically as Change Calendar feature with the Change Management category.
SLAs - these are customisable SLAs that can be set on individual types of Tasks and are only featured within the Jira Service Management product.
Forms - despite the acquisition of ThinkTilt (developer of ProForma) by Atlassian in 2021, the useful no-code forms feature has not been included Jira Software but is featured in other Jira products.
Approvals - this feature is only available in Jira Service Management.
How I use Jira Software
I personally use Jira Software for general operational functions where a Backlog is useful such as Enterprise IT development as well as to manage general BAU tasks within technical operations teams. It's also ideal for Dev and Product teams working in Sprints to deliver work.
2. Jira Service Management
Jira Service Management (JSM) is the Service-based product of Jira designed for Management of ITSM services such as Incident Management, Change Management, and Support Desks. Projects in JSM are known as 'Service Projects'.
Key Features
SLAs - individual SLAs can be set to track response and resolution in areas such as Incident Management and Support Desks.
Queues - the 'queue view' is only available in Service projects and is useful for managing Incident events as well as tracking and assigning support tasks.
Change Calendar - specific to the Change Management category, this is a very useful feature to act as a source of truth for all Change requests, and maintenance / freeze windows.
Forms - after the aforementioned acquisition of ProForma, the online form functionality has been built into JSM and, most usefully, can be attached to tickets, enabling a cleaner way to capture logs and other long-form details.
Approvals - one of my favourite features, JSM includes a clever in-built approval mechanism so that ticket requests can go through a formal approval process, all auditable and time-stamped.
(from Sept 2023) Boards - whilst previously JSM did not have Kanban Boards, due to popular demand Atlassian are now phasing in Boards into the Service-based projects and can be activated in the Features tab within Project Settings.
What does Jira Service Management NOT have?
Whilst Jira Service Management (JSM) has some great features there are various useful components from the other Jira products that are not available in JSM.
Timeline - logically it makes sense that this roadmap-esque feature is not provided within JSM, since Service-based projects don't really need to have a future lookahead, and mainly provide live functional services such as Support Desks.
Backlog - as with above, there is no particular need for Service-based projects to have a backlog feature as its only useful for development and planning activity; not required when providing and handling live services.
How I use Jira Service Management
I mainly use JSM for the core ITSM functions such as Change Management, Incident Management, and Support Desks. Each of those categories have individual relevant and targeted features that are very useful.
In particular using SLAs for Incident Management and Support Desks is very useful to track your SLA performance as well as being able to trigger off reminders.
I use the Approvals function to receive Change Advisory Board (CAB) approvals that can be easily audited.
I also use OpsGenie (which comes bundled into JSM Premium) as it provides a powerful alerting and team management / notification / escalation function that connects nicely into functions such as Incident Management.
3. Jira Work Management
Jira Work Management (JWM) is a simpler, lighter version of Jira designed for use in managing general tasks in business functions such as Finance and Marketing. It doesn't include the more technical nor development-specific features that are found in Jira Software and Jira Service Management. Projects in JWM are known as 'Business Projects'.
Key Features
Calendar - a useful method for forward planning of projects and general tasks in calendar view.
Kanban Boards - a simple Kanban Board feature allows simple and quick task management.
List - a simple list-view to display tasks and their status.
Forms - useful for capturing information, streamlining requests, and carrying out surveys.
Timeline - a GANTT-style lookahead overview of forthcoming tasks and projects.
What does Jira Work Management NOT have?
Whilst Jira Work Management (JWM) has some useful features it does not include a lot of what is featured in the other Jira products, but at the same time, those other features aren't needed for the purpose of JWM, which is primarily designed for Business or Admin-related project work.
SLAs - there are no SLA mechanisms in JWM as there typically isn't a need for them in Business functions.
Approvals - this may have been a useful feature to include but only exists within the Jira Service Management product.
Backlog - there is no need for JWM to have a backlog, which is typically only required for technical development work.
How I use Jira Work Management
Whilst my personal preference is to work with Jira Software and Jira Service Management installations due to the in-depth technical features that they both have, Jira Work Management is certainly a useful additional option for those who don't require those technical features. JWM caters to those with a more general Business context but whilst keeping the work management within the Jira ecosystem for tracking and reporting. When I'm working with Marketing, Finance, Legal, or any other non-technical team then I use JWM to host and manage all of the associated work within those functions.
Conclusion
Having been using Jira consistently as an Administrator for over 12 years from when it started out as a software development management platform, Atlassian has made some savvy moves to transform Jira into the operational powerhouse that it is today, through development of features as well as acquisitions.
I've worked both within start-ups and large international corporations who use Jira, in different volumes, in different capacities, but all with the same objective - to manage and and track their operational functions effectively.
If you liken a company to a high-speed train, then Jira is the rails on which that train travels, and through Continuous Development the platform can be used to manage and streamline the entire operational end-to-end function on that organisational journey, increasing speed without compromising on quality or depth - quite the opposite - Jira enables and facilitates organisations to be able to travel at ever-increasing speed.
As you can probably tell by now, I'm a huge fan of Jira as well as other products within the Atlassian suite, such as Confluence and OpsGenie.
If you're looking to improve your operational functions as a team, or as an organisation, then I guarantee you that Jira will help you to achieve that objective.
If you'd like to discuss what Jira can do for you feel free to ping me a message using the contact from below and I'd be very happy to give you some recommendations on how to get started.
Thanks for reading.
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