Can you create a WBS template that you can use to create a new project?

[Raymond J Wohltman]

Hello,

I am a MS Project Server user looking to manage waterfall projects in Jira and BigPicture. In MS Project you can create a project template which has a full work breakdown structure with tasks and subtasks, predecessors and successors and durations, and use that to create a project. 

In trying to use BigPicture, I created a Waterfall box, and then tried to create a Task List for it, and it would only allow me to enter the name, and a lead and lag time for it. No other fields, no dependencies, no tasks and subtasks, just a list of tasks at the same WBS level. 

Can BigPicture be used to manager waterfall projects using the same type of WBS that Project Server can. It's of little r no use to me if its just a big list of tasks at the same level with no other information. What's the best process for managing waterfall projects in Jira? I'd like to use it to manage both types of projects so there is a single source of data for reports. Waterfall projects will always continue to exist despite the claims of all Agile purists. 

Thanks, Ray Wohltman

[__ Jimi Wikman · Accepted solution]

Hi Raymond,
The short answer is that yes, you can create the structure and reporting that you want. JIra, and BigPicture will work with any methodology you need it to, even if it is optimized for Scrum and Kanban.

In Jira you have three levels as standard: Epic, Story and subtask. This hierarchy can be expanded if you have Jira Software Premium.

To create a waterfall project, I suggest you create a Jira project first. This will act as your project scope. Create epics for each feature, stories for the work to realize each feature, and subtasks as a way to break down the work orders for the person doing the work.

If you need additional grouping above Feature, then you can use Components for that, or scale up the hierarchy if you have Jira Software Premium.

Once you have broken down the activities, then you create a project box in BigPicture and import the Jira project to it.

By your description, it sounds like you used the BigPicture tasks rather than the Jira issues? Those tasks are very basic, and you want to use Jira issues, I think.

I hope this can get you started, but know that both Jira Software and BigPicture works fine for mixed methodologies.

If you get stuck, just ask and we'll help you.

[Raymond J Wohltman]

It sounds like you are doing the work at the Jira level for each project, and then importing the project to BigPicture. I can do that if I can create the project from a template in Jira. 

Is there a way we can create a template for Jira projects then, so that when we have a new project we can start from a template and not have to recreate a lot of the work? I'm really, really new so I hope I'm not asking a simple question. 

Thanks, Ray

[__ Jimi Wikman]

All questions are great questions :)

I take it that what you want is a basic structure of the phases and the activities in each phase? Maybe with a standard length for each so you can have that as the start for new projects?

Jira comes with something called Automation and you can use that to trigger automatic creations of issues and much more. So you could set up a template describing the activities and have them automatically be created, for example, once you transition a Project issue type to enter a planning status.

You will need to set this up a bit differently than how Jira projects are usually setup since you add both strategic and operational items in one Jira project, but it is absolutely doable :)

[Raymond J Wohltman]

Awesome, Thanks, I'll look into that!