Struggling to change the query behind a Queue in Service Desk

[Tori Hermione Baker]

Hi all,

Still new to Jira and JQL but gradually working it out.

We are a small digital agency working with Social Good companies (charities, trusts, or businesses that cause benefits to others and the world). Which is ace, but means we have to support so many different clients with different needs at a huge volume to survive.

We used to have one central Service Desk, but to support that diversity of clients I have had to start to build multiple projects to house different forms, to improve how we support our clients. Creating many Service desk projects.

As a small team, we must have a central view but I have not been able to configure a query to show multiple Queues under one Queue. 

So far this hasn't been possible. The query I have built works and I can save it, but our central support queue already defaults to a filter, and cannot seem to change this. So while the query below works:

project = "project 1" OR project = "project 2" OR project = "project 3" OR project = "project 4" AND resolution = Unresolved ORDER BY created DESC, "Time to resolution" ASC

I can't seem to get this to work out of the box.

I get there are apps that can do this, but we have 18 JIRA users, yes not many, but I can't keep adding app after app, at $20-30 dollars a month, as we simply cannot afford this with the work we do. And I keep seeming to hitting the same wall over and over. 

Are there any solutions to this, or am I simply applying the filter in the wrong place? I am currently applying it to the queue, as this is where I need it.

Would really appreciate the help!

[David Friedrich · Accepted solution]

Hi @Tori Hermione Baker ,

not 100% sure what you are asking, but your JQL seems not optimal.

I do not think its possible to have cross project queues without any apps - but I could be wrong.

However you could build one or several dashboards to keep an overview. But please let me recommend to adjust your filter query more to something like this:

project IN ("project 1", "project 2", "project 3", "project 4") AND resolution = Unresolved ORDER BY created DESC, "Time to resolution" ASC

With your current JQL everything after "AND" would only apply for project 4.

Hope that helps! 

[Tori Hermione Baker]

Thanks, @David Friedrich 

Yes, that does make sense. And thanks for your suggestion. As I can't get the query to work, I haven't been able to test if my syntax is even correct. Hard way to learn as the query works fine when building it as a filter :)

The app model doesn't work for us, and it is more of a gripe for Atlassian, as it cripples our ability to offer a service, due to subscription costs to these apps, just not being viable. The system is capable of doing it to some extent so feels lazy for them to rely on apps and developers versus a system that can help businesses of all needs or sizes, by being more open or flexible.

I appreciate the response.

[David Friedrich]

Thanks, I get your point.

I know many clients where the same service team works multiple service desk projects. They all use dashboards to have a central overview, but also for reporting.

You can setup the filter result gadget displaying the same information as your queue would.

[Tori Hermione Baker]

I will give it ago, thank you!

[David Friedrich]

Another approach would be to check, if you really can not support all your clients with one SD project. What are the specific reasons you chose to set up multiple projects? Maybe it is possible.

[Tori Hermione Baker]

It's not I am afraid :( and we might have to look for a new service desk solution,

We have a vast mixture of retainer requests, support requests, new feature requests, app dev bugs, web dev bugs, critical outages, strategy, transformation, questions, and a mixture of SLAs.

Historically we have serviced support via email into one desk, which causes massive unstructured data issues, and quality depending on the client, and we currently have no way to route or work differently with different needs.

I appreciate the suggestions, but sadly starting to conclude that Jira just isn't the right tool for us.

[Marc - Devoteam]

Hi @Tori Hermione Baker 

Other ITSM related applications, work in the same method.

Hod did you setup you SD.

Did you provide your customers with a portal, serve the request options categorised, using forms, use assets to store client information and use that information.

Any other ITSM tool will not just work with customers can email us an based on the email we will know what needs to be done with the issue and where should it land, what category, etc...

I have setup multiple JSM portals as consultant at an Atlassian Partner and, yes, multiple clients can be served from a singe JSM project and can have different SLA levels, even if the same issue is raised.

Differentiators need to be in place and a ITAM solution, that can provide these details.

Any ITSM tool or vendor will give you this as feedback.

There is no ootb solution that will tell you, a customer will send email and a will be fine.

[Tori Hermione Baker]

Hi @Marc - Devoteam 

I didn't I am afraid, and inherited quite a mess of a process and system that many people have owned over time. It's only a tiny part of my role, but trying to improve processes and ways of working with clients.

They already are, but the backlog is a mess, as is the process. So I have been designing better ways, including approval automation, and specific workflows per client, which isn't transferable in this instance, as the same client may have the same request categories but with varying complexities around them.

The separate queues will not work as a solution, and the dashboards while good for visibility I am not convinced already it will do what I want them to do, as well as another learning curve, to configure them.

I will consider redesigning it at some point. But, it means wasting the time I have already invested, in solutions that just do not work out of the box.

So while I appreciate the replies, not sure they help me solve what really should be native features versus what will be become quite a monolithic desk, that may become hard to unpick for others in future.
Hhhhmmmmm.

Thanks,

Tori

[Marc - Devoteam]

Hi @Tori Hermione Baker 

Are you using team managed or company managed JSM projects. 

As team managed projects are as containers, no multi filter JQL can show information.

If you do use company managed projects, there are other challenges.

- Are all agents able to work in every JSM project?

- Are all projects using the same configuration, or at least issue types.

You could also create filters and create a Jira dashboard where you can have an overview of all issue in each project.

[Tori Hermione Baker]

Hi @Marc - Devoteam

[Tori Hermione Baker]

Predominately Company managed but I am having to alter this sometimes specifically in Jira Software, to allow for access for external users as I have a historic instance of quite a few years that I have inherited, there are varying levels of setup from my predecessors.

Service Desk and 97% of Software projects are company-managed.

- Yes they are. I have used Groups to manage access which mostly works, but not all teams/agents need to access every project

- Yes, they are. This is again predominately the trend, as we use standard company schemes

Just looking at what we already have, and not sure it will meet our needs, currently.