Use of Jira to assess potential work for clients?

[Alex Cook]

One of our major business areas wants a process to better manage all of the potential chargeable work that they may want to deliver. 

A request would be raised for each one, assessed internally against a bunch of criteria, then a formal statement of works would be produced for client review. The client will then choose to accept or decline. It's essentially a product backlog with triage to decide if we want to quote or not.

I can easily map out this workflow in Jira, create some ticket types with a bunch of custom fields to gather the required information, and set up a dashboard or two to show requests in progress.

The downside is that everyone involved in this will need a Jira licence, and will be able to see everyone else's requests, some of which may be commercially sensitive.

It occurs to me that using Jira Service Management would solve some those concerns, though I've no first hand experience of using it so I'm not sure whether you can still do all the automations, workflows and dashboards just the same?

I'm a little cautious that we are trying to solve a problem with the wrong tools

[Marc -Devoteam- · Accepted solution]

Hi @Alex Cook 

Yes, this can be done in a JSM project.

A JSM space also uses workflows, automations and it also offers approvals.

Information from a JSM space can also be presented on a dashboard. 

In essence a JSM project is a different type of project in JIra.

https://support.atlassian.com/jira-service-management-cloud/resources/ 

[Alex Cook]

That's good to know, thanks.

I've worked somewhere that used JSM for support ticketing but I've never had any involvement in getting it set up myself

[Marc -Devoteam-]

Only users who handle work items (so the same as a Jira users) need a license "Agent"

Note that JSM is also a paid subscription, based on the number of "Agents"

You can't use normal Jira license for this.

[Alex Cook]

Yep, that bit I'm aware of.

I'd like to implement it to replace our existing servicedesk tool, so this may work in my favour as a way of getting to grips with it

[Ivan Garcia _Appfire_]

Hi @Alex Cook 

It sounds like you are looking for an effective way to provide your clients with visibility into their specific work items while maintaining a high level of data security. I see you've already received some good advice, but I just wanted to share an app that might be especially interesting for your use case :)

If you find that the native portal views don't offer enough depth for your reporting needs, Dashboard Hub (an app we develop at Appfire) might be a great fit for your workflow.

It allows you to create professional, specialized dashboards and share them directly within the JSM Customer Portal. Check out this externally shared dashboard to see how they'd look like!

One of the most useful features for your specific scenario is "Content Filtering." When this is enabled, the app automatically limits the dashboard content to only show data belonging to the viewer's specific organization. This means you can create a single, master dashboard template for your reporting, but each client who logs in will only see the tickets, SLAs, and progress charts relevant to them.

You can also configure an "Issue Link Policy" to ensure that when a client clicks on a chart or a specific issue key, they are redirected back to the familiar view of their request in the service desk rather than your internal Jira instance.

A few links that might be interesting for you!

Documentation: https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/RDD/pages/146309699/Manage+access+to+the+Jira+Service+Management+Customer+Portal
Marketplace: https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1221376/dashboard-hub-for-jira-reporting-charts-dashboards
Support: https://apps.appf.re/support

I hope it helps,

Ivan from the Dashboard Hub team

[John Funk]

Hi Alex,

In addition to @Marc -Devoteam- 's comments, you can implement issue/work item level security for the tickets so only certain Agents can see certain tickets. Those inputting requests for work (i.e. creating a ticket) will only see the tickets they submit. And they don't need a paid license to do that - just a free Customer license. 

[matthew barrett]

Like others have said, JSM handles this very well. JSM is designed for intake forms and then routing those to specific groups of people to manage. No license is needed to submit a ticket, only a those resolving them need a license.

Just about anything you can setup in Jira (Workflows, screens, approvals, automations...) can be done in JSM with there often being more functionality in JSM compared to Jira. However, it does cost a bit more per seat and if users work in both apps would need double licenses.

Having 100% access to the tool for free at 1-3 agents is also amazing. You can very easily setup a pilot group and test it at no cost first.

[Alex Cook]

Yep, looks like this is the route I'll be going down (for a pilot if nothing else)

Thanks everyone.

[Benjamin]

HI @Alex Cook ,

It does sound like JSM is best fit given the context. To pilot your ideas, you can start with a Free JSM subscription or a trial. Then take it from there. If it meets all your needs, then move forward with a paid subscription. That's usually my take when evaluating tools. Need to experiment with them first to qualify them for our needs.

-Ben