Advanced Roadmaps: Cross Project Releases?

yoni.degani

Background Details:

• I've created an Initiative issuetype that is a parent in hierarchy to Epics.
• I'm using the Initiative to plan and track a broad collaborative effort that has child Epics and Tasks across multiple Jira Projects.
• I've created an Advanced Roadmaps Plan, based on a Board filter, that pulls all "children" of the Initiative (Epics and Tasks) across all Projects into one view.

With some configuration, all of the above has occurred successfully so far.

Now, as we endeavor to deliver incremental value, we have identified milestone slices that we want to work collaboratively together to rollout our product often. This seems like a perfect use for Cross-Project Releases (CPRs) but I'm experiencing some limitations that don't align with the documentation. I'm hoping this community can help me solve a way to organize tasks and stories across multiple Project into Release Versions, or CPRs, of delivery.

 

Note:

What is described at the bottom of this article is exactly what I want to do and would expect for this feature! Screenshot below for ease of reference:

 

However, we have the redesigned planning interface so the details in this article seem to be what I have to work with, instead. See screenshot #2 below:

 

The difference between these is not small! If I understand correctly:

• Screenshot #1:
  • I create a CPR in my Advanced Roadmap Plan
  • I add the Projects I want this CPR to be created in.
  • I am then able to do all my organization and reporting using Advanced Roadmaps Plan view. 
• Screenshot #2:
  • I would first need to create FixVersions within each individual Project manually
  • In order to create FixVersions in each Project I need to be configured with Project Admin rights for each Project.
    • Should I title each FixVersion the same in each Project so they match the CPR I want them all to roll up into?
  • Then and only then can I create a Cross Project Release within my Plan and pull all those new FixVersions into each CPR slice. 

Now I imagine we have identified four (4) milestone slices of delivery for our product and there are eight (8) Jira Projects collaborating, potentially more down the road. The manual intervention needed for this is just astounding! 

Please tell me I've got it all wrong or there is a better idea out there! Thank you so much for your consideration.

Earl McCutcheon

Hello @yoni.degani ,

Thanks for reaching out.  In the live plan view (old interface) the Cross project releases were created as an independent release in tandem with existing versions in the project so you would wind up with a project-specific version as well as a cross-project version specific to the plan only.  The outcome was having duplicate effort by maintaining two overlapping versions, one for the project and one for the cross-project release.

However, in the new interface, the Cross project versions will take the existing project-specific versions and group them together with a tag to identify the cross project interaction of the previously independent versions as a single release item to avoid duplication of efforts.

Next for the naming convention question and drill-down and viewing of the releases I discussed this in the following thread but wanted to highlight one portion in particular noting that the cross-project releases can have different naming conventions per project but lump together for the Cross project flagged release:

• https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Advanced-Roadmaps-questions/How-can-I-view-cross-projects-releases-on-a-timeline/qaq-p/1190872

For better drill-down and identification Cross project releases are tagged with a grey box next to the name to call them out as a cross-project release and make identification easier:

   AND 

For the name portion this can be isolated for easier identification using the "View Settings" options and setting the "Group By" filter to "Release", under this view the issues are collected and nested under each release and again there is a Grey Box next to the release and they will then show the groupings and cross project releases like this:

Hope this info helps, and let me know if you have any additional questions.

Regards,
Earl