Connecting two kanban boards

Question

Hello, is it possible to connect two kanban boards in JIRA such that one board (A) can be used for more high-level reporting of progress and the second (B) mainly for development work. The tickets in board A cannot be moved from one status to another unless they are completed in B. that is having this in B and children tickets to those in A and until the tickets in B are completed, then the tickets in A can be moved (or moves automatically).

Also, is it possible to integrate alert systems via emails if a ticket is at risk of not been completed.

Dhiren Notani_Exalate_ · Answer

Hi @UM General Contractor LLC ,

Thanks for posting your question here, I am Dhiren from the Exalate team.

I would recommend you to try out a decentralized integration solution like Exalate.

You can sync the issues between the 2 boards, Project A can be used for Reporting as you mentioned and Project B for Development. As Exalate provides you a Groovy based scripting engine, it's possible to write your own rules from each side and sync only the information that you want to sync.

So changing the status in Board A only when the issues are completed on Board B is very much possible to configure.

Please let me know if you need any help or guidance on how to get started!

Thanks, Dhiren

Mary from Planyway · Answer

Hi @UM General Contractor LLC

It's Mary from Planyway

Yes, it's possible to connect two Kanban boards in JIRA to achieve a hierarchical tracking system where one board (A) serves for high-level reporting and the other board (B) is used for detailed development work. Here's how you can set this up and also integrate alert systems for tickets at risk of not being completed:

Connecting Two Kanban Boards

* Linking Issues: You can link issues in Board B (detailed development tasks) as "children" to issues in Board A (high-level tasks). Use Jira's issue linking feature to create a parent-child relationship between the tasks in Board A and B.

* Automation for Status Synchronization: To ensure that an issue in Board A can only be moved to a completed status once its linked children in Board B are completed, you can use Jira's Automation rules.

* Create an Automation rule in Board A that listens for changes in the linked issues from Board B.
* Use a JQL query within the automation to check the status of all linked issues.
* If all linked issues in Board B are completed, the automation rule can then transition the parent issue in Board A to the desired status.
* This setup requires careful planning of your Jira workflows and might need adjustments to your issue link types and workflow statuses to ensure seamless automation.

* Configuring Boards: Ensure that both boards are set up to reflect the workflows accurately. Board A should have columns/statuses that reflect high-level progress, while Board B should have more granular statuses for development tasks. Use JQL filters appropriately for each board to only show relevant issues.

Integrating Alert Systems for Tickets at Risk

* Jira Automation: Use Jira's built-in automation rules to send email notifications based on specific triggers. For instance, you can create a rule that triggers an alert if a ticket in Board B is nearing its due date without being completed.

* Define a JQL query to identify issues at risk (e.g., issues with a due date within the next X days and not in a completed status).
* Set the action to send an email notification to the relevant stakeholders or project leads.

* Subscription to Filters: Another simpler approach is to create a saved filter that identifies tickets at risk (using JQL as mentioned above) and subscribe to this filter. Jira can then send regular email updates based on this subscription, alerting users to issues that match the criteria.

* Third-Party Integrations: If Jira’s native capabilities are not sufficient, you might consider integrating with third-party alerting or project management tools. Many tools can integrate with Jira via webhooks or the Jira REST API, offering more sophisticated alerting mechanisms based on your project management needs.

Benjamin_tmh9yg · Answer

Hi @UM General Contractor LLC ,

Technically you can but would require a number configuration to make it happen but not easily maintainable. You would need to add restrictions and validators to prevent work from moving on the board base on another ticket. Also, maintain two boards.

suggested option is to use a Kanban board with Epics and child task like stories or task. Teams can move the stories and task along the board. Once the work is complete under that Epic, user can mark that epic complete on the Epic panel.  Also, you can create high-level dashboards to present your data as well. There many widgets to use like pie charts, created vs resolved, two dimensional charts, and etc.

You can setup automation rules to sent e-mails to users. In Cloud, automation is included. On-prem, you would need to check if you have automation for Jira installed.

-Ben