Basic Milestone and Task creation

Question

I want to creat a project with the following Milestones:

Analaysis

Review

Procure

Config/Deploy

Train/Test

Below each of these milestones I want to see the tasks related that will "roll-up" to the milestone.  I do not want to have a bunch of linked tasks or subtasks or whatever that causes me to have to go into the milestone to see all that needs done...One list, simple and easy with the 5 milestones and the tasks to complete each milestone listed below it.  Is this possible?

Tyson_vvm3kr · Answer

I am a Sr Project Manager at an agency and I am trying to track steps of each project and forecast the next steps and dates associated. Is there a way to track/project the following milestones and the dates of each step of a single project/Jira issue type without creating columns for each of the required steps?

1. R1 Copy (Content swimlane)

2. Apply R1 Edits/R2 Copy (Content swimlane)

3. R2 Layout (Creative swimlane)

4. Proofreading (Production swimlane

5. Apply R2 Edits/R2 Layout (Creative swimlane)

etc. etc. etc.

As you can see, I have one project (Jira issue type) that runs through multiple milestones within various departments/swimlanes. Is the only way to track milestones of one issue type with multiple steps through multiple departments/swimlanes without adding a swimlane for each step?

Walter Buggenhout · Answer

Hi @Corey Wentz,

What you could do is set up a JIRA project for your projects in the real world. Use a specific issue type for them and call it whatever seems a best fit (project, initiative, big rock, ...).

Associate a workflow with your project that represents your project lifecycle (i.e. the stages you mention in your example). Track the milestones of your projects over there.

Your initial question was also about task management. Regardless of methodology, every task that needs to be completed goes through a process that can be simplified as TO DO - (optional) In Progress - DONE. That's your workflow that you can use as such for all your tasks or modify it to specifically name the steps of your process.

In order to determine whether ALL your tasks are completed or not, you will at least have to make sure you have created them all and have them reach the DONE stage. Manage your tasks in a JIRA project. If your tasks run through all the different stages (starting with analysis and ending with training e.g), then still follow my first suggestion. If you intend to create different tasks for each stage in the process, you might just as well choose different issue types for them and simplify the workflow.

Finally, if you want to keep an overview of the work breakdown and relate your project issues with your actual tasks at hand. Consider add-ons like Structure, Big Picture (or Portfolio) for that.

Corey Wentz · Answer

ok...wait you said in the initial response that the column would be associated the status and the status would associate to my milestones.  My point being that I do not see from your example how I can see all of the tasks required to complete my Analysis milestone if they column is associated to a status instead of the Milestone itself.

Ex.

Analysis

-Gather User Stories/Requirements

-Obtain building layout

-Quotes from vendors

Review

-Presentation to executive committee

-Signoff/approval

--Charter

--Funding

ETC.......

Sorry I know this is very "waterfall-ish" of me and perhaps Jira does not do that methodolgy as well, but we find that for software dev, Agile/Scrum works great, for hardware upgrades/rollouts, waterfall still makes sense.