From Sticky Notes to Jira: Overcoming Resistance and Implementing Agile Successfully

[#1]

Hello all!

In this article I wanted to talk to you about the basic challenge I faced when tried to impose Agile in Jira on one of my previous job position. So long time ago, I was working as an account, sales and project manager to a company which was developing websites and mobile apps.

When started at that company, developers didn't use to work in Jira and they tend to keep their todo list in post it around their desk. Of course, I wasn't either using jira since I didn't know that the company had one instance. Long story short, Jira was introduced to me and I found it to be a very exciting and useful tool to monitor my everyday tasks and what needed to be done (till that point I was using microsoft tasks.... yeah... I know! :))

So, after getting the hang of it, the basic challenge I faced was getting the entire developer team to adopt and consistently use the new system. Initially like in all new changes, there was resistance due to the learning curve and the extra effort required to update the tasks I created.

I wish I could say that to overcome this, we held a few training sessions to familiarize everyone with Jira’s features and the benefits of Agile methodology. But alas, the truth was far from it. The main thing was that me and other account/sales/project managers started using Jira for our everyday jobs, and created (despite their strong resistance) tickets assigned to them. We would everyday remind them of moving their tickets to done and I know I can be a pain in the @$$ if needed! :)

So resistance was futile, since they saw the "light" and they started using Jira in their everyday job. The team saw benefits in using Jira, like better project visibility, improved collaboration, and more predictable delivery schedules. However, the problem of loggin work still remained!

So what's the most significant challenge you've faced when implementing Agile in Jira, and how did you overcome it?

[Frankie C_]

This hits close to home! Getting people to take the time to understand the benefits is always a challenge... In previous roles, I've leveraged several techniques, from direct coaching to promoting self-paced learning through Atlassian. 

However, I've found that the following approaches continue to be very successful, especially for first-time Jira users:

• Facilitate bite-sized live learning sessions to showcase the top tricks and ways of working
• Join team retros (with approval, of course) and identify team-specific use cases where you can help ideate new ways of working
• Partner with (and empower) a small community of Jira/agile champions to help highlight the benefits

Change is never easy... but mixing up the approach, being creative, and leaning into the human benefits of working in a more agile way can definitely help :)