How to automate Jira SLA reporting

[#1]

Often companies set time goals via Jira SLA plugins to keep track of the process of tasks’ execution and understand whether their employees stick to the deadlines and achieve time goals. But to analyze all this information and monitor if every task is going to be completed before the deadline, sometimes you may need to take too many steps. 

Let us show you how to save your time and effort and set up automated sending of Jira SLA reports about the tasks.

How to set time goals via SLA Time and Report for Jira?

First, you need to add information about the time goals to your Jira issues. You can easily do it using Custom fields. 

Just install SLA Time and Report for Jira add-on, then go to the Project settings and add “Time stamp” and “Status” labels, and go to the SLA Manager to set up an SLA Configuration. This will allow you to monitor when the tasks are supposed to be completed and understand whether your team is moving according to the plan.

1. Choose the conditions when the timer should start counting the time of task fulfillment.
   For example, all the tasks from the project have to move from the “To Do” stage to the “Done” stage within 36 hours. Then our SLA Configuration will look like this: 
   
   

   Important: Choose the “Time limit based” SLA goal type when creating an SLA Configuration to be tied to the number of hours, not the specific due date.

2. Set the time goals according to your needs.

   For example, you want the task to be completed during 36 hours. But also, you would like to get emails about the tasks’ statuses (whether they are completed and the SLA time goal is achieved, or the SLA time is exceeded and the task needs attention ASAP).
   For this, set as many time goals as you need. SLA Time and Report add-on allows it.
   
3. Click the “Custom field” button to be able to control each of these time goals’ statuses. Choose the necessary fields (remember, we added them in the very beginning via the Project settings). Make sure they are active (green), and save the SLA Configuration. Afterwards, you can see all the information about your time goals, elapsed time and how much time is left on the main dashboard.
   

How to control the status of your Jira issues?

What to do if you don’t want to visit the add-on’s main dashboard whenever you need to see the information about your Jira issues’ statuses? 

Here you can use a JQL query to filter such issues and get relevant information. 

To see which tasks are in progress and aren’t exceeded so that they are going to meet your SLA goals, go to the “Advanced Issue Search” and write the following JQL query:

• project = CQ AND "CF 1 Status[Labels]"=InProgress and "CF 2 Status[Labels]"=InProgress

Or you can monitor whether some issues have already exceeded the planned time, type the following queries:

• project = CQ AND "CF 1 Status[Labels]"=InProgress and "CF 2 Status[Labels]"=InProgress-Exceeded
• project = CQ AND "CF 1 Status[Labels]"=InProgress-Exceeded and "CF 2 Status[Labels]"=InProgress-Exceeded

Important: in the JQL queries above, we used data from the example ( “CQ” project name and CF 1, CF 2, CF 1 Status, CF 2 Status). Substitute these names with your Jira titles to make these queries work with your Jira data.

Monitor your time goals via SLA Time and Report for Jira 

If you prefer a more visual way of time goals tracking with different color labels, you can do it via the Main page of the add-on. Here you can easily track your time goal statuses according to the colors of the labels near each of them.

Moreover, if you click the status of any time goal, you’ll find more information about it:

• elapsed time;
• Remaining time;
• % of the SLA completion;
• whether this time goal is met or exceeded;
• when it started, when it was completed.
  

Make sure you won’t miss your time goals

Nobody wants to miss the deadline or forget to complete a task on time. SLA Time and Report for Jira add-on offers great functionality to stick to your time goals. 

Here you can set up some automated actions to make your or your team’s work as efficient and fast as possible:

• send task reminders to your team;
• change the assignee of the task;
• change the priority of the task;
• change the status of your Jira issue.
  

Note: If you’d like to receive notifications (reminders) about the Jira issue, you can set up sending such notifications in the SLA Manager and choose one person or a group of users who will get the reminder.

Emails via Jira Automation

If you need to get the reports by Email, you can use Jira Automation. 

There you should create a new rule and choose the trigger “Scheduled”. Edit the rule according to your needs and define the date & time for report sending. And add a JQL query to receive specific data.

In our case, we want to be aware of what issues have exceeded the time goals, so the JQL query will be:

• CQ AND "CF 1 Status[Labels]"=InProgress and "CF 2 Status[Labels]"=InProgress-Exceeded
  

The next step is to choose a new action “Send email”.
A simple example of code you can use:

• {{#lookupIssues}}
  <a>{{key}}</a>
  {{/}}
  

So, we have an auto-report on Friday about all issues according to the JQL query we indicated while setting an automation rule.

Takeaway

Being aware of your Jira issues statuses and keeping an eye on your time goals is easy with SLA Time and Report for Jira. It allows you to set up sending reports via email whenever you need, or monitoring tasks’ statuses on its Main page. 

If you’d like to find out more about how this add-on works or book a free call with the team to set it up according to your needs and goals, try it now for free or book a demo call.

[Andrew Knight]

Emails via Jira Automation is no longer a valid solution now that Atlassian are limiting the number of automation runs per month. This is not a problem with the process but with Atlassian pushing the automation and then restricting it's usage unless you pay.
I.E. You setup the automation and it runs fine, but next month you go over your limit, the automation is stopped/blocked, and the emails do not get sent.

[Cosma Papouis]

I am trying to write a report that pulls data from Jira.

I can get most of the data I need, but we have noticed that if a ticket is logged and then not responded to I cannot detect if it has breached.

There is supposed to be a  "Running" counter, that I could use to work out if a ticket has breached, but I cannot find it.

Are there any canned reports that I can use?

Thanks