How to never miss a deadline in Jira Data Center

What is a deadline? For some, it's a secret line that should never be crossed but only quietly approached and quickly completed. For others, deadlines exist, but somewhere indirectly - if I have time to complete the task, I will. If I don't make it, nothing terrible will happen.

However, when working on a particular project, each task depends on the others; the overdue deadline for one issue can become a major blocker in the development.

To never miss a deadline when using Jira, you'll want to effectively manage and monitor time, status, and other relevant metrics.

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How to ensure team members meet deadlines

Break down your tasks

Breaking your project into smaller tasks and sub-tasks is crucial in effective project management. 

  1. Define the Project Scope
  • Understand the Goals. Clearly define the objectives and deliverables of your project.
  • Identify Milestones. Break down the project into significant milestones or phases.
  1. Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
  • High-Level Tasks. Start by identifying the main tasks or components of the project.
  • Sub-Tasks. Break down each high-level task into smaller, manageable sub-tasks.
  • Detailed Sub-Tasks. Break down sub-tasks into even smaller, actionable items if necessary.
  1. Assign Responsibilities
  • Team Members. Assign each task and sub-task to specific team members based on their skills and availability.
  • Roles. Define roles and responsibilities clearly to avoid confusion.
  1. Estimate Time for Each Task
  • Historical Data. Use past project data to estimate time for similar tasks.

To analyze historical data, you can use the Time in Status app. It allows you to explore how much time each task has spent in a particular status. By reviewing historical data, you can better estimate future tasks, find the reasons for delays in the past, and prevent deadlines in your following projects.6d686d8b-5342-4005-9aa6-74761f3c40e1.png

  • Expert Judgment. Consult with team members who have experience with similar tasks.
  • Three-Point Estimation. Calculate a weighted average using optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimates.
  • Buffer Time. Add buffer time for unexpected issues or delays.
  1. Use Jira to Organize Tasks
  • Create Epics. Use Jira Epics to group related tasks and sub-tasks.
  • Create Stories/Tasks. Add individual tasks and sub-tasks under the appropriate Epics.
  • Add Sub-Tasks. Use Jira’s sub-task feature to break down tasks further.
  • Estimate Time. Use the ‘Original Estimate’ field to assign time estimates to each task and sub-task.
  1. Prioritize Tasks
  • MoSCoW Method. Categorize tasks as Must Have, Should Have, Could Have, and Won’t Have.
  • Priority Levels. Use Jira’s priority levels (e.g., Highest, High, Medium, Low) to indicate the importance of tasks.
  1. Set Deadlines
  • Due Dates. Assign due dates to each task and sub-task.
  • Sprint Planning. If using Agile methodologies, plan tasks within sprints and set sprint goals.
  1. Monitor and Adjust
  • Daily Stand-Ups. Meet regularly to discuss progress, blockers, and adjustments.
  • Update Estimates. Regularly review and update time estimates based on actual progress.
  • Re-prioritize. Adjust task priorities as needed based on new information or changes in project scope.

Monitor progress with reports and metrics

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Metrics and KPIs can sometimes be too much. The manager's task is not to overdo it. A few key points still need to be measured, tracked over time, identified trends, and constantly analyzed. We will try to show all of the following metrics on the calculation in the Time in Status app for Jira Data Center.

  1. Lead Time and Cycle Time:
  • Lead Time. The time is taken from when a task is created to when it's completed. This metric helps understand the total time spent on tasks, including waiting time.
  • Cycle Time. The time is taken from when work starts on a task to when it's completed. This metric helps understand the actual working time spent on tasks.
  • Track these metrics to identify trends, set benchmarks, and spot potential delays.

It is possible to calculate these metrics using the Status Group functionality in the Column Manager feature in the app.

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As a result, we get a report.

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  1. Average Time in Status:
  • Monitor the average time tasks spend in each status (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Code Review, Testing, Done).
  • Identify statuses where tasks spend the most time to pinpoint bottlenecks or inefficiencies in your workflow.

This report is the default in the app. With a few clicks, you get all the information about the average time in status.

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  1. Time in Status per Date:
  • Track the time spent in each status daily.
  • This helps identify daily trends, such as tasks getting stuck in a particular status on specific days.

It is an incredibly convenient report for comparing status time between different periods. You just need to select the required task scopes and generate the report.

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  1. Task (Issue) Age:
  • Monitor the age of tasks to see how long they've been in the backlog or progress.
  • Prioritize tasks based on age to prevent them from becoming stale or overlooked.

This metric can be calculated using the above-mentioned Column Manager function. For clean results, remove the Done status from the calculation. 

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And get the total age of a particular task in the Total column.

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  1. Throughput:
  • Measure the number of tasks completed in a specific time frame (e.g., per day, per week, per sprint).
  • Track throughput to understand your team's capacity and identify trends in productivity.
  1. Change Failure Rate (CFR) and Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR):
  • If applicable, track these metrics to understand the stability of your releases and how quickly your team can recover from failures.
  1. Custom filters and dashboards:
  • Create custom filters and dashboards in Jira to monitor tasks based on specific criteria (e.g., high-priority tasks, overdue tasks, tasks due in the next week).

Using gadgets, you can proactively respond to unforeseen delays, changes, etc.

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In conclusion, meeting deadlines in Jira Data Center requires a structured approach to project management, including breaking down tasks, assigning responsibilities, estimating time, and setting clear priorities. You can effectively monitor progress, identify bottlenecks, and make data-driven adjustments by leveraging Jira's features and utilizing tools like the Time in Status app. Regular communication, updates, and the use of key metrics will help ensure that your team stays on track and meets project deadlines consistently.

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