Why Project Managers Need a Gmail to Jira Integration for a Better Workflow

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Are you tired of switching back and forth between Jira and Gmail to manage your team's projects? Do you find it daunting to manually create Jira tickets for tasks? We're here to tell you you're not alone. Many project managers like yourself have faced similar challenges. Fortunately, there's a solution! Integrating Jira with Gmail using Google to Jira - GTJ. This solution allows you to create and manage Jira tickets directly from Gmail, without having to switch to Jira.

To give you a better picture of how this Gmail to Jira integration works, we will explore a use case scenario for a project manager and how this Gmail extension has served her and her team well.  By the end of this post, you'll have a better understanding of how to create a task from your emails, and improve your overall productivity with Jira and Gmail integration.

Benefits of a Google to Jira - GTJ integration with Jira

What exactly is Google to Jira - GTJ? Basically, it's an integration that allows you to seamlessly connect your Google apps with Jira, optimizing your workflow and reducing the number of applications you use on a daily basis. 

So why should you opt for this integration? Well, we have a few reasons…

1. Improved productivity: Users can handle Jira tickets and emails from a single interface, simplifying and unifying their workflow.

2. Access from anywhere: Users can access it through both Chrome and the GSuit add-on, providing users with the flexibility to access the app from any web browser, desktop, or phone.

3. Easy installation: Users can easily install it from the Atlassian Marketplace, making the setup process quick and hassle-free.

4. Enhanced collaboration: Users can easily create Jira tickets from Gmail and add comments to previous Jira tickets from within an email, facilitating better collaboration between team members.

The overall experience this Jira app integration provides will naturally improve both your and your team's efficiency and productivity in managing Jira tickets and emails.

How to Integrate Gmail with Jira using Google to Jira - GTJ

Now that we have a better understanding of the app and the benefits of using it, it's time to learn how to install it!

To do that, you can follow these steps:

1. Install the Google to Jira - GTJ app from the Atlassian Marketplace.
2. Access the app either by downloading the Chrome extension or through the GSuit add-on.
3. Connect the extension to your Gmail.
4. Once installed, a Jira icon will appear in your inbox.
5. Click on the Jira icon, log in and set up your credentials.

After completing the above steps, you will be ready to use Google to Jira - GTJ to answer emails and create Jira tickets straight from your Gmail inbox! You can also get a better visual of how to follow the steps through our video tutorials.

Use Case: Managing Projects with Google to Jira - GTJ and Jira

It's now time to see how this integration would work in a real-life scenario. For that, we are going to be introducing Jane, and her woes with her team.

Background

Jane is a project manager who uses Jira to manage her team's projects. She and her team members communicate primarily with each other using Gmail. Jane often receives emails from her team members asking her to create new Jira tickets for issues that they have identified. To do that, she had to switch to Jira to create the tickets manually, which heavily disrupted her workflow.

Pain Points

Jane's biggest issues were that:

1. She had to switch between email and Jira a lot, which would naturally be time-consuming and disrupt her workflow.
2. The back an forth to create tickets was inefficient. Since she was doing it manually, the likelihood of errors would be high, as she needed to copy and paste information from emails into Jira, which lead to mistakes and inconsistencies.
3. She had a difficult time tracking and monitoring the status of Jira tickets. She needed to switch back to Jira frequently to check on ticket updates or status changes, which was rather cumbersome and inefficient.
4. She face challenges in collaborating with her team. With everyone using a different communication tool, she and her team members would occasionally miss important updates or messages related to Jira tickets, which can lead to delays or miscommunication.

Solutions

So how did Google to Jira - GTJ solve these problems? This app essentially streamlined the entire process with Jane and her team!

Well, this is how the app tackled the aforementioned pain points:

1. They no longer needed to switch between Gmail and Jira frequently, which saved them time and improved their workflow efficiency.
2. They were able to automatically extract information from emails, such as the email subject, body, and email attachments, and use this information to create new Jira tickets. This saved on time and reduced the risk of errors or inconsistencies.
3. They received notifications when a ticket was updated or when a team member added a comment, without needing to switch back to Jira frequently. This improved visibility and helped them stay on top of their project tasks.
4. Everyone in the team had access to the same information and updates in real-time. The team members received notifications and updates related to Jira tickets directly in their Gmail, which reduced the risk of miscommunication or delays. This helped team members work more efficiently and effectively together.

All in all, Jane and her team were able to create new tickets, assign them to team members, set priorities, and track their progress directly from Google to Jira - GTJ.

For example, when Jane received an email from a team member describing an issue, she used Google to Jira - GTJ's "Create Jira Ticket" button to create a new ticket directly from the email. She set the ticket's title, description, and other fields, and assigned it to the appropriate team member.

Once the ticket was created, Jane and her team were able to track its progress from within the app. They received notifications when the ticket was updated or when a team member added a comment. They were also able to use the search and filtering features to find tickets based on their status, priority, or other criteria.

Best Practices for Using Google to Jira - GTJ and Jira Together

How can you make the most out of this integration to get the best result for you and your team? Well, you can do the following: 

1. Train your team: It's important to provide your team with proper training on how to effectively use the integration between Gmail and Jira. The training should cover the basics of creating, managing, and tracking Jira tickets from Gmail, as well as tips on how to collaborate more efficiently.

2. Establish communication guidelines: It's crucial to establish clear communication guidelines for your team, including which types of issues should be raised in Jira tickets, which should be communicated via email, and how to handle urgent matters.

3. Use labels and filters: You can use Gmail's labeling and filtering features to manage your Jira tickets more efficiently. By creating filters to label incoming emails related to specific Jira tickets, you can more easily track and manage them.

4. Customize notifications: Customize your notifications in both Gmail and Jira to ensure that you receive relevant updates when necessary. You can also use Jira's built-in notification settings to ensure that your team members are notified of important updates. Or use Jira integrations such as In-App & Desktop Notifications for Jira to make this happen.

5. Establish naming conventions: Setting up a naming convention for Jira tickets can help team members quickly identify and track their status.

6. Use reporting and analytics: Use Jira's reporting and analytics tools to monitor team performance, identify bottlenecks, and track progress. You can also use separate tools to generate reports for stakeholders or management. Learn more about them with How to Create a Report in Jira.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Google to Jira - GTJ is a powerful tool that streamlines workflows and enhances productivity. This app allows you and other project managers to manage emails and create Jira tickets all in one place, from the convenience of your Gmail account. The benefits of using this integration include improved productivity, easy installation, access from anywhere, and enhanced collaboration. By following the simple installation steps and best practices for using the app, you can easily manage Jira tickets and emails from a single interface, reducing the time spent switching between applications. Moreover, by optimizing your workflow, you can increase your efficiency and productivity in managing Jira tickets and emails, leading to better collaboration and results for your team.