Ensuring You Choose the Right App for the Job

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At HeroCoders, we love checklists. Our checklist apps are the most installed/most used checklist apps on the Atlassian Marketplace. Our on-premise app, Checklist for Jira, was the first commercial checklist app to launch on the newly released Atlassian Marketplace back in 2013.

Many competing apps – currently there are around 30 checklist apps on the Marketplace – have launched since then.  On the surface, these apps offer similar functionality, and as a customer you may feel inclined to purchase the most inexpensive app that meets your needs.   Later – when your business needs become more complex, when edge cases emerge, or when processes completely change – you discover that a more feature-rich, robust app would have been a better choice.

But then, it’s too late. You’re already committed to the other app. Economists refer to this as Opportunity Costs.

Opportunity costs represent the potential benefits that a business misses out on when choosing one alternative over another.

Opportunity costs are, by definition, easily overlooked. Immediate savings is easy to identify, but future needs may not be. Once you select an app, you will not only purchase the licenses. You’ll invest in training your teams and adapting your processes to fit with your technology stack. When the app fails to meet your needs, you’ll develop time-consuming workarounds, and eventually, your teams may view the app as more of a hinderance than a help. Therefore, when comparing apps, price is only one of several factors you should consider. In the long run, it pays to also look at:

• Does the app offer the features you need today, as well as features you may need in the future?

• Is the app compatible with the version of Jira you are currently using? What about with other Jira apps?

• Does the version history reflect a consistent record of maintenance and improvement?

• Is the app mature (version number)? Do other, large and reputable companies trust the app?

• Does the app vendor provide robust support, both pre and post installation?

• Do reviews of the app indicate that customers are satisfied with both the app’s functionality and the support available?

• Does the vendor participate/offer solutions on the Atlassian community?

Once you’ve embedded an app into your processes, it’s hard to change. Therefore, it’s worth taking the time to dig past the marketing messages and compare the functionality, history and support that each app offers before making your final decision.

We’ve compiled this comparison table of the most popular checklist apps available for Server and Data Center to help make your research easier.