Jira in Enterprise - myth or truth: "because of Jira's flexibility I can do whatever I want to"?

[#1]

Dear Atlassian Community members,

certainly more important to a huge Jira instance, than a small one that only serves a hand-full of people, today I want to showcase you a myth.
It's matter is: "because of Jira's flexibility I can do whatever I want to".
This myth I already tend to label as "busted" - because governance and keeping a Jira instance clean and tidy is key when you need to run a installation of a large(r) company (often called 'enterprise').

Here are my thoughts:

Jira is a widely used project management tool that is commonly used to manage software development projects. Many people believe that Jira can be configured without governance, but this is a myth. In reality, governance is an essential aspect of any Jira implementation, and failure to properly govern Jira can lead to a range of issues.

Firstly, it is important to understand what is meant by governance in the context of Jira. Governance refers to the set of policies, procedures, and controls that are put in place to ensure that Jira is used effectively and in accordance with organizational goals and values. Governance helps to ensure that Jira is used in a consistent, efficient, and effective manner and that data entered into Jira is accurate and reliable.

Without proper governance, there is a risk that Jira will be configured in a way that does not align with organizational needs and objectives. For example, if Jira is used to manage a software development project, it is important that the workflows and issue types are configured in a way that reflects the development process and the needs of the development team. Without proper governance, the configuration of Jira may not reflect these needs, leading to inefficiencies and delays.

Another important aspect of governance is ensuring that data entered into Jira is accurate and reliable. This includes ensuring that data is entered in a consistent manner and that all necessary data is entered. Without proper governance, there is a risk that data entered into Jira will be incomplete or inaccurate, leading to incorrect reporting and analysis.

In addition, governance is essential for ensuring that Jira is used in a way that aligns with organizational values and principles. For example, if an organization values transparency and openness, it is important that Jira is configured in a way that enables stakeholders to access relevant information and track progress. Without proper governance, there is a risk that Jira will not be used in a way that reflects these values and principles.

To effectively govern Jira, it is important to establish clear policies and procedures for Jira use and configuration. This may include establishing a process for configuring Jira workflows, issue types, and custom fields, as well as defining roles and responsibilities for Jira administrators and users. It is also important to provide training and support to Jira users to ensure that they understand how to use Jira effectively and in accordance with organizational policies and procedures.

In conclusion, it is a myth that Jira can be configured without governance. Governance is an essential aspect of any Jira implementation, and failure to properly govern Jira can lead to a range of issues. To effectively govern Jira, it is important to establish clear policies and procedures for Jira use and configuration, provide training and support for Jira users, and ensure that Jira is used in a way that aligns with organizational goals and values.

But I'd love to hear your experience. What do you think about the topic? Specifically: what are you experiences in terms of keeping Jira (or any other Atlassian product, too) running in a controlled manner?

Cheers,
Daniel

[Howard Eberhart]

"It is also important to provide training and support to Jira users to ensure that they understand how to use Jira effectively and in accordance with organizational policies and procedures." - As the product manager in a large organization, these were my main activities when rolling out tools like Jira to the entire organization.

[Craig Nodwell]

Current client last year after I did discovery and then fixed everything from fields on up. 
Best quote EVER after the change.
"We've been using Jira like savages"
They did 2 releases over a 9 month period last year.
A year later after applying standards and governance they are now releasing pain free(mostly) and on a regular cadence.  re: they're on the 4th release this year, with 43 support releases and 117 product versions.