Examples of using Jira Software and Service Desk at your organization

[Todd Thomas]

Our organization adopted Jira Service Desk four months ago and have really enjoyed the power and customization it offers. Additionally, our development teams have been using Jira Software for some time, and now we're looking at rolling out Software into other areas for project management and personal productivity.

While we're confident Software + Service Desk + Confluence will meet most of our needs, the biggest questions we have are conceptual and technical. For example:

• Which requests/issues go in which system (Software vs. Service Desk)?
• How do (or should) the systems interact with each other?
• If I need help from another department, how do I make that request? Software or Service Desk?
• What kinds of resources exist to help people know how the systems interact with each other?

We're working on creating a framework of use for each application and then highlighting how the applications work together. I've done some searching, and while I can get documentation on each product individually, I haven't yet seen some great examples of how the products are used together. Surely there are things out there I've missed, but we need some help.

Do you have some examples/documentation/links/methodologies we can share on how these two applications work in tandem? How do you integrate them in your organization? Any tips or tricks you've implemented to help them work well together (i.e. automations, apps, etc.)?

[Rachel Wright]

Hi @Todd Thomas ,

I'll tackle the first part of your question.

When you have a lot of software, sometimes it’s unclear which to use for which purpose.  Here’s the answer:

• If you need to track a task from conception to completion, use Jira.
• If you need to document a task, use a collaboration platform and document repository like Confluence.
• If you need to request support, use help desk software like Jira Service Desk.
• If you need to talk about a task in real time, use a chat program like Slack or Skype.

Here's a slide from one of my online courses:

I like to create a Service Desk project for any teams that have a support function.  For example, the HR department might use a regular Jira project to track their internal work, like "research new 401K contribution limits", "add gym membership as a benefit", etc.  The HR team may also have a Service Desk project to track requests from employees like "change beneficiary", "request time off", etc.

Other teams that might benefit from a Service Desk project include:  Facilities, Legal, IT Support/Computer Help, a Development team who supports their own applications, external customers, etc.

There's also a licensing consideration to your question.  In order to access a Service Desk type project, users must have "Agent" permissions.  It's common for companies to license everyone for regular Jira and a smaller sub-set of users/teams for Jira Service Desk.

I hope this helps you get started and that others contribute their thoughts as well!

Rachel Wright