Marketplace Application for Gantt Charts?

[Silvesta Ng]

Hi.

I am looking for project planning tool similar to MS Project that would be more automated with integration into Jira.

Functionality such as:

• Planning out a project, based on story points (converted to days through a factor) and resource assignments. It would automatically schedule out the work based on these 2 factors with a start date.
• When a Jira is change to "In Progress", it automatically updates the start date in the chart and also when the Jira is completed. It would then automatically shift work accordingly with that new information.

Is this possible with any applications? Or is manual entry to MS Project the only way to do this?

Thanks.

[Jamie Long]

Another option is BigPicture which is an alternative to Advanced Roadmaps. Both tools offer similar functionality and add another layer to Jira which is more like MS Project.

Big Picture

https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1212259/bigpicture-project-management-ppm?hosting=cloud&tab=overview

Advanced Roadmaps

https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1212136/advanced-roadmaps-formerly-portfolio?hosting=server&tab=overview

One other consideration as you look through the links above or other potential plug-ins.  Check each within the Atlassian Marketplace to make sure they are compatible with your version of Jira.  There is a dropdown list for each marketplace entry that shows if it's compatible with Cloud, Server, or Data Center versions.  Not all plug-ins work across all environments, which may be another factor in your decision.

[Silvesta Ng]

I find BigPicture a bit too complex. Also we are using Jira Cloud so doesn't look like Advanced Roadmaps is available for us.

[Stuart Capel - London]

It's available on Cloud, I use it to manage Programs. You need to upgrade Jira to premium though. https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/premium

[Silvesta Ng]

Guess there's not way to upgrade to Premium for a trial period when we already have a Standard site?

[Anna-BigPicture]

Hello @Silvesta Ng

Taking into account your requirements, BigPicture seems to be a good match for your needs. The Resources module provides essential information to manage resources both at project and portfolio levels but also can give an insight into resource utilization during a sprint.

You can plan resources workload using both man-days (hours) and story points (you can convert them according to defined by you ratio).

Using different effort modes, you can analyze resource consumption, currently utilized resources as well as the forecasted availability. Please let me know if you have more specific questions.

Regarding your second question, you can use custom Jira post functions to update an issue's fields based on a trigger. To edit post functions, please open your workflow and find the required transition. Then go to the post function tab and push the add post-function button.

Best,

Anna

[Stuart Capel - London]

Hi Silvesta,

It sounds like Advanced Roadmaps for Jira is just what you're looking for. It allows you to manage work at a higher level than project. It works best if your teams are already using Jira but is powerful as it works directly from the boards, filters and projects your teams already use.

It's available through premium subscription to Jira but definitely worth checking out!

[Silvesta Ng]

I signed up for the Premium trial.

As far as I can tell when using Advanced Roadmaps if you try to auto-schedule, it doesn't take into account any estimates or assigned resources to set dates and level things out. It's still a very manual process. At least for Structure it will take Story Points and be able to convert to number of days of work. Also their UI is pretty easy to use with drag and drop.

Premium Jira is double the cost so quite a big jump just to use Advanced Roadmaps.

Thanks.

[Vero Rivas]

Hi @Silvesta Ng 

  There are several plugins:

  + https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1212259/bigpicture-project-management-ppm?hosting=cloud&tab=overview

  + https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1213016/biggantt-gantt-chart-for-jira?hosting=cloud&tab=overview

  + https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1213811/ganttchart-project-jira-professional?hosting=cloud&tab=overview

  + https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1217809/structure-gantt-planning-at-scale?hosting=cloud&tab=overview

 You should check which of all is the most optimal for your needs

Regards

[Silvesta Ng]

I've tried Structure but as far as I can tell you need to manually enter in dates and it won't automatically schedule based on resource dependency. The only benefit I see to using this versus MS Project is that you don't need to manually enter in issues to start with.

I was trying to avoid trialing every application out there but I will take a closer look.

[Silvesta Ng]

Taking a closer look at Structure and it's many options.

Looks like it will automatically add start and end dates based on status change and progress so that's a good start. Checking now to see if it will automatically level resource dependencies.

[Silvesta Ng]

Structure is close but does not level resources appropriately. Unstarted tasks end up just having a start date of the project start date.

[David Niro]

Hello Silvesta,

David from ALM Works here.

Thank you for considering our products in your evaluation!! 

If you have questions about Structure or Structure.Gantt, we would love to hear from you!  We can discuss your requirements in more detail, identify where we align, and review our roadmap.  Feel free to drop us a note at support@almworks.com. 

We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best in your search for a product that meets your needs!

Best,
David