I wrote this blog and published it internally at Atlassian in the months leading up to the birth of my son. He’s since been born and we couldn’t be happier.
I wanted to share this journey through Jira as an expecting parent and show that it’s more than ticketing tool.
I say: “Why not!?” Our the IT Org successfully uses Atlassian products all the time to solve various business challenges. We use Jira daily to track work. And, as I thought about it, having a baby was akin to a complex (albeit laborious) work management task.
Trello would have performed well, too, but my comfort with Jira made it a no-brainer. So, going with these chains of thought, I created a Jira personal account, added my wife to it, and started planning.
Everything, of course! Like a good tech couple, my wife (a developer) and I broke our work down into epics, such as:
Baby shower
Baby registry
Labor and delivery prep
Vaccinations
Plan for my in-laws to travel from India to support us
Then we created tasks related to each epic, with priorities, and built a backlog. More on this, including examples and screenshots are further down the blog!
Key learning: A LOT goes into a baby’s arrival.
A month before the baby was due to arrive, we completed around 150 tasks in this project! With so much to do, we needed to divide and conquer, with a big focus on keeping it FUN. Here’s our project methodology:
According to one of Sir Isaac Newton’s Three Laws of Motion and a Baby (the family edition):
For every expected baby, there’s an EQUAL and OPPOSITE amount of baby shower planning that goes into that baby.
This law is immutable. Behold our first baby shower plan using Jira. Things went as smooth as, well, a baby’s bottom!
Here’s the epic that helped me with my pre-daddy shock episodes. “Breathe! And 1, and 2, and 3!”
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to baby “needs.” Things like:
Which diapers to use? Compostable vs. disposable vs. Reusable. I have a DACI for this.
Where will the baby hang? bassinet, crib, pack’n’play, rocker, swing, baby carrier, stroller, good ole car-seat?
What will the baby wear? hats, mittens, onesies, jammies, swaddles, socks, burp cloths, blankets. And what the is a sleep-sack?
Uppa, Pipa, Mesa, Nuna, Chicco, Vista … What’s what?
This epic helped us sort through it all.
While Covid “induced” many restrictions (apparently, mother nature kicked in my dad joke gene), we were determined to fly the in-laws halfway around the globe to be here for their first grandchild’s birth. Jira helped track down all tasks related to flight reservations, travel insurance, transit stay, vaccination, and more.
Here’s the board view!
This is not a chart of my blood pressure over 8 months!
What earlier seemed like a pie in the sky
1️⃣ The right tools, like Jira, can help teamwork happen a lot smoother at home!
2️⃣ The more you plan and document these projects, the less space these things occupy in your mind.
3️⃣ Atlassian products are free for up to 10 people. I highly recommend using our products to declutter your mind space, whether you’re planning a world tour or having a baby!
Akshay Patki
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