Single developer's perspective

[Gerard Jaryczewski]

Dear community! I am looking for development tools and practices crafted for a single developer. Although I have a detailed concept and a long list of suggestions on how to build something new, this is not a good idea to build from scratch if so many big players have almost all of the required elements.

So I am interested in current approaches in the Atlassian portfolio (especially with Jira and Bitbucket): how to work effectively with projects, issues, and repositories with the single developer's point of view?

Maybe an example (although partial) from history will be helpful: Bazaar had Solo mode.

If there is nothing applicable, I am going to send a kind of RFC, so if you know about any open issues in this area, please give me a link.

[Bill Sheboy · Accepted solution]

Hi @Gerard Jaryczewski -- Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

Would you please clarify a bit, as that may help the community offer ideas?  For example, are you asking how a single person, doing software development, could effectively use Atlassian tools such as Jira, Bitbucket, etc.... Or something else?

You may also want to search in the developer community to get ideas from there: https://community.developer.atlassian.com/

Kind regards,
Bill

[Gerard Jaryczewski]

Hi, @Bill Sheboy ! Thank you for your feedback. This "definition of the problem" is my third approach, so I am not sure how to clarify it more... I gather opinions and I don't want to limit it in any way at this moment of research.

But your example question is part of the bigger problem, from my point of view, and if you can answer me how a single person, doing software development, could effectively use Atlassian tools such as Jira, Bitbucket - it would be great!

I guess - maybe? - your answer will be something like: "Man, this is the topic for a book!". No problem - from my point of view it's a kind of confirmation, that there is a problem because it shouldn't be the topic for a book.

Looking further, I have a general, detailed concept about how to do it, it's another story - if I confirm that there is no appropriate answer, I will submit a kind of RFC to atlassians.

Nevertheless, I will send a similar question to developers, maybe they know something? Thank you for this tip.

[Gerard Jaryczewski]

@Bill Sheboy , I can't create a new topic in the developers' part of the world. I have repeated this action three times, in two different categories, without success. Cul-de-sac.

[Bill Sheboy]

Thanks for clarifying, Gerard.  My individual simple, although perhaps frustrating answer, is: "it depends".

• When I do dev alone on a project not requiring automated tooling (beyond test automation and source control), I sometimes just use index cards or a whiteboard to manage the work
• When I need more planning, like for game dev or writing a new language compiler, I use a free Jira Cloud project with a Kanban board to match my workflow
• None of my examples are for products that I sell to others

Thus how you work and your target solution domain/audience may better determine what you need to support you.

[Gerard Jaryczewski]

Thanks for sharing, Bill.

(I am a little intimidated, that you are writing about a new language compiler. When I was young, I saw an episode of the Jetsons, where the son came back from school with a sad face, and the father asked about the reason for feeling, and then he said, that today he invented only two new chemical elements... My last works are not so sophisticated as a language compiler. Chapeau bas.)

You see, your approach is popular also in Poland :-)

...but as you can guess easily, I am looking for something more formal, more automated, and more usable for commercial scenarios. I think about a kind of Jira project, which requires fewer ceremonies, simple three columns of Kanbans should be enough at the beginning, but associated with a simple pipeline in Bamboo, triggered by a simple workflow in Bitbucket. Simple but complex enough to create something useful, with customer feedback, but without so-called ceremonies, which are required in large organizations, its dev and ops teams.

And supported as "all inclusive" by Atlassian. Doesn't sound interesting?

[Bill Sheboy]

From what you describe, it sounds like you have some good ideas to start with a simple Kanban, pull-based flow board in Jira, wired up to your automated pipeline.  You could also use Bitbucket and acquire suggestions/bugs from your customers to help with work intake and documentation.  Perhaps also look into Automation for Jira rules to reduce and redundant work/improve visibility.  I am unclear what "ceremonies" a one-person team would have, other than pausing to make a plan for the day and pausing periodically to retrospect.  Perhaps try what you have decided thus far and adjust as needs arise.

I hope you have a great weekend!

[Gerard Jaryczewski]

I hope so. Fortunately, my topic submitted on the developer's site reached the inbox and I have started the conversation with Ian Buchannan. Keep your fingers crossed! :-)

[Gerard Jaryczewski]

If someone will be reading this thread for any reason, e.g. for its own inspiration, I have found a great example of an integrated solution for a single developer's experience: Fossil.