What is the best practice for structuring projects in a complex environment with multiple offices ac

[Beatriz Fonseca Calepso]

Hello, I am starting to structure the company's communication and work organization system. I have worked with Jira in previous opportunities and would like to implement Jira and other Atlassian products in the company I am currently at.

My question is where to start, given the complex scenario we operate in. The software company is multinational, with offices across multiple continents. We have several brands, multiple products that are cross-brand, and others that are specific to each brand. The tech team, for example, is divided by application, and within each application team, there is a subdivision by brand. Some offices have specific needs, but all follow guidelines from the headquarters.

My requirements for Atlassian products are:

• JSM integrated with my proprietary CRM
• Help Desk for internal demands
• Jira Task Management for Tech Team (Gitlab integration), HR, Product & Design, Marketing, Finance, and Legal
• Different visibility levels for different management tiers
• User access restrictions
• Ability to back up all data to a proprietary structure

What is your suggestion for handling this complexity vs. needs? Where should I start?

[Gustavo Ezequiel Szemruck]

Hi @Beatriz Fonseca Calepso 

I'm glad to hear that you've worked with Jira before and that you already know what you want to achieve. Having that foundation is a great starting point.

As for me, I have more experience with Jira Service Management and have had the opportunity to study everything Atlassian offers from scratch for different needs. I’ll be happy to help you as much as possible.

First, I noticed that you need to manage users globally due to the following reasons:

1. User access restrictions.
2. Handling large volumes of users.
3. User registration at the domain level.

Considering these needs, we can explore further with the following questions to understand the complexity of your organization:

• What needs should I cover?
• Which users need to join my organization? Does this include external users?
• What products does my main team need to manage a network of clients?
• Does my company already have an implemented methodology, or do I need to develop a new one that adapts to my needs?

By answering these questions, we can establish a stronger foundation. If your company already uses its own domain, you could centralize the organization and its clients through it. Then, by setting up authentication policies, you can better define who can access and what actions they can perform.

General Recommendations Use of global groups:

• If you're managing a large number of users, assigning permissions and products individually is not feasible. Organizing users into global groups will make administration easier.
• Project role structure: I recommend that the roles within a project follow the same structure as those defined in global groups. This will simplify restriction management.
• Standard permission scheme: Instead of creating a different permission scheme for each project, I suggest setting up a standard one that considers all necessary limitations and meets your requirements.

[Beatriz Fonseca Calepso]

Hi @Gustavo Ezequiel Szemruck,

Thank you very much for your response.

Considering your questions, here are my thoughts:

1) Headquarters Structure and Access Restrictions

The headquarters is where all departments and C-level executives are located, and it defines the guidelines for the entire company. Within this headquarters, we manage multiple brands and products.

• Some employees have access to all brands, while others should only have access to a specific brand. Hence, the need for access restrictions.
• Another key aspect is the domain structure—we need a generic domain since employees assigned to a specific brand should not have access to others.

Key concerns:

• User access restrictions
• Handling large volumes of users
• User registration at the domain level

2) What Needs Should I Cover?

The goal of implementing global task management is to centralize visibility across the company. Currently, each department has its own way of organizing work, but there is no easy, consolidated view of everything happening.

• For the Tech department, we mainly use GitLab, but the business and product teams have no visibility into deliveries.
• Our second-line support is managed within our custom CRM, but we lack structured metrics.
• When talking to departments, each has its own specific needs, but the overarching goal is to increase transparency, track what each department is working on, and align priorities with quarterly strategies.

3) Which Users Need to Join My Organization? Does This Include External Users?

Since we operate with multiple domains across various brands, the correct answer would be that we need both internal and external users to be part of the organization.

4) What Products Does My Main Team Need to Manage a Network of Clients?

The hierarchy follows this structure:
Main Office → Multiple Brands → Brands have Products → Products have Applications
(Some applications are shared across brands but have different visual identities or modules.)

5) Does My Company Already Have an Implemented Methodology, or Do I Need to Develop a New One?

We need to develop a new methodology that adapts to our specific needs.

Looking forward to your thoughts on this approach!