How to maximise your Jira license without the use of marketplace apps

[Martin E]

Has it occurred to you, how often you come across posts that advertise some sort of ware, making you wonder aloud: how can I get things done in Jira without breaking the bank? 

Have you also read posts where advice is sought, sometimes explicitly formulated to steer clear of Marketplace reps, only to be bombarded by slick and well-versed explanations and solutions? I know it can be done with add-ons, but I we don't have the resources to purchase all that much.

--> So, what are the alternatives?

--> I am most interested in the knowledge that is out there, specifically from administrators who have maybe designed their own scripts and procedures to keep Jira neat and tidy.

--> What tools and Jira tweaks can I provide my users so that they can use Jira effectively?

--> Where can I find this information?

--> Is there some knowlegde database available?  

[Fazila Ashraf]

Hi @Martin E 

The alternatives or feasibility of an alternative depends on the problem.

Generally with out plugins , the things that are not possible as a built in feature can possibly be extended with Automations and external scripts consuming the REST API end points.

[Martin E]

Hi,

It not that I have a problem as such. The requirement is get hold of Jira data, visualize it somehow, and then act on it. I take my hat off to the marketplace, as plugin's do that very well.  

You mentioned Automation, external scripts, REST API, but WHERE can I find usefull knowlegde bases for those? 

[Jim Knepley - ReleaseTEAM]

Hi @Martin E 

The REST API is documented.

You'll need an environment to run external scripts. A small Linux VM or some sort of container will do nicely.

For complex problems like integrating with systems not integrated natively within Jira, I like to develop external scripts with Python and Pandas prototyped (and sometimes deployed) within a Jupyter notebook (I build notebooks in VS Code, but whatever). This is also a useful solution if you want fine-grained control over how charts look.

There's a learning curve to learn Python and Pandas, and then you build and maintain whatever you've built. As they say, nothing comes for free.