Administrator can't view project?

[EJ Alexandra]

I invited a user (and they joined) and I made them an Administrator in the project.

They log in, and see a list of projects (including the one of which they are an administrator).

Then - they click on the project, and are told that the project is unavailable.  

This feels like a bug to me, but I probably just set it up wrong.

[EJ Alexandra]

I don't understand what the best practice is here, like... at all!

I invite a user.  I make them an administrator in the project.  Then I have to spend 1/2 hour finding/configuring some other permission scheme?  

This is absolutely infuriating.  It takes literally hours every time I setup a new project.  It doesn't happen very often, but every 6 months or so I have to spend 3-5 hours trying to figure out your infuriatingly complex permission/configuration/naming/admin/schemes!!!!!!

I JUST WANT TO MAKE ROBERT AND CHRIS ADMINISTRATORS IN MY PROJECT.  ADMINISTRATOR - AS IN - CAN DO ANYTHING, NOT CAN'T EVEN SEE THE PROJECT!  How does that possibly make sense?  They're a project administrator, but can't actually even SEE the project?  In what world does that possibly make sense?  

I'm sorry - I just don't have time to do this for something as simple as setting up a project, with a user who can actually use the project!!  Please!  Help!

[Scott Theus]

Yeah, I get frustrated with it too. I run into the same thing, and I'm a site-admin!

Here's how I get around it:

I created a generic project permissions scheme that has my groups for jira-administrators, and whenever I assign a PM to be the admin of a project I make sure they are in this group. Then, every time I create a project I attach the generic scheme to it. 

I have a number of permission schemes depending on the type of project, but for the most part I have one scheme that covers everything and make a separate project based scheme from there if needed.

[Kimberly Deal _Columbus ACE_]

This is one of the more frustrating things to get a handle on when you are new to Jira.  There are other things that get sticky, but this is the one you likely encounter first and it isn't really the most intuitive thing, especially if you come at it with the idea that it has to be customized specifically per project.  It takes a while to start thinking globally at the environment.

[EJ Alexandra]

Thanks Kimberly.  Actually - I've been using Jira for almost 3 years now, on over a dozen projects.  Love it.  But that's because on a daily basis, I'm using Jira.  That works great.  

But whenever I start a new project - I'm not in Jira at that point.  I'm in the "Atlassian Global Environment" - and it is infuriatingly complicated, for even the most simple/basic tasks.  

I appreciate your help - and as I said, I *LOVE* Jira - but I can't afford the costs associated with understanding/managing "the global environment".  I just ... I can't.  It's too much.  I just want to setup an administrator.  I could probably attend a webinar or something, and then it get it done.  But in 6 months, I'll be back to the same spot.  

Yeah - sorry.   I'm researching alternatives for future projects.  An extra $50/month is dwarfed by the admin costs I experience starting each new project.  

Thanks for your help. 

Sincerely, 
-- a very disappointed user

[Kimberly Deal _Columbus ACE_]

I've been doing this for about 3 years too, and there are still things that are super vexing.  I came into a very old established installation and have spent a lot of time getting things to function with global design in mind.  We still have oddities floating about, but it is so much more manageable, than when I started with it. I am really fortunate that I can spend a lot of time focused on it. Really sorry it's such a pain for you

[Kimberly Deal _Columbus ACE_]

A simple thing to check, look to see that project role Administrators, the group they are in, or the individual has Browse Project permissions for that project. 

Best for it to be the project role, it makes the project permissions dynamic and easier to maintain, but it's possible to add groups or individuals.

[Scott Theus]

You may also need to check the Permissions scheme for the project; if the user is not included as part of a group or as an individual user in the permission scheme used by the project that user won't have access. 

It gets me every time...I'm a site admin and when I create a new project I also have to assign it to one of my standard permission schemes.

[Kimberly Deal _Columbus ACE_]

Thanks @Scott Theus  I had a bit of an incomplete thought there!

[Siddhesh Parab]

Hi 

I am facing a similar issue. 

I am the administrations and the user I have given access to create the project is in all the same roles and permission which I am, rather than administration. However, still the project he has created I am not able to access the same. Having a permission issue pop up. 

[Kimberly Deal _Columbus ACE_]

This does a pretty good job of explaining Project Roles.  It's an outside source.

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/practical-jira-administration/9781449309701/ch01.html

[EJ Alexandra]

Thanks for the quick response Scott - I appreciate where you're coming from.  That said - that sounds like A LOT OF WORK for something as simple as setting up a project administrator.

I create a project.

I add an administrator

They can't even SEE the project?

Now I have to go understand "project permissions" and "groups" and "permission schemes" and the difference between all these, and how they relate to users (which I can't add directly from the user's page as far as I can tell) - and how they relate to the project (which I often also can't figure out how to associate one to the other).

It's all just WAY, WAY, WAY to complicated for what I'm trying to do.  I just literally don't have time to do that - is it SERIOUSLY that complicated?  At this point, hours (and calendar days now) into this - I'm inclined to just go look for another solution.  It feels like time better spent.

Even now, after all of these suggestions, I still literally would not even know where to start with what was suggested.  I had gone through and started to add Administrator to a bunch of permissions on some screen, in some part of the Jira/Atlassian administration/configuration/settings "platform" - and I stopped, because that's NOT something (as a user) that I should need to do.

Is there really not just a CHOICE i can make, to add an administrator to my project?  This can't possibly be right.  If it is - I am literally going to instead spend my time looking for an alternative solution.  This is just WAY, WAY, WAY to expensive if that's what's involved.

One thing that caused me to throw in the towel, is that I was going to add Administrators to EVERYTHING because I don't know WHICH Permission would be need to let Administrators SEE the project that they are meant to be administering.

I just REALLY hope that it's not actually as complicated it sounds like it might be.  Please.  Please.  Please.

[Kimberly Deal _Columbus ACE_]

Here is what I mean by using Project Roles and Groups in your Permission Schemes.  The only Group we use in our Default permission scheme, which we use for 60+ projects in a 110 project environment, is jira-administrators, and that's mostly just a visual separation for us. We could totally assign jira-administrators to the Project Role Administrators. and not have any groups at all in the permission scheme.

We only use a few project roles
Admins - can admin the project, including adding users to the Project

Developers - do all the work, can Browse, Edit issue, Transition issues, etc

Users- is treated as view only.  Most projects allow anyone in Jira to view the items in the project.

All of the actual user management is done within the Project itself, using the project roles.  You can do that as group based or individual based as needed. If you assign groups to the roles, you can do all of your user management centrally, when you add a user to the system.  They will inherit the rights to the project that the group is assigned to.  

Downside is that only jira-admins (not project admins) will be able to manage the groups a person is assigned to.  I you need for the project admins to be able to do the assigning to project roles, then they can be added as individuals directly to the project roles.


Everyone in our environment is added to jira-users by default when their account is created, this give the the view access into the 60+ projects with the Default Permission Scheme.  Nothing else needs to be done for them to have that access.  

I would show you the set up we have for the Project Users and Roles, but I am not sure if you are on Server or Cloud and they look different. I think Server is easier to manage and understand, but Cloud isn't impossible.

[EJ Alexandra]

Thanks Kimberly - I really appreciate the detailed response.

I may take one more stab at it, but... at this point I am running on fumes in terms of my energy to put towards making this work.

I  think I understand what you've proposed, but...  I continually think that I understand, and then run into things where an "administrator" is not even able to view the project.  I still am completely perplexed by how that's even remotely possible.  Anywhere.  

But - I really do appreciate your help.  Mainly - (and I'm almost amused at this point) - I still have no idea how to actually DO what you're propose.  In looking at the Orielly link you sent below, it looks really good if I was trying to setup a very complex scheme, for a multi-level organization, with dozens of different projects, and departments, and so on.

That would justify me spending hours learning/and then designing such a set of schemes/groups/etc.  

Am I understanding correctly that this is what would be required at this point?  I think that's what I'm understanding - and as I've said - I just don't have time to do that kind of research/learning/configuration/maintenance/etc.  I just want a project administrator.  

If it's actually as complicated as it looks like it is, I just need to find another tool.  

Thanks again for your help.  I hope you enjoy the rest of your week.  Take care.

[Kimberly Deal _Columbus ACE_]

Depending on how many projects you have, it could be a fair amount of effort to restructure, but it will very much ease the maintenance.  I will see if I can find some videos or docs the show more simple set ups.

[EJ Alexandra]

Thanks.

Why aren't there some common schemes to pick from right up front?  I understand the complexity for large customers... but, is it just not targeted at small customers?  Part of my drive to find an alternative is that I keep feeling like I'm trying to squeeze a (very powerful) round peg into a square hole.

To be clear - I <3 Jira - can't imagine not having it (or something like it) - but man, the Admin costs due to complexity is ... hard to over estimate.

Anyway - thanks for all your help.  take care.