Jira App Migration:  Top 10 Apps Evaluated

Highway Three awarded Atlassian Rising Star 2020

How much will it cost you to migrate to cloud? Find out with Atlassian&#8217;s cloud migration calculator


<p class="has-text-align-center"><meta charset="utf-8"><strong>Date:</strong> <em>Fri, Sep 17, 12:00 PM (PDT)</em></p>



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<h2><meta charset="utf-8">About this event</h2>



<p>Hello all,</p>



<p>Hope everyone has had a good and safe summer.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We are back with another presentation from Highway Three Solutions coming up starting at noon, September 17th.</p>



<p>We will be discussing tips and tricks on how to avoid common pitfalls with your organization&#8217;s Cloud migrations of your Atlassian suite.</p>



<p>Any organization with their Cloud migration still looming will no doubt benefit from the conversation.</p>



<p>Here is the presentation synopsis:</p>



<p><em>Highway Three Solutions will provide an update on Jira server to cloud migrations with the latest information from Atlassian and updates on the tools available to assist with the process. We’ll go through some real examples from our recent client migrations with and give you valuable information on how to avoid common pitfalls. We will focus on the technical and process challenges we faced, specifically issues with the JCMA, app migrations, data consolidation, user migration, and cloud security.</em></p>



<p>A Q&amp;A session will follow.</p>



<p>While we are looking forward to getting back to in person events as soon as it is safe to do so, we will be presenting this event virtually once again. Remember no Zoom link is required.&nbsp;Just log in with your Atlassian account, jump to the community page to join in at lunchtime on September 17th. Please reach out if you have any questions or problems, let us know and we&#8217;ll be happy to help.</p>



<p>Hope you can join us.</p>



<p>Thank you and stay safe.</p>



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<div class="wp-block-button is-style-h3-cta-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link" href="https://ace.atlassian.com/events/details/atlassian-vancouver-presents-avoiding-potential-pitfalls-in-your-cloud-migration-vancouver-ace-september/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Join Virtual event Here</a></div>
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<h2><meta charset="utf-8">Speakers</h2>



<p><meta charset="utf-8"><strong>Karen Fishwick</strong></p>



<p><em>Senior Systems Architect and Atlassian Specialist, Highway Three Solutions</em></p>



<p>Karen Fishwick is a Senior Systems Architect and Atlassian Specialist, as well as a founder of Highway Three Solutions. She is an Atlassian Certified Professional (ACP) and holds an undergraduate degree in Physics, with over 20 years&#8217; experience leading technical teams to create value driven project outcomes.</p>



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<p><strong>Joanne Yo</strong></p>



<p><em>Canada Regional Lead, Atlassian</em></p>


Avoiding Potential Pitfalls in your Cloud Migration – Vancouver ACE September


<p>In this post we share our assessment of migrating the app Tempo Timesheets, a time tracking and resource management tool developed by Tempo. The first thing to note is the functionality originally included in the Tempo Timesheets app has been separated into three different apps on Cloud: </p>



<ul><li><a href="https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/6572/tempo-timesheets-time-tracking-reports?hosting=cloud&amp;tab=overview" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Tempo Timesheets</strong></a></li><li><a href="https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1211881/tempo-planner-resource-planning?hosting=cloud&amp;tab=overview" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Tempo Planner</strong></a></li><li><a href="https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1221748/cost-tracker-for-tempo-timesheets?hosting=cloud&amp;tab=overview" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Cost Tracker for Tempo Timesheets</strong></a></li></ul>



<p>Our review is for the <strong>Tempo Timesheets Cloud app.</strong></p>



<p><meta charset="utf-8">To learn more about the series, take a look at our introductory post: <a href="/blog/jira-app-migration-getting-ready-for-the-cloud" data-type="URL" data-id="/blog/jira-app-migration-getting-ready-for-the-cloud" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jira App Migration: Top 10 Apps Evaluated</a>.</p>



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<p class="has-text-align-left">Migrating Tempo Timesheets data has a few challenges, as it requires a knowledge of both automatic and manual migration methods; however, the documentation and resources available provide you with lots of support and guidance to complete your shift to the Cloud effectively.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-table aligncenter is-style-h3-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-left" data-align="left"><strong>Feature Compatibility</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><img loading="lazy" width="264" height="83" class="wp-image-567" style="width: 150px" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/feature-compatibility-partial.png" alt="Partial"></td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-left" data-align="left"><strong>Migration Complexity</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><img loading="lazy" width="263" height="82" class="wp-image-570" style="width: 150px" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/migration-complexity-medium.png" alt="Medium"></td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-left" data-align="left"><strong>Migration Method</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><img loading="lazy" width="264" height="82" class="wp-image-573" style="width: 150px" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/migration-method-mixed.png" alt="Mixed"></td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-left" data-align="left"><strong>Migration Support Available</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><img loading="lazy" width="264" height="83" class="wp-image-575" style="width: 150px" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/migration-support-available-substantial.png" alt="Substantial"></td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-left" data-align="left"><strong>Supported Jira Migration Methods</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><img loading="lazy" width="264" height="82" class="wp-image-578" style="width: 150px" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/supported-jira-migration-methods-full-site-import.png" alt="Full Site Import"></td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



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<p>Read on for the details. </p>



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<h3>Feature Compatibility</h3>



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<p>Even though Tempo Timesheets can be scripted to use the REST APIs available, the significant difference in the fundamental architecture between Server and Cloud makes it difficult to provide equivalent functionality in both environments. </p>
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<p>While these APIs are synchronous and maintained in the Server, they are asynchronous and stateless in the Cloud. This makes it difficult to identify the results of what you have written to interact with the REST APIs.</p>



<p>Before migrating it is important to identify what features you use most and how your team may need to adapt when switching to Cloud. Most of the features available on Tempo Timesheets&#8217; server offering are available on Cloud with only a few exceptions: many of the Configuration options available on Server are not available on Cloud and there is no integration for <a href="https://github.com/tempo-io/tempo-events-example/blob/master/README.md" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Event Handlers</a> on Cloud.</p>



<p>Also worth noting is many of the Features, Reports, and Configuration options are still <a href="https://help.tempo.io/cloud/en/tempo-server-migration-guide/server-data-center-vs--cloud--product-comparison/tempo-timesheets-server-data-center-vs--cloud.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">under development</a> for Cloud.</p>



<p>Features like Reports, Jira custom fields, and Time tracking are comparable between Server and Cloud with only a few differences. In most cases there are alternative methods of obtaining similar functionality for missing and partial features through the <a href="https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/jira/platform/rest/v3/?utm_source=%2Fcloud%2Fjira%2Fplatform%2Frest%2F&amp;utm_medium=302#about" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tempo REST APIs</a>.</p>



<p>There are also advantages to Tempo Timesheets for Cloud over the server version with features like integrations for Chrome, Slack, and Visual Studio Code.</p>



<p>To learn more about the feature parity of Tempo Timesheets for Server and Cloud, take a look at this <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://help.tempo.io/cloud/en/tempo-server-migration-guide/server-data-center-vs--cloud--product-comparison/tempo-timesheets-server-data-center-vs--cloud.html" target="_blank">Server and Cloud feature comparison</a>.</p>



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<h3>Migration Method and Complexity</h3>



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<p>Currently there is no support for the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JCMA), so the only way to migrate Tempo Timesheets data is to complete a full site import; however, Worklogs, Categories, and Timesheets are only partially migrated while Roles, Teams, Customers, and Accounts are not migrated at all.</p>
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<p> In order to fully migrate these attributes, you will need to use <a href="https://apidocs.tempo.io/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tempo Cloud REST APIs</a> and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://developer.atlassian.com/server/jira/platform/rest-apis/" target="_blank">Jira Server REST APIs</a>. You may also need to import .csv files or even update information manually on your cloud instance to complete your shift to Cloud.</p>



<p>Even though there is currently no support for the JCMA, at Highway Three we decided to investigate the steps it would take to migrate Tempo with the JCMA and what it would entail. To learn more about it, read our <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="/blog/jira-tempo-cloud-migration" data-type="URL" target="_blank">Jira and Tempo Cloud Migration</a> blog post.</p>



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<h3>Migration Support Available</h3>



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<p>Tempo has lots of documentation that can help you in your transition to the Cloud including steps to migrate, information on REST APIs, and details on Server and Cloud differences. Additionally, you can always contact Atlassian or Tempo to support your migration needs. A list of resources can be found at the end of our blog post.</p>
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<h2>Possible Challenges</h2>



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<p>We believe several challenges can arise when migrating from Server to Cloud for Tempo Timesheets. Tempo data in Jira Server is stored in the Jira server database while in Jira Cloud, data is stored in a vendor-specific storage. This difference of storage space may create complications in the Server to Cloud migration journey which can include worklogs not migrating automatically.</p>
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<p>In our migration analysis, here are the issues we encountered that are important to note:</p>



<ul><li>You may have to wait up to 48 hours between each cloud site import &#8211; Tempo has to receive your request to reset and then carry through reset data. <strong>You cannot reset it yourself.</strong></li><li>It is important to understand how time zones will affect the availability of vendor support as assistance may not be active during your working hours.</li><li>Be sure to use an XML backup before you attempt a migration, even during testing.</li></ul>



<p>In order to provide a smoother migration experience, Tempo is working to make it possible for consumers to migrate Tempo Timesheets data with the JCMA and developing more REST APIs. More details on Tempo’s upcoming migration options can be found on their <a href="https://www.tempo.io/product-roadmap-server-to-cloud-migration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">roadmap</a>.</p>



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<div class="wp-block-button is-style-h3-cta-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link" href="https://www.highwaythreesolutions.com/contact" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Need help migrating Tempo to the Cloud? Contact us!</a></div>
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<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>



<ul class="has-black-color has-text-color"><li><strong><a href="/blog/jira-app-migration-getting-ready-for-the-cloud" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Highway Three Top 10 Apps Evaluated series</a></strong></li><li><strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/6572/tempo-timesheets-time-tracking-reports?hosting=cloud&amp;tab=overview" target="_blank">Tempo Timesheets App</a></strong></li><li><strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://tempo-io.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/THC/pages/1372127383/Tempo+Server+Migration+Guide" target="_blank">Tempo Server Migration Guide</a></strong></li><li><strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://help.tempo.io/cloud/en/tempo-server-migration-guide/server-data-center-vs--cloud--product-comparison/tempo-timesheets-server-data-center-vs--cloud.html" target="_blank">Server and Cloud Feature Comparison</a></strong></li><li><strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://apidocs.tempo.io/" target="_blank">Tempo Cloud API documentation</a></strong></li><li><strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://developer.atlassian.com/server/jira/platform/rest-apis/" target="_blank">Jira Server REST API</a></strong></li><li><strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.highwaythreesolutions.com/blog/jira-tempo-cloud-migration" target="_blank">Jira and Tempo Cloud Migration blog post</a></strong></li><li><strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.tempo.io/product-roadmap-server-to-cloud-migration" target="_blank">Tempo Roadmap</a></strong></li></ul>


Tempo Timesheets: Migration Evaluation


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<p>With Atlassian&#8217;s recently announced plan to end support for server products, most companies plan to make the move to Atlassian cloud. Migrating to any cloud environment can be daunting, and many users are wondering where to start.</p>



<p>The first step in your cloud migration journey is to figure out which cloud version is right for your organization. In this webinar, we will guide you through your options. From cloud free to cloud enterprise, we will discuss what is included, who it is suitable for, and the pros and cons of each version so that you know which version is best for you.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="427" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/webinar_cloud_versions-1024x427.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-55" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/webinar_cloud_versions-1024x427.jpeg 1024w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/webinar_cloud_versions-300x125.jpeg 300w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/webinar_cloud_versions-768x320.jpeg 768w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/webinar_cloud_versions.jpeg 1514w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



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<div class="wp-block-button is-style-h3-cta-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link" href="/webinars?id=jira-in-the-cloud-versions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch Now</a></div>
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Jira Cloud Migration: Cloud Versions


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<p>Using <a href="https://www.adaptavist.com/products/atlassian-apps/scriptrunner-for-jira" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Adaptavist ScriptRunner for Jira Server</a> is much like souping-up a car. Sometimes, it can even seem as magical as Dr. Brown&#8217;s DeLorean from Back to the Future. With the announcement from Atlassian to move away from server and focus solely on cloud, we have to wonder if ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud is going to match up to its predecessor.</p>
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<p>There are significant differences between how add-ons can integrate with Atlassian Cloud versus Server. The server versions of Atlassian&#8217;s products allow apps (i.e. add-ons) to run on the same machines, create databases specific to the app instance, and interact with the lowest level API. With Atlassian Cloud, add-on developers are limited to running code within the users&#8217; browser (via Javascript) or on their own servers; the only integration points are through the Atlassian Cloud REST APIs.</p>



<p>While some ScriptRunner for Jira Server functionality can be re-written to interact with the Cloud REST API rather than the low-level Java API, porting to Cloud is more than simply translating from one API to another. The shift from Server to Cloud is also a change in the fundamental architecture, where the key characteristics of state and synchronicity shift. In the server environment, API requests were synchronous (i.e. requests wait for a response) and state was maintained. In the cloud environment, REST APIs, are asynchronous and stateless. Put another way: the results of script execution may not be visible or evident within the UI immediately.</p>



<p>As a result of the shift to cloud, an app is no longer able to fully integrate with all aspects of the Atlassian product. This change in architecture has forced ScriptRunner to drastically alter what they provide for Atlassian Cloud products.</p>



<p>The remainder of this article summarizes the limitations of ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud.</p>



<h2>ScriptRunner for Atlassian Cloud Limitations</h2>



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<p>We have grouped the differences between Server and Cloud into the following categories:</p>



<ul><li>System Level</li><li>User Related Actions</li><li>JQL Function Limitations</li><li>ScriptRunner Features</li></ul>



<p>For each category we will outline the features that are not currently supported in ScriptRunner for Atlassian Cloud.</p>
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<h3>System Level</h3>



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<p>System Level features are related to database connections, mail handlers, server logs, and system configurations. At this time the Jira Cloud API does not offer the same low-level access as Jira Server and this limitation affects the following ScriptRunner system level features:</p>
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<ul><li>Resources: Database Connection</li><li>Resources: Local Database Connection</li><li>Code Insights</li><li>Script Fields: Database picker</li><li>Script Fields: Remote issue(s) picker</li></ul>
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<ul><li>Re-index Issues</li><li>Built-In: View Server Log Files</li><li>Built-In: Configuration Exporter</li><li>Built-In: Copy Project</li><li>Built-In: Config Exporter</li></ul>
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<ul><li>Built-In: Copy Project</li><li>Built-In: Config Exporter</li><li>Built-In: Clear Groovy Classloader or Jira Internal Caches</li><li>Built-In: Configuration Exporter</li><li>Built-In: View Server Log Files</li></ul>
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<h3>User Related Actions</h3>



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="738" height="738" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_266711807.png" alt="" class="wp-image-81" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_266711807.png 738w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_266711807-300x300.png 300w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_266711807-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 738px) 100vw, 738px" /></figure>
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<p>Systems with managed accounts can connect to a User Directory (LDAP, etc.); however, functionality available for scripting user management in Cloud is very different than on Server. ScriptRunner for Server can interact with these types of integrations (LDAP integration points). Specifically, ScriptRunner for Server can:</p>



<ul><li>Interact with LDAP connection resources</li><li>Connect picker fields to LDAP details (e.g. to select from a list of users)</li><li>Switch to a different user</li></ul>
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<p>None of the above is possible with ScriptRunner for Cloud. It is possible for a user to masquerade as another user if you have the right system permissions, but this is not something you can programatically do with ScriptRunner for Cloud.</p>



<h3>JQL Functions</h3>



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<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:66.66%">
<p>ScriptRunner for Server can interact directly with JQL queries. This is NOT possible for Cloud. As a result, many of the custom JQL functions previously possible for Server cannot be replicated for Cloud. However, ScriptRunner (in the background) can augment Jira issues with extra attributes that you can query within JQL. For example, when sprint information is updated for a project, a ScriptRunner script can update issues asynchronously with a keyword nextSprint.</p>
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<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33.33%">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="624" height="682" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_748886182.png" alt="" class="wp-image-82" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_748886182.png 624w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_748886182-274x300.png 274w" sizes="(max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px" /></figure>
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<p>The following are the JQL functions that are not currently available via the Jira Cloud REST API:</p>



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<ul><li>aggregateExpression</li><li>completeInSprint</li><li>earliestUnreleasedVersionByReleaseDate</li><li>hasRemoteLinks</li><li>inactiveUsers</li><li>incompleteInSprint</li></ul>
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<ul><li>jiraUserPropertyEquals</li><li>lastUpdated</li><li>linkedIssuesOfAll</li><li>linkedIssuesOfAllRecursive</li><li>linkedIssuesOfAllRecursiveLimited</li><li>linkedIssuesOfRemote</li></ul>
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<ul><li>myProjects</li><li>overdue</li><li>recentProjects</li><li>releaseDate</li><li>removedAfterSprintStart</li><li>startDate</li></ul>
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<h3>ScriptRunner Behaviours and Fragments</h3>



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="472" height="512" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/innovation.png" alt="" class="wp-image-83" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/innovation.png 472w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/innovation-277x300.png 277w" sizes="(max-width: 472px) 100vw, 472px" /></figure>
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<p>The Behaviours feature included in ScriptRunner for Jira Server Behaviours provides more control over fields and their behaviours. This feature is not available for Cloud given the change in architecture and developer framework. It is not possible to interact and modify the UI in the same manner as with Jira Server, and this directly impacts manipulation of the Jira fields.</p>
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<p>The ScriptRunner for Server Fragments feature allowed scripts to inject UI components within specific places. In Jira Cloud, the Atlassian developer framework provides specific areas of the page (i.e. screen) where add-ons can present data (UI components). Script Fragments in ScriptRunner for Cloud can only inject html in the web panels.</p>



<h2>Conclusion</h2>



<p>This may sound like it’s all bad news. It isn’t. The changes that come with the shift to Atlassian Cloud provide many advantages and new opportunities for add-on app developers. Adaptavist, the developers of ScriptRunner, have summarized this best:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-h3-blockquote"><p><em>As with most programming situations there are trade offs when writing scripts for both Cloud and Server and the limitations of Cloud are at the expense of stability and performance of the Atlassian application.</em></p></blockquote>



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<p>The good news is that Adaptavist is continuing to develop ScriptRunner for Atlassian Cloud products. At present, just over half of the features in ScriptRunner for Jira Server are supported in some capacity in ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud. Their status page suggests they aren’t finished with this work yet and more changes are expected.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="757" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_1515834812-1024x757.png" alt="" class="wp-image-84" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_1515834812-1024x757.png 1024w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_1515834812-300x222.png 300w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/shutterstock_1515834812-768x568.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
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<p>Furthermore, the lack of supported features from the server version does not mean you will lose half of your functionality by moving to the cloud. The missing features may not be ones you currently use. We recommend you take stock of your existing ScriptRunner scripts in use and review them with the functionality supported in ScriptRunner for Cloud to identify the impact on your team. As an Atlassian solutions partner, we are here to support you with this analysis – if you need support then contact us.</p>



<p>If you would like to learn more about ScriptRunner, visit Adaptavist’s&nbsp;<a href="https://docs.adaptavist.com/?_ga=2.101774657.1335031310.1620160332-430693690.1618503562">new documentation site</a>&nbsp;or take a look at their&nbsp;<a href="https://scriptrunner.adaptavist.com/latest/jira/quickstart.html">previous location for documentation</a>&nbsp;for ScriptRunner up to version 6.20.0.</p>


The ScriptRunner Rundown


<p><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://tractionguest.com/" target="_blank">Traction Guest</a> Enjoys High-Speed, Friction-Free Conversion to JIRA and Confluence.</p>



<p>Traction Guest is an industry leader in enterprise visitor management, making on-site experiences for employees and guests safe, secure, and effortless. With offices in Vancouver, Seattle, and Dublin, they needed a cohesive cloud platform with the ability to keep up with their agile development process.</p>



<p>Al Henry joined Traction Guest in 2019 and was tasked with enhancing the agile approach for their development team, featuring scrums, ceremonies, and sprints. He&#8217;d had experience with Jira in a previous organization, but Traction Guest was using a modified version of another work management platform. After realizing that the promised benefits of the current platform didn&#8217;t balance out the workarounds necessary to make it effective in an agile environment, and aggravated by a lack of visibility and reporting capacity, Al recommended an upgrade to Atlassian Cloud to take advantage of the power of Jira and Confluence.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Agile-Project-Management-1024x949.png" alt="" class="wp-image-108" width="512" height="475" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Agile-Project-Management-1024x949.png 1024w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Agile-Project-Management-300x278.png 300w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Agile-Project-Management-768x712.png 768w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Agile-Project-Management.png 1054w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure></div>



<h2>Imminent Deadline</h2>



<p>During the decision phase, the team discovered that the incumbent platform&#8217;s licensing was due for renewal in three weeks. As Al had a proposal in place with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.highwaythreesolutions.com/" target="_blank">Highway Three Solutions</a>, he reached out to them to see if they could implement the conversion on a highly compressed timeline: he&#8217;d need a week to prepare for the migration, leaving only two weeks to install, update, and test the Atlassian cloud installation.</p>



<p>Highway Three Solutions responded by having two of their key professionals construct a project plan to convert before the end of the month. Traction Guest approved the plan, opting for a cloud solution to eliminate any on-prem performance concerns, and began the migration preparation process.</p>



<p>During the migration, the Traction Guest team discovered that despite having admin access through the previous PM resource, they couldn&#8217;t actually see all of their projects, resulting in a few being skipped in the data mapping process. With Highway Three&#8217;s help, Al and his team were able to recalibrate and resynchronize, getting access to the previously unseen data without losing essential components.</p>



<p><em>&#8220;We did have one glitch during the migration, and the Highway Three team took care of it for us,” </em>explained Al. <em>“They contacted Atlassian, submitted and managed the ticket, and helped us recover from the issue. They were very effective in resolving our issues!”</em></p>



<p>The Highway Three team implemented the plan, converted the database, integrated with Aha!, and the Traction Guest team was up and running with Jira on the first of the month.</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-h3-blockquote"><p>Highway Three Solutions&#8217; professionalism and attention to detail was evident as the teams worked together to deliver the project on time. Our experience with Highway Three Solutions is a beneficial one as we work together to maintain the new Jira system and look to continuously improve our processes with their assistance.</p></blockquote>



<h2>Moving Forward</h2>



<p>Traction Guest&#8217;s primary focus was getting Jira up and working, integrating it into the development process. <em>&#8220;We haven&#8217;t made full use of Confluence yet,&#8221;</em> shared Al, <em>&#8220;but our support structure is now using it to house our runbooks and support documentation for triaging incidents, and our strike teams are using Confluence to house documentation about new-feature implementations.&#8221;</em> Confluence provides a central repository, which is much easier to use and manage than Traction Guest&#8217;s previous model that relied on Google Docs, Quip worksheets, and local storage. <em>&#8220;The searching capability of Confluence makes it a powerful tool for our teams,&#8221;</em> said Al, <em>&#8220;and we&#8217;re working on some training sessions to help everyone get up to speed with it.&#8221;</em></p>



<p>With six months of experience on the new platform, Al and his team are very pleased with the support, training, and advice from the Highway Three team, sharing <em>&#8220;they&#8217;re a great consulting team, and I appreciate that it feels like we work together on things, as opposed to us reaching out and merely contracting them to do the work.”</em></p>



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<div class="wp-block-column">
<h3>Challenges</h3>



<ul><li>Multiple workarounds to make incumbent project management tool fit desired agile process</li><li>Poor visibility into projects and reports</li><li>Various versions and locations of essential documentation</li><li>Highly compressed window to implement transition to Jira</li></ul>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="832" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Board-game-1024x832.png" alt="" class="wp-image-109" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Board-game-1024x832.png 1024w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Board-game-300x244.png 300w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Board-game-768x624.png 768w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Board-game.png 1255w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="904" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Computer-1024x904.png" alt="" class="wp-image-110" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Computer-1024x904.png 1024w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Computer-300x265.png 300w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Computer-768x678.png 768w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Computer.png 1246w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
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<h3>Solutions</h3>



<ul><li>Implemented a complete migration to Atlassian Cloud, including Jira, Confluence, and JSM</li><li>Migration completed in less than two weeks with maximum communications</li><li>Implemented standardized scrum processes to provide planning and tracking across teams</li><li>Capitalized on Jira’s reporting capabilities to communicate planning and status to management team</li></ul>
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<h2>Results</h2>



<ul class="h3-checkbox-list"><li>Jira dashboards, filters, and formats to provide a customized view of current projects</li><li>Effective isolation between different strike teams</li><li>Consolidated, searchable repository for all documentation via Confluence</li><li>Seamless integration with Aha! Roadmaps and collaboration tools</li><li>Strong relationship with Highway Three Solutions for training and support for Atlassian products</li></ul>



<p></p>


Case Study: Traction Guest’s Friction Free Conversion to Jira


<p>In some organizations, product issues are tracked in multiple locations. This often occurs when internal and external teams collaborating on a single code base or a single project. Internal teams will often use a licensed product such as Jira Cloud; whereas, external and distributed teams tend to use free issue management solutions such as GitHub&#8217;s issues. These tightly coupled solutions are often extended by products like ZenHub which add additional project management capabilities to the basic system.</p>



<p>Using multiple issue trackers causes confusion for developers and project managers. Issues become duplicated across systems and cause confusion around what issues are the source of truth for the project. As a result, sprint planning and roadmap creation becomes difficult as the issues within them contain inaccurate data.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-h3-screenshot"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="808" height="251" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/github_jira_sync.png" alt="" class="wp-image-125" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/github_jira_sync.png 808w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/github_jira_sync-300x93.png 300w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/github_jira_sync-768x239.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 808px) 100vw, 808px" /></figure></div>



<p>We have worked with a few organizations within the public sector, one federal and one provincial, that encountered this very problem. Both scenarios were a result of the open source community engaging with product development.</p>



<p>Both organizations support open source projects hosted in GitHub. The internal project teams use Jira Cloud to manage their feature development and bug fixes, while also obtaining support from external users who use GitHub issues to raise tickets. The project team requested that issues raised in GitHub were also shown in Jira so that internal developers could plan their work. Additionally, external developers needed visibility into the product schedule and sprints.</p>



<h2>Enter, Exalate…</h2>



<p><em>Exalate is the most flexible synchronization tool and the leading Cross-Company Integration solution. Synchronize your Jira instances, ServiceNow, Zendesk, GitHub, Azure DevOps &amp; any other work management systems.</em></p>



<p>These projects used Exalate to sync issues between the GitHub and Jira projects enabling a close collaboration between teams. Below is a diagram explaining where Exalate sync fits into the two systems.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-h3-screenshot"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-20210114-162046.png" alt="" class="wp-image-126" width="766" height="519" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-20210114-162046.png 1021w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-20210114-162046-300x203.png 300w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-20210114-162046-768x521.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px" /></figure></div>



<h2>Implementation Details</h2>



<p>It was important to easily identify what issues came from which source (Github or Jira). We were able to meet this requirement by using card layout and colors to clearly indicate which issues are synced with GitHub.</p>



<p>The internal Jira project integrated with around 30 different GitHub repositories. This means that not only did the internal team need to know what issues were from GitHub vs Jira, they also needed to know what repository the GitHub issues were raised against.</p>



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<div class="wp-block-column">
<p>We chose to use Jira components to distinguish between internal Jira issues and external GitHub issues. The component was applied using Jira Automation.</p>



<p>A custom field indicating the GitHub repository was added to the issue types in Jira and was automatically synced during the Exalate updates.</p>



<p>These two fields were displayed on the board cards so that Jira Developers can quickly and easily see where the Github Issues originated from.</p>
</div>



<div class="wp-block-column">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-h3-screenshot"><img loading="lazy" width="914" height="623" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-20210114-161837.png" alt="" class="wp-image-128" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-20210114-161837.png 914w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-20210114-161837-300x204.png 300w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-20210114-161837-768x523.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 914px) 100vw, 914px" /></figure>
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<p>Another small gotcha, is that GitHub issues don’t currently support custom fields. This means that Jira fields like issue type and sprint values had to be synced to GitHub labels.</p>



<p>Because Jira and Github have significant differences in the fields they support, and because we don’t necessarily want to expose all of the Jira activity in Github, we chose to expose certain updates using Automation for Jira. As an example, we were able to add a comment when the issue status changed. That comment was then sync’d between the two issues so that in GitHub you would see the update. It would look something like this:</p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-h3-screenshot"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-20210114-161613.png" alt="" class="wp-image-129" width="524" height="73" srcset="https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-20210114-161613.png 699w, https://wordpress.highwaythreesolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-20210114-161613-300x42.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 524px) 100vw, 524px" /></figure></div>



<p>The clients have been using this system for about 3 months and have been very happy with Exalate and the ability it gives them.</p>



<p>Our tips for a successful Exalate implementation: keep the synchronization as simple as possible and use Jira Automation to bridge any gaps. This is because updating the exalate configuration is harder than updating an automation rule. It also tends to lead to a more robust setup and the integration point is stronger.</p>



<h2>Summary</h2>



<p>Other than choosing a project name, communication about features and bugs is possibly one of the most difficult issues in software development. Exalate gave these public sector organizations the ability to automate the communication of development and status between the internal and the open source communities. This is just one of the many use cases for Exalate and their extremely supportive team; through out these implementations the people at <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://exalate.com/" target="_blank">Idalko/Exalate</a> have been very helpful in diagnosing and providing a workaround for a bug within the Github system.</p>



<p>If you or your organization are experiencing difficulties communicating Jira issues between different systems or teams reach out to see what we, and Exalate, can do for you.</p>



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