The Project Manager's Toolbox

Uncover time-saving tips, automation, and advanced searches in Atlassian Jira for efficient project management.

Accelerate Instructional Wiki Creation with ChatGPT

ChatGPT can be used to help create instructional wikis for popular software. For example, whenever I learn a new feature of Jira that helps me save time, I document to share with my fellow project/program managers. Recently I started using the Jira Automation feature to automatically perform repetitive tasks.

I was curious if ChatGPT could write a wiki that I could share with my peers. Here’s how it went:

PROMPT: I'm creating a wiki for my peers of project managers on benefits of using Jira automation. can you summarize the benefits, provide an example of Jira automation, and create instructions on how to setup a Jira automation

CHATGPT:

JIRA Automation is a powerful tool for project managers that streamlines workflows, reduces manual tasks, and enhances team productivity. Here’s a summary of the benefits, an example of JIRA automation, and instructions on how to set it up.

Benefits of Using JIRA Automation

  1. Efficiency and Time Savings: Automations handle repetitive tasks, freeing up time for teams to focus on more strategic work.
  2. Consistency: Automation ensures tasks are executed in a consistent manner, reducing errors and maintaining standard processes.
  3. Improved Responsiveness: Automations can be set to trigger instantly on specific events, ensuring quick responses to changes or requests.
  4. Enhanced Team Collaboration: By automating routine tasks, team members can focus on collaboration and high-value activities.
  5. Customization and Scalability: Automation rules can be customized to meet the unique needs of a project or team, and easily scaled as those needs grow.
  6. Visibility and Reporting: Automated workflows can include notifications and updates, improving project visibility and enabling better reporting and tracking.

Example of JIRA Automation

Scenario: Auto-assigning bugs to developers based on a round-robin method.

In this scenario, whenever a bug is reported, JIRA automation will automatically assign it to the next developer in a predefined list. This ensures a fair distribution of bug fixing tasks among team members.

Setting Up JIRA Automation

  1. Access Automation Rules:
    • Navigate to your JIRA project.
    • Click on Project settings > Automation (note: you might need admin permissions to access this).
  2. Create a New Rule:
    • Click on Create rule at the top right corner.
    • Start by selecting the trigger Issue created.
  3. Set the Trigger:
    • Choose Issue created as the trigger to start the automation whenever a new issue is created.
  4. Define the Condition:
    • Click on Add condition and select Issue fields condition.
    • Configure it to check if the Issue Type is Bug.
  5. Determine the Action:
    • Click on Add action and select Assign issue.
    • Use the Round-robin assignment method to evenly distribute issues among a predefined list of developers.
  6. Save and Name Your Rule:
    • Give your rule a meaningful name and description.
    • Click on Save to activate the rule.
  7. Test the Rule:
    • Create a bug to test if it gets automatically assigned to a developer as intended.

Final Thoughts

Automation in JIRA not only streamlines processes but also significantly contributes to the efficiency and productivity of project teams. By setting up custom automation rules, you can tailor JIRA’s capabilities to meet the specific needs of your projects, ensuring smoother workflows and better project outcomes.

While that was a good start, I wanted slightly more detailed instructions:

Prompt: can you refine the instructions assuming I use JIRA cloud

ChatGPT:
Certainly! For JIRA Cloud, let’s refine the instructions for setting up automation to be more specific to the cloud environment. JIRA Cloud offers a user-friendly interface and powerful automation capabilities right out of the box, making it easier to automate your workflows without needing extensive technical skills.

Setting Up JIRA Automation in JIRA Cloud

Step 1: Access Automation

  1. Open Your JIRA Cloud Project: Log in to your JIRA Cloud account and navigate to the project where you want to set up automation.
  2. Go to Project Settings: Find the Project settings option at the bottom of the project sidebar.
  3. Select Automation: In the Project settings menu, look for the Automation section. Click on Rules to view existing automation rules or create new ones.

Step 2: Create a New Rule

  1. Initiate Rule Creation: Click on the Create rule button in the top right corner of the Automation screen.
  2. Choose a Trigger: Every automation rule starts with a trigger. For our example, select Issue created from the list of available triggers.

Step 3: Define Conditions (Optional)

  1. Add Condition: After setting the trigger, you can specify conditions to narrow down when the automation should run. Click on New condition and select Issue fields condition.
  2. Configure Condition: Set it to check if the Issue Type equals Bug. This ensures the automation only applies to issues classified as bugs.

Step 4: Determine the Action

  1. Select an Action: Click on New action and choose Assign issue from the list.
  2. Configure Assignment Method: To distribute tasks evenly, select the Round-robin option and specify the group of users among whom the bugs should be distributed.

Step 5: Save and Activate Your Rule

  1. Name Your Rule: Give your automation rule a descriptive name and, optionally, a detailed description to explain its purpose.
  2. Save the Rule: Click on the Save button to activate the rule. You will be prompted to review the rule details before finalizing.

Step 6: Test the Automation

  1. Create a Test Issue: To ensure your automation works as expected, create a new issue with the type Bug.
  2. Verify Assignment: Check if the issue gets automatically assigned to a developer in the round-robin list as intended.

Tips for JIRA Cloud Automation

  • Monitor Rule Usage: JIRA Cloud provides insights into how often your rules run and whether they are successful. Use this information to optimize and troubleshoot your automations.
  • Use Advanced Fields: Explore using JQL (JIRA Query Language) and smart values for more complex conditions and actions.
  • Review Permissions: Ensure that the automation rule’s executor has the necessary permissions to perform the assigned actions on issues.

By following these refined steps, you can effectively set up automation in your JIRA Cloud project to streamline workflows, reduce manual overhead, and improve project management efficiency.

Fact Checking ChatGPT

I wanted to ensure the information was actually accurate, so I walked through the instructions from ChatGPT to see how accurate they were. For the most part, I was able to follow through with the instructions and complete the example.
The differences I found were:

  1. In Step 3, the instructions say “Click on New Condition”, while the actual UI on my version of Jira Cloud displayed “IF: Add a condition”
  2. Similarly in Step 4 the instructions say “Click on New Action”, while the actual UI displayed “Then: Add a action”
  3. In Step 5, the instructions “Click on Save button” were quite different to the actual UI. There was no “Save” button, but a button that read “Turn on rule”. Selecting “Turn on Rule” provided the UI to name the automation and save it.


Conclusion

Leveraging ChatGPT’s vast knowledge base and ability to succinctly compose sentences can help you generate an instructional wiki for popular software in just minutes. You will still want to fact check the content that is generated and modify appropriately to ensure accuracy as software versions may differ. Lastly, you’ll need to capture your own screenshots to incorporate visual aids that will assist your readers in easily following the instructions.

David Wu