Implementing sophisticated delivery reporting at the portfolio and program levels in Jira is crucial for organizations adopting scaled agile frameworks. Here's an in-depth look at the topic, focusing on the top challenges and solutions, including the Broken Build solution.

Top 3 Challenges in Implementing Scaled Agile Frameworks in Jira

1. Transferring Planning Processes: Moving final Program Increment (PI) plans into Jira involves a lot of manual work, such as converting sticky notes from diagramming software into Jira tickets and manually creating dependencies. This process is time-consuming and prone to errors, especially when syncing data manually​​.
2. Lack of Overview of Progress Within an Agile Release Train (ART): Once data is brought into Jira, there's often a challenge in properly aggregating it, making it difficult to visualize the total velocity and current status for planning​​.
3. Reporting in Another Tool: Even after planning data is in Jira, comprehensive reporting can be a challenge, leading teams to use third-party tools like PowerBI or Google Data Studio for this purpose​​.

Solutions and Enterprise Approaches in Jira

1. Custom Hierarchy and Issue Types: Jira administrators can configure issue type hierarchies by modifying levels (e.g., Epic, Story, Sub-Task) to reflect organizational needs better. This customization is key to tracking larger initiatives and unifying cross-project work​​.
2. Advanced Roadmaps: A feature in Jira Software Premium and Enterprise, it facilitates strategic planning across multiple teams and projects. It helps in managing dependencies and exploring different scenarios, functioning as a sandbox for planning​​.
3. Components and Labels: Components act as project subsections, grouping issues into manageable sets and allowing for specific team assignments. Labels offer a flexible way to categorize issues across different projects or components, aiding in cross-project visibility and quick filtering​​.
4. Custom Fields: These user-defined fields can be added to issues, enabling the capture of unique data relevant to a project or team's needs, crucial for aligning issue tracking with team workflows​​.

Building the 2-Level Structure of Portfolio and Programs

Creating a two-tier structure with Portfolios (Initiatives) and Programs (Program Epics) is a strategic approach to managing large-scale projects. It involves defining a clear hierarchy where Portfolios represent high-level strategic objectives, and Programs are collections of related projects or activities aimed at achieving these objectives. This structure enhances clarity, focus, and alignment within an organization, ensuring that teams work towards common goals while maintaining flexibility to adapt to changes and challenges.

To implement a two-tier structure with Portfolios (Initiatives) and Programs (Program Epics) in Jira Basic, follow these steps:

1. Define Issue Types for Each Level: Create custom issue types in Jira to represent your Portfolios (Initiatives) and Programs (Program Epics). This classification will help differentiate between the two levels.
2. Linking Issues: Use Jira's linking functionality to establish relationships between your Program Epics and Portfolio Initiatives. This helps track how multiple programs contribute to a single portfolio.
3. Custom Fields for Additional Information: Add custom fields to capture specific information at both the portfolio and program levels. This might include details like strategic objectives for portfolios and key activities for programs.
4. Dashboard and Filters: Utilize Jira’s dashboards and filters to create views that represent your portfolio and program structures. This can help in monitoring the progress and status of different initiatives and programs.
5. Use Components for Further Categorization: Break down your Program Epics into smaller parts using components. This can help in managing and tracking specific areas or teams within a program.

By using Jira's basic functionalities like custom issue types, linking, custom fields, dashboards, and components, you can effectively implement a two-level structure of portfolio and programs without needing Premium features or third-party apps. This setup enhances organizational focus, alignment, and agility in managing large-scale projects.

The Broken Build Solution: Team/Cross-team Burnup Chart for Initiatives

Broken Build has developed a new chart type for Jira - the Team/Cross-team Burnup Chart for Initiatives. This tool offers several features:

• Allows selection of the top-level issue for tracking.
• Users can set the issue level in the hierarchy and specify link types to exclude irrelevant links, like “blocked by”.
• It accommodates different link types at various levels, enabling more than one link type to be selected.

This chart enhances visibility and tracking at both the team and cross-team levels for initiatives, addressing the gap in reporting and planning challenges.

Application Examples of Team/Cross-team Burnup Chart for Initiatives

The Team/Cross-team Burnup Chart can be employed in various scenarios:

• Strategic Initiative Tracking: For large-scale initiatives that span multiple teams, this chart can provide a consolidated view of progress, helping in identifying bottlenecks and ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
• Cross-Team Collaboration: It facilitates visibility into how different teams contribute to a common initiative, fostering collaboration and coordinated effort.
• Agile Release Train (ART) Monitoring: In a scaled agile setup, this chart can be instrumental in tracking the progress of different teams within an ART, providing insights into overall progress and dependencies.

In summary, sophisticated delivery reporting in Jira at the portfolio/program level addresses key challenges in implementing scaled agile frameworks. By leveraging customized hierarchies, advanced roadmaps, components, labels, and custom fields, along with third-party tools and innovative solutions like the Broken Build's Team/Cross-team Burnup Chart, organizations can achieve a comprehensive and effective portfolio and program management. This approach not only enhances strategic planning and tracking but also supports better decision-making and agile implementation at scale.

FAQ

What is Advanced Roadmaps in Jira, and how does it help?

Advanced Roadmaps is a feature in Jira Software Premium and Enterprise that facilitates strategic planning across multiple teams and projects, helping manage dependencies and explore different scenarios.

How can components and labels be used to improve project management in Jira?

Components act as project subsections for grouping issues, while labels offer flexible categorization across projects, aiding in cross-project visibility and quick filtering.

What is a 2-level structure of Portfolio and Programs in Jira?

It's a strategic approach where Portfolios (Initiatives) represent high-level objectives, and Programs (Program Epics) are collections of related projects aimed at achieving these objectives.

How can a 2-level structure be implemented in Jira Basic?

It can be implemented by defining custom issue types, using linking functionality, adding custom fields, creating dashboards and filters, and utilizing components for further categorization.

What is the Broken Build solution for initiative tracking?

Broken Build has developed a Team/Cross-team Burnup Chart for Initiatives, which allows tracking of top-level issues, accommodates different link types, and enhances visibility at both team and cross-team levels. Available in the Agile Reports and Gadgets app.

How can the Team/Cross-team Burnup Chart be applied in project management?

It can be used for strategic initiative tracking, facilitating cross-team collaboration, and monitoring Agile Release Trains (ARTs) in scaled agile setups.