Synchronization between PLANTA project and Jira

General

Information

• This topic provides a description of the exchange of data between PLANTA project and Jira when using the hybrid planning method. For a description of the underlying operation principle, please click here.

Synchronization from PLANTA project to Jira

Information

• Initial synchronization of the planned data from PLANTA project (tasks) to Jira is done in the Schedule module via the

  

  button and subsequent selection of the tasks to be synchronized. If the selection is saved, the respective tasks are synchronized.
• The synchronization of the changes is automatically effected at particular time intervals. As a result, all relevant changes which have been saved are synchronized.
  • If you want to transmit the changes to PLANTA pulse immediately, you can also trigger synchronization manually via the Extras → Synchronize with Jira menu item.
• Requirements for synchronization The relevant interfaces must have been configured. For further informations, see here.

A project must meet the following requirements in order for it to be synchronizable with Jira:

• The project is
  • active ( Status = active)
  • unlocked ( Locked = No)
  • not synchronized with another external system
  • The functional ID of the project must comply with the Jira ID rules, i.e. the functional ID of the project must start with a letter, followed by one or more letters or numbers. A maximum of 10 characters is permitted. Special characters are not permitted.
  • The project name must not be allocated in Jira yet.

Synchronization Procedure

• Select the "Jira" entry in the External system field in the Project Core Data module. As a result, a project correspodning to the project in PLANTA project is created in Jira.
• Go to the Schedule module and click on the

  

  button. As a result, a checkbox will be displayed next to each task via which you can mark the tasks to be synchronized..
• Activate the checkbox for the required module tasks and save. 
• As soon as synchronization is completed (this may take a few seconds), the 

  

  symbol is displayed next to the respective tasks as an indicator for successful synchronization.
  • If the symbol is not displayed, this means that synchronization was not carried out due to errors. In such a case, the synchronization symbol will be displayed in the header area of the Dashboard module with an exclamation mark. By clicking on the symbol, the Hybrid Protocol module is opened, in which all requests for an object which are sent to an external system are protocoled. Alternatively, the module can also be opened via Further... → Miscellaneous.
• If synchronization was completed successfully, open Jira by clicking on the

  

  symbol and log-in with the user corresponding to the manager of the project in PLANTA project.
• The checkboxes can be hidden by clicking on the

  

  button again.

Effects in Jira

• If the synchronization has been completed successfully,
  • the PLANTA project project is created as a project in Jira.
    • the name of the project in Jira corresponds to the name of the project in PLANTA project.
    • the key of the project in Jira corresponds to the functional ID of the project in PLANTA project.
  • the PLANTA project task is created as an issue of type = epic in Jira.
    • the functional task ID and the name of the task from PLANTA project become the epic-name in Jira. If the task to be synchronized has no functional ID in PLANTA, the technical task ID will be used.
  • the project manager of the project from PLANTA project becomes the assignee of the epic in Jira.
    •  Since in Jira only one person can be assignee of an epic at a time, no task-resource assignments from PLANTA project can be synchronized with Jira.
• If you have made changes to all of the afore mentioned data of a task which is synchronized with Jira and save, the changes are automatically transmitted to Jira and changed there as well.

Effects in PLANTA project

• In tasks already synchronized with Jira, the

  

  button via which the corresponding issue in Jira can be opened is displayed next to the task name in the schedule.

Restrictions

• Only projects can be synchronized with Jira. Ideas, proposals, and programs cannot be synchronized.
• As soon as at least one task has been synchronized with Jira, the External system parameter can no longer be empty or be changed to another external system. The user is informed by a respective message.
• (Master) milestones and summary tasks can no longer be synchronized with Jira. If the user tries to convert a task synchronized with Jira into a (master) milestone or a summary task, a respective message will be displayed.
• If a task has been synchronized with Jira, this cannot be undone.
• Projects/tasks which are synchronized with Jira (and exist in Jira) cannot be deleted in PLANTA project. The user is informed by a respective message.
  • Just like resynchronized load records, resource assignments which are resynchronized from Jira, i.e. those that stem from Jira or have already received loads from Jira, cannot be deleted either.
• A project managers must be assigned to the project and he/she must have already been synchronized with Jira as a user. If a synchronized project manager is missing, synchronization will not run through.
• Only active projects and tasks of active projects are synchronized.

Resynchronization from Jira to PLANTA project

Information

• The resynchronization from Jira to PLANTA project will be carried out automatically as soon as the data has been saved in Jira via so called webhooks.

Caution

• Data which has been recorded in Jira and has already been resynchronized with PLANTA project must not be deleted since information on data deleted in Jira is not transmitted to PLANTA project.

Which data will be resynchronized?

• If the assignee of an epic is changed in Jira, the respective person is assigned to the respective task in PLANTA as a new resource assignment.
• If hours are recorded on an epic in Jira by a person who is assigned to the respective task in PLANTA project as a resource, loads will be created for this resource in PLANTA project.
• If hours are recorded on an epic in Jira by a person who is not yet assigned to the respective task in PLANTA project as a resource,
  • a resource assignment will be created on the task in PLANTA project and
    • then the loads recorded in Jira will be assigned to it.

Details

• In Jira it is not only possible to record hours worked on epics which directly correspond to the tasks in PLANTA project, but also on the elements, stories, which are directly subordinate to the epics. In resynchronization, hours from stories are assigned correctly to the respective task in PLANTA project.
• If an hour record created in Jira contains a comment, it will be transmitted to PLANTA project as well.
  • In PLANTA, the comment field has 80 characters. If a longer comment is written in Jira, it will be shortened to the length applicable in PLANTA project upon transmission.
• In order to see the hours transmitted from Jira, open the With loads module variant in the schedule. If this module variant has already been opened, the display must be refreshed after transmission.
  • In order for the loads transmitted from Jira to be considered in effort data on the resource assignments and on tasks, the schedule must be recalculated.

Notes

• In resynchronization, the data from Jira is loaded in pool tables first. In the pool tables, the following is checked:
  • the affiliation of data, i.e. to which task the hours of which epic or story belong
  • the admissibility of data recording in PLANTA project, like e.g. key date, work reporting into the future, etc.
    
    • Only the data for which the check result is positive will be loaded in PLANTA project tables and then be displayed in the respective modules as well. If particular expected data from Jira is not received in PLANTA project, missing data can be checked in the pool tables, or the information on the respective transactions can be retrieved in the Requests module.