How to Transition Away from Jira and Have a Good Life Again

Has Jira become the bane of your existence? You're not alone. At the same time, do you find the idea of having to move your team’s data to a new system overwhelming and perhaps hard to justify? Then we have good news for you and your future life. 

There’s now a risk-free way to test the waters with Shortcut while still using Jira - via our new Jira Sync. Jira Sync pulls existing work over from a Jira project, and also syncs new Shortcut work back to Jira.

Watch the video to see how it works:

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Why Move Away from Jira?

Back in 2002, Jira was one of only a few viable options for anyone looking for a simple bug tracking/ticketing system. It was often implemented during the early growth stages of an organization. Then, it morphed into one of the only ways for teams to manage the software development lifecycle. All of this was, you know, back in the day.

Thankfully time has continued on and it’s no longer 2002.

So what’s wrong with Jira for today’s software teams? To name a few things:

• Jira’s configuration takes a lot of expertise - meaning the full potential of Jira is not often reached
• It’s not very user-friendly outside of the engineer/developer persona
• Jira itself doesn’t have the functionality - it relies on add-ons which get messy
• It’s quite old - you can tell from its outdated interface
• Reporting is lacking both in basic capability and visualization
• There is no standardization – Jira doesn’t have an opinion
• Collaboration isn’t optimal - i.e. roadmaps have to be developed outside of Jira
• Its project-centric system means visibility isn’t optimal, and it’s hard to see prioritization across teams
• Integrations exist, but often are not dynamic and still a manual process

Jira is so ingrained in many organizations that it’s taken almost until now - we’re at a tipping point where it’s hindering rather than contributing to team efficiency and collaboration - to really consider an alternative option.

But now there is one.

Here's what people said after switching to Shortcut:

• 97% reported direct time savings as a result of using Shortcut
• 59% reported more efficient collaboration between teams
• 56% reported more efficient processes across the business
• 43% reported less administration needed to manage projects

How it Works: Give Jira Sync a Try

Coming from Jira, you might be used to quite the complex setup process - as in, you may feel like you need a masters degree in Jira to do it; but, in Shortcut you’ll be pleasantly surprised. 

Here’s how it works.

1) Add your team (users) to Shortcut

First, add anyone that will be trying Shortcut out, as you will be mapping their contacts from Jira during an upcoming step. Learn how to invite users here.

2) Create or edit a workflow

In Shortcut editing and creating workflows is easy. There is a default workflow you can use, but if your team uses different workflow states or you want to rename the workflow, you can quickly make those updates. Learn how to edit and create workflows here.

3) Create a Team and add users to this Team (optional)

Teams are a core part of Shortcut organization and creating one is optional but strongly recommended. A Team represents a cross-functional squad, or any other group of users who collectively own Stories, Epics, and Iterations. Add the users that you added to Shortcut to this team and associate the Workflow you created with this Team. Learn how to create a Team here.

4) Create an Iteration and assign it to a Team

An Iteration is what we call a sprint in Shortcut. Set up an Iteration and assign it to the Team you just created. Learn how to create an Iteration here.

5) Turn on Jira Sync!

Now that you have your Shortcut instance set up, it's time to turn on Jira Sync. Learn how to turn on the Jira Sync here.

6) Add imported Stories to the Iteration

Go to the Stories page and bulk edit and add the Stories you just imported to the Iteration you created above. You will notice issues imported from Jira are easily identified with the Jira icon. Now if you go to the Iterations page, you will see your Iteration and the added Stories. Learn how to bulk edit Stories to an Iteration here.

Tips for Adjusting to Your New, Better Life with Shortcut

Let go of Jira's grip and get ready for a magical journey in the world of Shortcut. Here are a few pro tips to keep in mind:

Make Shortcut your source of truth

For the best experience, we recommend making Shortcut your source of truth during the Iteration, as this will ensure things stay up to date and your team gets the chance to try it out. For details on what syncs over and when, read our Jira Sync documentation. 

Create a saved space

To track and view your work you can create a saved Space on the Stories page. This is like a board in Jira. Just add the current Iteration filter and save! 

Try out filters and grouping on the Iteration Page

On the Iteration page, you can easily group and filter to get the views you need.

View built-in reporting

As the sprint progresses, track progress with the reporting on the Iteration page -no configuration needed!

Try out Docs

Once your Iteration is complete, run a retrospective in Docs. Select the template straight from the Iteration and your work and Docs are automatically linked. 

Try Shortcut for Free

Shortcut offers straightforward configuration, an easier learning curve, two-way integrations, strong reporting capability, improved roadmapping, and ease of collaborating across teams. 

‍Start your free trial today and escape the Jiratation - especially now that you can sync your existing work in Jira with Shortcut. Your better life awaits.