As Jira as a tool is created in reference with the agile in general, there is an alignment needed when it comes to hierarchy of Enterprise Backlog Management task structures recommend by SAFe as below:
| Level | CTC Jira Terminology | Time Box | Description | Scope | SAFe Terminology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portfolio |
Initiative
|
More than one PI |
A significant solution development requirement, which usually cuts across multiple Planning Intervals (PIs) |
MVP+
|
Epic
|
ART |
Epic
|
One PI |
A solution functionality that delivers business value, fulfills a stakeholder need, and is sized to be delivered by an Agile Release Train within a Planning Intervals (PIs) |
MVP
|
Feature
|
Squad |
Story
|
One Iteration |
A story is the smallest unit of work in an agile framework, which is sized to be delivered by an agile squad/team within an Iteration |
MVP
|
Story/Enabler
|
Squad |
Task*
|
One Iteration |
Technical task or inquiry. |
MVP
|
|
Squad |
Bug*
|
One Iteration |
A problem which impairs or prevents the functions of the product. |
MVP
|
|
Squad |
Problem*
|
As per SLA |
Track underlying causes of incidents. Created through the Support channel. |
MVP
|
|
Squad |
Sub-Task*
|
One Iteration |
The sub-task of the issue. |
MVP
|
|
Future Considerations
| Level | CTC Jira Terminology | Time Box | Description | Scope | SAFe Terminology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Squad |
Risk (New Jira Issue Type)
|
One PI |
|
MVP
|
Risk
|
ART and Team (Discuss relevance at the ART level for the MVP) |
Enabler (new Jira Issue Type)
|
One PI |
Covers PoC, feasibility, architectural runway. Could be at the portfolio, ART or team backlogs. |
MVP +
|
Enabler
|
ART or team level |
Objective (new Jira Issue Type) |
One PI |
PI Objectives summarize the business and technical goals that teams and trains intend to achieve in the upcoming PI and are either committed or uncommitted. Fields Needed Planned Business Value (Drop down: 1-10) Actual value (Drop down: 0-10) |
MVP
|
Objective
|
The flow of work of the above backlog artifacts shown below in the diagram:
The workflows for Initiative, Epic & Stories can be referred from below diagrams:
Initiative board & Jira workflow
| Portfolio Board Column | Funnel
|
In Progress
|
Done
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | To Do | In Progress | Done | |
| Definition | Ideas and high level initiative created for upcoming multiple quarters/PI | The initiative has been added to a Portfolio backlog and is being broken down into Epics, Stories and Enablers. Planning & development of epics in ART backlog is in progress
|
The work related to this initiative is in production. |
Epic board & Jira workflow
| ART Board Column | Funnel |
Analyzing |
In Review (UI, Arch, System, Data
|
Ready |
In Progress |
Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | To Do | Analyzing |
In Review
|
Ready for Implementation |
In Progress | Done |
| Defintion | Ideas for future work. |
The epic is being prioritized and refined by business (benefit hypothesis) and technology leaders to the point where a decision can be made for technical review. |
The epic is being reviewed by system architect and UX team for feasibility. |
The epic meet the Epic Level Definition of Ready and work can begin when a squad has capacity. |
The epic has been added to a PI and work has begun. Stories and Enablers are in a squad backlog. Development and testing during Iterations are tracked on team backlog. |
The work related to this epic is in production. |
Story board & Jira workflow
| Squad Board Column | To-Do | Analysis | Prioritized | In Development | Code Review | Ready for QA | In QA | Ready for PO Review | PO Review | Done | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | To Do | Analysis | Prioritized | In Progress | Code Review | Ready for QA | In QA | Ready for Review | In Review | Done | Closed |
| Definition | Backlog items for epics that have been created | Backlog item is being analysed to understand all the requirements and highlight the risks & dependencies | Backlog Item has been prioritized and should be considered for the specified iteration. | Backlog Item is being developed in the specified iteration. | Code is ready for review or being reviewed. Pull Request has been submitted. | Backlog Item is ready for testing. | Backlog Item is being tested. | Backlog Item is ready for Product Owner to review. | Product Owner is reviewing the Backlog Item. | Backlog Item is Done. It meets Definition of Done. Backlog Items should be moved to Done column by Product Owner or with Product Owner’s consensus. Ready to deploy in staging. |
Deployed to Productio |
