IPM Suite – Jira Based Project Planning Tools: A Field Report
For our customer transformation program using a wbs starting with more then 3500 planning work packages (detailed work packages to be refined later) we tested the following jira plug-Ins in detail:
- Big Gantt (as part of Big Picture): https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1213016/biggantt-gantt-chart-for-jira?hosting=cloud&tab=overview
- WBS Gantt Chart: https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1211768/wbs-gantt-chart-for-jira?hosting=cloud&tab=overview
- Structure Gantt: https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1217809/structure-gantt-planning-at-scale?hosting=datacenter&tab=overview
Based on the feedback on more than 30 project managers we identified several key capabilities we need in our customer context. We assigned the coverage grade of every tool to the capability to find out the tool we will use for our whole IT project portfolio: WBS Gantt Chart.
In the next section you see our assessment result.
Create and Maintain a WBS/Project Plan including all Elements: WBS Levels, Work packages, Activities
Allow User to convert a task to a milestone (Visualised as milestone) and to flag a task as inbound/outbound deliverable
Create and maintain a hierarchical relationship in the WBS without Level limitation
Limited to max. 10 according to vendor feedback. Due to massive performance issues, the vendor recommded 3 levels.
Allow a full collaborative work wise for all wbs tasks and for different user access rights (Write / Read)
Allow sub-stream related WBS plans and a master view referencing to sub-stream Plans. This Setup should be changeable.
Technically possible. The Vendor recommends to edit a wbs task only in one gantt board (sub-stream Board). Therefore the master board should be only for reading and could have several root elements.
Visualise the Plan in List View with full customisable Columns
Sorting of several plug-In standard columns cannot be changed
Visualise the WBS Plan in Gantt View with customisable Date Ranges
Editing in Gantt AND List are possible and lead to the same data result.
Editing in Gantt AND List are possible and lead to the same data result.
Gantt changes don’t lead always to the expected data change result
Implement and Visualise a dependency type:
Finish to Start
Implement and Visualise dependency type: FF, SF, SS
Allow multiple dependencies between WBS Plan Elements
100% Automatic date re-calculation based on changes of dependencies
Selective automatic date re-calculation based on changes of dependencies
Tasks can be selectively configured to recalculate automatically or manually.
Some tasks can be frozen for every normal users i.e. program key mile stones. in this case, linked WBS elements cannot force a recalculation/shift on those.
Selective automatic date re-calculation based on changes of dependencies
Tasks can be selectively configured to recalculate automatically or manually.
Some tasks can be frozen for every normal users i.e. program key mile stones. in this case, linked WBS elements cannot force a recalculation/shift on those.
Selective automatic date Re-calculation based on Day Lags (e.g. FS + xx Days)
Lock plan elements / milestones against changing
WBS list view allows quick inline editing in, without opening jira edit forms
Summary is editable.
100% planned in product roadmap
Allow baselining: 1…n
GANTT View allows grouping the dates of child elements and showing the aggregated duration, earliest and latest Date
Start / end dates und duration of child WBS elements should be aggregated bottom-up
Child Elements can influence directly start and end dates of upper elements, if upper elements are not locked.
If upper elemens are locked for recalculation, then changes at child elements will be limited within the range of upper elements.
Calculation implemented by an own implemented jira script, running every 60 MIN.
Changes of start / end dates und duration should be calculated top-down to child wbs elements
simple reschedules of parent elements work as expected
Expand / Reduce Plan List View to different Levels
Every Plan Element has an Unique unchanged ID (= WBS ID)
Add Jira Filters to WBS View allowing Sub-Set Views and Editing for Sub-Teams
Add Jira Filters to WBS View allowing Sub-Set Views and Editing for Sub-Teams
The Plan and all relationsships must be technically readable to allow QA Dashboards, Reporting and EVA Calculation
Allow a fluent and Uninterruptible work-wise with the WBS Plan: Initial Load and Editing of at least 50.000 in one Plan
Better as structure gantt, but missing inline editing feature and the prompt changes in jira issues types lead to a slower workflow as wbs gantt chart.
Best Performance: After fast initial load, all changes are done in memory until the “Save” button is pressed.
Work with our plan (3500 wbs tasks in 10 levels) was no more reliable. we stopped working with structure gantt.
Allow Instruments to “Control” the Progress of WBS/Plan: Status, Grade of Completion, Estimated End Date, Efforts…
Ressource Planning: 1..n Resources with different Loads (Planned Efforts vs Duration)
Team assignment ist possible.
A Team consists of x assignees with independent available capacity pattern, Task can be assigned to a team. Task can have special skill requirement defined in the team definition.
Only 1:1 Assignment
Bulk shift of several WBS Elements directly in WBS Plan e.g. 3 Months later
Bulk Change of Attributes of selected WBS Elements
Bulk Copy of a WBS Sub-Tree
Import MS Project Plans
