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Create swimlanes in staruml5/27/2023 ![]() With the query-based approach, you can create swimlanes for each of the other types described by simply writing appropriate Jira Query Language (JQL). You have full control, you can easily adjust what’s on screen, and you can add new queries at any time. Here’s the thing… I use query-driven swimlanes almost all the time. It is not something I would often use but is probably useful at getting to grips with vanilla Jira Kanban boards. ![]() This option applies no filtering to a board. If reporting on multiple projects (or sub-sections of projects), then this option will allow you a global view of the status of each – perfect for the big-picture megalomaniacs out there! None On the kanban for our waterfall teams who are executing a project plan, I see a lot of value in using swimlane by query to dedicate a swimlane to ‘critical path’ and another to ‘behind target’.” Patty Land, Project Management Consultant, PwC Jira project swimlanes “For smaller teams, we actually prefer to do quick filters for each assignee. if they were ill/unable to work for a period of time. This might be useful for a quick view of the workload at scrum master level or to see what reliance a project has on an individual, e.g. Selecting this option shows a person-by-person view of what work is assigned to them. There will be other information on the cards but it is a standard view of the state of a project and looks very much like a traditional Kanban board. Jira comes with six distinct options for swimlanes, each with differing purposes and uses.Ĭreating Story or Epic swimlanes will simply present the stories or epics in the project and what status they are currently in. What type of Jira swimlanes should you use? ![]() putting ‘test’ and ‘retest’ in the same column on the board is useful because it reduces space. That way you can set up useful boards quickly, e.g. Jira provides the opportunity to merge multiple workflow statuses into the same columns and relabel columns in any way that suits you. It is more common to have many more statuses that you could group on a singular board. The simplest workflow might have a simple three-part model with a beginning, middle, and end, but this would be rare. TIP: Before you start to create your swimlanes, ensure that each item can be dragged freely from one status to another within your on-screen/project modelling. … that includes state transformationsįrequently I’ve been called to look at a Jira Kanban board with cards that cannot be moved on screen because they are not ‘in the right state’. However, it is key for you to choose what is right for you based on what statuses you plan on reporting on or are wanting to see. Most workflows have similar concepts such as a starting state, an end state, and one or multiple loops in the middle. The ‘measure twice, cut once’ still applies in tech! Many times have I scribbled down and changed what I was trying to do in meetings and I can’t tell you how much time it’s saved me in the long run. However, it is often better to draw your own workflow on a piece of paper before mapping it into Jira. When you set up a project, there are a number of basic workflows out of the box which you could choose. It may sound obvious, but without an appropriate workflow, swimlanes are not very powerful and possibly even unusable. (Our Visualizing Work with Jira Kanban Boards has more detail.) Get your Jira workflow right If you’re interested in using swimlanes for a project on a Kanban board, there are a number of key decisions that the project manager needs to make before creating them. There are advantages and disadvantages of using virtual boards with swimlanes over physical boards but that is for another time. In most definitions this is a ‘view’ of a Kanban board and not dissimilar to physical board forms used throughout many agile organisations in the world. They are a clever, query-driven way of producing dynamic lists with a logical workflow and, significantly, a visual way of seeing the health of a project and any outstanding blockages that need addressing. Swimlanes are normally used to separate your project to-do lists into ordered, actionable, and easily identifiable ‘faster/more important’ sections for individual users or project areas. This article explains what they are, what they’re used for, and how to create them. Luckily for us and our Jira musings, swimlanes in Jira are actually pretty similar to what most of us understand swimlanes to be. Back in the annals of time, the word ‘nice’ meant ‘silly, foolish, simple’ and the word ‘silly’ meant ‘worthy’ or ‘blessed’. We have a tendency as a species to reuse and reapportion the meaning of words into new and fancy things. My wife overheard me talking about ‘swimlanes’ yesterday, which led her to excitedly expect that we were going to the leisure center at the weekend. ![]()
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