How to Integrate Jira with Azure DevOps in 3 Easy Steps?

In today's fast-paced digital world, companies are constantly looking for ways to increase their productivity and streamline their processes. With the increasing popularity of project management tools, Jira and Azure DevOps have become two of the most widely used platforms in the industry. In this article, we will be discussing how to integrate Jira and Azure DevOps to enhance your project management process.

What is Jira?

Jira is a project management tool developed by Atlassian that is widely used in software development teams. It provides a centralized platform for teams to plan, track, and manage their projects. Jira helps in improving project visibility, collaboration, and communication among team members.

What is Azure DevOps?

Azure DevOps is a cloud-based platform developed by Microsoft that provides a complete toolchain for continuous integration, continuous delivery, and agile planning. It offers a range of features for software development teams, including source control management, continuous integration and delivery, and agile planning.

Benefits of Jira - Azure DevOps Integration

Integrating Jira and Azure DevOps can provide numerous benefits for software development teams. By integrating the two platforms, teams can achieve better collaboration, visibility, and efficiency. It can also help in reducing duplication of efforts and improving productivity.

For instance, a company might have a backend team utilizing Azure DevOps while the frontend team works with Jira. Alternatively, one system might be designated for developers, and the other for customer support. A key advantage of this integration is the flexibility it offers, allowing teams to customize their respective platforms as desired. Teams can work within their preferred environments without compromising their security or autonomy.

Nonetheless, this approach may present challenges, such as the risk of teams becoming siloed. Information stored on separate platforms can lead to duplications or inaccuracies. Fortunately, there are available tools designed to facilitate effective cross-team collaboration. 

3 Aspects of Successful Jira-Azure DevOps Integration

When implementing a Jira and Azure DevOps integration, consider these three crucial aspects:

1. Decentralized Integration:

Although the goal is to connect teams, it's essential to maintain their independence and control over their data, sharing practices, and security measures. The integration should enable teams to view and manage shared information without needing approval from the other team, allowing them to adjust incoming data as necessary.

2. Reliability:

As even well-designed systems may encounter issues, your chosen integration solution should be capable of handling errors gracefully. It must detect and resolve any problems without manual intervention, and recover swiftly from downtime when one or both platforms become inaccessible.

3. Flexibility:

As teams' needs evolve over time, the integration solution should adapt to these changes. It must accommodate varying project requirements, data collection practices, and information-sharing needs without causing disruption on either side.

How to Integrate Jira and Azure DevOps?

Now, let's walk through a step-by-step guide on how to set up integration between Jira and Azure DevOps:

Step 1 – Install Exalate on Jira

1. Sign in to your Jira account and click the cog icon at the upper right.
2. Click "apps" in the menu and then "Find new apps" under "Atlassian Marketplace."
3. Search for "Exalate" and select "Exalate Jira Issue Sync & more."

4. Click "Try it free" and complete the installation process.

Step 2 – Install Exalate on Azure DevOps

• Log in to Azure DevOps and click the shopping bag icon.

• Select "Browse Marketplace" and search for "Exalate."

• Click "Exalate for Azure DevOps" and then the green "Get" button.

• Complete the installation wizard and generate an evaluation license.

• Check your email for the evaluation key and enter it on the "License Key" screen.

Step 3 – Connect Jira and Azure DevOps Instances

1. Log in to Azure DevOps and navigate to Exalate.
2. Click "Connections" in the Exalate menu and then "Initiate connection."
3. Choose your destination URL (Jira instance address) and ensure Exalate is installed on the target node.
4. Select a configuration mode: Basic, Visual, or Script. Configure the connection accordingly.

Azure Devops and Jira Integration : Fusion for Success

Integrating Jira and Azure DevOps can provide numerous benefits for software development teams. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily integrate the two platforms and reap the benefits of improved collaboration, increased visibility, streamlined processes, and enhanced reporting capabilities. By using a third-party integration tool, you can achieve a seamless integration between Jira and Azure DevOps and take your project management process to the next level.

However, simply using Azure DevOps might not be enough to get the best out of your project space, an engineering analytics tool can equip you with the data-driven insights you need to place your team on top. Hatica offers metrics across 13 dashboards, powered by CI/CD tools, Jira, GitHub, Azure, and GitLab. By collating tool activities at one place, Hatica helps teams streamline their workflow and improve productivity.

Subscribe to the Hatica blog today to read more about unblocking developers, and boosting productivity with engineering analytics. 

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FAQs

1. Can Azure DevOps replace Jira?

Azure DevOps and Jira are two popular project management tools for DevOps teams, and although the two share some similar features, they have different core aims and use cases. Those already using Microsoft Azure are likely to find Azure DevOps a more integrated option that's ready to go out of the box.

2. What are the common use cases for integrating Jira and Azure DevOps?

Common use cases include syncing work items, sharing project progress, linking issues, and facilitating communication between development and non-development teams. This integration enhances traceability and efficiency across the board.

3. Is it possible to integrate Jira and Azure DevOps if my teams are using different processes or methodologies?

Yes, integration can accommodate different processes and methodologies. You can configure the integration to map work items, fields, and workflows to align with your teams' specific requirements.

4. Are there any security concerns when integrating these platforms?

Security is a crucial consideration. Ensure that the integration solution you choose adheres to security best practices, such as encrypting data in transit and at rest. Additionally, define access controls to restrict data access only to authorized personnel.

5. How can I ensure the integration remains reliable and up-to-date?

Regularly monitor the integration for errors and ensure that it is kept up to date with the latest versions of Jira and Azure DevOps. Implement error handling and recovery mechanisms to maintain reliability.