So, I have a [not so] shocking confession to make:

I don’t know everything about Jira.  

I can already hear you saying, “But…YOU’RE The Jira Guy! You have to know everything!” Honestly, I’m not sure I know anyone who does. Jira is such a big, complex, and configurable product that I doubt anyone can know absolutely everything about this platform. And that’s all right. Being a Jira expert isn’t about knowing everything by memory. It’s more about being able to find what you don’t know efficiently.

In this regard, Google is your friend. But I also have a few resources I depend on. Resources that I know aren’t likely to steer me wrong. So I thought I’d go over those resources today. These are people and websites that I know will likely have the answer I need. So, let’s get started.

Atlassian Knowledge Base

So, whether I’m writing a post or working for a client, the first place I often look at is the Atlassian Knowledge Base (KB). While it won’t have every answer, you’d be surprised what you can find there. One of the most obscure things I have found in the KB is instruction on how to change a directory type. It just happened to be just what I needed, but I wasn’t expecting to find that in there.

Atlassian Community

Honestly, I debated combining this section with the Atlassian KB, as they often go hand in hand. The Community is a place you can ask questions and browse articles written by other Atlassian experts. However, because questions are not deleted often, you can often find that someone else has already asked your question before. If you are lucky, someone has also come by and given a great answer that has been accepted – and if you are fortunate, there will also be relevant documentation links. I cannot stress enough how many times the Community has helped me out – and I try to return the favor when I can by answering questions myself. So if you are having a problem, it might be worth a search.

Rachel. Freakin. Wright.

You all knew this was coming.  Rachel is an Author, Presenter, consultant, and is the Jira Expert. I own a copy of her book and reference it every once and a while. And looking back, most of my ideas around process and Jira Management are just rehashes of ideas she first put to paper.  

However, the book isn’t the only source she’s produced. She is also known to give fairly regular presentations and has a whole series on LinkedIn Learning on Jira Administration. Most recently, she’s partnered with Botron to produce an e-book on Migrations. Everyone who has asked me for a guide to migrations: There you go!

Ravi Sagar

Ravi is hands down the most prolific Atlassian content creator I know. There are weeks where I have problems coming up with a new concept for a post – and I only post once a week. This man is out there doing a youtube video every freakin day.

That would be enough for most people, but not Ravi. This guy also Blogs. And if that wasn’t enough, he also wrote a book. Seriously, if you are not also following and learning from Ravi, what are you even doing?

Fabio Genovese

Fabio is unique on this list as his content is often in Italian. Not that language is a problem – I often use google translate to read his posts. But it is still well worth a follow, as it provides a different perspective than you usually would get. Fabio also gives presentations at ACE events – the last one I saw (on Atlassian for Non-IT environments) had many good points.  

The Elephant in the room

So, I’ve used thejiraguy.com as a reference while working. “But – YOU wrote it! Why would you need to reference it!?”  

Well, here’s the thing. There are things I do regularly. Things like setting up a project or adjust its permissions, updating custom fields, or working with workflows. Things that are continually reinforced – and therefore, I don’t need to look up as often.

But I may stand up a Jira Data Center instance once a year. Maybe.  For tasks like this, I depend on the notes I made while writing my post. I know that I had documentation open while writing the post and that I did it while standing up a DC instance. Therefore, I know I can rely on those posts to back me up while I work.  

I guess what I’m saying is two-fold. First: don’t be afraid to reference your old notes. Short of taking the ACP, you’ll always have access to them, and they can serve as a great way to reinforce your memory. 

Second: Don’t be afraid to reference this website as a resource. I do.

And that’s it for this week!

I know this post is a bit short, but I’ve unfortunately had a bit of a busy week. However, let me know if there are any resources you depend on? Of course, you can comment on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram to let me know. While you’re there, also be sure to share this post and leave a like. You can also support me on Patreon, where you will get access to Patron-only posts. But until next time, my name is Rodney, asking, “Have you updated your Jira issues today?