Team 2021: Sessions I’m checking out

Well, here we are. As I’m writing this, we are one week out from Team 2021 – the rebranding of what we called Summit in years past.  

While the keynotes are usually exciting enough – with the announcements and new features and such, there’s always something to catch my attention. But where I have grown the most as an Admin are the various sessions surrounding the event. And just because this year’s event is (again) digital doesn’t mean the same can’t be true.

So I figured I’d take this week and look at seven sessions I’ve bookmarked to view over the next week and what I hope to get out of them. So let’s get into this!

Digital health: Staying sane and healthy in an online world

Speaker: Chirag Harendra, Consultant

Duration: 30 Minutes

Team Type: Business

So, just saying, I am healthier than I was a year ago. That should go without saying. However, I am not exercising like I was before the hospital trip – and that’s a problem. Some of it is that I work from home now, and some of it is just the need to get back onto the horse. But a common refrain I’ve heard over and over again is that the Pandemic and a work-from-home model is impacting people’s mental health. And I get it! So I am looking forward to hearing what Chirag has to say on the subject and making sure I’m setting myself up for better health.

The newest Jira: an introduction to Jira Work Management

Speaker: Ron Levy, Group Product Manager, Jira Software, Atlassian

Duration: 30 Minutes

As you may know, Jira Work Management is currently in Beta, but I’m excited by what I’m seeing. I would not be surprised if we hear more about it at Team ’21, so I will be watching the Keynote very closely. However, Keynotes tend only to mention what the new features are, not how they work. If you want the meat and potatoes of how new features work, Sessions like this are a must-attend.   

How a well-tuned Jira can change everything for your team

Speaker: Craeg Strong, CTO, Ariel Partners

Duration: 30 minutes

Team Type: IT, Software

This! I have been saying this for years! Let’s say your Jira instance is slow, and it takes a second to load each page. That doesn’t sound like much, huh? Now multiply that by each person in your instance. Hint: there are 3600 seconds in an hour, so it does not take long to add up. And again, that is per page-load. And that’s not counting all the hassle and time-waste that an inefficient workflow can cause. So I am looking forward to hearing what they have to say on the subject. 

Atlassian Certification: you’re closer to a career-boosting credential than you think

Speaker: Joanna Thurmann, Principal Certification Developer, Atlassian

Duration: 30 Minutes

Team Type: IT, Software

Look, I’ve never lied to you. I’ve found the Atlassian Certifications difficult, and I’m not the only one who will tell you that. And considering I’ll likely need a few more to supplement the Certs that will be retiring in 2024 to maintain my Master status. So if they are offering tips and tricks, I’ll still be there. If you are considering getting an ACP, I’d recommend you consider it too.

By the by, if you are also looking at getting your first Certification, you might want to consider Atlassian’s new Certification Accelerator Experience. I believe the first groups may already be in progress, but I doubt it will be the last of them. I should note that while the prep course is free, the Exam will still have a fee, so be aware of that. Just something I thought I’d throw in, though!

What I wish I’d known: Moving Splunk’s 10,000 users to cloud

Speaker: Greg Warner, Sr. Atlassian Administrator, Splunk

Duration: 30 Minutes

Team Type: Business, IT

Migrations are complex, ugly, and messy affairs. Don’t get me wrong, some are easier than others, but even the easiest ones are no cakewalk. However, I found that the key is learning where the potential problems are and making sure you avoid them as you go along. To that end, Greg will be talking to us about what problems he had when migrating to Atlassian Cloud and the steps he wishes he had taken to avoid them. It should definitely be an interesting session.

Scale Atlassian tools at your fingertips with Kubernetes for large enterprises

Speaker: Deekshith Musthyala, Principle Application Developer, ADP

Duration: 30:00

Team Type: Business, IT, Software

So, not long after I started the blog, I tried to run Jira DC via Kubernetes. I still had some time on the trial license I had gotten to write the posts on Installing Data Center, so why not experiment? However, it was not…ready. I was also learning Kubernetes at the same time, so I might not have been the best person to test it. I was using Atlassian’s Docker images, but I still had to create the Kubernetes configurations to use them by hand.

At that time, I concluded it wasn’t ready for primetime. Oh, I got it up and running just fine, but I was spending more time keeping it that way than I would have using regular VM’s. However, that was then, and this is now. There is more support out there, as well as more experienced people who have blazed a trail. So I’d be interested in giving it a second look. 

It seems ADP has managed to hit all the checkboxes, so I’m going to be watching closely and taking notes. And please, PLEASE let there be a Github repo! I’d hate to have to reinvent wheels!

How to create a change management program that can withstand constant change

Speaker: Sarah Atkinson, Head of Programs & Practices, Atlassian

Change management has always been my bane. Change management when everything in the world is going crazy feels especially impossible. So, I’ll take help where I can get it. Sarah will be leading a panel discussion on how teams have adapted to the current environment to build systems that can change gracefully while still allowing collaboration. Definitely another session I’ll have my notebook ready for!

What sessions are you looking forward to?

Are there any I missed that you think should be highlighted? Or something that is on your “Can’t-Miss” list? Tell me about it in the comments! As always, you can also find me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, where you can share what you’re excited about in Team ’21.

In case you missed it last week, Appfox now has the webinar up as a playlist, so also check that out if you get a chance this week.

Scaling Mt. Jira Playlist

And to finish off, a quick programming note. You will be getting not one, not two, not even three, but Four different posts next week. Two of them will be overviews of the Keynote addresses, but the other two are surprises! But I cannot wait to share them with you!

But until next time, this is Rodney asking, “Have you updated your Jira issues today?”

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