Last year, I wrote a guide to some things you might consider getting the Jira Admin in your life. And, I think that article was well received, so I decided to come back around for round 2!

Trying to come up with this year’s list was somewhat of a challenge. Last year, I mainly focused on gearing up for a remote work world. Now, we have a good mix of people working in the office, remotely, and everything in between. However, I have some great ideas here that I think any Jira Admin should appreciate. So let’s get into this.

Reference books

A few weeks ago, I sent out a message asking people for ideas on what they would like to get for a gift, and one theme that came back strong was reference books. Something to either help you do your job better or learn a new skill. To that end, I’ve included a few books here that I think any Jira Admin would love to get.

Jira Admin Strategy Workbook – Rachel Wright

Rachel is considered by many (including me) to be the original Atlassian content creator, and I’m sure many of you have attended her various talks and training over the years. That’s why her book is an easy recommendation in this category. I have a copy, and the advice and techniques contained within are always welcome.

The Effective Change Manager’s Handbook – Nicola Busby

Eighty-five percent of an effective Jira Admin’s job is managing changes. So having a book to help guide you through Change Management can be especially helpful. This book has the stamp of approval of the Change Management Institute and has been on my to-read list for a bit.  

Coffee

So it’s a bit of an in-joke that I.T. runs on coffee. But something that won’t go amiss is a supply of your Jira Admin’s favorite brew. Unfortunately, coffee preference is unique as a fingerprint, so it would be best to ask him what they like and get that. You won’t get to surprise your Hero of Jira, but I’m sure it’s something that they will appreciate all the same. 

Atlassian Swag

Yes, yes, I did suggest this one last year. But since then, Atlassian has released a whole new batch of swag in a whole new store. Some of them – like the Messenger bag or the Yeti Tumbler- definitely welcome additions to the collection. So if you haven’t checked it out lately, it definitely should be a great place for gift searching. 

USB C Monitor

Working on the road can be rough. The hardest part for me is limiting myself to one screen. I have three monitors in my home setup, and I use them extensively. So when I have to go down to one laptop screen, I slow down – it cannot be helped. But that’s where this gift can come in handy. It won’t fully replace your home setup, but it will give you that much more space to work on the road and get things done.  

And the return of one last gift

Last year, I prepared The Twelve Days of Jira as a nod to the Holidays. I loved it so much, I decided to bring it back for this year too!  

On the Twelfth Day of Jira, the tickets gave to me:
12 Jira Users
11 Groups to sort them
10 Roles to grant them
9 Pointless Meetings
8 Custom Fields
7 App Requests
6 License Keys
5 New Dashboards
4 Error Logs
3 Workflows
2 Issue Types
And a new Project for you and me!

Yeah, I’m still a dork. But, as always, if you manage to catch someone singing this at an office party, please let me know!

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

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