Agile software development has been gaining momentum over the years as more and more people start to see problems with the traditional model, and the benefits agile methodologies bring. In agile, development happens in iterative cycles and improvements are made in each iteration. Feedback is gathered as early as possible, improving customer engagement and team collaboration. All of these actions help development teams to better anticipate and manage changes.
Atlassian, the maker of popular issue tracking software JIRA, recognizes the values agile can bring. It has become a leader in agile software development by coming out with JIRA Agile, a product that adds agile support to JIRA. In this chapter, we will introduce the basics of JIRA Agile.
By the end of the chapter, you will have learned:
- What JIRA Agile is
- The different options to install JIRA Agile
- The key concepts and terminologies
- Creating new agile projects with project templates
JIRA Agile, formerly known as GreenHopper, is a JIRA add-on that enables agile capabilities in JIRA. This does not mean you need to choose between JIRA and JIRA Agile. As we will see later in this chapter, JIRA Agile simply takes the data stored in JIRA, transforms and presents it in a way that makes it easier for you to visualize, plan, and manage your issues with agile methodologies such as Scrum. JIRA Agile supports two agile methodologies:
- Scrum: This is an agile methodology where the development team works iteratively to complete the project. Each iteration or sprint has a defined timeframe and scope. Scrum is most suitable for software development projects. You can find out more about Scrum at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(software_development).
- Kanban: This is an agile methodology that emphasizes on just-in-time delivery by visualizing the workflow and tasks in progress. Kanban is most suitable for operation teams. You can find out more about Kanban at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanban.
In short, the following list summarizes what JIRA Agile is and is not:
- JIRA Agile is an add-on for JIRA
- JIRA Agile is powered by new features and data stored in JIRA
- JIRA Agile is not a separate, standalone application
- JIRA Agile does not require you to be a seasoned JIRA user to use it
- As an end user, you can use JIRA Agile, almost independently, from JIRA if you choose to