Less is More: Managing JIRA effectively without Plugin Overuse

Striking the Balance

In large organizations, the number of plugins tends to grow naturally over extended periods. It is because different teams need different features and they end up installing plugins contributing to plugin overuse. This is with most of the tools across the industry however, for now, I will only discuss JIRA as this is a widely used project management tool, particularly in the software industry.

To maintain a more efficient and secure JIRA environment it is important to strike a balance between the freedom and control provided to the users.

Couple of projects I worked in the past dealt with challenges of plugin overuse leading to performance degradation, unreliable user experience, security risks and reduced system reliability.

Clarity over Complexity

1. Compile a list of all the plugins used per instance. This list should include their purpose, active integrations, whether they are paid or unpaid, if a trial version is being used, and any other necessary information.

2. Remove plugins that have overlapping features to streamline the system.

3. Every plugin installation must have an approval process with a quick turnaround time, plugin installation can be restricted to few trusted administrators to prevent unauthorised installation.

4. Before downloading additional plugins, first check the official Atlassian documentation page for JIRA. Some plugins may offer functionality that is already built into JIRA.

5. Data privacy concerns for third party plugins:

   1. When installing a third-party plugin created by an independent developer or firm, we must consider the specific information the plugin can access and how it manages that data.

   2. JIRA license doesn’t include the terms & condition of third party plugins, it displays a disclaimer when installing third party plugins.

   3. It is generally advisable to avoid installing third-party plugins. However, if there is a necessity to install one, the security protocol for obtaining new software should be followed for this particular plugin.

   4. Every third party plugin should be cleared by the organization’s security team before installation.

6. Evaluate the credibility of a plugin before you download it, check the Atlassian marketplace reviews and ratings, developer reputation, community feedback. Read the plugin documentation thoroughly before you make the choice.

7. Data Privacy

8. Some plugins also have performance metrics in place to understand the plugin’s impact on system performance and productivity.

9. Always go through the plugins change log and update history, frequent updates and response to user feedback by rolling out improvements, updates and fixes are telltale signs that the plugin is credible.

10. It is essential to check for plugin integration not only with JIRA, but also with other tools in your organization to understand where it is being utilised. For example, customers often don't know the source of data when there are multiple integrations with other tools in your organization.

11. Most of the widely used features are typically available in the premium version of JIRA. Therefore, it may be more cost-effective to opt for the premium version rather than paying for multiple plugins.

12. Capture the WHY? for each plugin in your JIRA instance: A concise document on the choice of the plugin and what it does to improve the functionality specific to your JIRA instance.

Takeway

The ideal approach is to minimize the overuse of plugins and consistently check for their compatibility with the most recent versions of JIRA, as well as their support for cloud and data center.

This way, when you upgrade your JIRA instance, you won't have to do the heavy lifting and it ensures a simple, secure, and efficient project management environment for you and your organization.