The Jira Github integration is a dynamic way for development teams to improve collaboration, workflow management, and visibility into development progress. While it's just one of over 1,000 Jira integrations in the Atlassian marketplace, this blog post will look closer at best practices when using the Jira GitHub integration and how teams can use it to its full potential.
But first... What is GitHub?
You can skip this part if you're a dev or even mildly tech-savvy. GitHub is a web-based hosting service that uses Git for version control. It features all of the distributed version control and collaboration features of Git and a graphical user interface (web interface), code hosting, and bug tracking. Millions of developers use GitHub to host and review code, manage projects, and collaborate on software development. It's intuitive UI, and wide range of features make GitHub a popular choice for individual developers and teams. To learn more about Jira and its automation capabilities, check out our other blog post — Jira Automation: Simplify Your Business Processes And Stay Connected.
Github Features and Benefits
Access open-source projects easily
If you're in the tech space, you'll know that nearly every open-source Dev manages their project via GitHub. GitHub is free for open-source projects, including an issue tracker and Wiki where you can add detailed documentation and receive comments. To contribute, fork a project, make your changes, and send them a pull request via the GitHub web interface.
Maintain and access high-quality records and documentation
As one of the largest platforms for software developers, GitHub allows you to maintain and record robust data sets and document your progress. You can also access a treasure trove of information from subject matter experts if you need help or inspiration. Further, GitHub lets you track changes in your code between versions, keeping you organized and on track.
Showcase and share projects
Do you want to attract recruiters as a developer? GitHub is a reliable resource for top talent. Most companies put more weight on GitHub profiles over prestigious school credentials when looking for talented devs for their projects. Open GitHub profiles increase your chances of being seen by recruiters in the tech industry, with many companies listing a GitHub profile as a requirement in their JDs.
Markdown
Markdown allows you to write styled texts using a simple text editor. GitHub has transformed writing by channeling everything through Markdown, including the issue tracker and user comments. With so many other computer languages to master for project setup, inputting content in a format without learning another system is a huge benefit.
Robust Repository
As previously noted, GitHub is a repository that helps you reach broad audiences. It also acts as an archive for your projects, making them readily available to share or re-visit. GitHub is one of the largest coding communities, so your project will receive widespread exposure.
Track changes to your code across versions
When several people work on a project, it can be tough to keep track of revisions—who modified what, when, and where those files are stored. GitHub handles this issue by keeping track of all modifications pushed to the repository. You can save a version history of your code, as you would with Microsoft Word or Google Drive, to save past versions with each iteration.
What Can I Expect from the Jira GitHub Integration?
Integrating GitHub and Jira helps developers focus less on manual updates and more on what they do best—coding. You can learn about some of the key benefits of the GitHub Jira integration below.
- View GitHub issues in Jira. Track the progress of your issues in one place.
- Create Jira issues from GitHub commits. Easily create new issues based on your code changes.
- Sync Jira and GitHub branches. Synch the latest versions in both systems in real time.
- Get notified of changes in GitHub. Stay up-to-date on the latest code changes.
By integrating GitHub and Jira, developers can easily connect their code repository with their Jira projects, allowing them to track and manage their work from a single platform. This connection can help teams keep organized, decrease friction, and improve efficiency. If you want to streamline your code management and issue tracking, then GitHub Jira integration is the perfect solution.
Here are some additional benefits of using GitHub Jira integration:
Enhanced collaboration
Integrating GitHub with Jira can enhance collaboration between development and project management teams. By linking GitHub events to Jira issues, project managers can stay up-to-date on development progress and provide feedback to developers. This can reduce the risk of miscommunication, prevent silos and bottlenecks, and align teams on shared goals.
Streamlined workflow management
Integrating Jira with GitHub can streamline workflow management by allowing developers to track their work in a single location. By linking GitHub events to Jira issues, developers can update their progress, and project managers can track the status of each issue in real time. Teams can significantly reduce the risk of errors and ensure they meet project deadlines.
Increased visibility into the development progress
Teams using the Jira GitHub integration increase visibility into development progress by providing project managers real-time updates on development activity. By linking GitHub events to Jira issues, project managers can see who is working on what issues and track progress. This feature helps project managers make more informed decisions and reduce the need for updates and revisions.
Best Practices for Using the Jira Github Integration
- Define workflows and processes
Pause — Defining workflows and processes is crucial before you get wild with the Jira Github integration. A transparent start can reduce the risk of miscommunication and ensure everyone is working towards the same goals.
- Monitor integration activity
Constantly monitoring Jira GitHub integration activity is critical to ensure everything is working. The ability to watch projects reduces the risk of errors and that issues are tracked correctly.
- Make data-driven decisions
Finally, leveraging the Jira GitHub integration data helps you make informed decisions. By tracking development progress in Jira, project managers can make data-driven decisions and identify areas for improvement.
How to Integrate Jira with GitHub
Getting started is relatively easy, and you'll only need a GitHub and Jira account.
1.) Install the (free) GitHub for Jira app from the Atlassian Marketplace and follow the installation instructions.
2.) Go to the GitHub configuration page by selecting Get Started (or go to applications > Manage applications and pick Configure integration in the GitHub menu).
3.) Next, click Connect GitHub organization. Find the GitHub organization you wish to integrate with and click Connect, or install the GitHub for Jira app on another GitHub organization by selecting Install GitHub for Jira on a new organization.
4.) Return to your GitHub settings page and select Connect GitHub organization once more, then click Connect next to the organization you want to connect to your Jira site.
5.) When your organization is successfully connected, it will appear on the Jira GitHub configuration page.
6.) You can now view development information about the branches, commits, pull requests, builds, and deployments referencing Jira issues on your site.
Test the integration
Once you have configured the integration settings, you can test the integration. To do this, create a pull request in GitHub to confirm that it is linked to a corresponding issue in Jira.
In addition to the benefits mentioned, integrating GitHub with Jira saves teams valuable time while reducing the risk of errors by automating specific tasks. In other words, the Jira Github integration supports automation, so you can focus your time on the tasks that matter most. The Jira Github integration offers a dynamic way for dev teams to save time, cut costs, boost productivity, and optimize project management processes. By adopting best practices and using integrated data, teams can make informed decisions to deliver higher-quality products.
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