10 Jira Components Best Practices

Jira components are a great way to organize your work in Jira. By using components, you can break down a large project into smaller pieces, making it easier to track and manage.

There are a few best practices to keep in mind when using Jira components. In this article, we will discuss 10 of those best practices. By following these best practices, you can make sure that your Jira components are set up for success.

1. Use components to group issues

If you have a lot of issues in your project, it can be difficult to keep track of them all. By grouping issues together using components, you can more easily see which issues are related and work on them together.

For example, let’s say you’re working on a website redesign project. You could create a component for each page of the website. Then, when you create an issue for each task, you can assign it to the appropriate component. This will help you keep track of which tasks need to be completed for each page of the website.

Jira components can also be used to track different stages of development. For example, you could create a component for each phase of the project: design, development, testing, and launch. This would help you see at a glance which issues need to be completed in each stage.

Creating components is a simple way to group issues together and make them easier to manage.

2. Don’t use too many components

If you have too many components, it can be difficult to get an overview of all the issues in a project. In addition, if you have too many components, it can be difficult to find the right component when you’re creating a new issue.

Therefore, it’s important to only create components that are absolutely necessary. If you’re not sure whether or not a component is necessary, ask yourself if it would be helpful to have an overview of all the issues in that component. If the answer is no, then you probably don’t need the component.

3. Avoid using components for reporting or filtering

If you use components for reporting or filtering, you’re likely to end up with a lot of duplicate issues. For example, if you have a component for “Billing” and one for “Customer Service,” you might end up with two issues that are essentially the same but are filed under different components.

Not only is this a waste of time, but it can also lead to confusion and frustration for your team. It’s much better to use labels or custom fields for reporting and filtering purposes.

4. Don’t assign issues to components

If you assign an issue to a component, it can no longer be moved to another component without first unassigning it from the original component. This can lead to problems down the road if you need to move an issue but can’t because it’s assigned to a component.

Additionally, when you assign an issue to a component, you’re essentially saying that this issue can only be worked on by someone who is a member of that component. This can limit who can work on an issue and make it more difficult to get issues resolved in a timely manner.

5. Create a component hierarchy

A component hierarchy ensures that all issues associated with a particular component are grouped together. This makes it easier to track and manage issues, as well as get an overview of the work that needs to be done for a particular component.

Creating a component hierarchy also allows you to set up dependencies between components. For example, you can create a parent-child relationship between two components, so that work on the child component cannot be started until the parent component is completed.

To create a component hierarchy in Jira, simply go to the “Components” page and click on the “Create Component” button. From there, you can specify the parent component for the new component you’re creating.

6. Keep your components in sync with other tools

If you’re using Jira to track work for a software development project, then your components should match up with the modules or subsystems in your codebase. That way, when a developer fixes a bug in the “login” component, you can be sure that the right people (e.g. the QA team) are notified and can test the fix.

The same goes for other tools like Confluence and Bitbucket. If you’re using Jira to track work for a website redesign project, then your components should match up with the pages or sections of the site. That way, when someone updates the design of the “homepage” component, everyone who needs to be aware of the change (e.g. the content team) will be notified.

Keeping your Jira components in sync with other tools ensures that everyone is always on the same page, literally.

7. Use the right permissions

If you give someone too much access to a Jira component, they can make changes that unintentionally break things or that interfere with other people’s work. On the other hand, if you don’t give them enough access, they won’t be able to do their job properly.

The key is to strike the right balance by giving people just enough access to do their job, no more and no less. The best way to do this is to use Jira’s permissions system to granularly control who can do what.

For example, you could give developers the ability to create and edit components, but not delete them. Or you could give testers the ability to view components, but not edit them.

By carefully controlling permissions, you can ensure that everyone has the access they need to do their job without being able to accidentally break things.

8. Make sure you have an owner for each component

When an issue is created, the assignee is notified. If no one is assigned to the component, then no one will be notified about the issue. This can lead to issues not being resolved in a timely manner, or even at all.

Additionally, having an owner for each component ensures that there is someone who is responsible for monitoring and resolving issues for that component. This helps to ensure that issues are resolved more quickly and efficiently.

9. Add a description and lead to each component

When you add a description to a component, it helps everyone understand the purpose of the component. The lead is responsible for the component, so adding their name (or username) ensures that there’s always someone who can be contacted if there are any questions about the component.

Adding this information also helps when you’re setting up alerts for your team. You can set up an alert that notifies the component lead whenever an issue is created or updated in the component, which helps ensure that no issue falls through the cracks.

10. Archive old components

As your project progresses, you will inevitably add and remove features, functionalities, and integrations. This means that some of your Jira components will become obsolete.

If you don’t archive these old components, they will clutter up your component list and make it more difficult to find the ones you’re actually using. Not to mention, they can cause confusion for your team members.

To archive a Jira component, simply go to the “Components” page in your project settings and click the “Archive” button next to the component you want to remove.