User Manual

In the domain of Software Configuration Management (SCM), the goal is to track and control changes in the software, facilitating better coordination among teams, maintaining the integrity of the software, and ensuring that historical versions and dependencies are managed with precision. SCM plays a pivotal role in the complex interplay of software development tasks, providing a structured environment for software evolution and deployment.

“Configuration Management Toolkit” Jira app enhances the SCM capabilities within the Atlassian ecosystem by introducing component-level versioning, bundles, subcomponents, “component attributes” and “release calendar”.

Jira doesn’t allow component level versions. This is one of the most voted feature requests for JIRA (https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/JRA-3501). In Jira, you define versions at project level and all the components need to share the same version definitions. Our app provides component level versions which is a nuanced approach that aligns better with the modular and iterative nature of modern software development. This level of detail offers project managers and developers the ability to manage, track, and release individual components with their specific versions, fostering a more controlled and organized development process.

The introduction of subcomponents and their hierarchical organization further strengthens this approach by mirroring the actual structure of software products, thus simplifying the management of dependencies and the assessment of change impacts. This is also another most voted feature request of JIRA (https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/JRA-846). Our JQL function for subcomponents allows querying component hierarchy easily.

Bundles allows you to combine component and version pairs into a special package with its own higher-level version. Combined with JQL and custom fields, bundles provide opportunity to track releases another level.

Component attributes extend the customization capabilities by allowing teams to define and track additional metadata specific to each component, such as whether it is billable or which programming language is used. This enriches the information available for decision-making and reporting, and when coupled with JQL, it becomes a powerful querying tool that can filter components based on these bespoke attributes, thus streamlining component management.

The release calendar feature brings a visual and temporal dimension to the management of releases. Being able to see component version release dates or project version release dates on a calendar aid in the strategic planning of development cycles and resource allocation, as well as in communication to stakeholders regarding product delivery timelines.

Combined, these features make our app not just an extension but a vital enhancement to Jira, transforming it into a more robust tool for SCM.