When starting your journey to become an Atlassian Consultant, mastering the right tools early on is key. Below is a list of essential Atlassian tools you should prioritize to build a strong foundation, along with reasons why each tool is crucial and how it contributes to consulting success.
1. Jira Software
Jira Software is the most widely used Atlassian tool, especially in Agile project management and software development teams. It’s essential to know how to configure and use it efficiently to help clients manage their projects.
- Key Skills:
- Set up and configure workflows, issues, and custom fields.
- Understand Agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban.
- Manage dashboards, filters, and JQL (Jira Query Language) for custom reporting.
- Automate workflows and issue management using Automation for Jira.
Why it’s important: Jira Software is the core of most Atlassian environments and is commonly used for managing everything from simple tasks to complex product development.
2. Confluence
Confluence is Atlassian’s collaboration and documentation platform, often used alongside Jira. Understanding how Confluence integrates with Jira for documentation, knowledge sharing, and collaboration is key.
- Key Skills:
- Create and manage spaces and pages.
- Use macros to enhance page functionality (e.g., Jira issues macro, page properties).
- Set up permissions and restrictions to manage who can access specific content.
- Build templates for consistent documentation formats.
Why it’s important: Confluence is used to create collaborative workspaces, allowing teams to document processes, share knowledge, and work together efficiently.
3. Jira Service Management (JSM)
Formerly Jira Service Desk, Jira Service Management is a powerful tool for IT and support teams to handle service requests, incidents, and changes in an ITSM (IT Service Management) environment.
- Key Skills:
- Configure service desks with SLAs, queues, and automations.
- Set up knowledge bases by integrating Jira Service Management with Confluence.
- Customize customer portals for external users.
- Manage incident management, change management, and request fulfillment.
Why it’s important: Jira Service Management is rapidly growing in popularity among organizations looking for ITSM solutions, making it a valuable tool to master for consulting in IT operations.
4. Bitbucket
Bitbucket is Atlassian’s Git-based source code repository hosting service. It integrates deeply with Jira, making it a popular tool for development teams managing code and CI/CD pipelines.
- Key Skills:
- Manage repositories, branches, and pull requests.
- Set up CI/CD pipelines using Bitbucket Pipelines for automated deployments.
- Integrate with Jira to track code changes and deployment progress.
Why it’s important: Bitbucket is integral for development teams that use Git for version control, and understanding how it connects with Jira is essential for DevOps and developer-focused consulting.
5. Jira Automation
Jira Automation is a powerful feature that allows users to create automated rules for tasks such as updating issue statuses, sending notifications, or modifying fields based on specific triggers.
- Key Skills:
- Create basic and complex automation rules without scripting.
- Automate repetitive tasks to improve workflows.
- Implement advanced automations using if-else conditions and webhooks.
Why it’s important: Automation significantly improves efficiency for Jira administrators and teams, and mastering it can help you provide more value to your clients by simplifying manual processes.
6. Marketplace Apps (e.g., ScriptRunner, Tempo Timesheets)
Atlassian’s Marketplace offers thousands of plugins that extend the functionality of Jira and Confluence. ScriptRunner, in particular, is a popular app for Jira that allows for advanced customization and automation using Groovy scripts.
- Key Skills:
- Use ScriptRunner to create custom workflows, conditions, and validators.
- Use Tempo Timesheets for time tracking and resource management.
- Explore other popular apps for scaling or customizing Jira and Confluence to meet specific business needs.
Why it’s important: Clients often require additional functionality that can’t be achieved with out-of-the-box Atlassian tools. Mastering these apps will allow you to offer tailored solutions and gain an edge over competitors.
7. Bamboo (or Jenkins integration)
Bamboo is Atlassian’s CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) tool, used for automating the delivery pipeline of software projects. While many teams use Jenkins, Bamboo offers seamless integration with Jira and Bitbucket.
- Key Skills:
- Set up builds, tests, and deployments for different environments.
- Integrate Bamboo with Jira to link build and deployment data.
- Manage build notifications and reports.
Why it’s important: Understanding CI/CD tools is essential for consultants working with development and DevOps teams, as it helps streamline the software delivery process.
8. Trello
While Trello is a simple project management tool compared to Jira, it’s widely used for lightweight task tracking and collaboration. Many small to medium-sized businesses use Trello, and mastering it gives you an advantage in serving clients with smaller needs.
- Key Skills:
- Create and manage boards, lists, and cards.
- Use Power-Ups to extend Trello’s functionality (e.g., for calendar views or reporting).
- Automate workflows using Butler to reduce manual actions.
Why it’s important: While simple, Trello is still an important tool for organizations that don’t need the full power of Jira but want to manage tasks collaboratively.
9. Advanced Jira Administration
As a consultant, you’ll often be asked to configure and administer Jira beyond the basics. Mastery of advanced Jira administration tasks will set you apart.
- Key Skills:
- Set up complex workflows, screen schemes, and custom field configurations.
- Implement Jira Data Center for scaling Jira in large enterprises.
- Set up permissions, roles, and security schemes.
- Use JQL (Jira Query Language) for advanced filtering and reporting.
Why it’s important: Many clients will have advanced configuration needs, and being an expert in administration will allow you to tailor Jira precisely to meet their requirements.
Additional Tools to Consider for the Future:
While these are the tools to master first, here are a few other Atlassian tools worth exploring as you grow your consultancy:
- Opsgenie: Incident management tool that integrates with Jira Service Management.
- Statuspage: Tool for communicating service status updates to customers during outages.
- Trello Enterprise: Advanced version of Trello for large-scale teams.
Parting Thoughts
Mastering the core Atlassian tools like Jira Software, Confluence, and Jira Service Management is the first step to becoming a successful Atlassian Consultant. By focusing on these tools and building hands-on experience, you’ll gain the expertise needed to help businesses improve their workflows, productivity, and collaboration.
As you advance, dive into Marketplace apps, automation, and administration, to further customize solutions for your clients. The more proficient you become with these tools, the more value you’ll bring as a consultant.
Stay Clouding!