JIRA

JIRA is a software development tracking system which tracks bugs and issue while facilitating an efficient workflow with it's many project management features and capabilities and has easy customer support integration. It would be valuable for small and large software development teams, management and stakeholder alike. It allows for complete internal communication with visual breakdowns with the integration to Confluence and provided task cycles and increased workflow efficiency by displaying mind-map like charts with task based processes while updating this information ongoing. I like that it lead me through a wizard immediately after logging into my for the first time to show me all of the major features inside my account. You can assign team members to specific tasks while monitoring overall progress. And also collaborate by working together with using linked tools which are synced. You can also utilize the customer service component of JIRA with priority based queuing. There is also a nice add-on selection to take advantage of with JIRA, and custom code integration possible as well. I like the clean interface. Overall, the UI is quite intuitive and easy to use. The amount of flexibility possible is great when having to customize each project to maximize efficiency. The software supports would work well with distributed teams with support for agile processes and the ability to link tasks or sub-tasks together. The like reporting features in JIRA also. This software wouldn't be limited to just software issues. It can extend to other aspects of the customer lifecycle such as customer support, or other collaborative projects. There is also an open API available.

The account setup took an exceptionally long time relative to hundreds of other online accounts I've opened. So much so that I took a break and came back to it later. Initially logging also seemed to take longer than usual and I'm fairly certain it was not due to my internet connection. I just noticed another slow page to load so I looked at some reviews of JIRA and nearly everyone states the same. I find it quite odd in 2015 to run across business software that is slow and known for this. The amount of configuration possible in JIRA may be too much for some and would be better with a simpler program overall. I've read that it can be buggy though I didn't notice this myself other than the overall slowness of the software. It's nearly free to begin but there are reports that it gets into the several thousands with larger teams, so that's important to know up front if you're planning on scaling up a new business. The notification system could definitely be improved. I've read the updating in tasks is not quite in real time. I've only tested this myself so I can't say for certain but if that's the case it would easily become a nightmare, or at least a headache to get things done efficiently. It wouldn't be possible if there is still mis-communication or people tripping over each other's edits.

There are other options available in the market which may suit you better. The slowness of this software, and reports of the JIRA/Confluence integration bottoming out a quad core computer resources are enough for me to say it's worth the free trial to know for sure, but keep your options open to different software which do the same thing. This software platform may be best for smaller teams under ten. There is a massive price jump when you reach twenty five or more. But hey, with a free trial available with no credit card required it's best to try it out and eliminate it from the list of possibilities. Or you never know it may be the best fit for your company.