DIY renovations on a grand scale

Grand Designs

Where are we now - NZQA

Role of NZQA• develop, register and support the New

Zealand Qualifications Framework• manage the external assessment of

secondary school students • quality assure non-university tertiary

education organisations

Where are we now

Technology

Infra – call managementJIRA, Git, Stash HP QC - testingWiki - knowledgebaseProcesses

Pipeline Board – request prioritisationRelease management Emergency release management

People

13 BAs13 Developers13 Testers10 Systems Team

• Started using Jira in September 2002 - Version 2.1) • 33,000 issues in Jira• 3,500 open issues in Jan 2012 • 55 Projects • 9 active workflow schemes

Where are we now – Jira

Other Atlassian Products • Stash• Fisheye• Links hierarchy structure ( 3rd party add-

on)

Start by asking the dumb questions

• What is a blocker?• If a Jira is resolved can it be closed? • Why are we reopening Jiras? • Why is the due date mandatory if we ignore it?• Who manages all the unassigned Jiras

(or those assigned to ex-staff) • Why do we have so many defective builds?

Listen to the moaning…….

Where are we now

Where are we now

Managing projects

Managing projects

Where do we need to be

• Stabilise toolset and test environments • Accurate reporting • Define release strategy, process and procedures • Improve service to the business• Training and up-skilling Jira users• Develop robust processes and align toolset• Reduce defective builds • Update and streamline users, groups and projects • Utilise relevant Jira features provided in recent

versions

Making it happen

Process • Move to smaller releases every 2 weeks• Move check points to earlier in the process • Understand the Business Calendar • Define roles and responsibilities• Use simple tools to manage • Do more functional testing before building the code• Move from trust based to evidence based signoff • Stop doing unnecessary tasks

Making it happenPeople • Understand the Business Calendar • Define roles and responsibilities• Listen to the issues that users have with using

Jira• Provide coaching and training session to

address specific concerns. • Give users the access they need to do their

jobs • Co-locate project teams

Making it happen

Technology • Install the Jira calendar add-on• Set up a test environment • Close unused Projects• Close completed Jiras • Deactivate user accounts

Where are we now (updated)

• Recently upgraded to version 5.20• Just purchased Greenhopper and Crucible • Now at 34,000 issues in Jira• 30 Active Projects• 25 Closed Projects• 650 open issues (down from 3,500)

Where are we now (updated)

• Jiras are closed when they have been deployed and not left open

• We no longer reopen Jiras that have been deployed in previous years

• Incomplete Jiras are cloned for the additional work not left open and moved from release to release

• Users are creating their own Dashboards and saved searches.

• Our build rate per release is down from 4-5 to just 1

Where do we need to be

Assigned to Me Gadget

assignee = currentUser() AND resolution = unresolved ORDER BY priority DESC, created ASC

Release group view

Sample

Visualising the future

• Better management of code deployments• Visibility of infrastructure changes • Better reporting• Correctly assigned issues• Improved workflow