Azure DevOps to Jira Migrations Made Easy

Heard about the TFS4JIRA plugin developed by Spartez Software?

Integrations are often perceived as complicated, as they require a considerable amount of time and money, is this out of the box solution the missing link? It can help you migrate from Azure DevOps to Jira Cloud, Server or Data Center without any hassle.

First: Ask yourself, why migrate?

Tracking and managing the progress of projects is essential, and luckily for project managers, several useful software solutions exist to help simplify the process.

Azure DevOps by Microsoft and Atlassian’s Jira are considered two of the most popular project management tools used by companies worldwide.

Do you stick to one tool for all issue reporting and project management tasks? You're not alone. Do you know what happens when you try to transfer or synchronise data between two services? Perhaps you're working with a company that uses a management tool you aren't familiar with, or maybe individual departments are using different solutions. In either case, the transfer and synchronisation of data become critical issues.

The transition from using one project management tool to another is costly and time-consuming, but tools like TFS4JIRA save hours, money, and above all, nerves.

With the plugin developed by Spartez Software, the problem of migration disappears. Use either project management tool and stay in touch with all of the relevant information from another one.

About Spartez Software

Spartez Software is a solution provider founded in 2007. Their mission is to make a change in the world of technology by creating a positive impact on development. Their approach to solving some of the most troublesome issues i.e. Azure DevOps to Jira migrations, coupled with their efforts targeted toward improving Jira, have led to their tool becoming the go-to solution for organisations like Adobe Systems, NBC, and Accenture. Today Spartez Software is a Top Platinum Vendor of Atlassian.

Prepare for a Jira Azure DevOps Software Migration

How do you even begin a migration from Azure DevOps to Jira or vice versa?

First, set up instances in both Jira and Azure DevOps. Sketch a plan of transition. Decide on the time scale and data. Get your hands on the TFS4JIRA plugin and create a synchronisation profile.

Configure Test Environment

Begin the process by creating a profile in TFS4JIRA. Click the Create Profile button in the top right-hand corner, and give your profile a name.

After that, enter a login and password so that the plugin can access the data stored in both Jira and TFS.

Now, specify settings for Jira and TFS, i.e. the direction of synchronisation and whether you want to synchronise comments and attachments, and then choose the project you want to synchronise in Jira and TFS. These are all performed within TFS4JIRA Synchronizer.

Once all profiles have been created, it’s time to configure the data you plan on synchronising. Map Jira and TFS value types, then map link types between both tools and default values for fields and priorities. Pay attention to the differences between Azure DevOps and Jira. If they are not critical, and you're familiar with both tools, figuring out field names from Jira to see which one corresponds with those in Azure DevOps and vice versa shouldn't be a biggie.

Follow the whole process step by step in this short video tutorial.

And there you have it, Jira and Azure DevOps are now connected, and all necessary fields have been mapped through the comfortable and easy-to-use plugin by Spartez Software. Now, it's time to migrate your data.

Data Migration

Once complete, use all functions of the plugin. The interface requires some training, but the plugin does the job well. You have an area where you can see all tasks, issues, bugs, and files from Jira as well as a separate area with the same content from TFS. Filter different types of data within the plugin according to priorities, and transfer the required data only, ignoring any additional information.

Migrate all of the data at once, or select separate bits of data to transmit. The TFS4JIRA product documentation contains detailed guidelines on how to use the plugin to its full extent. Bear in mind the plugin setup can be confusing, but if you require assistance, you can always make use of the dedicated experts.

How to Save Time Migrating

There's no need to rush. The most common mistake project managers make when trying to migrate to an alternative project management tool is migrating all of their data at once. If you have only a couple of issues to resolve, you can transfer all of them in one sitting, but if you’ve been working on hundreds of tasks, migrating them all at once might not be a good idea.

Migrating large portions of data can be dangerous because you might lose something along the way, not to mention encounter issues with the setup. That’s why migrating small chunks is important: prior to migrating everything else, you get to ensure that the plugin is ready. For this reason, start small. If all is well, migrate one project from your production environment. And if everything goes according to the plan, execute the final migration or integration.

Make Sure Your Team is Comfortable

If you're a manager and need your team to switch to an alternative cloud tool, try making some incremental changes to prepare your team for the switch. Not everyone likes change, especially when it's not communicated properly. Approach your team and tell them about the TFS4JIRA plugin, what it does and how it works.

Take it slow. Make sure the admin knows how to use the TFS4JIRA plugin and that they are comfortable using it. Make sure that those using Azure DevOps are familiar with Jira. After your team transitions to Jira, you must give them some instructions on how to use it and what the advantages are of one tool over another. If everything goes smoothly, your team will welcome the change.

Do Not Remove Your Previous Tool Straight Away

Let’s say you've successfully transitioned to Jira and migrated all of your data from the Azure TFS. You and your team are comfortable and happy with the change, you might think it is time to get rid of the old stuff. Well hold on, there might still be something useful in there. Make sure your team checks and double-checks their cloud just in case there’s something valuable in there. Again, never rush when going through important changes in your organisation.

Wrap-Up

Change is tough for some people, but it doesn’t have to be, at least not when you migrate from TFS to Jira. Luckily, Spartez Software offers a TFS4JIRA plugin that can make at least one part of the change less stressful. Using this plugin makes transferring all of your important data from Azure DevOps to Jira or vice versa less troublesome.

You don’t have to pay tons of money or waste time transferring data. Find out if this is the best option for migrating and synchronising data from TFS / Azure DevOps to JIRA at TFS4JIRA on the Atlassian Marketplace.