The “Great Resignation” has had a tremendous impact on businesses of all sizes. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs in 2021 and many report 2022 is showing no signs of a slow-down.
Whether it be for a completely new career, increased opportunity for advancement or simply a change of pace, job transitions are part of our current work culture. If you are a Jira administrator that’s considering your next job move, you don’t need to leave all your hard work in a lurch. Let’s face it, you’ve put a lot of sweat and labor into the Jira environment you’ve built, and you likely don’t want to leave your team struggling to move forward once you’ve gone on to greater things.
If considering your next career adventure is in the immediate plan, consider these key ways you can pass your Jira instance along with an effective transition that keeps your body of work intact.
1. Identify your team replacement early. When looking to pass along all the hard work you’ve put into your Jira instance, you need to find a new shepherd that you can pass the torch to with confidence. Select people on your team that you respect and trust. A good Jira environment has rules and structure. Select someone that is both detail oriented and able to govern justly. Your new replacement should also have a vision that can eventually help to make your old environment their own with a strong view of strategy as well as knowledge of the tool. It is also valuable to select someone that is in tune with company business goals so that they can help drive those goals with Jira.
2. Plan your knowledge transfer. You’ve likely built an impressive environment. As such, passing it over without adequate transition time won’t do it, or the work you’ve put in, justice. Plan to do the knowledge transfer with your replacement in multiple working sessions over the course of a couple of weeks, depending on the size and breadth of your instance. Be sure to outline the priorities you would tackle next and share your background and vision on what you feel would be of most value. Help your replacement by identifying champions inside the business that can help when they get stuck – whether it be on business decisions, budgeting or resources.
3. Encourage training. Your replacement has big shoes to fill. Help them equip themselves beyond your knowledge transfer by pointing them to great options for Jira training. Even if they have already received Jira training, encouraging admin-specific training for Jira is advised. Tap a trusted partner for role-based training options that can help your replacement build their skills and their playbook for success.
4. Prepare your manager. Advise your manager of the knowledge transfer you have provided and help to set the stage for what recommendations you have for next steps. If a migration to the cloud, for example, is advised, help them to understand the value of your recommendation and what might be needed to set the process on the right course.
5. Identify extended resources. Your manager and your replacement will appreciate any guidance you may have for additional resources in case further help is needed. Here, reaching out to Atlassian directly is a great suggestion. Atlassian can help you align with a trusted partner to fill any additional needs or gaps. This is particularly valuable if you are in the midst of a major process change, upgrade or cloud migration. Additional resources will likely be needed if any of these major projects are in flight. A great partner can help ease the shift and make any transition much more seamless.
If, like so many during this time of career movement, your next position is calling, plan to make your move without leaving your hard work in untrained hands. Take time to prepare your transition carefully and the Jira environment you’ve cared for so tirelessly will land well, with new caretakers that can take it forward with confidence.
If you’d like to assess your Jira environment to map out your best course of action during a transition, contact us today for a consultation.
