Understanding Jira at SKAO#

Discover why SKAO uses Jira and how it integrates with the development workflow.

Why Jira?#

SKAO uses Jira as the central hub for project management because it provides:

  • Work tracking — All tasks, stories, and bugs in one place

  • Sprint planning — Agile boards for team coordination

  • Traceability — Link code changes to requirements

  • Visibility — Dashboards and reports for stakeholders

  • Integration — Connects with GitLab for seamless workflow

How Jira Fits into SAFe#

SKAO follows the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). Jira supports this by:

  • Team level — Sprint boards for individual teams

  • Program level — Program boards for release trains

  • Portfolio level — Roadmaps and initiative tracking

Your Scrum Master manages the team-level board. Solution Architects and Release Train Engineers coordinate at higher levels.

The Development Workflow#

A typical workflow from Jira to deployment:

1. Create ticket in Jira
2. Assign ticket and move to "In Progress"
3. Create branch with Jira ID (e.g., ska-123-feature)
4. Commit code, referencing Jira ID
5. Create merge request in GitLab
6. Review and merge code
7. Move ticket to "Done"

The Jira-GitLab integration synchronises both systems automatically.

GitLab to Jira Integration#

When you mention a Jira Issue ID in a GitLab commit or merge request:

  • GitLab hyperlinks the issue

  • Jira displays a link to the commit or MR

  • Jira shows a comment reflecting the GitLab activity

Example commit message:

git commit -m "SKA-34 added gitlab-jira integration"

Closing Tickets from GitLab#

When your commit or MR mentions “closes”, “resolves”, or “fixes” followed by a Jira issue ID:

  • GitLab’s merge request page shows it will close the Jira issue

  • After merge, Jira transitions the ticket to Ready for Acceptance

Example:

git commit -m "Closes SKA-34"

This automates workflow transitions and reduces manual updates.

Jira Development Panel#

Jira displays a Development Panel on any ticket you reference in:

  • Branch names

  • Commit messages

  • Merge request titles

The panel shows linked branches, commits, and merge requests.

See Also#