The Client Application
OKR for Jira is an app trusted by 1000+ companies. It gives you the power to create objectives with as many nesting levels as you need to reflect your organization's priorities, connect them to Jira issues, and automatically track progress.
Project Highlights
- 13 months
- 5 dedicated developers
- 100 end-to-end tests covering 20+ versions of Jira
Summary
Varbintech augmented Digital Toucan's product development team with front- and back-end developers, aiming to create an add-on OKR for Jira for the on-premise version of Jira.
Results
5
Developers13
Months60+
Reusable components100+
E2E tests20+
Jira versions covered50%
Decreased duplications1st version
< 6 monthsProject Scope
Services
Team management, Project management, Front-end development, Backend development
Team
Varbintech:
- 3 Front-End Developers, 1 Back-End Developer, 1 Team Lead\Project Manager
Client:
- 1 Founder, 1 Front-End Developer, 1 Back-End Developer, 1 BA\Designer
Tech Stack
Front-End:
Infra:
Testing:
Back-End:
Design:
Project Management:
The Client
Digital Toucan, a recognized Atlassian Silver Partner, specializes in crafting Jira add-ons. Their flagship app, OKR for Jira, has earned the trust of 1000+ companies across 80 countries.
The Problem
The client discovered a new business opportunity via their different product, and an experienced front-end team was needed to assist in developing the new product.
The goal was to build the new application from the ground up while using the existing one as a reference point. After reviewing the current solution, we identified significant opportunities for improvement across various aspects. We prepared a detailed report outlining these findings and shared it with the client. Based on this report, we agreed not just to replicate the existing solution for the new Jira version but also to invest in code quality tools, code review practices, CI/CD automatization, and architecture.
The client's expectations for the team were to:
- Develop front-end and back-end features as outlined in Jira ticket descriptions
- Manage project maintenance, including team coordination
- Enhance code quality, implement best practices, and address critical issues
The Process
The client initially outlined a set of front-end requirements for the project. The collaboration process started with just one developer. After a month of active development, the scope expanded to include backend development, and our team had grown to five.
We closely collaborated with the Digital Toucan team, ensuring our developers were directly accessible and overseeing the entire project management.
Adhering to Scrum best practices, we managed the project through a well-organized backlog, two-week sprint cycles, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, retrospectives, and detailed release planning. By utilizing epics and user stories, we clearly defined tasks, ensuring all team members maintained focus and had a clear vision of the desired outcome. Jira and Confluence were our primary sources of truth for project tracking and documentation. Slack was our go-to for internal communication, while Google Workspace supported our meeting and email needs. Additionally, the client used Bitbucket to store and provide code feedback.
The Solution
Clear Communication
Our top priorities for building a sustainable base were transparent communication, efficient project management, and cultural awareness. We agreed on communication methods, including messaging, video calls, and project management tools, which helped to ensure everyone stayed connected and informed. Beyond the regular daily stand-ups and weekly team meetings, we advocated for direct dialogues with the product owner, actively seeking and providing feedback. This strategy enabled us to tackle any potential issues or concerns proactively.
Testing Environment
The development of an add-on for Jira's on-premise version required consideration of nearly 20+ different Jira versions potentially used by end-users. Manually testing across all these versions was impractical in terms of time and budget. By collaborating closely with the in-house team, we rolled out the initial version of our testing environment within three weeks. This pivotal move drastically reduced time and budget and allowed us to concentrate on tasks critical to business operations. Moreover, we crafted scripts to automate specific tasks, including generating mock data and further streamlining the development process.
Maintainability and Extensibility
The original cloud-based version was built using outdated React methods. For the new app, the client's team aimed for us to employ the latest React techniques and practices to enhance maintainability and extensibility significantly. Unlike the previous version, we adopted a component-based architecture, minimizing outdated practices. This approach not only maintained the core features of the original app but also ensured the new version was built on a solid, future-proof foundation.
Achievements
Our team delivered the app's first version in less than three months. The client has significantly benefited from enhanced customer satisfaction, driven by superior product performance and a minimal bug rate. We helped Digital Toucan provide its customers with a top-notch experience without hassle.
We split the majority of the application into reusable pieces, using smart and dumb components. This step also allowed us to migrate the old version of the app to the newest codebase while developing new features.
The essential part of our partnership was not only the new application version but also the smooth and predictable development environment. As a result, we significantly improved the time to delivery, minimized the number of issues and bugs, and simplified the testing process.
Additional outcomes:
- Transparent development process with no additional costs
- 100 end-to-end tests covering 20+ versions of Jira
- 60% reduction in code duplication
- The set of reusable components ready to use in both applications
