Getting started with Atlassian tools for HR

By Bryan Darr and Maris Ashby

Atlassian’s tools are often overlooked in HR, despite their potential to significantly improve team operations. While widely used in tech and project management, their value in HR remains underutilized. From personal task management to process optimization and large-scale transformations, Atlassian offers intuitive, customizable solutions for HR professionals. This article explores how HR teams can leverage Trello and Jira to enhance productivity, increase visibility, and drive strategic outcomes.

Why Atlassian for HR?

HR professionals are increasingly expected to juggle multiple roles: managing employee relations, improving organizational efficiency, and driving business initiatives. To meet these demands, HR teams require tools that offer both flexibility and structure. This is where Atlassian comes in. Atlassian tools support the diverse needs of HR departments, from task tracking to full-scale project management.

Key Benefits for HR Teams:

1. Flexibility: Atlassian’s tools can adapt to various HR processes, whether it’s recruitment, onboarding, performance management, or employee engagement.
2. Automation: Downstream tasks, such as hardware provisioning and benefits registration, can be automatically created at the right time in the onboarding workflow. While the software doesn't perform these tasks, it ensures that every critical step is accounted for and nothing falls through the cracks.
3. Collaboration: Multiple team members can work together within these platforms, ensuring transparency, single-source of truth, and real-time updates on HR processes.

Getting Started with Trello

Trello is a visually intuitive tool that provides HR professionals with a simplified way to manage personal tasks and team workflows. It’s perfect for HR professionals who are new to project management software and need a place to capture ideas, assign tasks, and track progress.

How Trello Supports HR:

• Task Management: Trello boards allow users to create lists and cards to organize tasks. Cards can represent anything from a "to-do" task to a larger HR initiative. Lists can be used to track the status of these tasks, moving them from “To Do” to “In Progress” and finally to “Done.”
• Customization: Trello’s flexible framework means you can customize each board to fit your team’s specific needs. Whether you’re managing employee onboarding, tracking one-on-one meetings, or managing performance reviews, Trello can be tailored to your HR workflow.
• Collaboration: Trello promotes visibility within teams. HR managers can assign tasks, set deadlines, and allow team members to collaborate on specific projects, all within one platform.

For example, you can use Trello to track a new hire’s onboarding process by creating a board with tasks labeled as 30-, 60-, or 90-days, and asking the new hire to move the tasks as they complete them.

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Process Management with Jira

For more complex, repeatable HR processes, such as recruitment and hiring, Jira is the go-to tool. While Trello provides flexibility, Jira adds structure, especially when dealing with processes that must be followed step-by-step.

How Jira Supports HR:

• Streamlined Workflows: Jira allows HR teams to map out each step of a process, ensuring consistency and clarity. For example, in the hiring process, Jira can track a candidate from the initial interview all the way through onboarding, assigning different tasks to various departments along the way.
• Automation: One of Jira’s most powerful features is its automation capability. HR managers can automate task creation and their assignment, triggering that creation at a key moment in the workflow.?
• Visibility and Reporting: With Jira, HR professionals can create detailed reports and dashboards that provide insights into ongoing HR projects, such as hiring pipelines or employee engagement initiatives. This visibility allows HR teams to identify bottlenecks and optimize processes in real-time.

For instance, using Jira for a hiring process allows the HR team to track every candidate in a structured workflow. Auto-generated subtasks like provisioning hardware and setting up system access can be triggered once the candidate accepts an offer, ensuring that no step is overlooked.

Managing HR Transformation Projects

Beyond daily tasks and processes, HR departments are often tasked with leading large-scale transformation projects, such as implementing new HR systems, improving employee retention, or rolling out new employee engagement programs. Jira provides a robust solution for managing these initiatives.

Strategic HR with Jira:

• Project Roadmaps: HR leaders can use Jira Plans to break down high-level initiatives, like improving employee retention, into smaller, actionable projects. Each project can then be tracked with a series of tasks and milestones, ensuring that the initiative stays on track.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Jira fosters collaboration across departments, allowing HR to work seamlessly with IT, operations, and leadership teams. By sharing visibility on project progress, all stakeholders can stay aligned on key initiatives.
• Iterative Improvements: One of Jira’s strengths is its support for agile methodologies, allowing HR teams to make incremental improvements and pivot as business needs evolve.

When to Use Trello vs. Jira

While both tools are powerful, deciding when to use Trello versus Jira depends on your specific needs. Trello is ideal for HR professionals looking for a flexible, user-friendly platform to track personal tasks or smaller team workflows. Jira, on the other hand, is designed for more structured, complex processes that require automation, reporting, and multi-step workflows.

Conclusion

Atlassian tools, like Trello and Jira, offer a range of solutions to meet the diverse needs of HR professionals. Whether you’re looking to simplify your task management, automate HR processes, or lead large-scale business transformation initiatives, Atlassian’s flexible, collaborative platforms can help you succeed. By embracing these tools, HR teams can not only boost efficiency but also play a more strategic role in driving business outcomes.

About the Authors

Bryan Darr is the Head of Enablement at Valiantys. Bryan is passionate about creating environments where collaboration thrives.

Maris Ashby is a Principal HR Business Partner at Valiantys. As a passionate and innovative people and culture leader, Maris is driven by the belief that thriving workplaces are built on courage, curiosity, and care.

About Valiantys

Valiantys is the leading global IT consulting and services firm dedicated to Atlassian. We accelerate business transformation by digitizing processes and modernizing teamwork. Our Atlassian technical expertise is unparalleled, and we support our customers across the entire spectrum of their projects on those platforms. Because teamwork requires more than just tools, we help our clients bridge the gap between their applications and strategic practices. Over the last 15 years, we?have helped in excess of 5,000 customers to achieve their desired business outcomes at a reduced?time to value,?through improved team collaboration.

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