Mastering Your Resolutions ?? in 2024 with Jira Work Management: A Practical Guide

Agenda ??

1 - Introduction

2 - Getting Started 

    2.1 - Step 1??: Set up your own JWM

    2.2 - Step 2??: Create your personal JWM project

    2.3 - Step 3??: Document and track your Goals and Actions

3 - Conclusion        

1 - Introduction

As the new year unfolds, it's time to transform your personal resolutions into tangible accomplishments. In this guide, I will show you how Jira Work Management, a versatile tool often associated with project management, can be harnessed to effectively track and achieve your personal goals. Let's explore the various steps, tips, and tricks for managing personalized resolutions ?

2 - Getting started

Jira Work Management (JWM) comes in different editions: Free, Standard and Premium. For personal use, the free version is enough for creating your resolutions and tracking the progress on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly base.

Visit this link to create a free JWM for personal use using your personal E-Mail Address: https://www.atlassian.com/de/software/jira/work-management/free

You can decide to get it together with or without Confluence (for detailed and beautiful documentation) - both for free.

The free JWM edition comes with:

• Supports up to 10 users (Enough for the whole family ??)
• Includes 2 GB of storage
• Offers Community support
• Is always free, no credit card needed

2.1 - Step 1??: Set up your own JWM

After clicking on the link above ??, you can sign up with Google (for example using your Gmail) or with another email.

To access your JWM, you need a "site name" which looks like this [your-site-name].atlassian.net

Once created, you can access your site using the URL. If you forgot your URL, you can always go to start.atlassian.com ?? "Show all products" and access your personal JWM site.

2.2 - Step 2??: Create your personal JWM project

?? What is a project in JWM? - to keep it very simple: 
1) JWM Projects feature a name, a unique identifier (key), and a designated leader. Project-level customization includes settings like permissions, notifications, and an expressive project icon ??.
2) Projects consist of diverse tasks, each categorized (e.g., initiative, goal, sub-task). Tasks include fields like Summary, Description, Due Date, and Status, ensuring comprehensive details.         

Based on the definition above, and to implement our 2024 Resolutions in JWM, make sure you note down the following:

• Project Name: [Yassin's resolutions for 2024]
• Project Key: [YASS]
• Project Leader: [Yassin Bennaceur]
• Task Types: [Goal, Action, Sub-actions]
• Project Icon: Choose something you like, in my case I went for this icon designed by Freepik from Flaticon

Let's create the project together:

• Go to your Jira Work Management site
• Click on "Projects" on the top menu then choose "Create project"
• Choose "Work Management" on the left side, then scroll to the "Personal Task Planner"

• Fill in the required fields and click on "Create project", the project will automatically be opened.
• Go to "Project settings" then "Issue types"

• Click on "Add issue type" and choose "Epic" (this is the highest hierarchy in this project and it will represent our Goals)
• Let's Rename "Epic" to "Goal"

• Following the same steps, let's rename "Task" to "Action" and "Sub-task" to "Sub-action".
• Let's make sure all Goals, Actions or sub-tasks are assigned to you. To do this, go to "Project setting", choose "Details" and then scroll down to "Default assignee" and choose "Project lead".

Congratulations ?? - you now have your own JWM project to track goals, actions, and sub-actions.

2.3 - Step 3??: Document and track your Goals and Actions

Creating or updating goals is very easy in JWM. I recommend starting by defining your top 3 goals for 2024. In my case it is a mix between career and personal goals:

1. Focus on Family & Friends: Closer, Stronger, Together in 2024
2. Career Boost: Elevate, Learn, Succeed in 2024
3. Finding Balance for Well-being and Joy in 2024

To create my goals, I like using the Timeline View:

• Go back to the project, then choose "Timeline", on the bottom choose "Quarters", then click on "Create". Now make sure you choose "Goal" type (in my case, it is the red icon) then type your goal title.
• Use the timeline to set start and end dates for your Goal. Next to your goal, click on the period "JAN - MAR'24" and pull the timeline to the end of 2024 ("OCT - DEC'24").

Now let's move to create Actions under those Goals. For this, I prefer using the List View.

• Go back to the project, then choose "List", next to your goal hover over the Icon in the column Type, then Click on the ? to create an action under the goal.

• Type the Action title then "Enter"

• Make sure to add a "Due date" to each Action you create

• Following the same steps, you can now create "Sub-actions" to each "Action".
• By Default, you have different fields that can help you categorize or prioritize Goals, Actions and Sub-actions. Make sure to benefit from them.

To track my Actions and Sub-actions, I like to use the calendar view. Thanks to the powerful filter capabilities, I can quickly filter unplanned Items (without a Due date), take a look at what I planned for the month or filter by priority or by items due within this week. I also track very important milestones or events (Reach out to know how I do that??)

3 - Conclusion

In conclusion, by harnessing the capabilities of Jira Work Management, I've laid out a straightforward guide to transform your resolutions into actionable plans for 2024. With an emphasis on simplicity and user-friendly features, JWM has become a versatile tool for personal goal tracking and project management.

From setting up your personal project to documenting and tracking your goals, the process is made accessible and efficient. Remember, your journey towards a successful 2024 is not just about reaching the destination but also about relishing the steps along the way.

As you embark on this resolution management journey using Jira Work Management, may your goals be clear, your actions intentional, and your progress rewarding. Here's to a year filled with achievements, growth, and a well-balanced life! If you have any questions or need further guidance, feel free to reach out. Wishing you an extraordinary 2024!