Following is a guide for evaluation and explorations of features in OSLC Connect for Jira. We haven’t outlined all the features, but this is a good starting point for exploring.

Common Features for Evaluation

Installing and Connecting

Install that application as a Jira Admin in the Add-Ons section. Connect our applications in a trusted and secure integration using Friend Relationships. Use our install guide found here → OSLC Connect for Jira Installation Guide. If you are experiencing difficulties or need to perform some troubleshooting with the friending of Jira with IBM ELM, you can read a more detailed guide that covers this configuration → OSLC Connect for Jira with IBM ELM Basic Configuration.

Associating Projects

Create Associations between projects. Each association is unidirectional between projects and enables a specific set of link types. These are standard OSLC domain relationships with the guidance in the Friending as well as in help here (https://help.sodius.cloud/help/topic/com.sodius.oslc.app.jira.doc/html/admin/project/associations.html?cp=0_0_1_1_0 )

It is often helpful to diagram the relationships you create between projects to understand how the projects collaborate in your enterprise for your larger program you are executing. When you first create an evaluation environment, we recommend adding a project from each application you plan to collaborate with.

Creating links is a primary usage of OSLC Connect for Jira. Take some time to explore the features both inbound (from a tool to Jira) and outbound (from Jira to a tool).

Selection Dialogs

From any create link dialog associated with Jira, you can select one or many Jira items to create one or many links at once. Explore the filter options as there are several ways to find the artifact you are looking for.

From within Jira, you can create links and use the native selection dialogs from tools like DNG, Polarion, or ETM.

Creation Dialogs

Creation dialogs are taken from your native creation screens from Jira. In any Projects associated with Jira, you can trigger the creation of a Jira artifact when you link. You will see the mandatory fields that are enforced in your Jira scheme and project. Create in Jira without leaving your current tool.

From within Jira, you can create artifacts and use the native creation dialogs from tools like DNG, Polarion, or ETM.

Drag and Drop

Within Jira, we provide an alternative link method. Drag artifacts into the drop window to create links. This enables a simple way to link artifacts you already have visually on your screen. This is especially helpful with the DOORS Classic local client. (https://help.sodius.cloud/help/topic/com.sodius.oslc.app.jira.doc/html/user/jira/dnd/index.html?cp=0_1_0_0_0 )

Customizing the User Experience

We don’t want to force a process on your team, but we know you have a process you want to enact. With OSLC Connect for Jira, we provide some simple features that can improve your experience.

Customizing the Creation/Selection Dialogs (Inbound)

For each Jira Scheme, you can set the default type of artifact created/selected from a foreign tool into Jira. This allows you to set the default Jira type you want to create when creating an issue from a tool like ETM or if you need to generate implementation requests from DNG (should it be a Story, Epic, or something else?). (https://help.sodius.cloud/help/topic/com.sodius.oslc.app.jira.doc/html/admin/server/artifactIssueTypes.html?cp=0_0_1_0_3_0 )

Customizing the Previews from Jira

Your team has already customized Jira with your own attributes. And each of your Jira Types has a different purpose and importance of information. You should be able to control the contents of the rich preview to provide the best possible solution for your Engineers. You can customize the contents of different Jira types to show the information you need, and each type can be unique. (https://help.sodius.cloud/help/topic/com.sodius.oslc.app.jira.doc/html/admin/server/issuePreviews.html?cp=0_0_1_0_3_4 )

Customize Jira Link Types

OSLC is well known to appear complex to users. There are 16 different link types in the default case that can be made to a Jira Artifact. Most teams only have a subset of those relationships, and they can be unique per Jira Type. We provide the option to set a default link type for a Jira Type and limit the set of link relationships offered to improve the experience. (https://help.sodius.cloud/help/topic/com.sodius.oslc.app.jira.doc/html/admin/server/issueLinking.html?cp=0_0_1_0_3_1 )

Queries with JQL & OSLC

Links are valuable, but taking action on the links is most important. We know JQL is an important tool for our Jira users. Now you can leverage the existence of these links in your queries. (https://help.sodius.cloud/help/topic/com.sodius.oslc.app.jira.doc/html/user/jira/searching.html?cp=0_1_0_2 )

Noted IBM Features

When using OSLC Connect for Jira with the IBM ELM toolchain, a few more features of interest can be leveraged.

Global Configurations

Global Configurations enable a method to unify an enterprise configuration across multiple tools. As you navigate links, we must navigate the right artifact and the right version of the artifact. We use our interaction between Jira Releases and Global Configurations to do this. We have a detailed explanation available here → Using Configurations With Jira.

Using Approvals

DOORS Next enables us to enforce changesets. With work items associated with these changesets, we can enforce an approval process. This process can improve Requirement quality by making sure reviews happen before changes are shared to the common stream. You can define the approval rules for Jira items and enforce this as standard behavior. (https://help.sodius.cloud/help/topic/com.sodius.oslc.app.jira.doc/html/admin/server/issueApprovals.html?cp=0_0_1_0_3_2 )

Report Builder & Engineering Insights

OSLC Connect for Jira provides all the necessary features to enable Report Builder (aka JRS) and Engineering Insights (aka RELM) to natively support Jira artifacts. Use Jira as a native change object and incorporate their data in your reports.

Customizing Shapes (attributes for reporting)

Using custom attributes is common in Jira. To support these common behaviors and include them in reporting, we offer the ability to customize the attributes included in the OSLC resources shared in the reporting feed. The standard contents of these artifacts are called shapes, so we provide the ability to modify the standard shapes to support your needs. (https://help.sodius.cloud/help/topic/com.sodius.oslc.app.jira.doc/html/admin/server/issueShapes.html?cp=0_0_1_0_3_3 )

Noted Polarion Features

Siemens Polarion provides notable extension and configuration features available to common OSLC tools. Critical unique features for teams to explore include the following.

Customizing Mappings & Types (RM, Change, QM)

Polarion allows the customization of relationships and mapping standard OSLC links to any type and link relationship within Polarion. This can be used to fully customize the experience outlined in our support article → Polarion OSLC Services for your Configuration.

Customizing Tables (Available Starting in 21r1+)

Polarion has introduced a new feature starting in Release 21r1 that leverages the features of OSLC uniquely. While most OSLC tools support the rich preview, it can be a challenge cycling through many artifacts for specific values. In Release 21r1, Polarion introduces a table layout that allows the customization of presented attributes in a dynamically pulled table from the OSLC source tool (in our case Jira). It blends the dynamic nature of OSLC with the common desire to show multiple values on a linked artifact. This is fully configured to all attributes available in the Jira Shapes. This is further explained in our support article → Using OSLC Tables in Polarion Forms.