Issues

Issues in Harness SEI offers a Jira alternative solution for teams looking to visualize their project management. This solution is simple to use and offers just the basic project management features so it is easy to implement.

You can use Issues to track various items, which can represent anything from a software bug to a project task etc. Issues act as the building blocks of any SEI project. An issue, also known as a ticket, can represent a task or a problem that needs to be resolved.

To create an Issue on SEI:

  1. Open the SEI Project.

  2. Click on the Issues tab in the side navbar.

  3. On the landing page, click on the New Issue button located at the top right corner.

  4. You can select the Project from the project selection dropdown option at the top right corner and create an issue under it.

  5. Add the Ticket Summary and Description.

  6. Choose the Assignee for the ticket. You can either assign it to any contributor who exists under that project, assign it to yourself, or mark it as unassigned.

  7. Add Tags if needed.

  8. Choose the Ticket Type. The ticket could represent a Story, Bug, Task, or any other issue type in your project.

  9. Once you’ve configured the item, click on the Create button to save the issue.

By default, issues will be created using the Default Template. However, you have the option to customize the ticket settings using Issue Templates. To do this, simply select the appropriate Issue Template while creating the ticket. For more information on how to use Issue Templates, go to Issue Templates.

Issue Templates

Issue Templates in SEI are predefined sets of fields, configurations, and settings that can be used to create standardized issues. These templates allow users to create issues quickly with consistent information and structure, which is especially useful for repetitive or routine tasks.

Additionally, SEI Assessments can be attached as part of the ticket template, enabling teams to custom-build their checklists, surveys, and assessments to evaluate different KPIs and take necessary actions.

Issue templates in SEI can include predefined values for fields such as Summary, Description, Assignee, Priority, and more. These templates ensure that issues are created with the necessary details and follow a standardized format. This can improve efficiency and provide a consistent approach to managing different types of issues within a project.

What are Assessments?

Assessments are polls/surveys that teams can use to custom-build their own checklist, surveys, and assessments to evaluate different KPIs and take necessary actions.

SEI provides users with the option of choosing from the range of templates available or created under the project while creating an issue. The system loads predefined information into the new issue, which helps to streamline the issue-creation process.

SEI Admins and SEI Collection Admins have the permission to create and customize issue templates based on their projects' specific requirements and needs.

To create an Issue Template:

  1. Go to the SEI Project.

  2. Click on Templates in the side navbar.

  3. Select the Issue Templates tile in the Templates tab.

  1. Click on the Add Issue Template button at the top right corner.

  1. Now you can customize your ticket template by adding custom fields and assessments.

    1. Under the Assessments tab, select the Assessment you want to associate with this ticket template.

    2. Define the Default Metadata Fields by checking or unchecking the items as per your requirements. In addition, you can add more metadata. Choose the type of the metadata field from the menu and customize it by clicking on the field settings.

    3. Choose the Notification method for the assignee of this ticket template. You can use the Contributor Email or Slack.

  1. Configure the Template settings by clicking on the Settings icon.

    1. Choose if you want to enable this Template for the users.

    2. Choose if you want to make this Template the Default Template for Issues in SEI.

  2. Once you have configured the Template settings, click on Save to save the changes.

You can create Issue Templates for different metrics such as Kanban and Scrum.

Backlog Management

To manage all the issues created in the current project, you can use the Issues Tab. You can add Filters for Projects, Reporter, Assignee, Tags, Status, and Issue Update Time to view only the required tickets.

If you want to visually see the backlog for Issues on SEI, you can configure a Propel to define a workflow that can be invoked every time a new ticket is created or ticket status is updated. You can then add that data into a custom SEI Table.

The data from this table can be used to generate the Backlog Report on your Insights.

You can also use the Issue Count report and the Issue Count Trend report to visually monitor analytics for work planning and prioritization of the SEI Issues. This can include tracking work in progress, burnup and burndown, and other metrics at a Collection level.

Additionally, you can also create reports specifically for tracking Scrum and Kanban metrics, such as work in progress, velocity, lead time, and more.

Note: The term Issues in this context refers to the issues created on the SEI platform, not the Issue Management Platform.

Update the Issue

To update the Status of an Issue:

  1. Click on the Issue in the Issue Management window. This will open up the ticket item in an expanded view. Here, you can add attachments to the ticket and also add comments on the progress.

  2. To change the status, click on the Status option and select the active status.

You can track all the activity that has happened as part of the ticket by clicking on the Activity tab.

Note that you can also add sub-tickets as part of a parent ticket.

Delete the Issue

To delete an existing ticket:

  1. Select the Ticket from the Issue Management window on SEI. This will open up the ticket item in an expanded view.

  2. Click on Actions > Delete Issue. Note that deleting an Issue will delete all associated assessments and sub-issues.

Collaboration and Communication using Propels and Issues

Collaboration and communication are crucial for the success of any project. One effective way to facilitate this is through the use of Propels and Issues. Propels can help you achieve this by setting up an efficient workflow and automating tasks.

Propels can be used to set up automation and design a workflow that allows project contributors to communicate and collaborate more effectively.

Here is an example of how to effectively manage issue status and information using Propel and keep your team informed.

You can configure a Propel node to add Issue Data to a Custom Table. Then you can set up another Propel node to send notifications in Slack, which will alert team members whenever a new issue is created on SEI. This helps ensure that everyone is aware of any issues that arise, and the team can work together to resolve them promptly.

ChatOps Support

You can integrate Harness SEI Issues with your Slack workspace to enable automatic notifications and updates based on specific events, such as the creation or updating of a ticket.

This support allows for real-time communication and collaboration within your team through the Slack chat interface. By implementing this, you can ensure that everyone in the team stays informed about important issue statuses and changes.

Last updated