The Challenge
Saab AB, a leading aerospace and defense company, operates globally, offering advanced products and services. As a hub of technological innovation, Saab has been utilizing the Atlassian suite, including Jira, Confluence, and Bitbucket, to manage its extensive software development lifecycle across various teams.
In 2021, Atlassian announced the discontinuation of its JIRA Server by 2024. This posed a significant challenge for Saab, necessitating a robust, long-term alternative that supported on-premise solutions that matched or exceeded Atlassian's functionality for large-scale, distributed product development. After thoroughly researching and evaluating 40 potential solutions, Saab chose SpiraPlan from Inflectra for its forward-thinking capabilities and alignment with their data-driven objectives.
The Solution: SpiraPlan
The transition to SpiraPlan began with a Proof of Concept (POC) in 2022. SpiraPlan's then-new Scaled Agile planning features offered enhanced visibility and planning capabilities, surpassing what was available in Jira. It allowed Saab to enhance top-down visibility and planning, aligning with their strategy to be more efficient in software engineering.
Migration Tool Development
A unique challenge emerged in migrating Saab's complex systems from Jira to SpiraPlan, requiring a bespoke migration approach. To address this, Inflectra collaborated with partner Tietoevry to develop the Advanced Jira-to-Spira Migration Tool, offering flexible, user-controlled migration of issues, product and program structures, and more. The tool provides detailed configuration files and data scrubbing features for efficient, iterative migration to SpiraPlan. This migration tool was used in the POC at Saab Ab, enabling the organization to seamlessly migrate over 20 projects and 90,000 issues from Jira to SpiraPlan.
Jira-to-Spira Migration Tool: Features and Availability
Advanced Jira-to-Spira Migration tool allows users to specify what to migrate to a custom program and product structure in SpiraPlan, including:
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Product-level releases and requirements, incidents, tasks, comments, and attachments
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Program capabilities
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Program milestones
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Product template custom lists
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Product components
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Associations between all relevant artifacts
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System-level custom lists.
Getting Started with the Migration Tool
The migration tool is available on Inflectra’s GitHub repository and includes comprehensive documentation and example configurations. Users can clone the repo, install necessary Python packages, and customize the settings for their unique migration needs. Here is the step-by-step guide to get started with the tool:
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Clone the repo locally
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Make sure your machine is using at least Python 3.10
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Navigate to the local repo’s folder from the command line.
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Run the command: “pip install -r requirements.txt” to install the required Python packages.
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Make a copy of the “.env.template” file called “.env” in the root folder of the repo, and fill in all the relevant connection information for Jira and Spira.
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Open the “mapping_template.yaml” example configuration file and edit it as needed.
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Refer to the readme.md file to learn which commands to execute to achieve your goals.
Users are encouraged to provide feedback on the repository or seek assistance via support@inflectra.com. For professional consulting assistance in migration projects or other specialized requirements, contact our team at inflectra@tietoevry.com.
About Tietoevry
Tietoevry, a Nordic technology leader, focuses on creating impactful technology solutions. With expertise in cloud, data, and software, they serve various industries, enhancing digital transformation and performance.
About Inflectra
Inflectra provides an integrated platform for seamless software development, combining agile methodologies, test automation, and comprehensive traceability. With a commitment to delivering uncompromised quality, Inflectra's solutions are designed to meet the agility and compliance needs of various sectors.
About Saab
Saab AB is a world-class aerospace and defense company that is headquartered in Sweden and serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions from military defense to civil security. With operations on every continent, Saab continuously develops, adapts, and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs. Saab’s defense portfolio includes mission systems in the air, maritime, and land domains.
SpiraPlan Overview
As a comprehensive program management tool, SpiraPlan excels in scaling Agile projects and supporting regulated industries. It offers a complete suite for Enterprise Agile Planning, Risk Management, and QA, ensuring end-to-end traceability and flexible deployment. Its robust functionality ensures compliance and operational excellence, making it an invaluable asset for enterprise agility.