Lab 02 — Agile Project Management with Jira¶

Format

Duration: 2 hours (guided lab)
Objective: Onboard into Jira, explore Scrum vs Kanban boards, and create first tickets for upcoming labs.
Tools: Jira Cloud (web app), Instructor’s demo board.
Pre-requisites: Slack workspace (Lab 01).

Objectives¶

By the end of this lab, you will: - Join your team’s Jira project.
- Understand Jira’s structure: Epics, Stories, Sub-tasks.
- Differentiate between Scrum boards and Kanban boards.
- Explore the backlog and active sprint.
- Create and move your own tickets.

Step 1 — Instructor Demo: The Master Board¶

Your instructor will show a Jira board for the entire course:

Epic: DITISS Course August 2025
Features (per phase):
- Phase 1: Infrastructure Foundations (S6–S9)
- Phase 2: Virtualization & Cloud (S10–S13)
- Phase 3: DevOps Foundations (S14–S17)
- Phase 4: CI/CD & Monitoring (S18–S20)
- Phase 5: Security & HA (S21–S23)
Stories: Individual lab items (e.g., Install Ubuntu VM, Configure SAN, Build Docker image).

This shows how the course itself is a project, with sprints, backlog, and tracking.

Step 2 — Join Your Team’s Jira Project¶

Check your email invite from Jira.
Click the link → accept invitation.
If prompted, create a Jira account (free, using your email ID).
Once inside, you’ll see your team’s project (e.g., Company Alpha Project).

Step 3 — Explore the Scrum Board¶

On the left menu, click “Active Sprints”.
You’ll see:
- Sprint name (e.g., Sprint 1: Sessions 6–9).
- Sprint board with columns: To Do → In Progress → Done.
- Cards (stories) representing tasks.
Click a card to open its details. Look for:
- Summary (title)
- Description (instructions)
- Assignee (who’s doing it)
- Status (To Do, In Progress, Done)

Step 4 — Explore the Kanban Board¶

On the left menu, click “Kanban Board” (sometimes named “Board” or “Workflow”).
You’ll see a continuous flow of tasks across columns: To Do → In Progress → Review → Done.
Unlike Scrum, Kanban has no fixed sprint; work flows continuously.

Step 5 — Explore the Backlog¶

Click Backlog in the left menu.
You’ll see:
- Epics (big themes).
- Stories (lab tasks).
- Sprint 1 already created by instructor.
Scroll through items in Sprint 1 backlog. These are the labs you’ll do next.

Step 6 — Create Your Own Ticket¶

In the backlog, click “Create Issue”.
Fill in:
- Summary: “Install Ubuntu VM (my personal lab)”
- Description: Write steps briefly (download ISO, create VM, snapshot).
- Issue Type: Story
- Epic Link: Phase 1 → Infrastructure Foundations
- Sprint: Sprint 1
- Assignee: Yourself
Click Create. Your ticket now appears in Sprint 1.

Step 7 — Work with Your Ticket¶

Drag your ticket from To Do → In Progress (start work).
Once finished, drag it to Done.
Add a comment on the ticket:
```
Lab 02 test completed ✅
```
Add a reaction emoji on someone else’s ticket for practice.

Step 8 — Team Activity¶

Each student creates 1–2 tickets under Sprint 1.
Team Lead (Scrum Master) ensures all tickets are distributed across members.
Discuss as a team:
- Which tasks feel like Scrum work (time-boxed, labs)?
- Which feel like Kanban work (ongoing, support)?

Deliverables¶

Successfully joined Jira project.
Viewed Scrum board, Kanban board, and backlog.
Created at least one ticket under Sprint 1.
Moved your ticket across columns (To Do → In Progress → Done).
Added a comment and interacted with another ticket.

Reflection (write in lab notebook)¶

Answer briefly: 1. What’s the main difference between Scrum and Kanban boards?
2. Which Jira feature do you think will be most useful in managing your labs?
3. Was ticket creation and assignment straightforward?

✅ Key Takeaways¶

Jira = project management hub for your team.
Scrum board = sprint planning & delivery.
Kanban board = continuous flow.
Tickets = represent lab tasks you’ll work on.
Jira + Slack + GitHub = the core DevOps collaboration stack you’ll use all semester.