4 Considerations of Jira Add-ons for Product Lifecycle
Software development teams use Atlassian’s Jira because it works well for bug tracking.
It’s also easy to use, and popular enough that new team members are likely to be familiar with it.
But Jira only does one thing: issue management.
What if you need requirements management? Or test case management? You could purchase third-party add-ons in order to get this coverage. But that approach involves a few hidden dangers.
We touched on this in our earlier blog post, What to Do When Jira Can't Handle Your Workflow Anymore.
Back to topWhat Are Jira Add-Ons?
Jira add-ons fill the gaps in Jira's abilities. Add-ons are frequently used for test case management and requirements management.
In theory, add-ons from the Jira marketplace seem like a good way to add functionality as you need it. In practice, however, this approach can quickly become painful.
Back to top4 Hidden Dangers of Jira Add-Ons
If you’re tempted to go this route, here are four hidden dangers to consider.
1. Exponential License Fees
The first thing to know is that each add-on typically has an additional license fee per user. These fees can quickly double your initial investment into Jira.
Even with only two add-ons (one for requirements management and one for managing test cases, for example), you’re now paying for three licenses for each user.
For a team of 20 people, that’s 60 licenses. Now imagine what an enterprise-level development team would need.
And that’s just for two add-ons; most teams need four or five to get the features and functionality they need to manage their development lifecycle.
2. Additional Complexity
On top of fees, each add-on complicates your Jira instance a little more — until it becomes challenging to make it all work.
Many companies resort to hiring an outside consultant when the complexity becomes too time-consuming or frustrating to do on their own.
It’s such a common problem, several consultancies have built their businesses around the complexity of configuring Jira and the selection and management of add-ons.
And they aren’t cheap.
Now, you’re not only paying for additional licenses per user, you’re also paying a consultant to make it all work — and you’ll be paying them again when you have to buy another add-on.
3. Lack of Support
What happens when something breaks or goes wrong?
Do you call Atlassian’s support team? The consultant you hired? The company that made the app (assuming you know which app is causing the problem)?
This is another hidden danger of add-ons. No single vendor takes responsibility for the overall quality and support of your solution.
To make matters worse, many of the add-ons are from small vendors. And these vendors may not keep them up to date or even support them in the future.
4. Failed Upgrades
Out-of-date add-ons can, in turn, cause failed upgrades and scenarios that stop your team’s work.
That makes every add-on a potential point of failure. The more add-ons, the more problems you encounter after a Jira upgrade.
Not only that, but you’re beholden to the lowest common denominator; if just one app doesn’t work with the latest Jira upgrade, you’re stuck.
Want to Avoid These Jira Pains?
Download our white paper, Beyond Bug Tracking with Jira.
You’ll learn how to stretch your coverage without the pain of add-ons.
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Alternatives to Jira Add-Ons
Jira add-ons aren't the only route to take. Learn about Jira integrations and other Jira alternatives.
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