Optimize synchronization of data to Axify

Axify aims to centralize your project data by synchronizing information from various sources. Once this information is synchronized, the different graphs and indicators in Axify will highlight elements to be addressed.

The data visible in Axify depends on the synchronization process and its structure at the source, i.e. in the original software.

Since many graphs display the time spent at various stages of the development cycle (or the entire cycle time), it is essential to understand how we calculate item processing time.

Axify connects to your project's board

Let's imagine that our project management table contains five columns: To Do, Analysis in Progress, Development, Testing, and Completed.

• The Analysis in progress, Development, and Tests columns are considered as "In progress".
• The time starts to be compiled as soon as the item (story, task, or other) leaves the first column, going from To Do to Analysis in progress.
• If the item goes back to the first column (To do), the time stops, and the count will resume where it left off when the item goes back to the In progress status (by switching to the Analysis in progress column, for example).
• The counter stops when the item reaches the last column (Completed).
• The total time spent "In Progress" is compiled and used in some graphs, including the Service level expectation.

In the case of Azure DevOps, note that the data is imported from the Project Tracking board and not the Sprint board. Therefore, the board columns are considered the same way for Jira and Azure DevOps, even if only one column of your Azure DevOps board is configured to use the Active state mapping.

Note that, for Azure DevOps, this is the integration by team.

Data synchronization optimizations

• If you want to display Axify data in Sprint mode, ensure your source board is of the scrum type (or that your board contains iterations, if there is no "scrum" option available). 
  
  • It is possible to follow a single project in two different ways. For example, you could link an Axify project to a kanban board for high-level monitoring. In contrast, you could connect another project to a scrum board for more detailed monitoring of specific metrics.
    
    
• If you use a multiteam board for your project and link that board to Axify, the integration will respect this configuration and display the performance of each team member who worked on that project, regardless of the team affiliation.
  

  • To get a more granular view of each team for the same project, create different tables at the source and apply a filter. Then link the desired table to an Axify project.

  • It's entirely possible to use both views in Axify. So, you could create a project with a higher level view aggregating the work of all teams using the multiteam board, but you could also have a team view by creating an Axify project for each of those teams and linking them to filtered boards at the source.
    
    

• If you use a multi-project board and link that board to Axify, the latter will consider all projects in calculating the different metrics. Essentially, the board's query is preserved.
  
  • The Daily Digest will also use these parameters.
  • You can see the associated filter from the integration configuration page (see project settings).
  • Create different boards at the source and apply filters to get a more granular view of each project. Then link the desired board to an Axify project.
  • Like with multiteam boards, it's entirely possible to use both views in Axify. Create an Axify project linked to the multi-project board to get an overview, then create a filtered board at the source and create an Axify project of its own to link to it. 
    
    

• And if you want to isolate some data in order to specify the information to include (or exclude!) from the synchronization to Axify, remember to check your filters at the source!

  • • For example, in Jira:

      • If you want to exclude some data associated with obsolete requests, you can create and use a label to identify the concerned data, then create (or modify) the board's query in order to not display the items using this label. The data will then be excluded from the Jira board and will not be synchronized to Axify.

      • You can also use this logic in reverse, i.e. to identify the data that should be visible on the board and synchronized to Axify. 

Attention: Axify uses various information to populate the available metrics including the type of item, but also their status. Therefore, if your filter or query excludes items with the status "Resolved", you will not have access to some metrics such as cycle time distribution, expected service level, or throughput.

Bonus note regarding the Jira setup

We invite you to consult the official Jira documentation (Atlassian) for more information on how to use this feature. Here's an Atlassian (Jira) help article on this topic: Use advanced search with Jira Query Language (JQL)