Jira Server

Overview

Asana for Jira Server is an integration that allows collaboration and visibility between teams working in Asana and Jira.

This integration brings the value of the Jira Cloud integration to users who use Jira Server.

It allows business and product teams (that spend the majority of their time planning and actioning on work in Asana) to collaborate and track work seamlessly with engineering teams (who plan and execute work in Jira). Its purpose is to optimise scheduling by tracking sprints and ultimately providing Asana users visibility into the development stage in Jira.

Asana for Jira Server bridges the gap between the planning stages in Asana and the development phases in Jira, from execution to delivery.

It creates and monitors the status of Jira issues inside Asana tasks.

Requirements for installation

Asana requirements:

The Asana for Jira Server integration is available to all Premium, Business and Enterprise customers.

The Jira Admin must have the following available for the first steps of installation:

• An Asana account
• A paid plan

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Jira requirements:

Jira Software Server or Data Center instances are supported, and configured according to requirements linked below. For specific version support, please reference the Jira Marketplace listing.

If you use Jira Cloud, use the Asana for Jira Cloud integration

How to install

The Jira Admin needs to create the application link by installing the plug-in from the Jira Server Marketplace. The Jira Admin will need to complete the first steps, then the end users in Asana will be able to add the integration to any projects they have access to.

Jira Admin Install:

• Navigate to this GitHub repository for details on supported configurations of Jira Server to allow external connections
• After configuring your Server instance accordingly, navigate to the Jira Sever Marketplace listing for 'Asana for Jira Server' and install it.

Next, the Jira Admin needs to authenticate the application by clicking Connect to Asana

• You will be prompted to Auth with Asana
• Once granted please choose the appropriate Asana domain to connect to the new integration
• Once you see a confirmation in Jira, the steps needed from the Server are complete, and the rest can be completed by users in Asana

Asana users:

1. In Asana, go to the project you want to add the integration to
2. On the top right of your screen click Customize, scroll down in the menu and click Add app

During authentication if you get the message "Your Asana has not been added to Jira server" go back to "Jira Admin Install" step and make sure the Asana Org is authenticated, the relevant workspace has been selected and is showing up in the Jira Server Administration.

Once complete, the app will be added to the project, and users should see a Jira Server field on tasks where they can add existing or create new Jira issues from within Asana.

If this is the first time you have tried to add the App to a project, you will go through a series of Jira and Asana authentication flows. After completion you will be able to link issues to tasks in the relevant project.

OAuth 2.0 for Jira Server and Jira Data Center

OAuth 2.0 is supported for Jira Server and Jira Data Center from version 8.22 and above.

There are two ways to install an integration for Jira Server and Jira Data Center. With the OAuth 1.0 installation process, customers are required to install the Asana for Jira Server add-on from the Atlassian Marketplace.

Using OAuth 2.0 does not require this step to enable the installation process, meaning that a Jira Admin can complete the entire installation process directly from their Jira instance.

Step-by-step installation instructions

This process can only be carried out by Jira Administrators.

1. Generate the application link credentials:

• Open the Applications dropdown menu by clicking on the gear icon
• Open Application links on the dropdown menu
• Create a new incoming application link with the following parameters:
  • Application type: External application
  • Direction: Incoming
  • Redirect URL: https://jira-api.integrations.asana.plus/setup/callback/jira
  • Permission: Write

2. After you hit Save, the resulting page provides you with the credentials: Client ID and Client secret. Keep this page open as you will need this information in step 5.
3. Open the setup page by entering https://jira-api.integrations.asana.plus/setup in a separate tab on your browser.
4. Log in with your Asana account and confirm your approval to grant permissions by clicking Allow. After successful login, select an Asana workspace with which you want to integrate your Jira instance.
5. You are asked to enter the following information:

• Jira domain: The Jira domain you’d like to connect to. Your Jira instance needs to be accessible from the public internet; if your Jira instance is only accessible via your corporate network or a VPN, this will not work.
• Client ID: From step 2.
• Client secret: From step 2
• Click Save

6. You are then asked to grant permission for Asana to access your Jira domain. Click Allow if you’d like to proceed.

Features

The integration can now be used to link an existing Asana task to an existing Jira issue or create a new issue.

Link Asana task to existing Jira issue

From the dropdown menu at the Jira Server field you can add an existing issue.

Then enter the URL of the Jira issue, or simply type in the name of the issue in the text field.

From here you can open a Jira issue, give feedback and remove an issue from a task.

Create Jira issue from Asana task

Select Create new issue from the Jira Server field within the task in Asana.

A new dialog pop up will next appear for you to fill in. Please try and fill in all fields (specifically project and issue type). You can also attach files from the Asana task.

Click Create issue.

Asana will load the relevant details from the completed fields to create the issue.

After you’ve created or linked an issue, you’ll see the updated details about the issue within the task in Asana. You can only add one Jira issue per each Asana task.

Once the Jira Issue is created a real-time Jira widget is available providing you with the Status, Priority, and Assignee of the Jira Issue. Click into it to see more.

Any changes made to the issue in Jira will be reflected in Asana at the next page load.

Key functionality

• Bridge the gap between the planning stage and the hand-off: Project Managers can seamlessly create a Jira issue from Asana when tasks are engineering ready. The planning has already happened in Asana and the product manager is ready to transfer over to the engineering department with ease to do their sprint planning in Jira. This integration saves time and avoids data inconsistencies.

• To save steps and optimize your workflow, you can automate the creation of Jira issues via our Rules feature. Learn how.

• Transparency in development work in Jira: Asana users have visibility to work happening in Jira so they can update stakeholders and important clients on key release dates, bug fixes, etc. Similarly, the product manager wants the flexibility to be able to track, plan, and execute Jira work within Asana. It's a win-win.

Jira Server FAQ

For a list of common questions on the Asana for Jira Server integration, see below.

How does the authorization model work?

• The integration uses OAuth as the authorization standard. Users will remain authenticated until the OAuth token expires or until someone revokes that token.

• In order to link existing Jira issues to an Asana task or to create a new Jira issue from Asana you need to be authorized into your Jira account.

How to check if you are using Jira Server

• Go to the URL that you use to log in to your Jira account.

• If your URL has this structure: “.atlassian.net” then you are using Jira Cloud, and you are not eligible to use the Server integration. You will need to use the Cloud version.

• If your URL does not have this structure: “.atlassian.net” then you are using Jira server and are eligible to use this integration.

Who initiates the initial Jira integration?

A Jira Admin has to create an application link for your Server instance to be able to connect to Asana. This is a one time occurrence. Once done, users within Asana will be able to individually authenticate to add to projects.

Is this a one-way or two-way integration?

• When a user creates a new Jira issue or links to an existing Jira issue from Asana, we push the following from Asana into Jira:

1. Task name
2. Description
3. Attachments

• This data becomes part of that new Jira issue. However this Asana > Jira data transfer is a one occasion only data push that happens during the creation of a new Jira issue; this is also the only time we are pushing data from Asana into Jira.

• After the Jira issue is created, the Jira widget shows read-only data from the linked Jira issue. So technically speaking, the widget is just syncing data directly from Jira to Asana. The Jira widget will also work the same way when you link an existing Jira issue to an Asana task.

How do permissions work?

• When creating a new Jira issue from Asana, the integration follows Jira’s permission model. So a user can only create a Jira issue if they have permissions to do so in Jira. This is the only scenario where a user can write data into Jira (in order to create a new Jira issue). Similarly, this is also the only scenario where the integration reads Asana data.

• The integration reads Asana data, and creates a new Jira issue by writing (optional) some of the Asana task data (task name, description, and attachments) into the new Jira issue’s fields (issue name, etc.).

• Similarly users can only link existing Jira issues to an Asana task if:

• They’re authorized into their Jira account

• They have access to those specific Jira issues in Jira

• Once an issue has been linked to an Asana task, then the read permissions are controlled by Asana’s permissions model. For example, if a user links a Jira issue to task XYZ, then Asana users with access to Asana task XYZ can only see (read-only) the linked Jira issue’s data. If you want to keep the Jira data private within Asana, you have the option to make your projects or tasks private.

Can we create or link Asana tasks to Jira issues in Jira?

No.

The integration requires you to create a task in Asana, and then link it to an existing Jira issue.

How to deauthorize from the integration or switch Jira account

Users can deauthorize by revoking access to the Asana for Jira Server integration in Jira.

1. Go to Account Settings > Connected Apps > click Revoke Access

Next time the user tries to attach or create a new Jira issue, they should be prompted to reauthorize.

To connect a different Jira Server instance to your Asana workspace, please contact Asana Support.