Innovalog presents:
Stump The Expert Challenge
Answer the Challenge in support of an amazing cause that prepares kids to solve the world’s greatest problems. Automatically enter to win an Oculus Quest 2.
Are you a Jira expert?
Prove it and we'll donate up to $250 per Challenge to an amazing cause
The Challenge is open now until the end of January 31st, 2021
If you consider yourself an expert in your field and in Jira, we call on you to join our Stump The Expert Challenge, and earn money for an amazing Robotics Charity that inspires young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators.
All you need to do is provide solutions - using one of the Innovalog products - to any of the below Challenges. They range from quick, every-day Challenges to ultimate mind-benders - the more complex, the higher the donation.
The awards are designed to give anyone an opportunity to participate, but they do require you to be diligent while submitting the solution - see the guidelines below and check out this example. Once our experts review your solution and find it reliable, it will be published, and you will help other Jira Admins to do more with Jira and automate more of their Jira workflows.
There is no limit on the number of entries, but these must be usable, executable use cases that can be implemented using Jira Misc Workflow Extensions (JMWE) or Jira Misc Custom Fields in Jira Server/DC or Jira Cloud instances. And keep in mind that at least once a week we will be removing Challenges that have already received a reliable solution, so don’t delay your entry!
Grand prize for the challengers:
For each answer you submit by January 31st, 2021, and we approve and publish, you will also get one chance to win an Oculus Quest 2!
Review the "small print" below.
FIRST® is more than robots. FIRST is more than STEM. It is a proven game-changer for preparing kids to solve the world’s greatest problems. It inspires young people to be technology leaders and innovators by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills.
This cause was recommended to us by Rodney Nissen. Rodney's own experience with FIRST is a must-read!
Stump The Expert Challenges
Answer any of the Challenges from the list below. You can even submit your own. See the guidelines below.
But don't delay - once a solution has been answered, it will no longer be available for submission.
Automate on-the-fly calculation of “Work Cost Estimate”
Jira allows you to create custom fields, but what it doesn’t do is give you the ability to create custom fields that will perform calculations. Using JMCF, demonstrate a “work cost estimate” calculation operation, based on a “Cost per Hour” field, a “Number of Hours” field, and a Total field, which will multiply the cost and hours fields.
View this Example Answer
NOTE: Your submission should be similar in format and details (not necessarily in length) to the example provided here by Roy Klomp.
This $50 Challenge has been answered!
Make sure proper attachment has been added to an issue
Adding an attachment to a Jira issue is a simple task. However, if you want to validate types of attachments to be added, you'd need to find a workaround.
Using JMWE, validate -- during a workflow transition -- that an attachment that is added to the issue is a Microsoft Excel file and not just any type of file.
This Challenge is closed and the solution will be published soon.
If you have already prepared an answer to this Challenge, submit it for a chance to win an Oculus Quest 2. Otherwise, please pick another Challenge!
This $50 Challenge has been answered!
Display the user who performed a specific transition on an issue
Jira records transition history; however, displaying who performed a specific transition and making this information readily accessible as an issue field can be done using a workflow function. Using JMWE, show how to create a field that stores who made a particular transition. Display the field in the issue view screen.
(No cheating! JMCF does this out-of-the-box)
This Challenge is closed and the solution will be published soon.
If you have already prepared an answer to this Challenge, submit it for a chance to win an Oculus Quest 2. Otherwise, please pick another Challenge!
Calculate the difference between two dates
To report on KPI's to understand your team's performance, you want to see and report on the time it takes to resolve an issue. Using JMCF, create a "resolution time" field to calculate precisely how much time has elapsed between the date/time the issue was created and the date/time it was resolved. Then, on a dashboard, show the count of issues summarized by the number of days. For example, 4 issues were resolved in one day, 15 issues were resolved in two days, etc.
Show the breakdown of issues by TTR in a pie chart
To see your Total Time to Resolution (TTR), you need to add a pie chart to the dashboard that shows the following information at a glance: the number of issues resolved in under 24 hours, 24 to 72 hours, and 72+ hours, all resolved within the past 30 days. TTR is defined as the time that it takes to resolve an issue after it has been created. Show how to do all of the above using JMCF.
This $50 Challenge has been answered!
$50 donation is offered by
Require attachments, conditionally
In Jira Service Desk, a customer request type needs either a custom field or an attachment. Using JMWE, ensure that if the custom field is left empty, an attachment is required. However, if the field is not empty, no attachment will be required.
This Challenge is closed and the solution will be published soon.
If you have already prepared an answer to this Challenge, submit it for a chance to win an Oculus Quest 2. Otherwise, please pick another Challenge!
Prevent a user from choosing an inapplicable support type
A customer submits a support request through the Jira Service Management customer portal. A help desk technician receives the request and classifies it by choosing a Component representing an impacted software application or business area.
They use a second field to select the type of support needed. The type of support available needs to be Component-specific. For example, if the Component is "email," the only applicable support selections are "troubleshooting" and "monitoring." If the Component is "network," the only suitable support selections are "monitoring" and "security." Using JMWE, demonstrate how to prevent a user from choosing an inapplicable support type for the selected Component.
Challenge suggested by:
Rachel Wright, certified Jira Administrator and author of the Jira Strategy Admin Workbook
Troubleshooting: cloning issues with linked issues validator
A JMWE validator is being used during the issue creation step. It validates that the issue has a certain linktype associated with it. The validator works properly when issues are being created. However, it doesn’t work when a user clones an issue in Jira UI - even if the 'clone links' option is selected. Solve the problem by skipping validation when cloning an issue.
Coordinating the status of issues and their subtasks
Consistency between an issue and its subtasks is important for maintaining your Jira instance's integrity. Using JMWE, demonstrate all of the following:
- Automatically close an issue when its last subtask is closed;
- Prevent users from closing an issue unless all subtasks are closed;
- Automatically reopen the parent issue when a closed subtask is reopened.
Challenge suggested by:
Rodney Nissen, The Jira Guy
$100 donation is offered by
Copy attachments to linked issues during a transition
To ensure consistency between linked issues, you often need to copy information that is being added to related issues during a transition. Using JMWE, demonstrate how to copy all attachments added on the transition screen from the issue to its linked issues.
$250 donation is offered by
Automatically assign requests based on cost
Often processes require different approvals based on budgets or specific requirements.
Using JMWE, demonstrate how to automatically request approval based on this requirement:
- Any IT purchases under $500 need to be approved by any member of the IT team;
- Any purchases over $500 need the approval of the IT manager;
- Any IT purchases over $1000, first need the approval the IT manager and then the approval of the CFO as well.
Assign issues to the least-busy team member
A new issue needs to be automatically assigned to a member of the team (defined as a project role). However, it must be assigned to the least busy team member, i.e. who currently has the least amount of open issues assigned to them. Automate all of the above using JMWE.
Round-robin issues based on time zones
For departments that operate based on time zones, it is often necessary to assign issues -- like customer requests -- to a user within a proper group that handles tasks within a specific time frame.
Using JMWE, assign a newly created issue according to the below rules. Note: Assign them all based on a round-robin approach - users will "take turns" within a group.
- Assign the issue to users in Group A if the present time is between 9 AM and 5 PM UTC
- Assign the issue to users in Group B if the present time is between 5 PM and 1 AM UTC
- Assign the issue to users in Group C if the present time is between 1 AM and 9 AM UTC
Challenge suggested by:
Rodney Nissen, The Jira Guy
Suggest a Challenge
You can also suggest your own Stump The Expert Challenge. Our team will review your submission and if approved, it will be listed in the Challenge.You will then be able to answer it yourself, and also offer an opportunity for others to do that as well.
SUBMIT FOR REVIEW
HOW THE CHALLENGE WORKS
Submit your answers by January 31st, 2021 (11:59 pm PST). For each answer you submit, and we approve and publish, we will donate money to FIRST on your behalf, according to the amount listed in the section below. You will also qualify for a raffle of one OCULUS QUEST 2 VR glasses. Anyone can submit a solution to a Challenge from the list above or even suggest a Challenge of their own.
Submission requirements are listed below. If Innovalog’s experts (employees of Appfire) find the answer to be correct and reliable, we will publish it on innovalog.com/challenge and other sources. Once a week, we will update the list to indicate unanswered Challenges for you to choose from. New Challenges might be added, so check often.
There is no limit on the number of entries, but the answer must be a usable, executable solution that can be implemented using JMWE or JMCF in Jira Server/DC or Jira Cloud instances. The submission form for each specific Challenge can be found below that Challenge.
When you submit the form, you have an option to either attach a document or provide a link to a document that summarizes the solution. Here is an example of how the solution might look. It must be well documented with the business use case described. While the execution should be done in a few lines/steps as possible, it must include screenshots as necessary. Anyone who wants to execute this solution in their own organization should be able to follow the described steps.
We reserve the right to contact the submitter (challenger) to clarify certain steps or provide minor corrections if needed. There is no limit to the number of Challenges you can answer - the more of your solutions we publish, the more money you will earn for the Charity. We will publish your solution according to your preference indicated in the submission form.
All accurate and efficient solutions may be published and shared to promote awareness at any time. We reserve the right to choose which solutions will be highlighted and where. These may include but are not limited to the Atlassian community, Innovalog.com website, our partners’ websites, Appfire.com website, and in email communications. We reserve the right to use these solutions for an unlimited amount of time.
Monetary contribution donated will be categorized as follows:
Submission requirements are listed below. If Innovalog’s experts (employees of Appfire) find the answer to be correct and reliable, we will publish it on innovalog.com/challenge and other sources. Once a week, we will update the list to indicate unanswered Challenges for you to choose from. New Challenges might be added, so check often.
There is no limit on the number of entries, but the answer must be a usable, executable solution that can be implemented using JMWE or JMCF in Jira Server/DC or Jira Cloud instances. The submission form for each specific Challenge can be found below that Challenge.
When you submit the form, you have an option to either attach a document or provide a link to a document that summarizes the solution. Here is an example of how the solution might look. It must be well documented with the business use case described. While the execution should be done in a few lines/steps as possible, it must include screenshots as necessary. Anyone who wants to execute this solution in their own organization should be able to follow the described steps.
We reserve the right to contact the submitter (challenger) to clarify certain steps or provide minor corrections if needed. There is no limit to the number of Challenges you can answer - the more of your solutions we publish, the more money you will earn for the Charity. We will publish your solution according to your preference indicated in the submission form.
All accurate and efficient solutions may be published and shared to promote awareness at any time. We reserve the right to choose which solutions will be highlighted and where. These may include but are not limited to the Atlassian community, Innovalog.com website, our partners’ websites, Appfire.com website, and in email communications. We reserve the right to use these solutions for an unlimited amount of time.
ABOUT THE CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
Monetary contribution donated will be categorized as follows:
- For Easy Challenges, we will donate $50 for each acceptable and published answer;
- For Intermediate Challenges, we will donate $100 for each acceptable and published answer;
- For Mind-bender Challenges, we will donate $250 for each acceptable and published answer;
All money - up to $5,000 in total - will be donated to FIRST after all submissions are reviewed and the Challenge closes by February 28th, 2021. For sponsored Challenges, the indicated sponsor will donate money to FIRST directly, according to the above levels.
Any published (acceptable) answer to a Challenge will automatically enter to win our grand prize - an Oculus Quest 2 ($299 value). In case your submission for the selected Challenge is not the first one, and another answer was already published on the Challenge page, you will still qualify for the grand prize entry, and a donation to the Charity will be processed as well. Oculus Quest 2 winner will be randomly selected from all valid submitted solutions when all solutions are processed, no later than by February 28th, 2021.
Oculus Quest 2 prize is subject to all local rules and regulations.
You can submit your own Stump The Expert Challenge for consideration. Our team will review it, and if approved, it will be publicly offered as a Challenge. This does not qualify you for any prizes. Once published, you will then be able to answer the Challenge yourself in addition to offering an opportunity for others to do that as well.
Any company that wants to contribute their own donation - with or without a Challenge - must be approved by Innovalog. All sponsored Challenges must also be approved and checked for accuracy. The company will then be recognized as a sponsor (and contributor) of those Challenges and must follow all listed rules of the Stump The Expert Challenge. Submitted Challenges do not qualify for the grand prize raffle.
Your time is valuable, and we appreciate your effort to support this Charity. If we do not publish your submission due to inaccuracies, we will still recognize your efforts by contributing $25 to FIRST. We reserve the right to refuse submissions that we feel are inaccurate.
We're all in this together. Our primary goal is to support FIRST, a robotics non-profit that helps today's kids grow into strong science and technology leaders of tomorrow. Together we can change the world, one child's future at a time.
GRAND PRIZE
Any published (acceptable) answer to a Challenge will automatically enter to win our grand prize - an Oculus Quest 2 ($299 value). In case your submission for the selected Challenge is not the first one, and another answer was already published on the Challenge page, you will still qualify for the grand prize entry, and a donation to the Charity will be processed as well. Oculus Quest 2 winner will be randomly selected from all valid submitted solutions when all solutions are processed, no later than by February 28th, 2021.
Oculus Quest 2 prize is subject to all local rules and regulations.
FOR SUGGESTING YOUR OWN CHALLENGE
You can submit your own Stump The Expert Challenge for consideration. Our team will review it, and if approved, it will be publicly offered as a Challenge. This does not qualify you for any prizes. Once published, you will then be able to answer the Challenge yourself in addition to offering an opportunity for others to do that as well.
Any company that wants to contribute their own donation - with or without a Challenge - must be approved by Innovalog. All sponsored Challenges must also be approved and checked for accuracy. The company will then be recognized as a sponsor (and contributor) of those Challenges and must follow all listed rules of the Stump The Expert Challenge. Submitted Challenges do not qualify for the grand prize raffle.
LET'S DO GOOD
Your time is valuable, and we appreciate your effort to support this Charity. If we do not publish your submission due to inaccuracies, we will still recognize your efforts by contributing $25 to FIRST. We reserve the right to refuse submissions that we feel are inaccurate.
We're all in this together. Our primary goal is to support FIRST, a robotics non-profit that helps today's kids grow into strong science and technology leaders of tomorrow. Together we can change the world, one child's future at a time.