Summary

Imagine your project is already overdue and the issues scheduled for the next release depend on issues in multiple different projects.

Managing this is usually a nightmare, but with JQL Search Extensions for JIRA you can easily identify all issues blocking your project. 

Step 1: Create a new dashboard

Simply go to dashboard, select: "Create Dashboard", name it "Project blockers" and save. 

Step 2: Create filter with JQL query

Go to issue search (issue navigator) and type the JQL for finding issues blocking your release:

linkType = blocks AND linkedByIssueProject = SEARCH and linkedIssueStatusCategory != "Done"

Save the filter as: "Issues blocking Search Project" 

You can further narrow down this search: 

• You can use linkedIssueType = Story to search for issues which are blockers for stories in your project
• Try linkedIssuePriority = Blocker to search for issues which are dependencies of blockers in your backlog
• Try adding more keywords, such as
  
  • assignee = unassigned - to identify issues which are not taken care of 
  • component = Core, to narrow down the search to blockers from Core component 

Step 3: Present data on the dashboard

Add the following gadgets to the new dashboard:

• Filter Results gadget and use saved filter: "Issues blocking Search Project" 
• Pie Chart gadget, use saved filter: "Issues blocking Search Project" and set statistic type to status
• Issue statistics gadget, use saved filter: "Issues blocking Search Project" and set statistic type to project
• Created vs resolved gadget, use saved filter: "Issues blocking Search Project"

Gadgets configured will give you a live insight into how your project depend on other projects, what are the exact issues that your project depend on, what is the status of these issues and if the dependencies are closed quicker than the new ones are created. 

Get JQL Search Extensions and create the blocking issues now!