Managing Jira Audits, Requests and Tasks

Overview

Functionalities of using Jira to manage ZenGRC audits, tasks and requests include the following:

• An audit can be connected to any Jira project within the connected Jira instance.
• The audit and imported requests are automatically created in Jira and linked together.
• All audit and request updates are transferred in real time between Jira and ZenGRC.
• ZenGRC tasks can be linked to any Jira issue.
• Assignees to a request do not need to exist in ZenGRC. As long as they are Jira users, they can be assigned to a request.
• For users in the linked Jira project, ZenGRC seamlessly opens the application for direct access.
  
  

Accessing Jira from an Audit

The majority of information for a Jira audit can be directly accessed and updated within ZenGRC. However, there may be times when you want to open Jira.

The quickest way to open an audit in Jira is directly from the Audits page prior to accessing the individual audit. To do this, complete the following steps:

1. Click Audits in the left-hand navigation.
2. Scroll to desired audit.
3. Click Open in Jira.
   
   
   
   

If the individual audit summary page is already open from the Audits home page, access Jira by completing the following:

1. Click Actions | Open in Jira.
   
   

To open Jira and export information, complete the following:

1. Click Actions | Export from Jira.
   
   

Working with Requests

Once requests are imported into a Jira-connected audit in ZenGRC, they are also created in Jira. Updates in Jira are reflected in ZenGRC requests and vice versa.

Editing a Jira Request

Requests imported into Jira audits can be edited in both ZenGRC and Jira. But in ZenGRC, the only way to access them is through Audits.

To open and edit a request, complete the following steps:

1. Click Audits and open the desired Jira audit.
2. Click Requests (in JIRA).
3. Find the request and click View.
   
   
   
   
4. On the resulting page, two fields can be edited (prior to clicking the Edit button, which opens other editing options). 
   1. Click the dropdown arrow beside Status to make another selection.
   2. Start typing in the Comments text field to prompt an Add button.
      
      
      
      
5. Click Edit to open a page for editing while remaining in the ZenGRC application. The resulting page displays with most fields editable.

6. To assign someone in the Assignee or Reporter fields, click the dropdown arrow or within the text box.
   
   
   
   

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   Clicking the name only displays the assigned user. You must begin typing an associated Jira user name for it to display for selection.

7. To open Jira for additional editing options, click Open in Jira 
   
   

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   Jira only opens for users who have a Jira profile.

Linking a ZenGRC Task to Jira

A new Jira issue can be created directly from a ZenGRC task and saved in the selected Jira project.
 

Connecting a New Task to a Jira Item

To create a task and link it to an existing Jira item, complete the following steps:

1. Create a new task.
2. After completing the necessary fields click Save & Add a Jira Issue.
   
   
3. The page displays with options to search or create a new Jira issue.

Connecting to an Existing Jira Item

To connect a task to an existing Jira item, complete the following steps:

1. Create or open a task.
2. Click the ellipses in the top right (if your browser is maximized, an Actions button replaces the ellipses) and select Link to Jira.
   
   
   
   

3. In the dialog box, enter a search term and click Search.
   
   

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   The Search box does not auto populate, so you will need to know a word in the Jira Key or Summary fields in order to search for your issue.

   
   
   
   

4. Select an option from the results.
   
   
   
   

5. Click Save. The page refreshes to display information from the Jira issue.
   
   
   
   

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   The Jira fields can only be edited in Jira.

Creating a New Jira Item from an Existing Task

To create a new Jira item and connect it to a task, complete the following steps:

1. Open a task.
2. Click the ellipses in the top right (an Actions button replaces the ellipses if your browser is maximized) and select Create new Jira issue.
   
   
   
   

3. In the Project dropdown, select an option.
   
   

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   The Project dropdown displays projects in the connected Jira instance. This then populates the Issue dropdown with selections from the chosen Jira project.

   
   
   
   

4. Select an option in the Issue dropdown and click Create new. Alternatively, click Back to cancel and return to the prior page.
   
   
   
   

5. A new dialog box displays with fields to complete that are dependent on the selected Jira project setup.
   
   

Editing a Jira Issue Linked in a ZenGRC Task

To access a Jira issue from a ZenGRC task, complete the following steps:

1. Open the task.
2. Click the link under Jira issue key.
   
   

Unlinking or Replacing a Linked Item

Only one Jira item can be linked within a task.

To remove the link between a task and a Jira item, complete the following steps:

1. Open the task.
2. Click the ellipses in the top right (an Actions button replaces the ellipses if your browser is maximized) and select Unlink Jira issue.
   
   
   
   
3. In the dialog box, click Unlink. Alternatively, click Cancel to close without changes.
   
   
   
   

To replace the link between a task and a Jira item with a different Jira item, complete the following steps:

1. Open the task.
2. Click the ellipses in the top right (an Actions button replaces the ellipses if your browser is maximized) and select Replace Jira issue.
3. The dialog box displays allowing you to search or create a new Jira issue.