Skip to main content

JIRA as a Data Collection and Management Platform for International Equipment Networks

· 3 min read
JIRA Automation for Equipment Data

By Maria Petrova, Automation Specialist, 2018

When you’re tasked with tracking and managing data on thousands of hardware installations across hundreds of fuel stations — spanning multiple countries, vendors, and equipment generations — the first instinct is to search for a dedicated asset management system. In our case, we tried, but nothing quite fit: too expensive, too rigid, or simply not “close enough” to our real business process.

That’s how we ended up using JIRA as the core of our data collection and management platform — and, surprisingly, it proved both robust and highly flexible.

Why JIRA?​

JIRA is everywhere in IT, but in most organizations it’s used just for tickets and development. However, it has a few crucial strengths:

  • Custom workflows: Easy to model processes for site surveys, equipment installation, and maintenance.
  • Forms and custom fields: Let us build the exact data collection structure needed for each stage.
  • Marketplace add-ons: Extend JIRA’s standard features to support structured (tabular) data, close to a database in practice.
  • Permission controls: Allow secure delegation to regional teams and vendors.

Implementation Details​

We designed and implemented a set of custom workflows and forms for each site visit or installation event. The process usually looked like this:

  1. Data Collection: Field engineers would fill structured forms for each site, with fields for equipment model, serial, firmware, installation parameters, etc.
  2. Tabular Data via Marketplace Plugins: We used plugins like Table Grid Editor and Jira Misc Custom Fields to let users input, edit, and store structured tables (think: list of pumps, controllers, sensors per site) directly inside issues.
  3. Data Aggregation and Search: All this information was available in JIRA’s database, and could be searched using the Issue Navigator, with custom filters and JQL queries.
  4. Reporting and Export: With a combination of dashboard gadgets and plugin export tools, management got daily overviews — without switching platforms or data silos.

Key Benefits​

  • Unified Process: Everyone, from on-site engineers to management, worked in one system.
  • Data Quality: Structured forms and validation reduced manual errors and data loss.
  • Traceability: Every change, correction, or update was logged, making audits easy.
  • Agility: When requirements changed, we simply added new fields, columns, or plugins — no need for big IT projects.

Lessons Learned​

  • Marketplace plug-ins are essential if you need real table-like data entry in JIRA — standard custom fields are not enough for complex equipment lists.
  • Form and workflow design is 80% of the work. The more you invest up front, the less support and rework is needed later.
  • User training is key: Not all field engineers are comfortable with JIRA; simple playbooks and onboarding go a long way.

Would I Recommend This Approach?​

For “classic” asset management at scale, a dedicated system may still be preferable. But if you need flexibility, fast rollout, and real integration with business processes — and already have JIRA in the company — it can be a surprisingly effective solution.

For us, JIRA became not just a ticketing tool, but the central nervous system of our equipment network.

Sources:

  • Project documentation, international fuel station network, 2017–2018
  • Configuration notes and user feedback on Marketplace plugins
  • Internal training materials and rollout checklists