Welcome back to “Code Against the Clock!” In this series, I’ll show you how I transformed the most tedious, time-consuming tasks into smooth, time-saving processes. You’ll get a step-by-step breakdown of the exact techniques I used to automate these chores—and the cool hacks I discovered along the way. Ready to make your work life easier and a little more exciting? Let’s dive in and put your tasks on autopilot!
The Backstory
Ever feel like managing sub-tasks in Jira is a never-ending juggling act, like trying to balance flaming torches on a unicycle? 😅 Well, that’s exactly what it felt like in our fast-paced startup. With two-week sprints, every Jira task often generates a cluster of smaller sub-tasks, each with its own due date and status. Keeping track of them all can quickly turn into a never-ending cycle of updates—and let’s be honest, it’s not the most thrilling part of the day.
The Sprint Close Dilemma
Here’s where it gets interesting: At the end of each sprint, when our Project Manager (PM) tries to mark the sprint as complete, Jira refuses to cooperate if there are unfinished sub-tasks. It insists that every sub-task must be closed before the sprint can officially end. This presents a major bottleneck. Imagine our PM’s frustration—either they have to manually go through and close each sub-task, or chase down developers to update their statuses. Not only is this time-consuming, but it can drag on for hours, preventing our PM from focusing on more strategic tasks.
My Automation Adventure
Fed up with seeing our PM bogged down in this repetitive cycle, I decided it was time to take action. I rolled up my sleeves and dove into scripting. The goal? To turn this monotonous process into a well-oiled, automated machine. Here’s how I did it:
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Crafting a Command-Line Superhero: I developed a command-line tool that works like a magic wand for our PM. With just a few commands, the PM can effortlessly close all sub-tasks within a sprint—no more manually updating each one or waiting for developers to do it.
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Sub-Task Closure on Autopilot: The tool identifies which sub-tasks are already completed and automatically marks them as “done.” It eliminates the need for endless status-chasing and manual updates, cutting the whole process down to seconds.
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Boosting Efficiency: The result? Our PM can now breeze through sprint closures with ease. The tool handles the tedious work in the background, accurately and quickly, freeing up the PM’s time to focus on more strategic, high-impact projects.
The Payoff
The impact has been nothing short of amazing! Our PM is no longer drowning in a sea of sub-tasks and administrative updates. Task management is now spot-on, with fewer errors and more time saved. What used to feel like a mountain of paperwork is now a simple, manageable molehill. Thanks to automation, we’ve reclaimed valuable time, and our workflow is smoother than ever.
Curious About the Code?
If you’re itching to see the source code or want to know how I built this solution, just give me a shout! I’d be happy to share the details and help you set up something similar for your own team.
Your Turn!
Have you ever automated a task to save time? What mundane task would you love to automate? I’d love to hear your stories and ideas! Drop a comment below, and let’s get the conversation started.
Thanks for joining me on this automation adventure. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog for more tips, tricks, and tech insights. Happy coding!