A company’s growth is significantly influenced by work effectiveness and staff productivity. The production of quality work and improved business can be achieved immediately by ensuring a productive workplace and efficient work. However, fluctuations in productivity and efficiency can influence how a company conducts business daily. The current technical advancements and breakthroughs are full of untapped potential and a myriad of options to scale enterprises and provide answers to many difficulties or roadblocks.
Atlassian’s Jira software is one significant and ground-breaking invention. Originally designed as a bug and issue tracker, Jira has transformed into a potent work tool for a variety of use cases, including requirements and test case management, agile teams, project management teams, task management, etc. Marvelution is one company that works in this industry and provides Jenkins integration for the Jira app.
Journey of Marvelution
Beginning in 2007, Marvelution set out on its path as an open-source project. It was created as an umbrella to house all the open-source projects being worked on by Marvelution’s CEO Mark Rekveld. This not only helped Mark increase his knowledge and comprehension of various frameworks, methodologies, and architectures for software development but also aided him in comprehending the minute aspects and procedures that are crucial.
Earlier, Mark concentrated on working on numerous projects, primarily as a consultant, which resulted in the founding of Marvelution. Jira Hudson Integration, the forerunner of the Jenkins Integration for Jira app, was one of the initial projects. Mark was able to launch Marvelution as a business in 2015 thanks to this achievement. Since then, he has also been able to integrate support for Jira Cloud and Data Center. The app used to support only the Jira server, and yes, growth has been tremendous. Since then, more and more clients and users have shown a desire to use it and have gained knowledge of its various characteristics.
Marvelution Timeline:
2008: Mark Rekveld establishes the open-source Marvelution project. Jira Hudson Integration for Atlassian Marketplace server starts.
2013: The debut of Jenkins Integration for Jira (server) (replaces Jira Hudson Integration)
2015: The establishment of Marvelution BV to support Service-level agreements (SLAs) and carry on development.
2018: The release of Jenkins Integration for Jira in the cloud.
2019: Jenkins Integration for Jira’s data center version has been accepted. Launch of Jenkins Integration Automation for Jira (server, data center and cloud).
2020: Awarded Silver Marketplace Partner standing by Atlassian
What sets Marvelution apart?
Marvelution is a software firm that makes Jira’s Jenkins Integration process simpler. It stands out because it has a different perspective on how integration can be accomplished. The fact that Mark is the sole employee of the solution, which includes development and support, means that it is still a one-man show. He makes an effort to hear what a consumer wants or, at the very least, comprehend the context of their goal. Based on that, the developer will consider how to incorporate client-specific features into the app and, if successful, expand their availability to a wider audience.
With its distinctive and cutting-edge services, Marvelution has altered the possibilities and revealed Jira’s latent potential. Its list of pleased clients, together with the fact that more are waiting in line, speaks volumes about the company’s standing, the team’s level of skill, and the market share of their services. Mark values candor, openness, and sincerity. According to him, if one possesses these traits, others are more likely to stick around. “Keep fishing” is another thing. Mark is not one to readily give up. And having fun is the main motivator. According to him, if one is having a good time, it shows to the consumers, and that person is not just working but rather enjoying life.
Services of Marvelution
Presently, Jenkins integration for Jira is the sole solution offered by Marvelution. It’s an application that may be set up on a Jira server, a data center, or the cloud. Clients will be able to view data connected to Jenkins within the context of Jira thanks to the improved integration between the two. It sheds light on problems and how they relate to builds in Jenkins.
Allowing clients to answer questions such as;
- Are the builds for issue X passing now?
- Is all the build green for issues in version Y?
- Can I release version X?
Additionally, Marvelution is creating an automation engine that enables administrators to set a rule that should be carried out whenever a building or job is synchronized to Jira. It is enabling the automated transition of an issue if a developer is working on it or the ability to quickly produce and release a version in Jira if the release build was successful.
Marvelution’s belief in having a single source of truth and a single location to control this knowledge sets it apart from other organizations. The company chose Jira as the location of this source of truth so that users could customize and maintain the integration. The Jenkins build pipeline, where users can configure the integration, is frequently used by rivals. As a result, the source of truth will be dispersed throughout the CI/CD landscape, making maintenance more difficult.
That, in Marks’ opinion, is the one and primary focus. Although there are some proposals for this integration with other platforms, there is no established solution to support it. In essence, it grows to improve integration, add automation features, or provide reporting features.
Jenkins Integration for Jira
One of the primary reasons Marvelution leads the pack of businesses offering Jira solutions is the excellent feedback it receives from its clients. This can include both bug reports and feature requests, which are then combined with their original ideas for goods and services. Technical developments and adjustments required to ensure that the goods and services continue to perform to the high quality set by the company are another deciding element.
For agile teams, Jira is the top software development tool, and Jenkins is the most popular open-source automation tool. This not only distinguishes their offerings from others but also enables them to offer their clients quick, adaptable, practical, and distinctive answers to each of their client’s needs. Jira and its integrations are incredibly effective and profitable for businesses to employ because they have practical applications in numerous industries.
Jira is very feature-rich when it comes to several projects, issues inside each project, additional data to attach, versions, and components. The list of businesses that use it is endless and includes software, professional services, media & communications, education, healthcare, and more. Jira is now the preferred software development platform for agile teams, and it can be enhanced with interfaces with source code management and continuous integration technologies to speed up development procedures and offer various distinctive solutions.
Mark developed methods to perform less work because he thought the Jenkins and Jira integration process was wasteful. “It has never been one magic thing, it is many little things I have added over time that I have learned with the help of the Jenkins and Jira communities.” asserts Mark.
1. TEAMS
Spend less time searching for Jenkins builds like:
- Who does the job belong to?
- Where is the job located in Jenkins?
- Answers in seconds, all within Jira
2. DEVELOPMENT
Easier software development with Jenkins-Jira integration
- Build details within the release report
- Warnings for failing or unstable builds
- View and plan releases with confidence
3. REPORTING
Visualize build information from Jenkins in Jira issues
- Find issues with failing and successful builds faster in Jira
- Get all related build information for issues
- Links to other identified builds, issues, and projects
4. SYNCHRONIZATION
Customize, which builds to synchronize
- Synchronize jobs from multiple Jenkins sites managed from a single location is Jira
- Control which jobs are (and are not) synchronized
- Only synchronize to Jira once a job is enabled for synchronization
- Jobs within a folder also available for synchronization
Challenges & Growth
Marvelution too encountered early difficulties and obstacles. Each build result contributed a new comment to an issue in Atlassian Jira, which made it difficult to distinguish between significant user comments and all the build comments. Hudson (now known as Jenkins) and Jira were eventually integrated, but the process was challenging. Marvelution overcomes this difficulty by choosing a more seamless connection between the two programs. Over 3000 clients have used this project during its time as an open-source project. The hardest part of starting Marvelution, the firm was figuring out how to charge for the open-source products.
Marvelution focused on the total expansion of the company from an open-source project rather than on the growth in staff and clientele when discussing a company’s success. Thus, when it comes to graphs and performance of Marvelution, the only variable figures since its inception are the sales revenue, and those numbers speak enough. Additionally, Marvelution pays special attention to client feedback, and their quick responses to support requests even when there is no SLA (Service-Level Agreement) bound to the request speak sufficiently, if not less, about Marvelution, their long-standing success, and the demand for their expert and skilled solutions.
How does app pricing work?
1. Cloud
Cloud applications are offered as yearly or monthly subscriptions. As long as the subscription is active, the client is eligible for support and automatic version updates.
The client is automatically charged for apps based on the number of users in an instance when the subscription renews each month.
There is a 60-day grandfathering period during which a client can renew based on the previous pricing if app pricing changes after the original purchase.
2. Server
Server software and apps are housed on the servers of clients. The price of this program includes a perpetual license and one year of maintenance (support and version updates).
After a year, clients can renew maintenance for 50% of the current purchase price. The tier of the Atlassian product and app licenses can be upgraded. Based on Atlassian’s algorithm, upgrade costs are determined (view example).
After a client makes their initial purchase of an app, if the price changes, they have 60 days to renew using the old price.
3. Data Center
Data Center applications are offered for a yearly subscription. For as long as clients’ subscription is active, they are eligible for support and version updates.
If the price of the app changes after the client makes the initial purchase, they have 60 days to renew based on the previous price.
Qualified organizations can also access academic, community, and open-source licenses. Clients cannot extend the free evaluation period for cloud apps, either. A user automatically subscribes to all cloud apps, which all provide a trial period. This is for a minimum of 30 days and expires on the second billing cycle following a client’s initial app subscription.
4. Towards Fun Future
Mark’s future goals include continuing to enjoy what he does, having fun, interacting with clients, thinking of new features, developing them, and providing ongoing client support.
Because people help him create things that make him happy, Mark enjoys supporting them and responds to all support inquiries personally. In the Netherlands, he constructs and maintains everything.
Mark is entirely remote and works from home. He intends to hire someone if he ever feels the burden is increasing. Other than to enjoy life, he has no specific plans for the future.
Quote:
“Marvelution is a software firm that makes Jira’s Jenkins Integration process simpler, and stands out for its different perspective on how integration can be accomplished.”
