Jira Integration – Overview

The Jira integration allows you to connect your project work in Jira with time tracking in timr.

If your teams manage their work in Jira but track time and budgets in timr, the integration helps you avoid duplicate work: Jira issues are automatically created as tasks in timr. You can define per project which issue types and statuses should be synchronized and how tasks in timr should be set up (bookable, billable, etc.).

The synchronization works in one direction only: times or budgets are not written back to Jira.
 

Overview of features

• Automatic import of Jira issues
  The integration creates a task in timr for each synchronized issue. You always have an overview of all tickets and can book time directly on the corresponding task.

• Custom sync rules
  Define from which Jira project issues should be imported, which status they must have, and which issue types should be included. This ensures that only relevant tasks appear in timr.

• Configurable task properties
  Define whether tasks are bookable or billable and whether a note is required for bookings. These settings can be defined globally or per issue type.

• Flexible project configurations
  You can create multiple configurations to connect different Jira projects with different rules. You can adjust configurations at any time.

Table of contents

1. Setting up the integration

2. Configuring a project

3. Starting the synchronization

4. Editing or deleting a configuration

5. Starting a task directly from Jira

6. Limitations and outlook

1. Setting up the integration

Step 1: Enable the integration

If the integration feature is not yet enabled, contact timr support first. Only administrators can add integrations.
 

Step 2: Add the integration in timr

1. Log in to timr as an administrator and go to Administration → Settings → Integrations.
   

2. Click Add and select Jira Integration. A new browser tab opens with the timr app in the Atlassian Marketplace.
   

Step 3: Install the timr app in Jira

On the Marketplace page, click on „Install via Atlassian Marketplace“. The installation runs in the background.

Step 4: Connect timr and Jira

1. In Jira, open the settings menu (gear icon in the top right) and select Manage apps.

2. Find timr Configuration and click Connect.

3. Enter your timr identifier and your login credentials to connect your timr account with Jira.
   After saving, the connection is established.

Step 5: Prepare the first synchronization

After installation and connection, the integration is ready to use. You can now create configurations for individual Jira projects.

After saving the first configuration, the sync will automatically start (see section 3. Starting the Synchronization).
 

2. Configuring a project

The configuration defines which issues from a Jira project are created as tasks in timr and how these tasks are set up. You manage configurations in Jira, in the timr Configuration. You create a separate configuration per project and choose between a simple and an advanced mode.

• Simple mode: A default configuration for the entire project — without any distinction by component or issue type.
• Advanced mode: Different rules per component and/or per issue type.

For a detailed description of all areas of the configuration dialog — including the component options and the issue type rules — see the article "Jira Integration: The Configuration Dialog at a Glance".
 

3. Starting the synchronization

Synchronization starts automatically when you save the configuration.

The first import may take a few minutes depending on the number of issues. timr creates a task for each synchronized issue and displays it under the selected timr task.

After the sync is complete, your employees can book time on these tasks. If an issue no longer matches the selected status (e.g. it is set to “Done”), the task is automatically hidden in timr.

To run a manual sync, follow these steps:

• Go back to timr and open Administration → Settings → Integrations.

• In the Jira integration, click Manual synchronization of Jira tasks
   

4. Editing or deleting a configuration

Configurations are managed in Jira only.

• Edit: Open timr Configuration in Jira.
  You can change the project, adjust status filters, or update task properties.
  

• Add configuration: Click Add Configuration to sync additional projects.
  

• Delete: Remove configurations you no longer need. This does not delete tasks. It only stops synchronization.

As soon as changes to the configurations are saved, timr will be automatically updated.
 

5. Starting a task directly from Jira

timr displays a panel in the right sidebar of every Jira issue, from which you can open the linked timr task directly.

Open a Jira issue that is linked to a timr task. In the right sidebar, you will find the timr – Time Tracking panel with the Start task button. Clicking it opens the timr task dialog in a new browser tab, where you can start or switch time as usual.

Depending on the state, the panel displays the following information:

• Loading task – the link is being retrieved
• Task found – the Start task button is active
• Task not found – the issue is not yet linked to a timr task, for example because it does not yet meet the configured sync conditions

Note: The panel needs to be expanded once on first use. Jira remembers this setting and shows it expanded automatically for all further issues.

6. Limitations and outlook

• One-way synchronization: Only issues are synced from Jira to timr. Bookings, notes, and budgets are not sent back to Jira.

• Budget sync: The “Estimated Time” from Jira is not yet transferred as a budget to timr. This feature is on the roadmap.

• Sync scope: Only the issue title and issue type are transferred. Labels, comments, and attachments are not imported.

These limitations may change in future versions. We will keep you informed and welcome your feedback.