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      Cross-Departmental Collaboration in C&A With Atlassian: Moving to Jira

      [Migration], [Enterprise Service Management], [Atlassian Cloud], [Jira Software], [Jira Service Management], [Project & Work Management], [Service Management]

      TIMETOACT simplifies cross-departmental collaboration in C&A across the Atlassian product line.

      C&A referenz

      The software landscape in companies has grown over the years. Tools and systems are purchased as needed, and they are neither coordinated with each other nor well-integrated. The result is frustration, poor usability, and extended support paths. To homogenize the toolchain, TIMETOACT replaced two independent ticket systems with the Atlassian product range for C&A Services GmbH & Co. By taking the step into the enterprise cloud, the fashion retailer is setting an exclamation mark in cross-departmental and cross-location digital collaboration.

      Reference as PDF

       

      Initial Situation:

      - Historically evolved software landscape

      - Use of three independent ticketing systems: Valuemation, Mantis, Jira

      - Inadequate interfaces, poor usability, and a high level of dissatisfaction

      Core requirement:

      Valuemation and Mantis should be integrated into Atlassian's product portfolio

      Solution:

      - Jira Service Management: Central point of contact and interface between end users and IT

      - Jira Software: Second and third-level support and work related to the software development process

      - Confluence: Software documentation and integration of FAQs

      Added Value:

      - Cloud-first strategy for long-term Atlassian support

      - Licensing, including in the Enterprise Cloud, for unlimited users and improved service times

      - Product expansion and customization

      - User-friendly usability, good interfaces, and simple support channels

       

      "A big praise for TIMETOACT for the flexibility and constructive solution finding, especially with regard to the change from data center to cloud."

      - Ulrich Ohlwein, Business Architect, C&A Services GmbH & Co KG
       

       

      Individual Players Prevent Effective Ticket Processing - We Need a Single Solution!

       

      Efficient collaboration between different specialized departments requires a software landscape that meets requirements and is coordinated with one another. The smooth interaction of different tools and processes is the be-all and end-all here, especially if the processing of tickets has to work across locations and departments. At the fashion retailer C&A Services GmbH & Co KG, the software landscape had grown historically, and therefore, three ticket systems (Valuemation, Mantis, and Jira) were in use. Inadequate interfaces and poor usability, especially in the service desk tool, led to high dissatisfaction among users. A new tool was needed that could reconcile all requirements.

      Atlassian offers a wide range of products for successful interdisciplinary collaboration - from service management to project planning and knowledge sharing. Atlassian Jira was already in use and established at C&A. When deciding to rely on Atlassian for this project, the extensive interface, user-friendliness, and breadth of application options were particularly helpful.

      Core requirement:

      The core requirement was replacing two tools with the Atlassian product system. These were to offer simple and intuitive usability, quick and easy support channels, and optimal interface options.

       

      "TIMETOACT had a similar internal problem to ours, which they solved with Atlassian products. Expertise with the products and the subject matter, a competent team and the local proximity to us in Düsseldorf were the reasons why we chose TIMETOACT."

      - Ulrich Ohlwein, Business Architect, C&A Services GmbH & Co KG

       

      Milestones on the Way to the Cloud

      In June 2019, an initial pre-study was carried out to determine the feasibility of migrating from Valuemation and Mantis to Jira. The "Moving to Jira" project was then launched in September 2020 with the support of TIMETOACT. The project was divided into five key milestones:

      icons8-meeting-room

      1. Requirements workshop and development of the migration strategy:

      The starting point was detailed workshops with the fashion retailer's key stakeholders to fully understand the current toolchain, including all processes. Based on this and the identified requirements, three Atlassian products were implemented and expanded:

      • Jira Service Management: As a central point of contact and interface between end users and IT - service desk, ticket creation, asset management for mapping user hardware
      • Jira Software: For 2nd and 3rd level support, as well as for the work (already tested in pilot teams) related to the software development process
      • Jira Confluence: For software documentation with good integration into the development process, as well as for improved maintainability and integration of FAQs

      During the prestudy, it was determined in advance that the "Moving to Jira" project should be implemented on-premises in the data center due to the service desk's complex requirements.

      icons8-upload-to-cloud

      2. Reorientation to the cloud:

      After Atlassian announced that it would discontinue on-premise support in the near future during the ongoing project, C&A decided to switch from on-premises to a cloud-first strategy. Shortly before the migration to the data center, a spontaneous reorientation of the strategy took place, with TIMETOACT successfully migrating all licenses to the cloud.
      icons8-software-license

      3. Deciding on Enterprise Cloud Licensing:

      The Atlassian products became established at the fashion retailer throughout the project. The increasing number of users meant that the licensing model had to be adapted to current needs. TIMETOACT experts advised on optimal license management and supported the targeted alignment of the products to requirements. As part of the cloud-first strategy, Atlassian products are licensed, among other things, in the Enterprise Cloud. This makes C&A the first company in Germany to venture into the cloud on this scale. The Enterprise version offers C&A the significant advantage of unlimited users and improved service times from Atlassian.
      icons8-adjust

      4. Custom optimization:

      One of the major advantages of the Atlassian product range is its extensibility. Through customization, individual requirements have been implemented and the features of Atlassian products have been continuously improved.
      icons8-sync

      5. Moving support to Jira:

      Second and third-level support had already moved from Valuemation to Jira Software in June 2020. However, C&A's service desk continued to work with Valuemation until it finally switched to Jira in March 2022. From that point on, Valuemation was completely replaced by Jira Software.
       

       

       

      Further Optimization and Advice in Line With Requirements

       
      C&A

      Despite several project interruptions, the move of Jira Service Management and Confluence to the Standard Cloud was successfully completed in mid-2021. Jira Software was moved to the Enterprise Cloud at the beginning of January 2022. With the three Atlassian products, the requirements for user-friendly usability, good interfaces, and simple support channels were implemented.

       

      The complete replacement of Mantis is still pending. TIMETOACT will continue to support and advise the fashion retailer on its transition to the Atlassian Cloud as part of the implementation of the growing requirements in license management, automated tests of the cloud releases, and small optimizations.

       

       

      Download Document

       

       

      Technologies used

       

      About C&A

      C&A Services GmbH & Co. OHG is C&A's central and sole IT partner. C&A Services GmbH & Co. OHG handles all IT needs for its 35,000 employees in Europe and Asia.
       
      With over 1,300 stores in 18 European countries and more than 25,000 employees, C&A is one of Europe's leading fashion retailers. C&A welcomes more than two million visitors to its stores in Europe every day and offers high-quality fashion at affordable prices for the whole family.

       

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