Possibilities are an issue type in Jira that Sparkr uses to help you take a structured approach to innovation. A possibility should be something that your customers (i.e. a Persona) would want to solve a problem they are or will experience. Possibilities should be defined and validated before deciding on whether to implement them.
Possibilities and Problems can be related in a 1:1, 1:M and M:M relationship through issue linking provided by Jira.
View
You can navigate to view all Possibilities the same way as you do for Problems - through a filtered search within Jira. The video below shows how to quickly navigate to this view using the Sparkr menu.
Create
There are a number of mechanisms to create Possibilities within your Jira instance and Sparkr:
Sparkr “Add Possibility” Page
Jira Global Menu
Jira Boards and Backlogs
Possibilities are an issue type created by Sparkr during the Getting started process and can only be created in Jira projects that have this issue type assigned.
Sparkr “Add Possibility” Page
A dedicated Possibility creation page can be accessed through the Sparkr global secondary menu or in-app menu. This page isolates only the mandatory issue creation fields (i.e. Project and Summary) and, if desired, provides a user the opportunity to “define” and “validate” a Possibility before creating it.
This is useful for innovation activities that include extended stakeholders who may not be familiar with Jira. A direct URL to this page could be distributed and accessed by authenticated users (e.g. https://your-instance.atlassian.net/plugins/servlet/ac/sparkr/possibility).
No Sparkr fields are mandatory for creating a Possibility, however, some of your project field and screen configurations may require some fields as mandatory for issue creation. We recommend creating a more relaxed field configuration scheme for projects you would like to use with Sparkr.
Jira Global Menu
Jira provides a mechanism for creating issues from the Global menu via a popup window, which can be used for creating a Possibility. This window can be shown by clicking the plus (“+”) icon and displays fields as configured by your users and administrators. See Atlassian’s documentation for more information on configuring required fields and screens your users.
After creating a Possibility through this mechanism you can view the Possibility and then input Sparkr details after the fact. Below is a video demonstrating this process and progressing a Possibility through the “Define” and “Validate” stages, so that you can arrive at a decision to move forward or not.
Jira Boards and Backlogs
You can create Possibilities through Jira Boards and Backlogs functionality, just as you would any other issue type. This is a two-step process, as you need to create the Possibility and then edit it to add Sparkr details that underpin your innovation efforts. This can be a great mechanism for collaborative Problem identification and Possibility ideation exercises in a group setting with an interactive board on display.
Update
Once you have created a Possibility, you can update the Sparkr details by clicking on the Sparkr icon. You should complete both the “Define” and “Validate” tabs to help provide enough details for your innovation decision making. Contextual descriptions are provided for fields by hovering over the icon. To save any changes to the Possibilities details you must click the “Update Details” button.
We suggest that the “Definition of Done” for a Possibility is having enough information to answer the final question: Should we implement it? This answer determines if you then move on to implement the idea.
Delete
Please use standard Jira functionality to delete a Possibility issue, refer to Problems guide see how this is completed.