If you would like to migrate from Jira to Microsoft VSTS / TFS or from Microsoft VSTS / TFS to Jira there is a set of things you should think of.

Default, build-in solutions both in Jira and VSTS / TFS are very basic and lacks a lot of things that are needed in real life - f.e. live synchronisation option which you will most likely need in your first months.

TFS4JIRA will help you and guide you on the way to successful migration. 

We have prepared a list of best practices based on hundreds of our clients case studies to help you succeed.

Prepare a plan

When you're thinking about migration, first ask yourself why new tool is better that the one you have currently.
That may sound obvious, but when migrating, a lot of people are trying to configure new software to work like the one they used to use.

Think about all powerful features of Microsoft Visual Studio Team Services / Team Foundation Server or Atlassian Jira that you would like to use and use them effectively.
Without mirroring one tool to look and work like the other.

First, define requirements. Ask yourself what type of information would you like to migrate?

What time range is needed to me migrated?

Use new tool to which you'd like to migrate, play with it to see the differences between tools in real life and if the new one fits your needs.

If it does, sketch transition model.

Live synchronisation - a key to successful migration

A live migration means you will be gradually migrating data on an issue-level in real-time.

This helps you avoid the risks that come with implementing the migration in one go.

What kind of risks?

Downtime or losing crucial data.

Remember that changing software takes time.

With TFS4JIRA we have help in hundreds of successful migrations - only few of them where completed at once.

Most of them required months of preparations. 

Why?

Not only due to technical issues, you need people to learn how the new software works.

To make the whole transition more friendly try to use both tools for few months before making the final switch.

In some cases you may end using two solutions instead of one.

It happens, that one department would like to use Jira (f.e. Product Managers) and the other would like to work on VSTS/TFS (f.e. Testers).

When choosing a tool, remember about security issues.

On many demo calls with our clients and prospects we hear questions related to security.

Some of them comes not form the users themselves but from dedicated departments of security that most of big companies has. 

When choosing a tool remember to check how migration / synchronisation is made. 

Where the data are stored?

Who has access to them (especially important due to GDPR)? 

In TFS4JIRA you have control over everything.

It doesn't matter if you're using server or cloud solution - you are always installing TFS4JIRA on your device - we are not storing any data.

Migrate bit by bit

But at first... migrate sample data to test if environments are working. 

If they are - migrate production data gradually, divide data into small manageable chunks to do the migration step by step, bit by bit, project by project.

Make migration schedule - migrate one team, that next one and so on.

If anything breaks - you'll want to see why.

Here you will like TFS4JIRA log screen, where you can see how syncing is doing at real time.

Remember, that some informations cannot be migrated without being changed

For example Jira has 3 levels of hierarchy - Epics, regular issues, subtasks when in VSTS/TFS you can set up unlimited levels.

TFS4JIRA will help you (f.e. providing some workarounds), guiding you step by step through configuration process.

See TFS4JIRA cheatsheet