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Tempo synchronization
Synchronization with Tempo Apps is a BigPicture Enterprise feature.
Synchronization will only work if plugins are installed within the same instance of the Jira environment (this applies to Jira Server, Jira Data Center, and Jira Cloud).
More information on the differences between the Cloud and Server versions of the App can be found here.
To synchronize with Tempo Apps, make sure to have one of the following installed:
- Tempo Timesheets for JIRA v. 7.9 (released on 2014-05-05) or later,
- Tempo Planner for JIRA v. 1.3 (released on 2014-06-11) or later,
- Tempo Budgets for JIRA v. 8.0 (released on 2015-05-01) or later.
What features can be synchronized?
The ‘Synchronize with Tempo’ buttons trigger the synchronization between BigPicture Enterprise and the Tempo plugin of your choice.
Bear in mind that a user ‘triggers’ the synch-up - the synchronization between our plugin and Tempo plugins can be achieved only at the user’s request.
Feature | Synchronized with Tempo? |
---|---|
Workload Plans | Yes (Tempo name used: Workload Schemes) |
Holiday Plans | Yes (Tempo name used: Holiday Schemes) |
Teams and team members | Yes |
Skills | Yes (Tempo name used: Roles) |
Resources | All of the above will be synchronized. |
Workload and Holiday Plans synchronization
The Workload Schemes imported from the Tempo plugin can be distinguished by:
- Tempo label,
- Tempo code.
Codes of these external Workload Plans were automatically generated to describe the external (Tempo’s) WP. These codes also have Tempo attached to their name, so you cannot mistake them for our native codes.
You might have also noticed that if before the synchronization in BP and in the Tempo plugin, there were two workload patterns recorded under the same name: a Workload Plan and a Workload Scheme named ‘Full-time,’ then after we proceed with the synchronization of a Workload Scheme - a new ‘Full-time’ Workload Plan was generated. As a result, we have two Workload Plans named: ‘Full-time’ of which one is native, and one is external. This decision was made to avoid any unwanted mistakes and keep our project safer. This is why we do not merge any objects and do not alter any data or information in any of your Workload records (even if they carry the same name).
The same rule applies to our Holiday Plans.
Synchronization performed on the Workload Plan page will ONLY perform full sync of Workload Plans / Schemes, leaving Holiday Plans and Resources untouched for further synchronization on pages dedicated to these records (modules).
Plans updated using Tempo
One-way sync at request if provided by the App.
Will the plans in Tempo be synchronized to reflect BigPicture? The answer is: No, they won’t. And it is not an error - it is indeed a feature. A feature that intends to give a user as much control over a project as is possible. For the External Workload/Holiday plans to be synchronized correctly after implementing changes in Tempo Schemes, you will have to use the ‘Synchronize with Tempo’ button. This sort of behavior may seem to be far from intuitive, though (as we’ve mentioned) it is intended to give you as much control over the data flow between both plugins as it is possible.
Plans updated using BigPicture
What will happen if you decide to modify the synchronized Workload/Holiday Plan in BigPicture? Plans will be overwritten, and a pen icon will be added to the label.
Deleting plans
The App allows you to remove Workload/Holiday Plans that are synced with Tempo, so that you can remove the respective items:
- that no longer exist in Tempo, or
- are no longer needed at the Tempo synchronization,
from BigPicture.
What will happen when we decide to delete from Tempo Workload/Holiday Scheme synchronized with BP? It depends if the object which you’ve deleted is either Synchronized or Overwritten.
- If the object is marked as Synchronized, then during the Synchronization with Tempo, it will also be deleted from BigPicture.
- Suppose the object is marked as Overwritten (which means you’ve implemented some changes from the perspective of BP, which are only visible in BP), then during the next synchronization with Tempo. In that case, it WILL NOT be deleted and will become a Native object.
Synchronization rules
The synchronization rules are summed up in the table below:
Type of Action Performed in Tempo | What will happen during Synchronization in BigPicture |
---|---|
Adding Workload/Holiday Scheme |
Warning: An external Workload/Holiday Plan will be generated even if a native W/H Plan is already in place in BP (with the same name and/or the same daily workloads). |
Modifying Workload/Holiday Scheme |
|
Deleting Workload/Holiday Scheme |
|
Type of Action Performed in BP | What will happen with the external Workload Plans (the ones pulled from Tempo)? |
Adding native Workload/Holiday Plan |
|
Adding external Workload/Holiday Plan |
|
Modifying native Workload/Holiday Plan |
|
Modifying external Workload/Holiday Plan |
Warning: It is possible to switch the Overwritten Plan back to its ‘synchronized’ state by clicking the ‘Re-synchronize with Tempo’ button in the detailed view of that specific W/H plan. |
Deleting native Workload/Holiday Plan |
|
Deleting external Workload/Holiday Plan |
During the next synchronization with Tempo, the W/H Plan will be added back to BigPicture. |
How does Resource synchronization work?
Which Resource attributes are synchronized with Tempo? When synchronizing Resources, what BigPicture does is synchronization of Resources in Workload and Holiday Plans. When it comes to Resource’s other attributes (name, surname, avatar, etc.), those are being pulled directly from JIRA as BP and Tempo are JIRA plugins and use the same pool of information.
Resource synchronization rules
Rules which apply to Resource synchronization are a bit different from the rules of Workload and Holiday Plans Synchronization. Still, the differences are subtle since, as we’ve already mentioned, both plugins use Resource data predefined in the user base in JIRA, and both pool the same data. This means that, for both Tempo and BP, we can find the JIRA user, which represents the same Resource. Below you can find a table that sums up and describes the rules of Resource synchronization. Those which differ Workload and Holiday Plan synchronization from Resource synchronization are marked with a blue color.
As Resources are dependent on W&H Plans, the BigPicture performs the implicit synchronization of Workload and Holiday Plans during a Resource synchronization.
Action performed in Tempo | What will happen with the Data in BP during the synchronization? |
---|---|
Adding a Resource |
|
Resource Modification |
|
Deleting Resource |
|
Action performed in BigPicture | What will happen with the external Resource (coming from Tempo)? |
---|---|
Adding a new Resource |
|
Adding an external Resource |
|
Modifying a native Resource |
|
Modifying an external Resource |
Warning: It is possible to switch ‚overwritten’ Resource back to its ‚synchronized’ state by clicking the ‚Resynchronize with Tempo’ button in the detailed view of that specific Resource. |
Deleting a native Resource |
|
Deleting an external Resource |
|
Questions and answers
If I decide to overwrite a Workload/Holiday Plan, will that automatically overwrite Resources linked to that Workload/Holiday Plan?
You are probably wondering how would BigPicture act in a case when:
- You’ve synchronized Workload Plan, Holiday Plans, and Resources with Tempo, which creates dependency in which in BP you have synchronized Resources which are assigned to synchronized Workload and Holiday Plans.
- You’ve modified in BP one of synchronized Workload Plans (or Holiday Plans), which made it become ‘overwritten.’
Will that make Resources (which are linked to it) overwritten too?
The answer is: No. Changing the status of W/H Plans from synchronized to overwritten will not affect the Resources assigned to them. It is possible then to have a synchronized Resource that is assigned to overwritten Workload / Holiday Plan.
How does the Team synchronization work?
Team names are used.
The following Team Tempo attributes are synced:
- Team Name
- Team Summary
- Team Members who are Jira users (including Team Members added via Jira groups). A Team Member is synchronized with all its Memberships, including:
- Joining Date
- Leaving Date
- Skill
- Availability
The following Team Tempo attributes are NOT synchronized:
- Team Mission Team Lead (a user who is the team leader)
- Team Program (Program in Tempo is a group of Teams; each Team Tempo can belong to a maximum of 1 such group)
- Team Members who are not Jira users (Tempo allows you to add such ‘virtual’ Members)
- Permissions Links to Boards and Projects
During Team Synchronization, all Skills with Tempo are also synchronized, and missing Resources are also created (as NATIVE).