Q: What are your specialty areas?
John: Project Management and Jira Administration.
Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?
John: I was contacted by a member of the Packt staff based on my experience and participation as an Atlassian Community Leader. Secretly, like maybe most people, I have always wanted to write a book. I believe this was God’s providence to bring the opportunity to me to enhance my professional abilities and contacts.
Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?
John: I mainly drew on my experience working on the early adoption program (EAP) for Jira Work Management for Atlassian. The people I meet there were very helpful and listened to my desires for the product and other professionals using the tool. I also read some current blogs at the time on the subject to see what kind of information was out there. The EAP program was months long, but my actual research for the book only took a couple of weeks.
Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?
John: Working to get chapters done in a timely manner must be a common challenge for any author. Life happens and you have to adjust to family needs, personal issues, travel, etc. And there is the occasional writer’s block where you want to say something perfectly and you have trouble finding the words as the time.
Q. What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?
John: I am seeing a real trend with Business teams adopting Jira and wanting to use the tool to become more productive. While Software teams have know the power of Jira for years, Jira Work Management projects makes entry into the tool easy and quick.
Q. Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?
John: Actually, this might be the first book on the market for the revamped Jira Work Management product. Now is a great time to get started with Jira, and I believe my book will make it easy for individuals and teams to enhance their teams with the tool. It’s a very hands-on, step-by-step type of book with lots of screen shots to ease the reader through the experience.
Q. What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away with from the book?
John: Getting started with Jira only times a few minutes, and you can be productive with the tool in no time!
Q. What advice would you give to readers learning tech? Do you have any top tips?
John: Find a topic that interests you – one that you have been wanting to learn about or experience. And then jump right in. Grab a book and see if the subject is really something you want to explore and learn.
Q. Do you have a blog that readers can follow?
John: No yet, but it will hopefully be coming by the end of February, 2022.
Q. Can you share any blogs, websites and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning?
John: I would say find a community posting or trusted voice for the subject you are pursuing. Talk with colleagues and professionals to see who they suggest for that topic.
Q. How would you describe your author journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?
John: Packt made it so easy for me to write my first book! There has been a full team of editors, coordinators, marketers, etc. guiding me through the whole process. The best advice is that you will not be alone through the journey.
Q. Do you belong to any tech community groups?
John: Mainly the Atlassian Community for users of all Atlassian products.
Q. How did you organize, plan, and prioritize your work and write the book?
John: I worked my normal work schedule during the week and then wrote some at night and on the weekends. Once the plan was in place up front before even starting to write, the rest was mainly execution of the original outline and plan.
Q. What is that one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?
John: Don’t let there be too long of a span between writing sessions. It is good to take some breaks, but don’t go for too many days in a row without writing something.
You can find John’s book on Amazon by following this link
