Why we built our own project management software: this is JamIra

At JAM-IT we build custom software for our clients every day. Software that fits their processes, rather than the other way round. So why wouldn't we apply that same thinking to our own organisation?

We already built Jammers, our own application for HR, time administration and invoicing, among other things. We have now also developed JamIra: our own project management software for organising and tracking software projects.

Not because existing software didn't work, but because we wanted to set up certain processes exactly the way we need them.

Why we wanted our own project management software

For years we used other project management software to manage our software projects. Developers used it to organise their work, keep track of tasks and log their hours. That worked well, but we ran into three things:

We wanted more control over those parts. Not by changing the way we work, but by developing software that works the way we organise our projects and administration. That is how JamIra came about.

JamIra and Jammers: two applications that complement each other

JamIra supports day-to-day software project management. Jammers takes care of the time administration and the business processes around it. The two are directly connected: hours a developer logs in JamIra automatically end up in Jammers. Without entering anything twice.

We also tidied up along the way. Internal hours and inventory used to live in our project management environment, even though they aren't software issues. They are now in Jammers, so JamIra stays focused on software development.

Because we manage both applications ourselves, we can set up how they work together exactly the way we want. We now actually close administrative periods, so hours can't change afterwards when they shouldn't.

Familiar to work with, but with more control

Developing your own project management environment is one thing. Making sure employees and clients can work with it without problems is at least as important. That is why we deliberately made JamIra feel familiar.

• A familiar way of working with projects, boards, sprints, tasks, comments and attachments
• Project codes, issue numbers and the full history are kept
• Clients sign in securely with their business Microsoft account, including multi-factor authentication
• Application and data fully under our own management, hosted within the European Union

So colleagues don't have to relearn how to organise their work. And we have more control over the setup, access and security of our project environment, in line with our approach to information security and ISO 27001.

Switching over carefully without bringing work to a halt

JamIra has been fully developed and is already being used for software projects. But our projects keep running: developers log hours, clients follow progress and our administration has to stay correct. That is why we don't move everything over in one go.

1. Run side by side

   JamIra and our previous project management software run alongside each other during the transition. Jammers keeps handling the time administration.

2. Migrate project by project

   Keeping project codes, issue numbers and history.

3. Pause briefly and check

   With every move, logging hours is briefly paused and we check that all data has come across correctly.

4. Falling back stays possible

   The original information remains available, so we can return to the old environment if needed.

The first projects are now running in JamIra and new clients are already using it. We are moving the remaining projects over gradually.

AI-assisted development made the difference

Building your own issue tracker is no small project. A few years ago we probably wouldn't have taken this step. Not because we lacked the knowledge, but because the development time and investment were hard to justify against existing software. AI-assisted development has changed that trade-off.

This allowed us to develop an extensive project management application tailored to our own needs in a relatively short time.

What JamIra ultimately gives us

Above all, JamIra has given us more control over an important part of our operations:

Do you recognise this in your own organisation?

The reasons we built JamIra are ones we also see at other organisations:

• You pay licence fees per user, including for people who only look along
• Your business data is held by an external vendor
• You adapt the way you work to the package, rather than the other way round
• You can't enforce in the package what matters for your administration

That doesn't mean off-the-shelf software is no longer a good choice. For many organisations an existing package remains the most logical solution. But thanks to AI-assisted development, it is becoming increasingly interesting to take another look at software that doesn't quite fit the way your organisation works.

Because in the end, it isn't about building as much software yourself as possible, but about software that does what your organisation needs.

Torn between an off-the-shelf package and software that fits your organisation? We are happy to think along with you. Get in touch or read more about our approach with AI-assisted development.