Getting more out of Jira data: how I am ten gains better insights with JirAlytics

Tracking hours is essential for accurate billing. But using that data to make better decisions? That’s where the real value lies. For marketing agency I am ten, we expanded their Jira setup with reporting on billing, budget tracking, timesheets and billability. As a result, management now has access to deeper insights and a clear, company-wide view across all projects.

About I am ten

I am ten is a marketing agency based in Heusden-Zolder that focuses on SMEs and family businesses. They specialize in strategy, creation, digital and campaigns. The agency consists of around 30 marketing experts.

Challenge: plenty of Jira data, but limited actionable insights

As a marketing agency working with one-off projects, long-term collaborations, retainers and time-and-material assignments, maintaining a clear overview across all projects is critical. On the one hand to keep everything on track, on the other to ensure accurate billing.

Time tracking typically forms the foundation. Logging hours per project and per client provides control over operations and invoicing.

However, turning that data into meaningful insights across all projects is far less straightforward.

This led to a familiar challenge: plenty of data, but no usable overview at management level.

➡️ In practice, this meant:

• no visibility into billability per team or role
• difficulty tracking project budgets
• no insight into margins per project type
• reporting was manual and not scalable

For a growing agency, this made it increasingly difficult to make well-informed decisions.

Solution: JirAlytics as a data platform on top of Jira

Enter JirAlytics, our data platform that centralises Jira data and translates it into actionable management insights.

It operates on top of Jira and combines project data with other sources such as CRM systems or spreadsheets. This transforms operational Jira data into clear and usable reporting.

With JirAlytics, you can:

• measure billability per employee, team and role
• closely monitor budgets
• analyse margins by project type or customer segment
• automatically validate time tracking
• combine Jira data with external data sources

Instead of scattered reports or plugins, the management team gets one centralised overview.

Approach: iterative development tailored to the client

Together with I am ten, we started from their existing way of working and the key questions within the management team. Which insights are we missing today? Where do we want to improve steering?

Based on these needs, we built a tailored reporting platform step by step using JirAlytics.

The project was structured in several phases:

1. Tool selection
   We evaluated different options based on flexibility, integration capabilities and cost. JirAlytics proved to be the best fit, partly due to its integration with Power BI.
   
   
2. Data model & integrations
   We combined Jira data with other relevant data sources.
   
   
3. Dashboard development
   We developed tailored reports for:
   - billing
   - budget tracking
   - billability
   - workload and timesheets
   
   
4. Iterative optimisation
   Through regular alignment, the platform evolved alongside new insights and requirements.

ACA manages the technical backend, while I am ten retains full control over the dashboards.

Result: better insights and smarter decisions based on Jira data

Where reporting used to be fragmented and manual, I am ten now has a centralised and scalable overview of its performance.

Key benefits:

• Scalability: the platform grows seamlessly with the number of employees and the complexity of projects
• Proactive steering: reports automatically highlight pain points, enabling faster adjustments
• Peace of mind: I am ten no longer needs to worry about the technical side and can fully focus on insights and their clients