Integrations Best Practices

2 min read

Integrations are most useful when they make external work visible without creating confusion about ownership. Hawzu should remain the source of truth for testing work, while external tools own their own issue, communication, or delivery workflows.

Name Connections Clearly

Use the optional Integration Name and Description fields to explain what each connection is for.

Good examples:

Jira - Payments Bugs
GitHub Issues - Mobile App
Slack - Defect Triage

Clear names help teams choose the right connection when multiple integrations use the same tool.

Scope Integrations Intentionally

Use All Projects only when the same external tool setup applies across the workspace.

Use Selected Projects when:

Teams use different external tools.
A project needs a different repository, Jira project, Linear team, or Slack channel.
You want to roll out a connection gradually.

Project scope keeps unrelated projects from seeing tools they do not use.

Test Connections Before Saving

Use Test Connection whenever you add or edit credentials. A successful connection is required before saving a fully configured integration.

Re-test after changing:

Tokens or credentials
Site or organization URLs
Project scope
Default issue creation settings
Slack channels

Rotate Credentials Safely

Integration credentials are sensitive. Rotate them periodically and update Hawzu before old credentials expire.

When editing an integration, sensitive fields are masked. Leave them blank to keep the existing value, or enter a new value to replace it.

Keep Issue Defaults Practical

For issue-tracking tools, choose defaults that match the most common defect workflow for the scoped projects.

Review defaults for:

Jira project and issue type
GitHub repository and labels
GitLab project and labels
Azure DevOps project and work item type
Linear team and state

Incorrect defaults can send new external issues to the wrong place.

Use Slack Notifications Carefully

Start with the default Slack notifications for defect creation and status changes. Add optional notifications only when the channel truly needs them.

Too many notifications can make the channel noisy and reduce trust in important alerts.

Keep Ownership Clear

Use integrations for visibility and traceability. Avoid assuming external tools and Hawzu mirror every workflow step automatically.

Good integration usage:

Create or link an external issue from a Hawzu defect.
Review external issue status in Hawzu.
Open the external issue from Hawzu.
Remove a Hawzu link when it is no longer relevant.

Do not rely on integrations as a replacement for clear team ownership.

Review and Remove Old Connections

Periodically review configured integrations for:

Expired credentials
Old projects or repositories
Unused Slack channels
Connections that no longer match team workflows

Delete integrations that are no longer needed. Deleting a Hawzu integration removes the Hawzu connection but does not delete Hawzu defects or external issues.