Ok.....so first of all you can't ask this one generic question for all junglers, because all junglers have different play styles and have different sustain in jungle. There are a few different things that come into play while you are jungling, in MY OPINION those are surviving in jungle, CC and/or Damage, Vision, Your ability vs the enemy's ability and timing
Surviving - Some junglers can go through all 6 camps and still be at nearly full health and some might be nearly dead after their last camp. So if i have full health I look for a good ganking opportunity in the closest lane and if it feels right, I go in.
CC and/or Damage - Most champions these days that jungle tend to have CC abilities but there still are some that don't. If you are ganking early than you have to make sure that you will be able to earn enough time for yourself and you team to get a kill which is why CC is important. Examples of these champions would be
,
and
. But there are some champions who don't have CC or at least don't have CC early enough to use it for an early gank. These champions rely on damage and the example would be
and
. Warwick's ult is kind of a CC skill since it stops the enemy in its place for a while but that's not until level six. That being said you can still gank if the opportunity presents so always keep an eye on the lanes closest to you.
Vision - Vision is a really important part of jungling. A lot of people say that buying wards is just for supports and well....those people are stupid. Vision in the jungle is very important especially close to the lanes, so every time you go back to the fountain please buy a ward and don't just leave that to your support or the rest of the team. Vision really helps your team because it can prevent the enemy jungler from ganking. Also vision can help you spot their jungler and if he is in the top lane and you see a ganking opportunity in the bot lane, go for it, because you know he will never make it there in time. Also make sure you communicate with your team about where the enemy has their wards in the river because i always see junglers sitting in the bush where the enemy team has a ward and that's just a waste of time.
Your vs the enemy's ability - You can do everything right but if they are better at league than you and not at an actual disadvantage then they will most likely get away but might burn their summoner spell in the process.
Timing - your timing as to when you jungle is really crucial, most of the time if you can't get a kill but make the enemy go back to base and/or burn their summoner spells, its still a successful gank as it gives your team an advantage. Also don't jsut stand in a bush while the enemy is under their own tower, hoping that they might over extend because that is a waste of time, time that could have been spent farming or warding.
That being said role of jungler depends on your own play style + the champion that you use, though if you wait until mid game to start ganking, it might be too late for your team. Also don't be afraid to gank just because you are 1 or 2 levels behind the enemy tam because you can still easily win in a 2 v 1 or a 3 v 2 as long as your team helps, oh and always ping when coming into lane because sometime people might not notice and then you fail the gank and maybe even give away a kill. Also, as a jungler I feel like making sure keeping the dragon warded to prevent the enemy team from taking it is my responsibility unless my bot lane says that they will keep it warded