What is Jira?
What is Jira?
Jira is an outstanding project management and issue-tracking platform developed by Atlassian. When people ask what Jira is or what Jira means, they are simply referring to a versatile work management and agile planning tool.
It is used by software teams, IT teams, business teams, and enterprises to track tasks, bugs, workflows, and large projects. Jira is the central source of truth for work management, progress tracking, and cross-team collaboration.
Key features and functionalities
Agile boards and thorough issue tracking across tasks and bugs are supported by Jira.
Teams improve project effectiveness by creating custom workflows and automating routine tasks.
Jira provides burndown charts, velocity reports, and dashboards for clear real-time insights.
Integrations and Jira ServiceDesk help to streamline ITSM processes, incident management, and cross-team collaboration.
How Does Jira Work?
Jira works by turning your project tasks into issues, which represent work that needs to be completed. These issues follow a workflow (To Do → In Progress → Done or any custom path). Teams use boards to show this, keep track of time, add comments, and view reports. Jira connects everyone in engineering to help make work traceable, structured, and measurable.
Different Jira Products and Packages
Jira Software
Ideal for agile and software development teams that use sprints, releases, and version management.
Jira ServiceDesk (Jira Service Management)
Perfect for managing requests, incidents, and service workflows for IT, support, HR, and operations teams.
Jira Work Management
Designed for business teams such as marketing, HR, finance, and operations.
Jira Product Discovery
A tool for capturing, organising, and prioritising product ideas based on customer insights.
How Does Jira Help Different Teams?
Product & Engineering
Plan sprints, track bugs, manage releases, and monitor team velocity with agile boards and reporting tools.
IT & Support (Jira ServiceDesk)
Manage support tickets, SLAs, and incident resolution to ensure faster, more successful service delivery.
Business Teams
Organise campaigns, track approvals, and automate workflows, enhancing clarity across finance and operations.
Leadership
Real-time reporting, resource insights, and roadmap alignment help to drive strategic decisions and team clarity.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Jira software integrates processes, leading to seamless interaction and consistent Jira management across all teams.
How to Use Jira for Project Management?
Create a Project
Choose a template such as Scrum, Kanban, or ITSM
Add Issues
Create project-specific tasks, stories, epics, bugs, and detailed risk assessment entries
Set Up Workflows
Define how work moves through customised workflow stages
Use Boards
Leverage agile boards to visualise team progress and prioritise tasks
Assign Tasks
Assign responsibilities with clear due dates and ownership
Review with Reports
Dashboards, burndown charts, and sprint reports are all useful for tracking performance
Automate Routine Tasks
Allow automation to reduce repetitive manual project tasks
Collaborate
Share comments, attach files, and tag teammates to improve clarity
Common Challenges Using Jira and How to Overcome Them
Jira users frequently experience workflow complexity and acceptance issues, but simple practices can help streamline processes effectively.
Start with simple workflows and gradually expand them as your team matures and grows.
To keep the system organised, standardise custom fields and use field schemes carefully.
Train teams on agile ceremonies and backlog refinement to ensure consistent sprint discipline.
Provide role-based onboarding and simplified dashboards to increase user adoption across teams.
Explore filters, swimlanes, and board configurations to help teams easily visualise ongoing work.
Implement automation, SLAs, and self-service portals to help overworked ITSM teams.
Jira vs. Other Tools
| Tool Comparison | Key Difference | Why Jira Stands Out |
|---|---|---|
| Jira vs Trello | Trello is simpler and lighter. | Jira provides deeper workflows, agile metrics, and enterprise-level control. |
| Jira vs Asana | Asana suits business teams and general project tracking. | Jira software is best suited for engineering, IT, and agile planning. |
| Jira vs. http://Monday.com | Monday offers flexibility and visual project management. | Jira offers structured agile processes and enhanced reporting capabilities. |
| Jira vs. Azure DevOps | Azure DevOps is primarily an engineering and development platform. | Jira allows better cross-team collaboration and supports non-technical use cases effectively. |
FAQs
Atlassian hosts Jira Cloud with automatic updates, whereas Jira Data Center provides self-managed, scalable deployment, greater control, enhanced security, and flexibility for larger organisations.
Related Glossary Terms
Agile Product Owner
Defines product goals and assigns backlogs for maximum value. They work together with teams and stakeholders to ensure alignment and timely delivery.
Customer feedback
Provides clear information about the needs of users and the performance of the product. It directs enhancements, verifies choices, and assists teams in providing solutions that truly satisfy clients.
Product differentiation
Unique features and standout qualities help a product stand out in a crowded market. They enhance brand appeal, increase customer preference, and establish a sustainable competitive advantage.
