Jira Software Reviews

“Basic and customizable tool”

Pros

UI feels basic, customization is simple and the installation process is easy. It also doesn't take much training to get started which makes adoption pretty quick.

Cons

To unlock extra functionality, you do have to spend some time researching add-ons.

“ticket automation made easy”

Pros

A big plus is the issue assignment and tracking plugins which can automatically create and update tickets without extra manual work.

Cons

Downside is that it's fairly complex so it takes some training and time to really get comfortable using it.

“agile flexibility”

Pros

Built with agile development in mind, this software feels very well designed for that purpose. The core functionality is great and the level of customization makes it possible to adapt the system to each customer's specific needs. We use several different setups depending on the project type and the way we decide to manage it which has been a big advantage.

Cons

Biggest challenge comes with onboarding new users because it can feel a bit overwhelming at first. In our case, those users are usually clients who join daily standups and need to log issues in the system. It takes time to train them properly and help them get comfortable with how everything works. It would be even better if there were one interface for internal development teams and a simpler, more aligned version for external users such as clients.

“tracking and customization”

Pros

It lets you monitor and report on even the smallest details. The customization options are extensive and it scales really well as your needs grow.

Cons

Interface didn't feel completely simple. It could also benefit from a more modern and visually appealing redesign.

“task management powerhouse”

Pros

This works really well for task management in medium to large companies. It offers a high level of customization which makes it adaptable to many different workflows and business needs.

Cons

That same level of customization can also make it harder to manage. The interface feels fairly complex so getting comfortable with it can take time and the learning curve is pretty steep.

“handy sprint planning”

Pros

Our team uses it for sprint planning and for managing stories, tasks, bugs and similar work items. One thing that really helps is the integration with Confluence and Slack since it makes linking bugs and stories much more convenient.

Cons

A few features still feel less user-friendly than they should. For instance, there's no way to bulk assign tasks to one user even when the story is already assigned to that person so each task has to be assigned manually. The newer view that was rolled out also feels less simple than the older version and it can take more effort to locate what you need.

“scalable scrum tracking”

Pros

Compared with a lot of project tracking tools out there, Confluence does a really good job of making work scalable. It makes tasks much easier to track, report on and organize especially when it comes to monitoring labor and the time spent on each task. For teams that rely on scrum methodology, it feels like a very important part of keeping everything structured and moving forward.

Cons

One downside is that this software definitely comes with a learning curve and usually requires some training. When I first tried to teach myself, it was very easy to fall into endless online searching just to figure out different tips and tricks. A big reason for that is how specific each Confluence page can be to the individual project or product it supports. It takes a real investment of time to understand how everything works together but once that clicks, using it starts to feel much more natural.

“fantastic workflows”

Pros

Creating epics, user stories, tasks and defects is very easy. The prebuilt workflow fits our needs really well right out of the box. I also appreciate how simple it is to set up boards and customize filters to match the way we work.

Cons

Nothing to complain about at this point. I've been using it since 2010 and it's been satisfying to watch how the product has continued to evolve over the years.

“ticketing with plugins”

Pros

Across more than one role over the past few years, this has worked really well for me. Opening, tracking and closing issues or tickets is built into the core product and the wide range of available plugins adds even more value and makes it far more capable.

Cons

Since the rollout of the "next gen" projects, a few important features have disappeared. For instance, private comments on issues are no longer available and child issues only show up when the full board is grouped by sub-tasks which isn't an ideal setup.

“scrum done right”

Pros

Being able to quickly create tasks and defects for the team I manage has been really valuable. Since we work in two-week Scrum cycles, I can organize the work items for each sprint and assign them to the right team members without much delay. That setup has worked really well especially when customers ask for project updates and I need a clear view of progress.

Cons

Getting started was a little challenging because the learning curve isn't completely easy. Since our team follows a Scrum/Agile workflow, we also had to spend time figuring out how to align the tool with our processes so it would give us the information we needed. After the setup was in place and the team got familiar with using it, the product turned out to be very dependable.

“planning flexibility”

Pros

Its functionality and flexibility really stand out when building complex, multi-layered project plans. The level of customization is a major advantage and it opens up plenty of ways to break work down into clearer, more manageable layers.

Cons

With new boards or features can take some time because the software has a learning curve. It's not as simple as some other tools although that trade-off is balanced by its stronger functionality.

“boards for any team”

Pros

One of the best parts is how adaptable it is. You can set up boards and fields the way you need and switch between agile and Kanban without much trouble. It does a really good job of fitting different team workflows and individual requirements.

Cons

The biggest frustration is how slowly it responds when changes are made to tickets or when running searches. On top of that, the "work description" field is incredibly annoying to deal with.

“great for epics and sprints”

Pros

This has been a really great tool for organizing work into epics and sprints and it makes it much easier to keep the team accountable for deliverables.

Cons

One downside is that it doesn't integrate with Asana which is the other project management tool we use so our PMs end up doing double the work.

“sprint management made easy”

Pros

At the admin level, it's fully customizable which gives a lot of flexibility. Managing sprints is easy and getting reports at the end of each sprint is convenient and efficient.

Cons

At times, things can become quite complex when adding new fields or trying to locate one. A few features especially around adding fields, could be made more user-friendly.

“highly flexible platform”

Pros

There's a huge range of features here which lets you take full advantage of the software no matter what kind of workflow you're using.

Cons

Setting everything up can feel a bit complicated for less experienced users since there are so many parts that can be customized.

“Convenient menus and alerts”

Pros

Getting around the system feels very easy thanks to the simple menus and the email and notification features are reliable and powerful.

Cons

One limitation I ran into was the number of levels allowed. A few times I needed to build things out to a fourth level but the tool only supports going three levels deep.

“agile planning done right”

Pros

Working with this in an agile setup has been a really positive experience. There's only a slight learning curve so getting started doesn't take long at all. The standout feature for me is being able to manage upcoming sprints and adjust priorities whenever needed.

Cons

Story preview in the side panel is one part I'm not a fan of. It feels far too narrow which makes comments and other details hard to read. I also miss having a proper preview for images and attachments.

“faster team communication”

Pros

It really boosts coordination across the team. You can quickly reach system administrators and get potential system issues addressed almost immediately.

Cons

Software is not very simple and the interface could definitely be more visually appealing. Even so, it does a very good job of improving communication when problems need to be solved at work.

“useful integrations but buggy at times”

Pros

Getting started with it is pretty easy and it offers plenty of integrations that make it more useful overall.

Cons

This tool is packed with bugs that never seem to fully go away or get fixed.

“tracking and sprint logs”

Pros

The backend metrics are really useful especially for tracking when EPICs and Stories get moved to completion. The sprint log view is also something I appreciate.

Cons

User experience is pretty poor. The frontend seriously needs a major overhaul especially nowadays when other websites and software feel much more modern. I'm also not a fan of how buggy it can be. There are plenty of times when the software is down or I'm unable to do what I need because something isn't working properly. More than anything though, the biggest problem is that it looks like a program from the 80s. It really needs to be updated so employees especially new users, actually feel motivated to use it.