Jira Software Reviews

“organized team workflows”

Pros

Having our processes documented and kept organized in one place has been really valuable. It also connects well with tools we already use, like Slack and CRM software which makes it even more useful.

Cons

The pricing makes it a bit difficult for me to recommend it across the board since I think it really has to be a carefully weighed decision based on specific needs versus overall cost.

“Great reporting but setup complexity”

Pros

The presentation and reporting features are really strong and the support for Agile development methodologies fits the way our team works very well.

Cons

Setting everything up can be quite complex and even small changes often need someone with expert-level knowledge to handle them.

“Perfect planning built for agile”

Pros

Right away, this worked really well for agile development. Whether the team follows Kanban or a more traditional sprint planning workflow, it adapts nicely to both. It's especially helpful for project planning and writing user stories since everything gets stored in the backlog and can be reviewed later with weight, estimates and priority clearly attached. Creating bug tickets is also fast which makes tracking issues much more manageable. Sprint planning feels much more organized too, you can pull in tasks and stories from the backlog, set a target for the sprint and the system automatically totals the story points so you don't overload the team. On top of that, the reporting tools are very useful for analyzing progress and the burndown charts make it easier to look back during retrospectives and review how the project moved forward.

Cons

One thing to keep in mind is that the platform can feel a bit overly complex because of how much flexibility it offers. That said, once you put in the time to learn it, the value is definitely there. Cost can also become a concern with a larger development team. I'm not the one handling the billing myself but it's clearly not a cheap option and the total can climb pretty quickly as more users are added.

“Excellent for dashboard and plugins”

Pros

Having everything in one place makes issue tracking much more manageable. The dashboards are clear and cover users, projects, teams, sprints and PI so it's simple to follow work across different levels. It's also convenient to check an issue's status and lifecycle, from the backlog stage through assignment, resolve and close. Another helpful part is being able to quickly see the number of issues and sprint points. The platform also supports a wide range of plugins, both built-in and custom which makes it useful for integrating with other products and bringing all the information for an IT ticket together.

Cons

One limitation is that we can't modify a work log once it has been added to a ticket. The interface also feels fairly complex for new users so it can take some time to get comfortable with it. On top of that, the permission settings are not detailed enough when assigning access for users within a project or team.

“slow cloud experience”

Pros

There's a lot of room to customize it and having both self-hosted and cloud-hosted options is definitely a plus.

Cons

The cloud-hosted version is extremely slow and overpriced compared with similar tools. Even with the most basic setup, it's still not realistic for non-technical people to use. If the whole team doesn't consistently keep the ticket system updated, everything ends up falling on one unfortunate technical person who already has plenty to handle or the tickets stop reflecting what's actually happening. On top of that, the agile workflow and time tracking are a complete mess and don't provide any meaningful overview.

“tracking and testing hub”

Pros

We originally rolled it out and managed everything using just its built-in functionality and it has been excellent for tracking issues, tasks, defects and similar work items. We now pair it with a plugin called Zephyr for test management which fits in really well. It makes connecting testing and defect workflows with user stories, releases and related processes very easy. Setting up test cycles is quick and creating test cases is just as fast and uncomplicated.

Cons

Honestly, I don't have any real complaints about it. It has consistently been a very easy tool to work with and there's a lot of flexibility to customize workflows as well as control what different users are allowed to do.

“custom dashboards win”

Pros

One thing that really helps is the graphical view of project progress and tracking. All the project details are available right from the dashboard which makes monitoring everything much more convenient. I can also build customized dashboards and add the features or fields I need so it fits the way I want to manage my projects.

Cons

It has been working really well for me and has been very helpful for keeping track of my progress. Up to this point, I honestly haven't run into anything I dislike.

“complete SDLC suite”

Pros

It comes with a full suite of tools that really helps support our SDLC and move us forward on the roadmap to CI/CD.

Cons

The downside is that the mobile app seems to work only with cloud deployments and there are major differences between the federated version and the cloud version.

“roles and sprint control”

Pros

One of the biggest strengths is how customizable it is especially with the available plugins. It gives you great visibility into your projects and lets you manage access at a very detailed level. You or an admin can define project roles, tie those roles to specific activities and then assign them down to individual users. It also works well for organizing tickets into sprints and releases while helping you keep track of workload and task ownership across the team during sprints or any other delivery approach you prefer.

Cons

Pricing setup is the part that needs the most thought. Right now, you're basically choosing between a server or cloud deployment. If your team is capable of maintaining a server instance, I'd recommend the server option because it supports a wider range of plugins and gives you more freedom to configure things the way you want. Another big advantage is that the licenses are a one-time purchase, unlike the cloud version where the costs may be lower upfront but continue monthly without end. One more thing to keep in mind is plugin licensing by user tier. If your setup falls into the 101-250 user range, then all of your plugins also need to be licensed at that same 101-250 level. That's definitely worth considering if you're planning a move to it.

“fits many workflows”

Pros

It works well across a lot of different scenarios, whether that's project management, issue tracking, roadmaps or other team processes. Compared with other general-purpose project management platforms, the configuration is fairly easy and gives a lot of flexibility for setting things up the way you need.

Cons

One part that still feels messy is the shift from the old interface to the new one. It gets confusing because the UI isn't always consistent especially when opening links from email notifications. And while setup is simpler than with some other generic tools, it still isn't actually quick or effortless, it can take several days to configure everything properly for specific needs. Having some boilerplate templates available would make the process much better.

“great workflow integration powerhouse”

Pros

Being able to define fields per project and then search or filter using those fields is really useful. The workflow setup and automation help move work along all the way to completion. JQL is excellent for building custom queries and the dashboards and widgets connect nicely with other tools like Confluence. It also integrates well with a lot of technical platforms, including GitHub for linking tickets and pull requests.

Cons

Every now and then, it still refuses to work the way you expect. Customizations in one project can sometimes interfere with settings in another which is frustrating. Workflows can also feel restrictive at certain points. A few features that seem like they should be included by default end up needing paid plugins. On top of that, many changes require administrator access although that is probably beneficial overall.

“team workflow flexibility”

Pros

One of the biggest advantages is the flexibility to customize the system to our business processes. Being able to create custom issue types and workflows that match how my company operates has been a huge plus. Nearly every part of the system can be customized which gives my team everything they need to handle their day-to-day work effectively.

Cons

Some settings can be a bit difficult to locate and a few sections are still stuck on the older graphical interface.

“sprint tracking hub”

Pros

Having everything in one place made a big difference for managing our sprints and bug tracking. It gave us a central hub to monitor priority feature requests alongside system issues that needed attention. Communication between teams was much better too. Whenever a developer had a question or resolved something, it could be updated there right away and the product manager or support team could check it and add comments for extra context.

Cons

There is a bit of a learning curve so it is not the most simple tool at first without spending some time getting familiar with it. The interface also is not the most visually appealing. That said, it does the job efficiently.

“ideal for agile teams”

Pros

When it comes to Agile workflows, Kanban boards and overall development or project management, this still feels like the product to beat. I really haven't come across another option or replacement that does the job better.

Cons

Updating it or troubleshooting problems can be frustrating at times. Most of the time you can leave it alone once it's set up but making custom changes can turn into a hassle. There are also plenty of plugins available for added functionality yet it feels like the platform would be far less useful without them and the cost starts climbing once you add even basic plugins.

“great for releases”

Pros

It's been really useful for our Scrum team in an Agile setup. Beyond serving as a ticket backlog, it also helps a lot when planning around sprints and releases.

Cons

The interface can feel pretty cluttered at times and the filtering isn't always the most simple to work with. Aside from that, I've had a good experience using it.

“insightful collaboration”

Pros

This has really helped improve our team's efficiency and collaboration. It also gives strong visibility into burndown progress, along with plenty of other useful metrics and insights.

Cons

Because it's so flexible, there are times when it's difficult to work out how to configure a specific setup.

“versatile teamwork tool”

Pros

Right away, the biggest benefit is how user-friendly it is and just after that, I'd mention how well it works for everyone on the team. We have developers, project managers, engineers and managers all using it which makes project management flexible and agile across the board.

Cons

There was a bit of a learning curve at the beginning while getting comfortable with it but after that adjustment, it became part of the daily routine.

“agile collaboration win”

Pros

An excellent choice for Agile and software development projects. It gives teams the flexibility to work with frameworks like Scrum and Kanban boards which makes it very adaptable for different workflows. It also does a good job of encouraging collaboration and improving overall team effectiveness.

Cons

One downside is that the data can be eventually consistent so updates and newly added information may show up with some delay especially in the cloud version.

“dependable bug tracking”

Pros

Although our company primarily uses Microsoft products, this tool is still used heavily across the organization for bug tracking because it integrates well with systems like TFS.

Cons

It still misses some of the more advanced capabilities available in tools like Microsoft Test Manager and HP Quality Center especially when it comes to reporting, graphs and similar features.

“team-ready platform”

Pros

Works really well for teams and it comes with a wide range of built-in features.

Cons

There's almost so much functionality that it can feel a bit overwhelming at times though that's not really a downside. It just takes a little time to learn everything.