How To Use Jira For Project Management

Jira, developed by Atlassian, is one of the most widely used project management and issue-tracking tools designed to help teams stay organized, track progress, and deliver work efficiently.

If you're new to Jira, getting started might seem complicated, but it's actually a powerful system that, when set up correctly, makes project management much more structured. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know—from setting up Jira to managing tasks, using boards, and generating reports.

Each step is explained clearly so you can start using Jira effectively, even if you've never worked with it before. Let's get started!

Jira software is a web-based project management tool used to track and manage work. It was originally built for software teams but is now used by all teams. In Jira, you can create and track issues (tasks, bugs, user stories, or any work items), organize them into projects, and move them through customizable workflows. 

The main advantage is that everything—tasks, assignees, statuses, and deadlines—is in one place.

Jira has become one of the most widely used project management tools globally (with over 300,000 companies relying on it) because it’s flexible and powerful. Key benefits include: 

Getting started with Jira is straightforward. In this section, we’ll create a Jira account, choose the right Jira product for your needs, and go through the initial setup steps. 

Step 1: Create An Atlassian Account 

Jira is an Atlassian product, so you’ll need an Atlassian account to use it. Here is how you can make one: 

• Go to atlassian.com/software/jira and sign up
• Choose Jira Cloud (recommended for beginners). It offers a free plan for up to 10 users
• During sign-up, provide a site name (this becomes your Jira URL) and basic team/project info

Note: Atlassian also provides Jira Data Center (self-hosted) options, which are more complex to set up and beyond the scope of this beginner's guide. 

Step 2: Choose The Right Jira Product 

When you create your account, you may be prompted to choose which Jira product to start with. The three main options are: 

• Jira Software → For software development teams. Supports Scrum, Kanban, backlogs, and developer tools 
• Jira Work Management → For business teams (marketing, HR, operations). Provides list, calendar, timeline, and board views 
• Jira Service Management → For IT/helpdesk teams. Includes service requests, ticketing, and customer portals 

If you’re unsure, Jira Software is a good default for project management, as it has the most features (you can still create simple projects in Jira Software).

Remember: All three products can coexist – for example, you can have some projects in Jira Software and others in Jira Work Management on the same site if your subscription includes them. 

Set Up Your First Project

Once your account is created and you’ve chosen a Jira product, you’ll typically be guided through creating your first project. Jira’s onboarding wizard may ask a few questions about your team’s needs. Here’s what you’ll generally do: 

1) Create A Project 

In Jira, a project is a space that contains a set of issues (tasks) for a specific goal, team, or product. It will prompt you to create a project: 

• Give it a name (e.g., ‘Website Redesign’ or ‘Marketing Q4 Campaign’) 
• The system will generate a project key (an abbreviation used in issue IDs, like WEB for Website projects) 

You don’t have to worry about the key; it can be auto-generated and just needs to be unique. 

2) Select A Template 

The system provides many project templates that pre-configure settings for you. For Jira Software, you’ll typically choose between: 

• Scrum → Best for teams that work in sprints, plan tasks from a backlog, and deliver work on a set schedule 
• Kanban → Best for teams that prefer a continuous workflow, managing tasks as they move through different stages. (Includes an optional backlog) 
• Bug Tracking → Best for teams that don’t need boards and prefer managing tasks and bugs in a simple list view 

If you’re not sure, choose Scrum for now if you plan to work in sprints and Kanban if you prefer a continuous workflow. 

3) Choose Project Type 

If you picked a Scrum or Kanban template in Jira Software, you might be asked to choose the project type: 

• Team-managed: (Previously called ‘next-gen’ projects) – Easier to set up and manage by the project team. It allows flexible customization without affecting other projects 
• Company-managed: (Previously called ‘classic’ projects) – Managed by Jira admins. It ensures standardized settings across projects, such as workflows and issue fields 

For a beginner, Team-managed is often simpler because you can configure your board and fields right within the project. 

4) Invite Team Members 

The platform will give you the option to invite others to the project. You can skip this for now or invite a couple of colleagues if you’re setting this up for a team. Inviting users sends them an email to join your Jira site. 

5) Explore Your Project Interface 

After creation, Jira will take you into your new project. You’ll see the project’s board or backlog (depending on the template) and some sample issues or instructions. Take a moment to click around. The left sidebar lists project sections (e.g., Backlog, Board, Reports, Components, etc., for a Software project). The top navigation has a search bar, a ‘Create’ button, and menus for Projects and Apps. 

Issues are the heart of Jira – every piece of work is tracked as an issue. (Despite the name ‘issue,’ it can represent any work item: a task, a bug report, a feature request, a project milestone, etc.)

How To Manage Issues?

To create a new task/issue in Jira, hit the ‘Create’ button in the top navigation bar. A form will pop up for you to enter details of the issue. Key fields to fill out: 

How To Manage Tasks? 

Managing tasks in Jira involves creating subtasks, assigning work, and setting priorities. Here’s a step-by-step guide to handling tasks effectively. 

1. Creating Subtasks 

Sometimes, a task is too big and needs to be broken into smaller parts. Subtasks help in tracking different parts separately. Jira allows subtasks, which are smaller issues linked to a parent issue. Here is how to create a subtask: 

1. Open the parent issue (main task) 
2. Click ‘Add a subtask’ (usually in the issue view) 
3. Select the ‘+’ icon beneath the summary, then enter a title and assign it if needed 
4. Click ‘Create’—the subtask is now linked to the parent 

Note: Subtasks are useful for splitting work, but don’t overdo them – use them when an issue is complex enough to need distinct owners or tracking of parts of it. 

2. Assigning Work

Each issue has an Assignee field. You can assign issues when creating them or later by editing the issue. Team leads often assign tasks to team members, or team members might pick tasks and assign them to themselves. Jira will notify the assignee (via email and in-app notifications) when they are given a task. It’s good practice to always have an assignee for active work so it’s clear who is driving it. If a task is unassigned and sitting in ‘To Do,’ team members can decide who will take it on and self-assign. 

3. Setting And Changing Priority 

Jira’s priority field can be used to indicate the importance or urgency of issues. As a project manager, you might review new issues and mark critical ones as ‘High’ or ‘Highest’, so they get attention. You can sort or filter issues by priority to see the must-do items. Keep in mind that ‘Priority’ is just a label – it doesn’t by itself force order, but it communicates to the assignee how soon it should be addressed relative to others. 

One of Jira’s most powerful features for project tracking is the board. A Jira board is a visual representation of your project’s issues, organized into columns representing stages of work. The software offers two types of agile boards: 

• Kanban Board: A flexible, continuous workflow board where tasks move through To Do, In Progress, and Done as capacity allows. It emphasizes work-in-progress (WIP) limits and cycle time to prevent overload 
• Scrum Board: Designed for fixed-length sprints (1–2 weeks) with a backlog for planning. Once a sprint starts, only selected tasks appear on the board. Features like burndown charts track progress, ensuring structured, time-boxed iterations 

Customizing Board Columns

How you set up columns on your board in Scrum and Kanban templates depends on your project type. In a team-managed project, you set them up directly on the board; in a company-managed project, you do it in the board settings. To edit columns: 

• For Team-Managed Projects: Open your board and click (•••) > Configure board. From there, you can add, rename, delete, or move columns as needed 
• For Company-Managed Projects: Open your board and click (•••) > Board settings, then go to the Columns tab. Here, you can add, rename, delete, or move columns as required 

Tip: For beginners, 3-5 columns (steps) are usually enough (e.g., To Do, In Progress, In Review, Done). You can always adjust as your process matures.

Tracking project progress and key metrics is essential for efficient project management. Jira provides Dashboards and built-in Reports to help teams visualize work, monitor status, and share insights easily. 

Jira Dashboards 

A Jira Dashboard is a customizable page where you can display project data using gadgets. It provides a centralized view of work progress, helping teams stay informed. You can create multiple dashboards for different purposes. 

How To Create A Dashboard? 

1. Open the Dashboards menu and click ‘Dashboards’ in the top navigation bar to view all dashboards 
2. Click ‘Create Dashboard’ to start a new one. If you want to duplicate an existing dashboard, use the ‘Copy Dashboard’ option instead 
3. Enter a dashboard name (e.g., ‘Sprint in Space’) and an optional description explaining its purpose 
4. Fill out any remaining fields and click ‘Save’ 
5. Choose Visibility Settings: 
   1. Private → Only you can see and use the dashboard 
   2. Shared → Others can view and use it (you can choose specific users, groups, or projects) 
6. Click ‘Create’ to finalize and start customizing your dashboard 

Once the blank dashboard is created, you can add gadgets to display Jira data in different formats, such as charts, tables, and progress trackers. Gadgets help you visualize key project metrics and team activities in real time. 

Built-in Reports 

Jira (especially Jira Software projects) comes with reports accessible within a project. To find these, go to your project and click on Reports in the sidebar (this usually appears for Scrum/Kanban Software projects). This system’s reports are categorized into four main types: 

• Agile Reports – Help teams track progress, identify workflow issues, and improve future planning 
• DevOps Reports – Provide insights into deployment frequency, team collaboration, and process efficiency 
• Issue Analysis Reports – Show the types of tasks the team is working on and how well they are managing them 
• Forecast And Management Reports – Help estimate workload, assess team capacity, and predict future performance 

With over 3,000 apps available on Atlassian Marketplace, Jira helps teams spend less time managing tasks and more time focusing on building great software. You can customize your workflow by integrating apps and tools from the Atlassian Marketplace to create a unified workspace that fits your needs. 

This guide has covered the essential features of Jira and how it simplifies project management. With its customizable workflows, agile boards, dashboards, and reporting tools, it adapts to different team needs and workflows. If you’re ready to enhance productivity and streamline your projects, explore Jira and use this guide to get started.