What Is Jira? A Complete Guide on How to Use It

There are a ton of options out there when it comes to project management tools. There are options designed for content management and others for scrum management or agile teams. That said, the most important thing is to find the project management software that has the features that suit your needs best.

One of the most popular and best options is Jira. They offer powerful project management software that has a ton of capabilities. And there are three different packages depending on what you need to use it for most.

Here is everything you need to know about Jira and how to use it.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

What Is Jira?

Main Features and Benefits

How to Use Jira

Key Takeaways

What Is Jira?

Jira started as an issue tracking platform designed and intended for software development teams. It’s grown over the years to now offer three distinct options for businesses. The first is Jira Core, which is the project management platform.

The second is Jira Software, which provides additional agile functionality on top of the functions of Jira Core. The third is Jira Service Desk, which is designed for IT professionals or service desks.

The Jira platform leverages several different project management skills to offer a function that fits what you need. It can be used for agile project management, scrum management or marketing. It can also be used for bug tracking, content management or professional service management. Plus, it has excellent real-time visibility to help execute your business strategy.

Main Features and Benefits

The platform offers the same project management basics as other platforms. Which can include portfolio management, process management and task management. But one of the things that set Jira apart for product managers is that it offers some key features for business teams. Let’s take a look at a few of the Jira work management features.

1. Detailed Reporting

• Reporting features are detailed but simple to understand
• Can generate reports for user workloads, created vs completed tasks or task conclusion times
• Offers scrum board tracking, control charts and cumulative flow charts

2. Project Roadmap

• Provides a clear path for the project, and includes timetables, tasks to complete and goals to achieve
• You can breakdown the structure of the project and reorganize it if needed
• It sets the stage for your project management plan

3. Time Tracking

• Understand how much time is getting spent on tasks to adjust accordingly
• You can view time tracking data in different time formats, such as days, hours or weeks
• Identify any issues and plan ahead for future sprints in the project life cycle

How to Use Jira

There can be a lot to understand and take in when you first start using Jira for project management. The first thing that you should do is figure out exactly how you want to use the platform when it comes to workflow. Since it leverages certain project management skills, how you set up the platform will help make sure you get the most out of it.

So, what are the different ways can you use Jira?

For Kanban or Scrum Management

The Jira platform has seen some big-time updates over the years to its user interface and overall user experience. Part of those improvements included improving their kanban system. And setting up a kanban board is simple.

You either create it during the initial setup or you can add one to the project you’re currently working on. When you go through the initial setup, it will ask what you want to use Jira for and the type of management style you want to use. It will then take you through the steps to set it all up.

You’re also able to create scrum boards that can track your project sprints. It will also track your backlog to help you execute your project as efficiently as possible. All you have to do is select the scrum option as a management style during the initial setup. Or, you can also create a new scrum board within your existing project.

For Content Management

Jira also offers several business templates for you to benefit from, and one of them is content management. Once you choose content management as your format, the platform automatically creates a kanban workflow for you.

It will include everything that you need to do, such as drafting, editing and publishing certain content for your business. You can seamlessly integrate Jira with other platforms like Squarespace and WordPress, as well. This way you won’t have to worry about any disruptions or delays in your workflow when transferring content.

For Issue Tracking

What it was originally created for, Jira’s issue tracking is one of the best that you can find. You’re able to identify and create new issue tasks, prioritize issues for completion and track them along the way.

Plus, you can customize your workflow so it differentiates certain bugs from other issues. This allows you to reduce confusion between the product development and quality assurance teams.

Key Takeaways

One of the most challenging parts of starting a project can be finding the right project management tool. You want to use the one that has the right features that you need to manage your project successfully. Jira has become one of the best options out there because of its range of features and project management styles.

Jira offers the same functionality as other tools, but it excels in areas like project roadmaps, reporting and time tracking. It’s a great option for project managers as you can set it up for kanban or scrum management.

You can also use it for content management to help with your workflow and ensure you stay on top of your publishing. And it’s issue tracking capabilities are also excellent, which lets you identify issues and prioritize which ones need to get fixed.

Did you enjoy reading this guide? Head over to our resource hub for more content.

---

RELATED ARTICLES