Jira: What is it and how does it work? Beginner's Guide
Understand the basics of working in Jira. Learn about issues, Kanban and Scrum boards, and how to effectively manage tasks in an IT team.
Jira: What is it and how does it work?
Imagine a whiteboard in an office where you stick colored post-it notes with tasks. Jira is the digital version of such a board, but much more powerful. It is a tool that is hard to imagine modern IT work without, regardless of whether you are a developer, a tester, or a manager.
Jira
How does it look in practice? Key concepts
In Jira, you don't operate on files, but on so-called issues. Every task, bug, or idea is a separate record.
The basic unit
Everything that needs to be done ends up in Jira as an issue with a description and priority.
Work visualization
A place where you see issues divided into columns, e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done.
Data container
A collection of all tasks related to one application or one team.
Most popular board types
The choice of board depends on how your team wants to work. This is a crucial concept for IT certification exams.
| Cecha | Feature | Scrum Board |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | Work in cycles (Sprints) | Continuous work without fixed dates |
| Goal | Delivering a package of tasks in 2 weeks | Smooth flow and avoiding bottlenecks |
| For whom? | Project and development teams | Support and maintenance teams |
Most common mistakes and pitfalls
Overly complicated processes
Missing descriptions in tasks
What does a task workflow look like?
Every issue goes through a path of states. Here is the simplest example:
Pro Tips
Keyboard shortcuts are key
Example: How to create a good task?
Login not working on iPhone 15Quiz: Check your knowledge
What is a 'Sprint' in the context of a Scrum board in Jira?
What's next?
- Create a free account on Atlassian Cloud and start your first project.
- Learn about JQL (Jira Query Language) for advanced task filtering.
- Check the differences between Cloud and Data Center versions.
- Read about Story Points – a way to estimate task complexity.
- See how to integrate Jira with a version control system (e.g., GitHub or Bitbucket).
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