JIRA QUICK REFERENCE
Issues, JQL, workflows, boards, sprints, filters
Issues
Issue Types
| Epic | Large body of work; contains stories |
| Story | User-facing feature or requirement |
| Task | Unit of work (technical or non-technical) |
| Bug | Defect or unexpected behavior |
| Sub-task | Child of story/task; cannot exist alone |
Issue Fields
| Summary | Short title (required) |
| Description | Details, acceptance criteria |
| Assignee | Person responsible |
| Priority | Highest / High / Medium / Low / Lowest |
| Labels | Freeform tags for grouping |
| Components | Project subsections (e.g., Backend, UI) |
| Fix Version | Release this issue targets |
| Story Points | Effort estimate (Scrum) |
Issue Links
| blocks / is blocked by | Dependency relationship |
| clones / is cloned by | Duplicate tracking |
| relates to | General association |
| is caused by / causes | Root cause linkage |
JQL Search
Basic Syntax
project = MYPROJ AND status = "In Progress"
assignee = currentUser() AND resolution = Unresolved
priority in (High, Highest) ORDER BY created DESC
Operators
| = | Exact match |
| != | Not equal |
| in (a, b) | Match any in list |
| not in (a, b) | Exclude list |
| ~ "text" | Contains (text search) |
| !~ "text" | Does not contain |
| is EMPTY | Field has no value |
| is not EMPTY | Field has a value |
| > < >= <= | Comparison (dates, numbers) |
Date Functions
created >= -7d # last 7 days
due <= endOfWeek() # due this week
updated >= startOfMonth() # updated this month
created >= "2025-01-01" # since specific date
Useful JQL Patterns
# Stale issues
status != Done AND updated <= -30d
# My open bugs
assignee = currentUser() AND type = Bug AND resolution = Unresolved
# Sprint scope
sprint in openSprints() AND project = MYPROJ
Workflows
Default Workflow
| To Do | Not started |
| In Progress | Work underway |
| Done | Completed |
Extended Workflow
| Open | Created, awaiting triage |
| In Progress | Actively being worked on |
| In Review | Code review or QA |
| Done | Accepted and closed |
| Reopened | Returned from Done |
Workflow Concepts
| Status | Current state of an issue |
| Transition | Allowed move between statuses |
| Condition | Who can perform a transition |
| Validator | Checks before transition executes |
| Post Function | Action after transition (e.g., assign) |
| Resolution | Why issue was closed (Fixed, Won't Do) |
Boards
Board Types
| Scrum Board | Sprint-based; backlog, sprint planning, velocity |
| Kanban Board | Continuous flow; WIP limits, no sprints |
Board Columns
| Column | Maps to one or more statuses |
| WIP Limit | Max issues in column (Kanban) |
| Swimlane | Horizontal grouping (by epic, assignee, etc.) |
| Quick Filter | JQL-based toggle filter on board |
Board Configuration
| Filter | JQL query defining board scope |
| Estimation | Story Points or Original Estimate |
| Card Layout | Fields shown on issue cards |
| Card Colors | Color by priority, assignee, query |
Sprints
Sprint Lifecycle
| Create | Name + optional goal and dates |
| Plan | Drag issues from backlog into sprint |
| Start | Set duration (1-4 weeks typical) |
| Active | Team works on sprint issues |
| Complete | Move undone items to backlog or next sprint |
Sprint Reports
| Burndown Chart | Remaining work vs time |
| Sprint Report | Completed vs not completed |
| Velocity Chart | Story points per sprint over time |
| Cumulative Flow | Status distribution over time |
Sprint JQL
sprint in openSprints() # current sprint
sprint in futureSprints() # upcoming sprints
sprint = "Sprint 12" # specific sprint
sprint in closedSprints() AND resolution = Unresolved
Filters
Creating Filters
| Search | Write JQL in issue search |
| Save As | Save JQL as named filter |
| Star | Star a filter for quick access |
| Subscription | Email filter results on schedule |
Sharing & Permissions
| Private | Only you can see the filter |
| Group | Share with a specific group |
| Project | Share with project members |
| Public | Any logged-in user |
| Edit Permissions | Control who can modify the filter |
Dashboards
| Filter Results | Gadget showing issues from a filter |
| Pie Chart | Breakdown by field (priority, assignee) |
| Two Dimensional | X/Y matrix (e.g., priority vs status) |
| Activity Stream | Recent project activity |
Shortcuts
Global Navigation
| g then d | Go to dashboard |
| g then b | Go to board |
| g then i | Go to issue search |
| / | Quick search |
| c | Create issue |
| ? | Show keyboard shortcuts |
Issue View
| a | Assign to me |
| m | Comment |
| l | Edit labels |
| e | Edit issue |
| j / k | Next / previous issue in list |
| o | Open selected issue |
Board Shortcuts
| 1-9 | Move issue to column 1-9 |
| t | Toggle detail view |
| n | Next card |
| p | Previous card |
Common Patterns
Bug Report Template
| Summary | [Component] Short description of the bug |
| Steps to Reproduce | Numbered steps to trigger the issue |
| Expected | What should happen |
| Actual | What actually happens |
| Environment | OS, browser, version, etc. |
| Severity | Blocker / Critical / Major / Minor / Trivial |
Story Format
As a [role],
I want [action],
so that [benefit].
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Acceptance Criteria:
- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2
Bulk Operations
| Search → Select All | Select issues from search results |
| Bulk Change | Edit, transition, or delete in batch |
| CSV Export | Export search results for reporting |
| Board drag | Drag issues between columns/sprints |