Jira Boards¶
What is a Board?¶
A board is a visual representation of your team's work. It displays issues as cards that move through columns representing different stages of your workflow.
Board Types¶
Scrum Board¶
- Sprint-based workflow
- Backlog management
- Sprint planning and tracking
- Velocity charts
- Best for: Teams working in fixed iterations
Kanban Board¶
- Continuous flow
- WIP (Work In Progress) limits
- Cumulative flow diagram
- No sprints required
- Best for: Teams with continuous delivery
Board Comparison¶
| Feature | Scrum | Kanban |
|---|---|---|
| Sprints | Yes | No |
| Backlog | Sprint + Product | Single backlog |
| Planning | Sprint planning | Continuous |
| WIP Limits | Optional | Recommended |
| Reports | Velocity, burndown | Cumulative flow, cycle time |
| Releases | End of sprint | Continuous |
Creating a Board¶
Create Scrum Board¶
1. Click "Boards" → "Create board"
2. Select "Scrum board"
3. Choose:
- Board from existing project
- Board from existing filter
4. Enter board name
5. Select project
6. Click "Create board"
Create Kanban Board¶
1. Click "Boards" → "Create board"
2. Select "Kanban board"
3. Choose source
4. Enter board name
5. Select project
6. Click "Create board"
Board Layout¶
Standard Board View¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Board Name [Sprint ▼] [Quick Filters] [⚙️ Settings]│
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ TO DO IN PROGRESS IN REVIEW DONE │
│ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ │
│ │PROJ-1│ │PROJ-3│ │PROJ-5│ │PROJ-7│ │
│ │Story │ │Bug │ │Story │ │Task │ │
│ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ │
│ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ │
│ │PROJ-2│ │PROJ-4│ │PROJ-6│ │PROJ-8│ │
│ │Task │ │Story │ │Bug │ │Story │ │
│ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Issue Card Information¶
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ PROJ-123 [Avatar] │
│ ─────────────────────────── │
│ Add user authentication │
│ │
│ 🏷️ backend 🏷️ security │
│ ⏱️ 5 SP 📅 Due: Dec 25 │
└─────────────────────────────┘
Working with Boards¶
Moving Issues¶
Drag and Drop:
1. Click and hold issue card
2. Drag to target column
3. Release to drop
4. Issue status updates automatically
Keyboard Navigation:
Quick Filters¶
Create filters to show/hide specific issues:
Creating Quick Filter:
1. Board Settings → Quick Filters
2. Click "Add quick filter"
3. Enter:
- Name: "My Issues"
- JQL: assignee = currentUser()
4. Click "Add"
Swimlanes¶
Horizontal groupings on your board:
Board with Swimlanes:
Expedite (Priority: Highest)
├── TO DO │ IN PROGRESS │ DONE
│ PROJ-1│ PROJ-2 │ PROJ-3
Stories
├── TO DO │ IN PROGRESS │ DONE
│ PROJ-4│ PROJ-5 │ PROJ-6
Bugs
├── TO DO │ IN PROGRESS │ DONE
│ PROJ-7│ PROJ-8 │ PROJ-9
Swimlane Options: - None - Stories - Assignees - Epics - Queries (JQL) - Subtasks
Configuring Swimlanes:
1. Board Settings → Swimlanes
2. Select base swimlanes on:
- Queries
- Stories
- Assignees
- Epics
3. Add custom queries if needed
4. Click "Save"
Board Configuration¶
Columns¶
Adding Columns:
1. Board Settings → Columns
2. Click "Add column"
3. Enter column name
4. Map to workflow status(es)
5. Set column constraint (optional)
6. Click "Add"
Column Mapping:
Column: "In Progress"
Mapped Statuses:
- In Development
- Code Review
- Testing
This allows multiple workflow statuses
to appear in one board column
Column Constraints (WIP Limits):
Column: In Progress
Min: 1
Max: 5
Benefits:
- Prevents overload
- Improves focus
- Identifies bottlenecks
Card Layout¶
Configuring Card Display:
1. Board Settings → Card layout
2. Select fields to show:
- Issue key
- Summary
- Assignee
- Priority
- Labels
- Story points
- Due date
3. Drag to reorder
4. Click "Save"
Card Colors¶
Color by: - Issue type - Priority - Assignee - Queries (custom JQL)
Example - Color by Priority:
- Red: Highest
- Orange: High
- Yellow: Medium
- Green: Low
- Blue: Lowest
Scrum Board Features¶
Backlog View¶
Backlog
├── Sprint 1 (Active)
│ ├── PROJ-1 (5 SP)
│ ├── PROJ-2 (3 SP)
│ └── PROJ-3 (8 SP)
│ Total: 16 SP
│
├── Sprint 2 (Future)
│ ├── PROJ-4 (5 SP)
│ └── PROJ-5 (3 SP)
│ Total: 8 SP
│
└── Backlog (Unplanned)
├── PROJ-6
├── PROJ-7
└── PROJ-8
Sprint Planning¶
1. Go to Backlog
2. Click "Create sprint"
3. Drag issues into sprint
4. Click "Start sprint"
5. Configure:
- Sprint name
- Duration (1-4 weeks)
- Start date
- Sprint goal
6. Click "Start"
Active Sprint View¶
Sprint Information:
- Sprint name: Sprint 5
- Duration: 2 weeks
- Days remaining: 8
- Story points: 45 / 50
- Issues: 12 / 15 completed
Completing Sprint¶
1. Click "Complete sprint"
2. Review:
- Completed issues → Done
- Incomplete issues → Next sprint or backlog
3. Click "Complete"
4. View sprint report
Kanban Board Features¶
WIP Limits¶
Column Configuration:
TO DO: No limit
IN PROGRESS: Max 5 (Warning at 4)
IN REVIEW: Max 3 (Warning at 2)
DONE: No limit
Visual Indicators:
- Green: Under limit
- Yellow: At warning
- Red: Over limit
Continuous Delivery¶
Workflow:
Backlog → Selected → In Progress → Review → Done
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
Ideas Planned Active Testing Released
Board Best Practices¶
Column Structure¶
Simple (3 columns):
Standard (4 columns):
Detailed (6+ columns):
WIP Limit Guidelines¶
Formula: WIP Limit = Team Size × 1.5
Example:
Team of 5 developers
WIP Limit = 5 × 1.5 = 7-8 issues
Adjust based on:
- Issue complexity
- Team experience
- Dependencies
Board Hygiene¶
Daily: - Update issue statuses - Add comments on progress - Move completed items to Done
Weekly: - Review blocked items - Clean up old issues - Update estimates
Sprint/Monthly: - Archive completed work - Review board configuration - Adjust WIP limits if needed
Board Filters¶
Board Query (JQL)¶
Every board has a filter that determines which issues appear:
# Default Scrum board filter
project = ECOM
AND type in (Story, Bug, Task)
AND status != Done
ORDER BY rank
# Custom filter examples
# Show only high priority
project = ECOM AND priority in (Highest, High)
# Show specific components
project = ECOM AND component = "Frontend"
# Show current sprint only
project = ECOM AND sprint in openSprints()
Editing Board Filter¶
Multiple Boards¶
When to Create Multiple Boards¶
- Different teams working on same project
- Different workflows (dev vs. ops)
- Different views (management vs. team)
- Different projects combined
Example Multi-Board Setup¶
Project: E-commerce Platform
Board 1: Development Team
- Filter: component = "Backend"
- Type: Scrum
- Team: Backend developers
Board 2: Frontend Team
- Filter: component = "Frontend"
- Type: Kanban
- Team: Frontend developers
Board 3: Management View
- Filter: priority in (Highest, High)
- Type: Kanban
- Team: All teams
Board Shortcuts¶
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
j |
Next issue |
k |
Previous issue |
t |
Transition issue |
a |
Assign issue |
i |
Assign to me |
m |
Mention user |
z |
Toggle fullscreen |
n |
Next column |
p |
Previous column |
Board Reports¶
Available Reports (Scrum)¶
- Burndown Chart: Sprint progress
- Velocity Chart: Team capacity over sprints
- Sprint Report: Sprint summary
- Epic Burndown: Epic progress
- Release Burndown: Release progress
Available Reports (Kanban)¶
- Cumulative Flow Diagram: Work distribution
- Control Chart: Cycle time analysis
- Velocity Chart: Throughput over time
Troubleshooting¶
Issues Not Appearing on Board¶
Check:
1. Board filter (JQL)
2. Issue status mapping
3. Project permissions
4. Quick filters active
5. Swimlane configuration
Can't Move Issues¶
Board Performance Issues¶
Solutions:
1. Limit issues with JQL filter
2. Reduce card fields displayed
3. Use quick filters instead of complex JQL
4. Archive old sprints
5. Split into multiple boards
Next Steps¶
Learn about Workflows to understand and customize how issues move through your board.