jira-expert

$27

Workflows

Project Creation

• Determine project type (Scrum, Kanban, Bug Tracking, etc.)

• Create project with appropriate template

• Configure project settings:

• Name, key, description

• Project lead and default assignee

• Notification scheme

• Permission scheme

• Set up issue types and workflows

• Configure custom fields if needed

• Create initial board/backlog view

• HANDOFF TO: Scrum Master for team onboarding

Workflow Design

• Map out process states (To Do → In Progress → Done)

• Define transitions and conditions

• Add validators, post-functions, and conditions

• Configure workflow scheme

• Validate: Deploy to a test project first; verify all transitions, conditions, and post-functions behave as expected before associating with production projects

• Associate workflow with project

• Test workflow with sample issues

JQL Query Building

Basic Structure: field operator value

Common Operators:

• =, != : equals, not equals

• ~, !~ : contains, not contains

• >, <, >=, <= : comparison

• in, not in : list membership

• is empty, is not empty

• was, was in, was not

• changed

Powerful JQL Examples:

Find overdue issues:

dueDate < now() AND status != Done

Sprint burndown issues:

sprint = 23 AND status changed TO "Done" DURING (startOfSprint(), endOfSprint())

Find stale issues:

updated < -30d AND status != Done

Cross-project epic tracking:

"Epic Link" = PROJ-123 ORDER BY rank

Velocity calculation:

sprint in closedSprints() AND resolution = Done

Team capacity:

assignee in (user1, user2) AND sprint in openSprints()

Dashboard Creation

• Create new dashboard (personal or shared)

• Add relevant gadgets:

• Filter Results (JQL-based)

• Sprint Burndown

• Velocity Chart

• Created vs Resolved

• Pie Chart (status distribution)

• Arrange layout for readability

• Configure automatic refresh

• Share with appropriate teams

• HANDOFF TO: Senior PM or Scrum Master for use

Automation Rules

• Define trigger (issue created, field changed, scheduled)

• Add conditions (if applicable)

• Define actions:

• Update field

• Send notification

• Create subtask

• Transition issue

• Post comment

• Test automation with sample data

• Enable and monitor

Advanced Features

Custom Fields

When to Create:

• Track data not in standard fields

• Capture process-specific information

• Enable advanced reporting

Field Types: Text, Numeric, Date, Select (single/multi/cascading), User picker

Configuration:

• Create custom field

• Configure field context (which projects/issue types)

• Add to appropriate screens

• Update search templates if needed

Issue Linking

Link Types:

• Blocks / Is blocked by

• Relates to

• Duplicates / Is duplicated by

• Clones / Is cloned by

• Epic-Story relationship

Best Practices:

• Use Epic linking for feature grouping

• Use blocking links to show dependencies

• Document link reasons in comments

Permissions & Security

Permission Schemes:

• Browse Projects

• Create/Edit/Delete Issues

• Administer Projects

• Manage Sprints

Security Levels:

• Define confidential issue visibility

• Control access to sensitive data

• Audit security changes

Bulk Operations

Bulk Change:

• Use JQL to find target issues

• Select bulk change operation

• Choose fields to update

• Validate: Preview all changes before executing; confirm the JQL filter matches only intended issues — bulk edits are difficult to reverse

• Execute and confirm

• Monitor background task

Bulk Transitions:

• Move multiple issues through workflow

• Useful for sprint cleanup

• Requires appropriate permissions

• Validate: Run the JQL filter and review results in small batches before applying at scale

JQL Functions Reference

Tip: Save frequently used queries as named filters instead of re-running complex JQL ad hoc. See [Best Practices](#best-practices) for performance guidance.

Date: startOfDay(), endOfDay(), startOfWeek(), endOfWeek(), startOfMonth(), endOfMonth(), startOfYear(), endOfYear()

Sprint: openSprints(), closedSprints(), futureSprints()

User: currentUser(), membersOf("group")

Advanced: issueHistory(), linkedIssues(), issuesWithFixVersions()

Reporting Templates

Tip: These JQL snippets can be saved as shared filters or wired directly into Dashboard gadgets (see [Dashboard Creation](#dashboard-creation)).

Report

JQL

Sprint Report

project = PROJ AND sprint = 23

Team Velocity

assignee in (team) AND sprint in closedSprints() AND resolution = Done

Bug Trend

type = Bug AND created >= -30d

Blocker Analysis

priority = Blocker AND status != Done

Decision Framework

When to Escalate to Atlassian Admin:

• Need new project permission scheme

• Require custom workflow scheme across org

• User provisioning or deprovisioning

• License or billing questions

• System-wide configuration changes

When to Collaborate with Scrum Master:

• Sprint board configuration

• Backlog prioritization views

• Team-specific filters

• Sprint reporting needs

When to Collaborate with Senior PM:

• Portfolio-level reporting

• Cross-project dashboards

• Executive visibility needs

• Multi-project dependencies

Handoff Protocols

FROM Senior PM:

• Project structure requirements

• Workflow and field needs

• Reporting requirements

• Integration needs

TO Senior PM:

• Cross-project metrics

• Issue trends and patterns

• Workflow bottlenecks

• Data quality insights

FROM Scrum Master:

• Sprint board configuration requests

• Workflow optimization needs

• Backlog filtering requirements

• Velocity tracking setup

TO Scrum Master:

• Configured sprint boards

• Velocity reports

• Burndown charts

• Team capacity views

Best Practices

Data Quality:

• Enforce required fields with field validation rules

• Use consistent issue key naming conventions per project type

• Schedule regular cleanup of stale/orphaned issues

Performance:

• Avoid leading wildcards in JQL (~ on large text fields is expensive)

• Use saved filters instead of re-running complex JQL ad hoc

• Limit dashboard gadgets to reduce page load time

• Archive completed projects rather than deleting to preserve history

Governance:

• Document rationale for custom workflow states and transitions

• Version-control permission/workflow schemes before making changes

• Require change management review for org-wide scheme updates

• Run permission audits after user role changes

Atlassian MCP Integration

Primary Tool: Jira MCP Server

Key Operations with Example Commands:

Create a project:

mcp jira create_project --name "My Project" --key "MYPROJ" --type scrum --lead "user@example.com"

Execute a JQL query:

mcp jira search_issues --jql "project = MYPROJ AND status != Done AND dueDate < now()" --maxResults 50

Update an issue field:

mcp jira update_issue --issue "MYPROJ-42" --field "status" --value "In Progress"

Create a sprint:

mcp jira create_sprint --board 10 --name "Sprint 5" --startDate "2024-06-01" --endDate "2024-06-14"

Create a board filter:

mcp jira create_filter --name "Open Blockers" --jql "priority = Blocker AND status != Done" --shareWith "project-team"

Integration Points:

• Pull metrics for Senior PM reporting

• Configure sprint boards for Scrum Master

• Create documentation pages for Confluence Expert

• Support template creation for Template Creator

Related Skills

• Confluence Expert (project-management/confluence-expert/) — Documentation complements Jira workflows

• Atlassian Admin (project-management/atlassian-admin/) — Permission and user management for Jira projects