How to Use and Create Epics in Jira: The Definitive Guide for 2023 (2023)

Jira is all about getting work done, and Epics is a valuable way to contribute to that goal. And in general, epics are for jobs that, as the name suggests, won't be done in a day, but will be... epics.

In this guide, we'll break down what epics are, what they are (and aren't) for, and how you can create and use them.

What will be covered in this blog post:

• What are Jira Epics and what are they used for?
• How to create a new Jira Epic
• How to add issues to a Jira Epic
• How to manage your epic
• Tips and best practices for Jira Epics

Let's begin!

What are Jira Epics and what are they used for?

Epics are at the top of the Jira task hierarchy. They cover several specific tasks and allow you to group a group of problems. For example, this could include work that is completed over a long period of time or over multiple sprints.– and to an extent that is entirely up to you.

Epics allow you to split your project into one or more blocks of work. These then run parallel to each other and can work together towards the end goal of the project. Splitting projects into multiple streams makes it easier to track progress and provides clarity by explaining the different building blocks that contribute to the project to people on and off the team.

All this makes project management easier and more efficient and brings more agility to the team.

From an agile perspective, an epic would represent a single goal or deliverable that contributes to a topic and consists of the separate tasks or user stories required to achieve that goal.

While Epic was built with Agile in mind, there are no limitations for teams using other processes.— and Epics continues to be a very effective tool for scheduling and tracking tasks.

An alternative use of epics is to connect multiple user stories or related issues. This means tasks can be viewed in context and can help address the backlog and prioritize work.– Easily use Epic as a container for tasks.

You might be wondering if epics are so epic, what makes them differentprojects? The key is that Epics should compartmentalize projects - if all of your work fits under a single Epic umbrella within the project, it's unlikely to do you or your team any good. While some projects run forever (e.g. when used to manage ongoing processes or maintenance tasks), epics must have a defined purpose and eventually terminate; otherwise they become bulky and unwieldy.

componentsjCharacteristicsThey are similar general problem types that can act as containers for different tasks. However, both are below the epic level in the hierarchy and can therefore be used to split epics for greater transparency and accountability.The versionthey are also comparable, but not intended for continuous use. If you are interested in simply using epics to group tasks, you should consider ithang tags. This allows you to connect keyword issues across projects. However, they are less structured than epics, do not have their own admin screen and are not managed by admins.- so chaos can quickly arise. That means they're a great way to jot down tasks, but they're not ideal for directing project management.

How to create a new Jira Epic

As with other types of issues, there are multiple ways to create a new epic.

Create an epic as a new issue

You can create epics directly from the navigation menu.

• On the bar at the top of the screen in Jira, click Create
• Then simply select Epic as the issue type

Add an epic script:

• With the script open, select "More" (...) in the top right corner, then select "Dash Settings"
• On the Roadmap tab, click to enable epics for your project
• Click on "Roadmap" in the left sidebar and select "+Create Epic" (if the roadmap is not complete, just tap to add your first epic)
• In team-managed projects, go to the roadmap screen and click the "+" to create a new epic.

Add an epic to the backlog using the epic dashboard

• When viewing the backlog, click the Epic Dashboard
• Then click Create Epic

Next

After you click create for your epic, you need to fill out the following fields:

• epic name- this should clearly identify your epic and perhaps briefly describe its purpose
• epic summary- This can be used for a more detailed description of your epic

It's best to provide meaningful and specific names while staying concise and to the point.- to make it clear what Epic is for without leaving a complicated or unwieldy title.

You can also adjustStart and Due Datefor your epic This dates can be edited in the backlog or in the roadmap (where you can just stretch the epic bar to the desired dates). These fields aren't required, but they help set expectations and help with long-term planning.

How to add issues to a Jira Epic

With your Epic setup now, you want to start adding issues (or stories). There are several possibilities for this.

When creating a new issue:On the create issue screen, you can link the new issue to your epic using the Epic Link field (provided this custom field is enabled). All you have to do is select your epic and the issue will now be linked to it.

When using the Epic panel- In the "Epics Backlog" section there is an option "Create issue" which creates a new issue in the epic. In team-managed projects, when viewing an issue on a board or in the backlog, click More (...) and choose Add Parent.

from the script- While viewing the roadmap, hover over your epic name and click +Add child issue. Then select the problem type and you're done.

How to manage your epic

To review your new epic, go to the backlog and then to the epics dashboard to see a list of all epics associated with the project. This screen is where you can view and manage all of your epics. To view issues related to Epic, just click on their name.

You can also divide your backlog into tracks based on your epics.In order to do this:

• Ve a tu residue
• Click the More button (...), then click Board Settings, then click Lanes.
• Here you have the option "Base rails on". Select epics and the swimlanes in the backlog will be populated based on your epics
• To do this for team-managed projects, go to the dashboard and select "Epic" from the "Group by" menu in the top-right corner.

How do you remove an issue from your epic?You may want to unlink an issue from your epic without deleting it. You can do this in the backlog or by viewing active sprints. First open the respective topic; then you will see that there is an "x" in the epic name. Clicking here will remove the Epic issue.

Alternatively, to remove an epic issue from the backlog, drag the issue onto the non-epic issues tile displayed in the epics dashboard.

Track the progress of your epic

Jira also makes it easy to check the progress of your epics. The best way to do this is withepic report. This provides a comprehensive list of closed, incomplete, and unappreciated issues associated with Epic.

This is especially important for epics with a large number of associated tasks and/or epics that span multiple sprints. The report makes it easy to see how much work Epic still has to do and how the team is moving to complete it.

To access the epic report, go to the relevant project, select "Reports" and "Epic Report" and click on your epic in the dropdown menu. From here you can also access a list of all issues attached to the epic by selecting "View in Issue Browser". The report is based on the dashboard column mapping, with issues going from left to right from To Do to Done.

Evolutionsdiagrammethey are also very useful- Visualize the remaining work in a sprint or epic and compare it to your previous estimates. The chart is a great way to visualize the progress of the team and internal stakeholders. It's also a powerful management tool, showing if the team is on track to meet goals or if time and resources need to be reallocated. Additionally, providing clarity and transparency can help bring the team together.

Close your epic

When all tasks attached to your epic are complete, you should mark it as complete and close it.–although the epic can be closed if desired even if there are uncompleted tasks associated with it.

To complete the epic, go to the backlog, open the epics dashboard and select your epic from the drop-down listand then on "Mark Complete". To close the epic in the roadmap, simply select the epic and click "Mark Complete" from the status drop-down menu.

Tips and best practices for Jira Epics

define your requirements- Before creating epics, it's important for your team to define how epics will be used and what scope and duration are appropriate for them. While epics can act simply as task containers, they are most useful when used to track tasks in the medium term (and it will be very detrimental to use epics for both purposes in a single project). Likewise, the Epic Dashboard becomes less and less useful as it gets more and more crowded over time, while the Epic Report loses its usefulness as it gets crowded. This means that in general you should only start epics if you intend to complete them.

Assign an admin– While epics are likely to be managed by project managers and/or administrators, an epic can also be managed by a specialist who handles tasks associated with a specific element of a project or technology. Of course, to avoid confusion, it's important to state upfront who will be responsible for managing, maintaining, and updating Epic.

Using unique workflows- Epics can get their own unique workflows. However, consider whether they really add value to your team, or whether they just add chaos and confusion to your instance and prevent tasks and reports from aligning with other projects and epics.

Diploma

Epics are a very powerful tool for dividing workflows in Jira projects. They make it simple and easy to track tasks on large projects and forecast the amount of work remaining and the resources needed to meet deadlines.

All of this makes Epics a crucial part of the Jira toolset that brings teams together and helps them manage and get their day-to-day work done on time and on budget.

Suggested reading:

• Sharepoint Connector for Confluence: Improve the collaboration of your team
• Jira Dashboards in Confluence: 4 Easy Steps to Monitor Jira Projects
• How to Use Jira for Non-Software Projects (The Pro Guide)
• Jira for project management: Improve your business activities
• Jira Automation: Get the basics right