Jira is a powerful tool for managing projects, but to use it effectively, you need to understand two key features: workflows and boards. Workflows define the steps an issue takes from start to finish, while boards visually track this progress. Knowing how these two elements work together can make a big difference in how your team handles tasks.

In this blog, we’ll break down the relationship between workflows and boards in Jira, showing you how to get the most out of both. Let’s dive in!

What is Workflow in Jira?

A workflow in Jira is essentially the path an issue follows from creation to completion. It’s a map that outlines each step or status an issue goes through, such as “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.” These steps represent different stages in your team’s process, helping everyone stay on the same page about where work stands at any given time.

Workflows are made up of three key components:

1. Statuses: These indicate where an issue is in the process. For example, an issue might start as “Open,” move to “In Progress,” and finally be marked as “Done.” Each status reflects a specific point in the workflow.
2. Transitions: These are the actions that move an issue from one status to another. For instance, when a task is ready to move from “In Progress” to “Done,” a transition is what gets it there.
3. Resolutions: When an issue is completed, it needs a resolution, like “Resolved” or “Won’t Fix.” This final step helps clarify the outcome of the issue and ensures that nothing is left hanging.

In Jira, workflows can be customized to fit the unique needs of your team. You can create simple workflows for straightforward tasks or more complex ones for projects that require multiple steps and approvals. Understanding and setting up workflows correctly is crucial because they form the backbone of how your tasks move from start to finish.

=> Jira Workflows: Everything You Need to Know

What is a Board in Jira?

A board in Jira is a visual tool that helps you track and manage your team’s work as it progresses through the workflow. Think of it as a dynamic, interactive whiteboard where you can see all your tasks at a glance, organized by their current status.

Jira offers two main types of boards:

1. Kanban Board: This board is ideal for teams that focus on continuous work. It displays tasks as they move from one status to the next, helping you manage flow and ensure that work is evenly distributed.
2. Scrum Board: Designed for teams working in sprints, a Scrum board organizes tasks by iterations. It helps teams plan, execute, and review work in set time frames, making it easier to track progress and make adjustments along the way.

Each board is divided into columns that represent different statuses in your workflow. As tasks move through the workflow, they are dragged from one column to the next. For simple workflows, each column might represent a single status. For more complex workflows, multiple statuses can be grouped into a single column to keep things organized.

Boards are powerful because they provide a clear, real-time picture of your team’s work. They help everyone stay on track, identify bottlenecks, and make informed decisions about what to focus on next.

=> Start an Agile Board project on Jira

The Relationship Between a Workflow and a Board

In Jira, workflows and boards are closely connected, working together to give you a complete view of your team’s tasks from start to finish. While a workflow defines the steps an issue must go through, a board visually represents these steps, making it easier to manage and track progress.

Here’s how they relate:

• Mapping Workflows to Boards: Each column on a Jira board corresponds to one or more statuses in your workflow. As an issue moves through the workflow, it is visually represented by moving from one column to the next on the board. For straightforward workflows, each column might match up directly with a single status, making it easy to see where everything stands.
• Handling Complex Workflows: In more complex workflows, you might have multiple statuses that are grouped into a single column on the board. This helps to keep the board organized and manageable, even when dealing with intricate processes. For example, a column labeled “In Progress” might contain tasks that are “In Development,” “In Review,” or “Awaiting Feedback.”

• Visualizing Progress: The board brings the workflow to life, showing at a glance how work is moving through the different stages. It’s an essential tool for daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and other agile practices, providing a clear visual of where things are flowing smoothly and where there might be bottlenecks.
• Customization and Flexibility: Jira allows you to customize both workflows and boards to suit your team’s specific needs. Whether you need a simple setup with a few statuses or a complex arrangement with multiple stages, Jira can handle it. And because the board is linked to the workflow, any changes you make to the workflow will automatically be reflected on the board.

In essence, the workflow defines the journey of an issue, and the board provides the map that makes this journey visible and manageable. Mastering how these two elements interact is key to keeping your projects running smoothly.

Advanced Workflow Configurations and Board Interactions

As you get more familiar with Jira, you might find that your projects require more sophisticated workflows. Jira’s advanced workflow configurations offer powerful tools to manage even the most complex processes, and understanding how these affect your boards is crucial for effective project management.

• Advanced Workflow Configurations: Jira allows you to set up conditions, validators, and post functions within your workflows. These tools can control who transitions an issue, ensure that the team meets certain criteria before moving an issue to the next stage, and automate actions like sending notifications or updating fields. These advanced settings help tailor your workflows to fit your exact needs.
• Impact on Boards: As you refine your workflows with these advanced configurations, the changes will be reflected on your boards. For example, if you set a condition that only certain users can transition an issue from “In Progress” to “Done,” this will directly influence how your board operates. Only those users will be able to move tasks across the corresponding columns.
• Automation Rules vs. Advanced Configurations: Jira also offers automation rules, which can perform similar functions to advanced workflow configurations but with some differences. Automation rules can apply across multiple projects and can be more flexible for certain types of actions. However, they may require more resources compared to advanced workflow configurations that tie directly to the workflow and project.
• Managing Complexity: When working with complex workflows, it’s important to regularly review how your board represents these processes. If you have multiple statuses mapped to a single column, ensure that it still accurately reflects your team’s work. As your project evolves, you might need to make adjustments to keep everything running smoothly.

By mastering these advanced features, you can create workflows that are not only more efficient but also more aligned with your team’s unique processes. The interaction between these configurations and your boards ensures that no matter how complex your workflow becomes, your board will always provide a clear, accurate view of your team’s progress.

How to configure advanced workflows?

Certainly! Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to configure advanced workflows and manage their interactions with boards in Jira:

1. Accessing the Workflow Editor

• Step 1: Log in to Jira with an account that has the necessary permissions (usually an administrator).
• Step 2: Go to the project for which you want to configure the workflow.
• Step 3: In the project settings, select Workflows from the sidebar.
• Step 4: Find the workflow you want to edit, and click on Edit. This will open the Workflow Editor.

2. Adding and Editing Workflow Steps (Statuses)

• Step 1: In the Workflow Editor, you’ll see a visual representation of your workflow.
• Step 2: To add a new status, click on the Add Status button. Enter a name for the status, such as “In Review” or “Awaiting Approval”.
• Step 3: Drag and drop the status into the workflow diagram to place it in the desired sequence.
• Step 4: Connect the status to other steps by dragging arrows between statuses, defining the transitions.

3. Configuring Transitions Between Statuses

• Step 1: Click on a transition arrow between two statuses to edit it.
• Step 2: In the transition properties, you can set conditions, validators, and post functions:
  • Conditions: Specify who can perform the transition (e.g., only a project lead).
  • Validators: Ensure that specific criteria are met before the transition occurs (e.g., a required field is filled).
  • Post Functions: Automate actions that should occur after the transition (e.g., send a notification or update a field).

4. Publishing Your Workflow Changes

• Step 1: Once you’ve made all necessary changes to the workflow, click on Publish Draft.
• Step 2: Review the changes, and if everything looks good, confirm the publication. Your workflow is now updated and active.

5. Mapping Workflow Steps to Board Columns

• Step 1: Navigate to the board associated with the project.
• Step 2: Click on the Board Settings (usually found in the top-right corner of the board).
• Step 3: Select Columns from the sidebar.
• Step 4: You will see a list of columns on your board. Drag and drop statuses from the workflow into the appropriate columns. You can map multiple statuses to a single column if needed.
• Step 5: If you want to add a new column, click on Add Column and give it a name. Then, map the desired statuses to this column.

6. Using Automation Rules

• Step 1: Go to Project Settings > Automation.
• Step 2: Click on Create Rule.
• Step 3: Choose a trigger for your rule, such as ‘When an issue transitions.
• Step 4: Define the action that should occur when the trigger activates, like moving an issue to a specific column or sending a notification.
• Step 5: Save and enable your automation rule. It will run whenever the specified conditions are met.

7. Testing and Reviewing Your Setup

• Step 1: After configuring your workflow and board, create a test issue to see how it moves through the workflow and reflects on the board.
• Step 2: Transition the issue through various statuses to ensure that conditions, validators, and post functions work as expected.
• Step 3: Review the board to ensure that the workflow steps accurately represent the process and that the board is easy for your team to use.

8. Adjusting as Needed

• Step 1: Monitor how your team interacts with the new workflow and board setup.
• Step 2: Gather feedback and make any necessary adjustments to the workflow or board to improve efficiency and clarity.

By following these steps, you can create a customized workflow in Jira that matches your team’s needs, and ensure that your board accurately reflects the progress of your tasks. This setup will help your team stay organized and efficient as they manage projects.

Practical Tips for Managing Workflows and Boards in Jira

Managing workflows and boards in Jira can significantly enhance your team’s productivity, but it’s important to follow best practices to get the most out of these tools. Here are some practical tips to help you effectively manage your workflows and boards:

1. Designing Simple and Effective Workflows

• Start Simple: When creating a new workflow, begin with the basics. Only add the necessary statuses and transitions that reflect your team’s actual process. As your team’s needs evolve, you can gradually introduce more complexity.
• Avoid Overcomplication: While it’s tempting to map out every possible scenario, overcomplicating your workflow can lead to confusion and inefficiency. Focus on the core steps that move work forward and minimize unnecessary transitions.
• Use Descriptive Statuses: Make sure each status clearly describes the stage of the task. This helps everyone on the team understand where an issue stands without needing to ask for clarification.

2. Optimizing Board Layouts

• Customize Columns to Match Your Workflow: Ensure that your board columns accurately reflect the key statuses in your workflow. If your workflow is simple, each status can correspond to a column. For more complex workflows, consider grouping multiple statuses into a single column to avoid clutter.
• Use WIP Limits: For Kanban boards, set Work In Progress (WIP) limits on columns to prevent team members from taking on too much work at once. This helps maintain focus and ensures that work is completed before new tasks are started.
• Keep Boards Organized: Regularly review and tidy up your board. Remove old, unnecessary columns and ensure that issues are correctly placed. A well-organized board makes it easier for the team to track progress and identify bottlenecks.

3. Regularly Reviewing and Adjusting Workflows

• Schedule Regular Workflow Reviews: Set aside time, perhaps at the end of each sprint or project phase, to review your workflow. Consider if the current setup is still effective or if adjustments are needed.
• Gather Team Feedback: Involve your team in the review process. They are the ones using the workflows daily, so their feedback is invaluable in identifying what’s working and what’s not.
• Adapt to Changes: As your project evolves, your workflow may need to adapt as well. Don’t hesitate to make necessary changes, whether that’s adding new statuses, adjusting transitions, or reorganizing the board layout.

4. Utilizing Automation to Enhance Workflow Efficiency

• Automate Repetitive Tasks: Use Jira’s automation rules to handle repetitive tasks, such as automatically transitioning issues when certain conditions are met, sending notifications, or updating fields. This saves time and reduces the risk of human error.
• Keep Automation Simple: Like workflows, automation should be simple and focused. Avoid overly complex rules that are difficult to manage or troubleshoot.

5. Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Ignoring Workflow Changes on Boards: Whenever you update a workflow, make sure your board reflects these changes. Failing to do so can lead to confusion and mismanagement of tasks.
• Overloading the Board with Columns: Too many columns can make the board difficult to navigate and understand. Focus on what’s essential to keep the board clean and functional.
• Neglecting Regular Maintenance: Jira boards and workflows need regular attention. Neglecting them can lead to inefficiencies, misaligned processes, and frustrated team members.

6. Making the Most of Jira’s Reporting Features

• Use Reports to Monitor Workflow Performance: Jira provides various reports, such as burn-down charts and cumulative flow diagrams, which can help you monitor how well your workflow is performing. Use these insights to make data-driven decisions.
• Identify Bottlenecks and Optimize: Regularly check where issues are getting stuck in your workflow. If the team consistently overloads a particular status or column, it might indicate a bottleneck that they need to address.

By following these tips, you’ll be able to create workflows and boards that not only match your team’s needs but also drive efficiency and clarity in your project management. Regular review and adjustment, combined with a focus on simplicity and practicality, will ensure that your Jira setup continues to serve your team well as your projects evolve.

Complex Workflow Example: Enterprise Software Development Team

Scenario:

An enterprise software development team is responsible for managing multiple large-scale projects, each involving several teams (development, QA, UX, and product management). Their workflow needs to accommodate various stages of development, multiple review processes, and compliance checks. The team designed the workflow to be complex, with distinct phases for development, testing, and approval before releasing a feature.

Workflow Setup:

The team has created a highly detailed workflow that includes the following statuses:

• Backlog: The team initially places features and tasks here.
• Ready for Design: Items move here when the team prioritizes them for the next design cycle.
• In Design: The UX/UI team works on designs and prototypes.
• Design Review: Product managers and stakeholders review the completed designs.
• Ready for Development: Once the team approves the designs, the task moves to this status.
• In Development: Developers begin coding the feature or task.
• Code Review: Peers review the completed code for quality assurance.
• QA: The quality assurance team tests the feature.
• Ready for UAT (User Acceptance Testing): The feature moves to a UAT environment for testing by internal or external users.
• In UAT: The feature undergoes user acceptance testing.
• Ready for Release: Once UAT is successful, the team schedules the feature for release.
• Released: The team officially deploys the feature to production.
• Closed: The feature is complete, and no further action is required.

Transitions:

• Custom Transitions: The workflow includes multiple custom transitions that are dependent on conditions being met. For example:
  • From Code Review to QA, the issue can only transition if a code reviewer has approved the changes.
  • From QA to Ready for UAT, the issue cannot move forward unless all test cases are passed.
  • Moving from In UAT to Ready for Release requires a sign-off from both the product management team and the QA lead.
• Approval Gates: Several statuses require specific approvals:
  • Design Review: Requires sign-off from product managers and stakeholders before transitioning to “Ready for Development.”
  • UAT: Requires a designated UAT manager’s approval before transitioning to “Ready for Release.”
• Automated Transitions: Automation is used to streamline transitions:
  • Once an issue is moved to Code Review, it automatically triggers a notification for a peer review.
  • If all QA test cases pass successfully, the issue is automatically transitioned to Ready for UAT.

Board Configuration:

The team configures the board to manage the complexity of this workflow while keeping it visually simple:

• Columns: While the workflow has many statuses, the board consolidates related statuses into broader columns to avoid clutter:
  • Backlog: Covers “Backlog” and “Ready for Design.”
  • Design: Covers “In Design” and “Design Review.”
  • Development: Covers “Ready for Development” and “In Development.”
  • Testing: Covers “Code Review,” “QA,” and “In UAT.”
  • Release: Covers “Ready for Release” and “Released.”
• Multiple Statuses per Column: Each column can contain multiple statuses, providing flexibility without overwhelming the team. For example, the Development column contains both Ready for Development and In Development, allowing developers to see what’s coming up next and what they’re currently working on.
• Automation and WIP Limits:
  • The team applies Work In Progress (WIP) Limits to certain columns, like In Development and QA, to prevent taking on too much work at once
  • The team sets up automation to alert the product managers when tasks remain stuck in a particular column for too long, such as when an issue stays in Code Review or QA without progressing for a set number of days.

Handling Cross-Team Collaboration:

The team built the workflow to accommodate cross-functional collaboration, especially between the development, QA, and UX teams:

• UX Hand-off: Once a feature is Ready for Design, the UX team takes over and designs are reviewed by the product team. Once approved, the feature moves to Ready for Development.
• QA Integration: After code is reviewed and approved, the QA team conducts thorough testing. The system integrates automated test results with Jira, automatically updating the issue’s status based on whether it passes or fails.
• Feedback Loops: In cases where issues fail during QA or UAT, the workflow includes backward transitions that return the task to In Development or In UAT, ensuring that the team makes the necessary fixes before progressing.

Outcome:

The enterprise software development team benefits from a highly structured workflow that reflects their detailed processes. By consolidating related statuses into broader columns on the board, they keep the complexity manageable while still maintaining a clear view of the progress of each task. Automation helps eliminate manual steps, such as triggering code reviews and notifying team members when issues stall.

The approval gates ensure that tasks can’t progress without proper oversight, keeping the team compliant with regulatory and quality standards. This setup allows the team to manage multiple large-scale projects effectively while staying agile and responsive to changing needs.

Workflows and boards in Jira are crucial for efficient project management. Workflows define the path tasks follow, while boards visually track their progress. Aligning these two elements ensures smooth operations, whether you’re handling simple tasks or complex projects.

Use Jira’s features like custom transitions and automation to streamline your workflows and keep your boards clear. Regularly review your setup to ensure it meets your team’s evolving needs.