Jira has long been a heavyweight in the crowded world of project management software. If you’ve seen the ClickUp commercials, you might recognize Jira as the “stodgy middle-aged programmer” in the room. While it may not have the flashiest reputation, there’s a reason so many enterprise companies continue to rely on it. Jira is known for its robust functionality, supporting agile development, DevOps, and large-scale project tracking with precision and structure.
But what exactly is Jira, and why do so many teams stick with it despite the rise of more modern, user-friendly alternatives? For large organizations and tech teams that prioritize flexibility, customization, and workflow automation, Jira remains a core part of their project management toolkit. Its deep feature set and integration capabilities allow it to adapt to the complex needs of growing teams.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Jira, including what Jira is, how it works, its key features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing plans. Whether you’re considering Jira for your team or just curious about why it’s so widely used, this guide will give you a clear understanding of its place in the modern project management landscape.
What is Jira?
Jira is a project management and issue-tracking tool developed by Atlassian. Originally created to support software development teams with bug tracking, Jira has since expanded to serve a broader range of project management needs. Today, teams across industries use Jira to plan, track, and deliver projects with precision. It is especially popular in agile development environments due to its support for Scrum and Kanban workflows.
With features like task tracking, sprint planning, and backlog management, Jira software helps teams visualize project progress, organize tasks, and stay on top of deadlines. Thanks to its flexibility and powerful automation, Jira is considered a must-have tool for software development, DevOps, and large-scale project management.
What is Jira Used For?
Jira’s versatility allows it to be used for a variety of workflows across different teams and industries. Here are the key ways teams use Jira to get work done:
Project Management
Jira is a full-fledged project management tool that enables teams to break large projects into smaller, manageable tasks. Team members can visualize workflows, assign responsibilities, and track progress using boards and lists. This makes it an ideal tool for teams working on complex, multi-phase projects.
Software Development
Jira’s roots lie in software development. Agile teams use Jira to organize backlogs, track user stories, and manage sprints. By offering tools like Scrum boards and sprint planning, Jira allows development teams to stay focused on delivering high-quality software releases.
DevOps
For DevOps teams, Jira integrates with CI/CD tools like Jenkins, GitHub, and Bitbucket, allowing for continuous tracking of development, testing, and deployments. It provides clear visibility into the release pipeline, helping DevOps teams respond quickly to system changes and incidents.
Task Management
Jira allows users to create, assign, and prioritize tasks with clear deadlines and accountability. It offers a centralized view of task progress, which makes it an effective tool for managing both team-wide and individual workloads.
Bug Tracking
Jira was originally designed as a bug-tracking tool, and it remains one of the best tools for this purpose. Developers can track, prioritize, and resolve bugs while ensuring that they meet the requirements for product releases. This use case is especially critical for teams striving to maintain high product quality.
Requirements & Test Case Management
Jira supports quality assurance teams by allowing them to track user stories, requirements, and test cases. Teams can link test cases to issues, ensuring that the final product aligns with user requirements and business goals.
Jira Features
Jira offers a range of features that support agile development, DevOps, and general project management. Here’s a closer look at some of its most notable features:
List View
Jira offers a list view where team members can view and manage tasks, deadlines, and action items in a simple, organized list format.
Calendar View
The calendar view provides a timeline-based perspective of task deadlines, project milestones, and sprint schedules. This feature serves to help teams visualize their work and ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
Sprints & Backlog
Jira’s sprint and backlog features are essential for agile teams. Teams can prioritize work in the backlog and schedule sprints to focus on specific goals. This ensures that development efforts remain aligned with business objectives.
Timeline View
Similar to Gantt charts, Jira’s timeline view helps teams track project milestones, deadlines, and dependencies. Managers can see which tasks affect the broader schedule and make adjustments as needed.
Tracking
In addition to issue tracking, Jira allows teams to track progress and task status in real time. This transparency helps managers and team members make timely adjustments to ensure project deadlines are met.
Project Boards
Jira offers both Kanban and Scrum boards to visualize and manage workflows. Teams can track the movement of tasks from “To Do” to “In Progress” to “Done” using these visual boards.
Task Management
Task creation, prioritization, and assignment are at the heart of Jira. Teams can create subtasks, assign them to specific members, and set deadlines to ensure everyone stays on track.
Dependency Management
Jira allows users to link tasks with relationships like “blocked by” or “depends on,” which ensures clear visibility into project constraints. This helps prevent bottlenecks in project delivery.
Goal Tracking
With Jira’s goal-tracking features, teams can set and track project goals. Tasks can be tied to larger objectives, making it clear how each task contributes to business goals.
Integrations
Jira integrates with popular development tools like Bitbucket, GitHub, Confluence, and Slack, allowing teams to track progress from a unified dashboard.
Workflows & Automations
Jira allows users to build custom workflows that match their unique processes. Its automation builder can trigger notifications, change task statuses, and create tasks based on specific conditions.
Advanced Reporting
Jira offers detailed reports that provide insights into team performance, sprint velocity, and issue resolution rates. These reports enable project managers to make data-driven decisions and improve team performance.
Pros & Cons of Jira
No tool is perfect. Here are the key advantages and disadvantages of using Jira:
Pros
- Customizable workflows adaptable to team processes
- Robust integrations with Slack, Bitbucket, Confluence, and other tools
- Comprehensive reporting for insights into performance
- Agile-friendly with support for Scrum, Kanban, and hybrid methods
- Highly scalable, supporting teams from startups to large enterprises
Cons
- Steep learning curve for new users
- Can feel overwhelming for small teams due to its depth of features
- Higher cost for larger teams compared to some competitors
Jira Pricing Plans
Jira offers four pricing tiers, each designed to meet the needs of different team sizes and complexity levels.
- Free Plan: For teams of up to 10 users. Includes task tracking, Scrum boards, and basic automation (100 rule runs per month).
- Standard Plan: $7.53 per user/month. Adds advanced permissions, larger storage (250GB), and support for up to 50,000 users.
- Premium Plan: $13.53 per user/month. Includes 24/7 support, unlimited storage, and cross-project dependency management.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing. Designed for large enterprises with multiple sites and 24/7 support.
Summary
Jira is one of the most powerful project management tools on the market, offering robust features for agile development, DevOps, and large-scale project tracking. With its extensive customization options, automation capabilities, and support for complex workflows, it remains a go-to solution for enterprise teams that need precision and control. But while Jira excels at managing internal teams and technical projects, it’s not always the best tool for client-facing collaboration.
When you need to invite your clients into the process, a dedicated client portal solution like Ahsuite offers a more user-friendly alternative. Ahsuite allows you to maintain a clean, organized space for clients to access only the information you want them to see — no clutter, no confusion. It also gives you tools to manage your internal team while offering a white-labeled experience on your own custom domain. This way, you can maintain professionalism and keep your brand front and center.If you’re looking for a simple, effective way to manage client communication, Ahsuite lets you create up to 10 client portals for free. It’s a lightweight but powerful addition to your project management toolkit. Sign up for free today.
