DEV Community: viktoriiagolovtseva

How to Launch Paid Ads: a Quick Guide With a Hands-on Checklist

viktoriiagolovtseva — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 13:17:45 +0000

Behind every high-performing paid ad campaign is a simple truth: success comes from preparation and optimization, not blind luck. With all the variety of ad formats and campaign types, the process can be broken down into 5 crucial stages. In this guide, we provide you with the most essential practical information about each of them.

Moreover, we offer a hands-on checklist template that includes detailed, step-by-step instructions. This will allow you to easily launch paid ads without missing a thing.

5 Steps to Launch Paid Ads That Drive Results
In this overview, you’ll find practical tips for setting campaign goals, selecting the right campaign type and ad platform, and developing an effective targeting strategy. We also cover the basics of preparing creatives and ad campaign analytics.

1.Decide on Campaign Goals
Before you launch paid ads, it’s important to clearly define your goals and communicate them to stakeholders. This will provide the foundation for all the decisions you will need to make when preparing for the launch.

Some of the most common goals for a paid ad campaign are:

Generating new leads
Increasing brand awareness
Retargeting past visitors
Improving customer retention
Boosting app downloads
Increasing website traffic
Improving engagement on social media

The goals should align with your organization’s business objectives. This allows you to maximize the business value of your ad campaign. If there are several goals, it’s best to prioritize them based on the expected impact and run a separate campaign for each goal.

To envision what success can look like, check the benchmarks for the key ad metrics in your industry. Additionally, it’s a good idea to revisit ad reports from your previous campaigns. All this information will help you gauge potential results and set realistic objectives.

One best practice is to ensure your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, your key objective may be to “increase website traffic by 25% by March.”

2.Select the Campaign Type
Once you’ve defined the goals, you can think about the best way to achieve them. There are several campaign types to consider. They differ in terms of parameters such as approach (or intent) and media format.

The main types of paid ad campaigns by intent:

Awareness campaign: Get seen. This type of campaign allows you to introduce your brand or product to a new audience segment or new market. Here, the focus is on maximizing visibility, reach, and impressions. This helps you build brand recognition and improve brand recall, while getting direct conversions is not a primary goal.
Consideration campaign: Get interest. At this stage, your potential customers are already familiar with your brand and are open to considering it, along with your competitors. Campaigns of this type communicate your value proposition to the audience. This can be done with ads highlighting your product’s USPs, featuring success cases and testimonials, and so on.
Conversion campaign: Get sales. The two previous ad campaign types prepare the ground for an effective conversion campaign. Its focus is on encouraging the customers to perform the target action: complete a purchase, book a demo, subscribe to your blog, and so on. Such campaigns often promote special offers, discounts, or other time-sensitive benefits, creating a sense of urgency.

The selected campaign type should align with the goals you defined in the previous step. Each of these campaign types can be implemented in different ad formats.

Campaign types by channel and media format:

Search ad campaign – ads on the search engine results page, such as Google Search or Bing
Display ad campaign – ads on various websites, typically banners
Video ad campaign – video ads, usually on video-sharing platforms such as YouTube or social media networks
Shopping ad campaign – ads presented as product cards, featuring an image, price, and short description. These ads appear on the search engine results page when searching for a product.
Social media advertising campaign – ads on social media platforms (banners, promoted posts, etc.)

When considering different ad formats, take into account your audience’s preferences and industry specifics. This will help you determine which format is most relevant to your target group.

3.Define Your Audience And Targeting Strategy
The next important component you need to launch paid ads successfully is the audience. It’s best if you already have validated ICPs (Ideal Customer Profiles) that describe your main customer personas and their pain points.

It’s useful to conduct some additional research to see what’s been trending among your audience lately, what they’re discussing, and what their most recent challenges are. All this is essential for devising an effective ad strategy and delivering a focused message. Marketers can also leverage - to identify high-potential leads and streamline the process of finding and targeting the right prospects for their campaigns.

When you have enough context about your potential customers, their lives, and behavior, you are ready to choose your approach to targeting.

You can target by parameters such as:

Age
Gender
Location
Activities
Industries
Job titles
Interests

Note
It’s crucial not to target your ads at a segment that is either too broad or too narrow. In the former case, you will end up paying for impressions that don’t convert. In the latter case, your bid will need to be quite high. Aim for a balanced approach and adjust based on results.

At this stage, it’s also time to decide on the platform where you want to launch paid ads. Every platform has its distinct audience and offers specific targeting options. For instance, Instagram and LinkedIn attract different demographic groups and are used for different purposes. When selecting one or several advertising platforms to work with, ensure they align with your audience and targeting needs.

Some of the most popular platforms for paid advertising and digital marketing are Google Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads, X Ads (formerly Twitter Ads), and Bing Ads (formerly Microsoft Ads).

4.Prepare Creative Assets
Depending on the campaign format you’ve selected, you will need to prepare messaging, copy, designs, or video materials. The creative assets should revolve around your product’s USPs, clearly communicating the benefits a customer will get after making a purchase.

Here are some tips that will help you launch paid ads with compelling, high-quality creatives:

Prepare several versions of your ad. Experiment with headlines, visuals, and call-to-actions to run A/B tests and determine which approach performs better.
Communicate value in the first 3 seconds. This applies to various ad formats, including videos, banners, and text ads. To achieve this, craft attention-grabbing messages and vivid visual materials.
Align the message with the campaign type. You can use more generic and creative messages for an awareness campaign and prepare more straightforward and descriptive CTAs for the conversion campaign.
Ensure consistency in messaging. Your landing page should continue the conversation that started in the ad. The messaging should fit, and it must be clear how to act on your ad’s CTA. For example, if it’s an ecommerce campaign and your ad promotes a specific product, don’t make the user comb through your catalogue to find it. Create a landing page that aligns with the ad campaign goals and guides users toward conversion.

5.Support Your Campaign With Analytics
PPC data analysis is a powerful tool that can deliver many valuable insights. To launch paid ads successfully, you need to carefully analyze performance data from your past campaigns and use the findings to shape your strategy.

It’s also crucial to ensure that data collection for the new campaign will work normally. Double-check that the conversion tracking is set up correctly and aligns with your goals.

Here are the key pay-per-click metrics to monitor:

Total impressions
Clicks
Click-through rate (CTR)
Cost per click (CPC)
Conversions
Conversion rate
Cost per conversion
Cost per 1k impressions (CPM)
Engagement rate
Ad spend

You can collect and analyze data in Google Analytics 4, review trends directly in your ad platform’s native reports, or set up a custom PPC dashboard that updates metrics in near-real time. Watching your results closely allows you to adjust your strategy quickly: prioritizing what works best, pausing underperforming ads, experimenting with bidding, and so on.

For more detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to launch paid ads, please refer to the checklist template provided in the next section.

A Free Launch Paid Ads Checklist Template
This checklist was prepared with the help of Smart Checklist for Jira by Titan Apps. It covers the main stages in-depth and allows you to launch paid ads confidently. As everything is documented in granular detail, this ensures you won’t forget anything essential.

To make this checklist even more helpful, you can customize it to better fit your specific processes – for example, add more detailed steps for the required approvals. This checklist can be used as a template and serve you for multiple campaigns. This is especially beneficial for ad agencies that manage dozens of clients and run multiple paid advertising campaigns simultaneously.

With a structured launch paid ads checklist, it’s easier to organize processes more efficiently and optimize time.

If you want to learn more about how to launch paid ads, read the whole article written by Olga Cheban for the TitanApps blog.

Post-mortem Incident Review

viktoriiagolovtseva — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:03:33 +0000

Why Structured Post-mortem Reviews Matter

Security incidents, outages, and failures are inevitable, especially in fast-moving agile environments. But what separates high-performing teams from the rest is how they learn from them.

A well-run incident postmortem (or post-mortem meeting) focuses on uncovering contributing factors, surfacing action items, and driving continuous improvement in your incident response and development process.

The challenge? Without a consistent postmortem process, teams often miss key steps, overlook follow-up tasks, and fail to communicate critical takeaways across stakeholders. Spreadsheets, Google Docs, or scattered Slack messages aren’t enough to scale effective postmortems across multiple incidents or teams.

That’s why we created a security-focused incident post-mortem template in Jira – a structured, repeatable system designed to:

Analyze any security incident in real time
Streamline evidence gathering, root cause analysis, and action tracking
Standardize postmortem reports and follow-through
Support blameless post-mortem culture and audit readiness

Post-mortem template is a smarter workspace for conducting postmortems that actually lead to change. In case you’re responding to a data breach, a failed control, or a major incident, this template helps teams deliver clear outcomes and prevent recurrence.

What Is a Postmortem Review Template in Jira?

A postmortem template in Jira is a structured set of tasks and checklists that guides teams through the full postmortem process after a security incident, outage, or other critical failure.

This template helps teams:

Document the incident timeline and discovery details
Capture evidence and perform root cause analysis
Assign and track action items and follow-up tasks
Align on improvements across incident management, security, and engineering

The template is based on real workflows used by information security teams. It follows best practices from blameless post-mortems, agile retrospectives, and incident response programs. Each section is designed to help teams produce actionable insights, reduce recurrence, and drive continuous improvement.

Using this incident post-mortem template in Jira helps you:

Align team members across functions like Security, DevOps, and Legal
Ensure consistent documentation across future projects
Replace manual tools like Google Docs with a shared, repeatable process
Track everything in one place: from metrics to final deliverables

Optimize your post-mortem incident review with Smart Templates

Try it free

How to Structure Your Postmortem Process in Jira

A structured post-mortem template in Jira helps teams act fast, document findings, and prevent similar incidents from repeating. Instead of spreading post-incident reviews across Slack threads, Google Docs, or Statuspage updates, you can use a single, centralized checklist, built for security-focused postmortem analysis and tailored to your internal workflows.

To streamline this process, create a reusable template with Smart Templates for Jira. This approach allows you to plan and run each incident post-mortem in the same way with clear steps, ownership, and traceable outcomes. Each checklist item becomes part of your continuous improvement strategy, reducing risk and saving time across future projects.

Here’s what the incident post-mortem template looks like in Jira, based on Railsware’s internal incident response process:

Post-mortem Template – {{Incident Type}} – {{Quarter}}

The postmortem process is organized into 15 sections. Each one contains specific checklist items to support proper response, investigation, communication, and follow-up. You can copy this structure as a custom issue template, use it manually, or automate its creation using Smart Templates.

This checklist provides a structured, security-focused approach to analyzing and learning from incidents such as data breaches, unauthorized access, service disruptions due to vulnerabilities, or failed internal controls.

Let’s walk through each section with practical context.

1. Acknowledge and Categorize the Incident

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

Timely acknowledgment allows teams to align on definitions, response urgency, and communication priorities. It also marks the start of the incident timeline, which becomes the basis for further root cause analysis.

Use a predefined issue type for all incident postmortems. This makes metrics and reports easier to run later

2. Preserve Evidence Immediately

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

Forensics rely on raw, unmodified data. Delays or cleanup can result in lost evidence, affecting root cause discovery and resolution.

Tag all files with the incident ID and store backup copies in a shared location like Confluence or Drive. Link that folder in the checklist item.

3. Assign Roles and Notify Key Parties

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

Clarifying roles early ensures structured collaboration during a high-stress situation. It also supports proper stakeholder alignment, especially for customer-facing updates or compliance obligations.

4. Review Containment and Eradication Measures

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

This section verifies the issue is under control and stable before deeper investigation begins. It helps teams document immediate actions and avoid recurrence.

Include timestamps and links to the Statuspage update or incident ticket for transparency.

5. Conduct Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

Good root cause analysis is the foundation of an effective postmortem. It helps focus follow-up actions on real causes of the incident.

6. Identify Control Failures

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

Identifying control gaps supports both remediation and automation. You can prioritize fixing weak spots in monitoring, provisioning, or workflows.

7. Review Audit Logs and Monitoring Gaps

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

Effective incident management depends on visibility. This step uncovers monitoring gaps and supports future detection upgrades.

8. Validate Access Control Effectiveness

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

Access control is one of the most common failure points. Verifying it helps improve both your development process and incident response posture.

Include a checklist for log systems reviewed (e.g., AWS CloudTrail, GCP logs, Datadog).

9. Assess Backup and Recovery Function

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

Backup validation ensures service continuity and prevents data loss. It’s critical in high-severity outages.

Use a dedicated sub-checklist to verify access control policies for all involved systems.

10. Document Customer or User Impact

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

Checklist examples:

Backup recovery verified
Backup timestamp matches expectations
No data loss confirmed

Clear customer impact tracking supports transparency and builds trust with clients and external stakeholders.

11. Implement Corrective Actions

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

This section turns insights into outcomes. Tracking action items in Jira ensures nothing gets missed.

12. Update Policies and Playbooks

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

Teams build a stronger culture of continuous improvement by updating docs based on real-world cases.

13. Conduct Awareness Session

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

Add checklist items like:

Schedule postmortem meeting
Share recording and notes
Confirm attendance from all relevant teams

Incidents are learning moments. Making them shared experiences builds maturity and improves team resilience.

14. Re-Test Controls and Resilience

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

This part of the post-mortem planning ensures that fixes actually work under real conditions, not just in theory. It also supports audit readiness.

15. Archive the Postmortem

- Create and store a final postmortem report in PDF or Markdown in a secure, accessible location.

- Add important links and information

- Store the file securely and the document with metadata (e.g., “2025?Q1?Incident?AuthBypass?Critical”) for easy retrieval and reporting.

A well-documented postmortem becomes part of your incident timeline and reference library. It speeds up response in future cases and supports project management audits.

Check the example of the Security Incident Report

If you want to explore more tips for post mortem incident review, read the whole article originally posted on the TitanApps blog.

Data Center Migration to Cloud: Step-by-Step Guide

viktoriiagolovtseva — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:52:55 +0000

Teams are migrating away from Jira Data Center due to its impending end-of-life, and staying put increases risks over time. Atlassian recently announced the end of life for Data Center and is focusing its investments on Jira Cloud, where new features, automation, and improvements to roadmaps and dashboards are introduced more rapidly.

Moving to the Cloud reduces tool fragmentation and removes the burden of managing infrastructure. Atlassian handles availability, scaling, backups, and upgrades, allowing your team to focus on workflow design and delivery.

Security was a primary reason many organizations opted for the Data Center. The Cloud has matured here as well, with expanded data residency options, stronger compliance programs such as FedRAMP, and isolated, single-tenant choices for stricter environments. For most organizations, the controls they needed on DC are now available in the Cloud, along with a simpler path to stay current.

A smooth migration starts with structured migration planning: inventory of your instance, running pre-migration checklists, and testing in a sandbox Cloud site before production.

Atlassian’s Cloud Migration Guide and the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JCMA) provide clear migration options, tooling, and validation steps to minimize downtime and technical issues.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to organize the migration process smoothly and share tips and best practices for an effective migration from DC to the Cloud, based on our experience.

Planning Your Data Center Migration

Assessment & Planning

The first step in any Jira Cloud migration is understanding what you’re working with. Before you move data from Data Center to Atlassian Cloud, take time to audit your instance. This means reviewing:

Projects – active vs. inactive, which ones still matter?
Workflows – check complexity and whether all transitions are still needed.
Custom fields – consolidate duplicates and remove unused ones.
Dashboards & reports – decide which should be carried over.
Users & groups – validate accounts and remove inactive profiles.

This inventory helps you streamline the migration, making it faster and cleaner.

Auditing 3rd party tools

Not every app or customization works the same way in the Cloud. Some marketplace apps support automated migration via the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JCMA); others require vendor instructions, and a few might not be available at all. Identifying these blockers early avoids unpleasant surprises during the cutover.

When evaluating data center apps for Cloud, look for:

Support for JCMA and detailed migration documentation.
Enterprise-grade security standards: Runs on Atlassian (ROA), data residency options, SOC2 certification, etc.
Transparent Cloud pricing.
Feature parity between DC and Cloud.

Choosing your migration strategy

You’ll need to decide how to move your data:

Site migration (lift-and-shift): move the entire Jira Software or Jira Service Management instance at once.
Phased migration: move projects in waves, allowing you to test functionality and reduce migration downtime.

Both options are supported in Atlassian’s Cloud Migration Guide, and the right choice depends on your size, complexity, and risk tolerance.

Building your migration plan

Once you’ve audited and assessed, outline your migration plan:

Timeline with test runs and final cutover dates.
Migration strategy (full site vs. phased).
Budget and resources – who’s responsible for data cleanup, app checks, user management, and communication?

A detailed plan gives everyone a clear path and reduces the chance of delays or technical issues.

Pre-migration Preparation

Before you move anything to Jira Cloud, tidy up your Data Center site. A lean instance migrates faster and with fewer surprises.

Prepare your DC instance

Clean up your data

Remove or archive unused projects and internal sandboxes.
Deactivate inactive users and trim stale groups to simplify user management.
Consolidate duplicate custom fields and delete ones you no longer use.
Archive old issues that don’t need to move.

Check app compatibility

Review each marketplace app you rely on. Confirm there’s a Cloud version and how data moves.
Use Atlassian’s guidance to assess and migrate apps with the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JCMA) to see which apps are Cloud-ready and what the path looks like. Check the guide here.

Make sure your tooling is ready

Install/update JCMA on your Data Center site so you can run pre-migration checks and plan waves.
Set up a sandbox Cloud site for test runs, not production.

Migration Methods Explained

You have two main migration options for moving from Data Center to Jira Cloud: the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JCMA) or a Jira Site Import. Choose based on instance size, complexity, and the amount of migration downtime you can accept.

Method 1: Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JCMA) – recommended

JCMA is Atlassian’s migration tool for moving projects, users/groups, and configurations to cloud sites. It supports phased moves, so you can migrate project by project, validate results, and keep risk low. It also preserves issue history and helps you assess marketplace apps and automations before the cutover. Learn more about JCMA.

For most teams, this is the best method. It minimizes disruption, works well for mixed workflows and custom fields, and lets you plan the phased migration. This method is particularly beneficial if you want to test in a sandbox, address permission or user management issues early, and ensure a smooth transition during the final production move.

Prerequisites.

Supported Data Center version and latest JCMA installed.
Destination Jira Cloud site created and connected.

High-level steps.

Install and open JCMA on Data Center.
Connect to your cloud site and create a migration plan.
Assess apps, projects, and users; fix duplicate/invalid emails; verify domains.
Run pre-migration checks and resolve flagged items.
Choose what to move: Projects, Users & Groups, JSM, and supported Apps.
Execute and monitor; review logs; validate results.

Method 2: Jira Site Import (full backup import)

Jira Site Import allows you to export a full XML backup from the Data Center and import it into Jira Cloud. It’s an all-at-once move that can work for small, simple instances. See Site Import.

You can use it within specific scenarios where you need a single cutover and can accept more downtime. Be aware of size limits and that imports tend to overwrite existing Cloud data; partial imports are limited. Plan thorough validation and a rollback path.

High-level steps.

Create a full DC backup.
Import into your cloud environment.
Validate data, permissions, dashboards, and workflows; fix gaps before you go live.

Tip
If you’re unsure, start with JCMA. You can still use Site Import for niche cases after testing with JCMA and confirming what doesn’t fit.

Test Data Center Migration to Cloud

Run a test migration before you touch production. It shows you what moves cleanly to Jira Cloud and what needs fixes, so you can cut migration downtime later.

Set up a test cloud site. Use a separate sandbox to trial your move without impacting users. Install the same marketplace apps you plan to use and mirror key settings. You can learn more about what a sandbox is and how to set it up here: Atlassian sandboxes.

Run a realistic test.

Move a few representative projects first, then expand.
Check issues, attachments, comments, and histories.
Validate workflows, custom fields, dashboards, and automations.
Confirm permissions and user management (groups, roles, access).
Verify apps and integrations behave as expected.

Adjust configurations, clean up data, or change your migration options based on your findings. Repeat until the results are clean. Atlassian’s testing and validation flow is outlined in the Cloud Migration Guide.

Involve users in the process. For example, invite a few project leads or agents to try daily tasks in the test cloud site and share feedback. This catches practical issues early and helps you tune your post-migration onboarding.

Migration itself

When you start the migration, plan the cutover for a low-usage window to keep migration downtime to a minimum. You have to communicate the schedule, expected impact, and where users can check the status.

Also, don’t forget to put the Data Center in read-only mode (freeze changes) so nothing drifts during the move. Then run your chosen method, usually the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant, and watch the run closely.

You should work through your scope exactly as planned: projects first, then users/groups, and any app data supported by the tool. Keep an eye on logs and warnings; fix small issues immediately rather than letting errors pile up.

As soon as the run completes, validate the result in Jira Cloud:

Open a few representative projects and confirm issues, attachments, and histories are present.
Try key workflows end-to-end; check transitions, validators, and automations.
Verify permissions and user management (groups, roles, and access).
Spot-check dashboards, filters, and custom fields for missing or duplicated items.

When everything looks good, confirm completion with a short checklist: user accounts are working, data integrity is verified (projects, workflows, dashboards, custom fields), and priority apps are behaving as expected. Atlassian’s important migration tasks page is a helpful post-run reference for these final checks.

If you find gaps, resolve them right away and re-run only the affected pieces. Then lift the read-only state and announce go-live, including where users can report issues during the post-migration period.

Post-migration actions

You might start with permissions and roles. In Jira Cloud, mappings from the Data Center aren’t always 1:1, so a quick audit saves headaches: can users browse and edit issues, see boards and dashboards, and administer the right projects? If something seems off, review the permission scheme first, then groups and project roles. For a side-by-side view of what changes in Cloud, see Atlassian’s guide on admin differences:

It often helps to review user management early. Confirm accounts and email domains, retire unexpected access, and reassign project roles as needed. If you run Jira Service Management, double-check portal access and customer permissions so agents and customers can get back to work fast.

Next, consider a pass over workflows and automations. Some validators, post-functions, or scripted rules used on-prem won’t exist in your new cloud environment. Rebuild critical rules with native automations, then run a simple “create – transition – notify” test to prove everything still flows. Keep an eye on custom fields too; duplicates or unused fields can slow down teams and clutter screens.

To avoid disruption, we suggest conducting a short smoke test in each key project: create an issue, move it through the main workflow, check notifications, and confirm boards and reports still load. If you spot gaps, fix them immediately and retest. Atlassian keeps a handy checklist of important migration tasks you can adapt for this phase.

Communication goes a long way after go-live. A brief note that highlights “what changed” in Atlassian Cloud (e.g., built-in roadmaps, stronger native automation) plus where to ask for help will calm nerves and speed adoption.

Finally, plan a quick optimization sweep. Check for apps you no longer need, audit the DC side, standardize schemes, tidy dashboards and filters, and document your “new way” so future projects start clean. A light touch here reduces ongoing admin and keeps your Jira Cloud site fast and easy to manage.

Troubleshooting common migration issues

Even with solid migration planning, a few patterns tend to cause headaches. Here’s what to watch for and how you might resolve issues rapidly without extending migration downtime.

App & add-on compatibility

Not every marketplace app from the Data Center has the same functionality in Jira Cloud, and some don’t automatically move data. If you rely on scripting or time-tracking plugins, expect to reconfigure. You might run an app audit first and check each vendor’s path using Atlassian’s app assessment assistant (status, migration path, and notes).

Check how to Assess Marketplace apps with the Cloud Migration Assistant

Impact to look for: missing data, broken workflows, or lost features after cutover.

User management differences

Accounts don’t always map 1:1 between DC and Cloud. Duplicates (same email, different usernames) or reactivated deactivated users can appear. If you used LDAP/AD on-prem, you might plan SCIM provisioning via Atlassian Guard to keep user management clean in the Cloud.

Tip: validate emails and domains during pre-checks; sync groups from your IdP so permissions match what teams expect.

Permission scheme misalignments

Some global permissions and group to role mappings don’t translate perfectly. If users suddenly can’t browse or edit issues, or if dashboards appear empty, start by reviewing the project’s permission scheme, then check membership in groups and roles. A quick comparison against your DC model usually reveals the gap.

Automation & workflow gaps

Automations in Jira Cloud follow different triggers, actions, and service limits. Scripted validators or post-functions from on-prem often require a Cloud-native rewrite. If transitions stall or notifications stop, check the rule’s audit log and Cloud automation limits, then simplify the rule or break it into smaller steps.

Check Automation service limits (Cloud)

Custom fields & configuration conflicts

Duplicate names (e.g., “Customer Name” x2), unused custom fields, or unsupported types can block a run or create data mapping issues. You could consolidate duplicates and archive unused fields before you migrate, then conduct spot-checks of screens and dashboards afterward to ensure fields render as expected.

Large data volumes

Very large product data, especially attachments, can slow down runs or hit plan limits in a cloud environment. If you’re on a Standard plan, storage is limited per product; consider archiving old projects, trimming attachments, or planning a phased move for heavy teams to reduce risk.

How to recover gracefully:

Re-run only the affected projects or app data after you fix the root cause.
Keep a concise post-cutover checklist (issues, attachments, workflows, permissions, key apps) and re-validate before you call it done.
If a rule or integration fails, roll back that change, keep the site usable, and iterate in your sandbox before retrying in production.

Moving Your Marketplace Apps to Cloud

Most marketplace apps support Cloud, and many vendors provide a clear path via the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant. A practical approach is to review each app during planning, confirm Cloud availability, and note whether data moves automatically or needs a manual handover. If an app is critical to your workflows or dashboards, consider a small pilot first, then validate in a sandbox before the production run.

Helpful starting point: Assess and migrate apps with JCMA.

The first thing to check in the marketplace is trust signals, such as the Runs on Atlassian Badge and SOC2 certification that confirm the vendor’s security and credibility.

As you can see on the screenshot below, Smart Checklist has these trust signals on the Atlassian marketplace, which indicates that the app is cloud-ready and secure.

If you’re unsure about specific steps or data handling, it’s best to check the vendor’s docs or contact their support team for a migration guide tailored to your cloud environment.

If you want to explore additional materials on data center migration to cloud step by step guide read the whole article originally posted on the TitanApps blog.

A Free Jira Position Opening Template for Recruitment Teams

viktoriiagolovtseva — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 20:21:06 +0000

The quality of the hiring process defines the quality of the teams working in your organization. That’s why it’s paramount to ensure that this process is well-organized and built upon best practices. Using templates in Jira for recruitment tasks is a great way to achieve this. They allow you to document your approaches and policies, promote consistency, and simply save time.

In this article, we explain how to create a position opening template for Jira in two different ways. We also provide you with a reusable checklist template, which you can copy and paste into your Jira task. But first, let’s decide what type of template you need.

Two Approaches To Building HR Templates In Jira

A position opening template should list the main steps of the recruitment process and allow you to organize your work effectively. In Jira, this can take different forms:

Checklist in a work item

This type is used when you organize your recruitment process as a stand-alone Jira task (or another work type). In other words, when you have one Jira task for each position you need to close. Then, you can add a structured checklist to that task, documenting all the necessary activities from start to finish. This checklist can be saved as a template and reused for every new position opening.

Pre-configured set of Jira work items

This format is a good fit if you prefer to have several Jira tasks per position. For example, this may be more convenient if you have different assignees for different stages of the process. In this case, you can create a standardized set of Jira tasks and save the whole hierarchy of work items as a template.

For instance, this can be an epic “Recruiting for a CTO position” with separate tasks such as “Position discovery”, “Vacancy posting”, and so on. These tasks can also include subtasks and checklists. Then, for each new position opening, you can quickly create the whole set of ready tasks from this template. This can be done both manually and with the help of automation.

Both formats allow you to optimize time and effort. Moreover, this ensures that each recruiter follows the same sequence of pre-defined steps so that the process runs smoothly and consistently. Let’s see how to build both types of templates with Smart Tools for Jira.

1. A Position Opening Template in The Form of a Checklist

We’ve prepared a free checklist template covering the main stages of the recruitment process. It encompasses everything from the initial steps and position discovery to vacancy posting and shortlisting candidates. The template is organized as a structured action plan where the headers are used to separate one stage from another.

Smart Checklist is a tool that offers a lot of flexibility. As you can see in the screenshot below, this position opening template supports emojis, variables, rich text formatting options, and more:

It also allows you to mention a person who is responsible for a specific step and add links and deadlines. Apart from that, you can set custom statuses for checklist items (such as “Next Up” or “Approval Pending”). There’s also an expandable Details field available for each step. This helps you provide context or additional instructions without cluttering or overloading the checklist.

As a result, you get a clear action plan that also includes all the necessary materials. This can be links to company policies and guidelines, contacts of the people participating in the process, slack channels where you can contact them, mock interview examples, assessment criteria, and so on.

This helps you streamline the process and better organize teamwork:

For example, a new employee is taking part in the recruitment process for the first time. With a checklist, it will be easy for them to understand what to do, where to get the needed materials, and who to contact and when. Using Smart Checklist makes the onboarding into the recruitment process much faster and smoother. So, instead of wasting time and asking around, a person can dive in quickly and start bringing value to the company.
Another example is when a recruiter has to take sick leave or vacation. With a transparent checklist, their colleagues from the HR team can step in and easily see what was done and what was not.

How to create a position opening template in the form of a checklist

Install Smart Checklist for Jira by TitanApps.
Copy the template above and paste it into the Smart Checklist section of a Jira work item. Then, use the markdown editor to customize the template so that it better fits your processes.
Save the checklist as a template. Open the Smart Checklist menu (three dots) and save your checklist as a template:

In particular, Smart Checklist allows you to make such adjustments as:

Edit, add, or remove checklist items
Structure the list with headers
Mention the responsible people
Insert links to internal policies
Mark important steps as mandatory
Add custom statuses for different steps
Add deadlines and other dates

After completing the 3 steps described above, you will be able to reuse this template in new work items whenever you have a new position opening.

How to add this checklist automatically to all recruitment tasks

To further optimize time, it’s useful to automatically add the position opening template to all recruitment tasks in Jira. Smart Checklist has native functionality allowing you to assign this checklist to all Jira work of a specified type. For this purpose, it’s better to have a separate work type reserved for recruitment tasks. In our example, we added a work type called Position Opening to our workflow.

To set up this automation, click the three-dot menu in the Smart Checklist section and select Manage Templates. Find your position opening template on the list and expand its details. Then, select the work types you want to apply it to:

After this, your Smart Checklist template will be included in all new work items (Jira issues) of the selected type for this project. Please note that the work created before making these changes won’t be affected.

A Jira Position Opening Template Split By Stage

To make it more convenient for you, we have split the full template into smaller checklists. Each of them covers a separate stage of the recruitment process.

Recruitment Launch
Position Discovery Template
Job Description Template
Vacancy Posting Template
Responses Tracking & Follow-up Template
Candidate Screening & Shortlisting Template

2. A Position Opening Template Organized As a Set Of Jira Work Items

In Jira, templates for recruitment can also take the form of an epic containing several tasks with checklists. For example, you can have an epic “Recruiting for a new {{position}} || {{project}}”. It can contain several tasks, such as “Recruitment launch”, “Position discovery”, “Vacancy posting”, and so on. Each of these tasks (or work items of another type) can include subtasks and detailed checklists with step-by-step instructions.

With the help of Smart Templates for Jira, you can save this pre-configured set of work items as a template. Then, you will be able to create a new work item from this template every time you start the recruitment process for a new position. The whole task hierarchy will be preserved: an epic with all its work items, subtasks, and checklists. Work item descriptions are included in the template as well.

Alternatively, it’s also possible to organize your template as a single Jira task with subtasks and checklists, skipping the epic level.

In addition, Smart Templates support variables of different types. This allows you to include values that change from one task to another, such as {{position}}, {{recruiter}}, and the {{project}} for which a new hire is needed.

When creating a new Jira work item, you will see a pop-up asking you to provide information for the variables.

After this, the specified information will be used in the new work item in all places where you had placeholders for it: work item titles and descriptions.

And this is how the information provided at the setup is incorporated into the work item title and description:

Apart from reusing task descriptions and including variables, Smart Templates also allow you to pre-select assignees, set dynamic deadlines, and pre-fill both standard and custom fields.

All this helps you streamline and standardize the recruitment process, as well as save time on creating typical tasks and filling in their details. With such a template, you will get a ready set of recruitment tasks in just a few clicks.

How to create a position opening template as a set of Jira work items:

Install Smart Templates for Jira from the Atlassian Marketplace.
Prepare and open the work item that you want to turn into a template. This can be an epic with a hierarchy of child issues, or it can be a standalone work item with subtasks and checklists. Use the checklist templates that we provided before: add them to the corresponding tasks using Smart Checklist for Jira.
Adjust the structure further before saving it as a template. Pre-select assignees, add variables, fill out work item fields, insert links to internal documentation, etc.
In the Smart Templates section of your issue, click Save structure as template, name your template, and save it.

That’s it! Now you can create new Jira work items from this template whenever you need to. Just provide the information for variables during the setup, and your set of recruitment tasks will be ready in seconds. For more details on how to use Smart Templates, please see the official documentation.

Benefits of Using Smart Tools in Jira For Recruitment Tasks

Here are the main advantages of utilizing Smart Checklist and Smart Templates for your agile project and, in particular, for recruitment:

Consistency and standardization. Everyone in your organization can follow the same flow step-by-step, ensuring the quality is on a high level and nothing important is missing. As a result, the best practices don’t stay on paper and are integrated into daily tasks.
A single source of truth. A thoroughly prepared position opening template can include all the related information, materials, links to Confluence knowledge bases, contacts of the approvers, and other assets a recruiter might need. With everything in one place, there’s no need to waste time on finding the needed information across different apps and systems.
Better teamwork. Using checklists and epic templates makes processes more transparent. As everyone is on the same page, it’s easier to organize in-team and cross-team collaboration effectively.
Time optimization. With the help of Smart Tools, you can automate the creation of repetitive tasks and eliminate the need to plan the next steps from scratch. Apart from this, using checklists keeps your team more focused.

And, of course, clear milestones and prioritization are important for many areas besides HR: from software development and project management to procurement, finance, legal, and any other field involving complex processes and recurring tasks. For all these use cases, Smart Tools for Jira help teams to better organize their work and produce more value in less time.

If you want to get the Jira position opening template in markdown format, check out the article originally written by Olga Cheban and published on the TitanApps blog.

A Git and Jira Integration Guide: How to Connect GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket to Jira Cloud

viktoriiagolovtseva — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:46:08 +0000

If you ask a developer, product manager, and QA “why integrate your Git repository with Jira,” they will all give different answers. Some like it for reducing context switching and providing automation options, while others value the transparency and improved traceability. But no matter who you ask, everyone is unanimous: this integration is immensely useful for the teams.

In this article, we focus on the most popular Git applications: GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. We explain how to connect them to Jira Cloud and provide you with practical tips on making the most out of this integration. You will learn how to use smart commits, leverage automation, and gain extra value from third-party apps.

The Basics: What Can You Do With The Help Of This Integration?

Connecting your Git repositories to Jira creates an important link between a Jira ticket and your code. With real-time synchronization between the two platforms, you avoid the need to switch back and forth and write updates manually. The key actions in your Git app will be reflected in the corresponding Jira ticket. You simply need to mention its issue key / work item key when creating a new branch, commit, or pull request.

In particular, you will be able to:

View commit history, branch, and pull request details in Jira
Check pull request statuses directly from your Jira board
Quickly access a pull request or branch from the ticket details
Automatically update work statuses based on Git activity
Add comments and log work in Jira directly from your Git app
Get more context for code changes with business details from Jira

The key benefits of setting up a Git and Jira integration include:

Less context switching: You can seamlessly move from Jira to your Git app if needed, or you can just manage your Jira work items without leaving your Git platform. This is much more efficient and improves focus.
Transparency: This integration helps keep everything organized and transparent. A product manager can see what was done for each work item without leaving Jira. In turn, developers can gain more context for old code changes by checking which Jira tasks they are related to:

Better communication: Transparency facilitates more effective collaboration, especially for cross-functional processes. Getting necessary information is easier, leading to better alignment and organization among teams.
Time optimization: As routine updates become automated, teams spend less time manually syncing statuses or adding links between Jira and Git.

These and other benefits are why this integration is so widely used. The value it delivers results in streamlined processes and increased productivity.

How to Set Up a Git and Jira Integration for a Cloud Instance?

There are two main options:

Connect Git and Jira natively: Jira has a built-in Git connector, but it’s only available for Bitbucket.
Use a Git app from the marketplace: Available for various platforms, including GitHub and GitLab.

The process itself is straightforward. First, you need to install the integration app (except for Bitbucket) and connect your repositories. Then, link Git activity to Jira work items by using issue keys. After this, you will be able to view dev information in Jira tickets, use smart commits, and set up automation to further optimize your work. Let’s explore this in detail.

Install the Integration App and Connect Your Repositories

Bitbucket

For a native integration with Bitbucket, open your Jira project and navigate to Settings -> Products -> Integrations block, where you can find DVCS accounts. Then, connect your account and grant the requested permissions. Your repositories will be automatically connected to Jira.

For other tools, use an app from the Atlassian marketplace.

GitHub

Install GitHub for Jira and connect your GitHub account. Select your organization and specify which GitHub repositories you want to link. This can be All repositories or Only select repositories. Grant the requested access permissions, allowing Jira to pull information from GitHub and vice versa.

GitLab

Once you have installed GitLab for Jira, follow the wizard’s prompts to complete the setup. Specify which version of GitLab you are using: for the cloud-hosted version, select GitLab.com. Then, sign in to GitLab and authorize GitLab for Jira. Once done, link your GitLab groups.

To complete the integration process, you will need administrator permissions, as well as the relevant permissions on your version control platform. For the most up-to-date information on the required permissions, it’s best to review the requirements provided by your Git platform during the integration setup.

Please note that this article focuses on the integration with the cloud versions of Git platforms. If you need to connect Jira to GitHub Enterprise Server, Self-managed GitLab, or Bitbucket Data Center, please refer to the official documentation.

Link Your Git Activity to Jira Work Items

Even though your repositories are already connected, the synchronization with Jira may not be complete yet. To finalize this process, you need to link your Git activity to specific Jira issues (work items). This can be done by simply including Jira work item keys in your Git messages:

Commits
Branch names
Pull request titles and descriptions

A work item key (or Jira issue key) is a combination of letters and numbers that serves as a work item identifier in Jira – for instance, TA-9082 or PROJ-123. You can find it at the top of a work item view. On your Jira board, it’s at the bottom of the card.

When you mention a work item key in your Git message, the system recognizes it, and the message is then associated with the work item it mentioned.

For example, this can be a commit message like this one:

git commit -m “TWM-93 ”

Information about this commit will be available in the Development section of the mentioned work item’s view. You can link branches and pull/merge requests to specific Jira work items in the same way.

It’s enough to use one work item key and push changes to the connected repository to complete the synchronization with Jira. After several minutes, it should be fully connected to your version control application. Needless to say, you can still use work item keys in your Git messages whenever you need to link an action to a Jira work item.

View Development Information and Create Branches in Jira
You can monitor Git actions in Jira in several ways, each providing a different perspective. Let’s have a look at these options.

Check your repositories and pull requests from the Code tab

Once your Git and Jira integration is set up, the two apps will be fully synced. As a result, you will be able to see the connected repositories and the latest activity on the Code tab in the Development section in Jira:

Get granular details from a work item view

In addition, you can view development information directly from your Jira work items. Open a work item view, which is an individual page for the selected Jira task, story, bug, etc. Find the Development section in the menu on the right, and click on any branch or commit message.

In the pop-up window that appears, you will see the detailed development information:

This includes a list of commits with various details and a link to the repository. Additionally, there is information about the associated branches and pull requests. This is especially valuable for product managers, as they can easily see all the dev events linked to a specific work item.

Monitor the overall progress from the Release Hub

If you have a company-managed project and work with fix versions in Jira, you can also track ticket statuses from the release hub. In the Jira project menu on the left pane, find Releases in the Development section. Select the release you need and scroll down to Issues/Work Items.

You will see Git statuses for each work item, if relevant. The status icons have different colors:

Green – there is a merged pull request for this ticket
Black – there is a pull request that is still waiting for review or approval
Blue – a branch has been created, but there is no pull request yet
No icon – there’s no development activity for this work item

Create branches, commits, and pull requests from the work item view

In addition to monitoring Git information, you can also perform various actions directly from Jira. Open a work item view and navigate to the Development section. From there, you can create branches, commits, and pull requests.

For example, to create a branch, select your source code integration from the dropdown and provide the required details: repository, branch from, and branch name. These steps are the same for both GitLab and GitHub integration.

Alternatively, you can simply copy the text from the box, as shown below, and run this command in the terminal in your Git project. In this case, you don’t need to specify any additional information, and the branch will be created more quickly.

Use Smart Commits to Manage Jira Work from Your Git App
It’s possible to make changes to Jira work items directly from a Git platform. This is done with the help of smart commits, which are commands included in commit messages. They enable you to perform actions such as:

Adding comments to the specified Jira work items
Recording time-tracking information
Changing an issue’s workflow status / work item status

This allows you, for example, to move Jira tickets from In progress to In review or Done without leaving your Git app, and so on. Once Jira is integrated with GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket, smart commits should be enabled by default.

A smart commit message has the following syntax:

<ISSUE_KEY> # <optional COMMAND_ARGUMENTS>

The system won’t consider parts of the message marked as ignored. In its simplest form, such a message can only consist of an issue key and a command, such as “TA-095 #close” or “RW-123 #comment fixed.”

Here are the syntax formulas for each of the available commands:

- #comment <comment_string>
- #time w d h m <comment_string>
- #<transition_name> #comment <comment_string>

The is an optional element for all commands except for the first one, #comment. When specifying the transition name, you need to provide a Jira issue status that is included in your team’s Jira workflow (such as Ready for QA or Completed). If the status name has more than one word, replace spaces with hyphens, for example: #ready-for-qa.

For more information, please refer to the official documentation.

Using smart commits helps developers reduce context switching and enhances transparency.

If you are enjoying reading about git and Jira integration and want to learn more, read the whole article written by Olga Cheban and published on TitanApps blog.

How to Plan a Product Release in Jira

viktoriiagolovtseva — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 13:37:38 +0000

From the Release Hub and backlog management to automated release notes, Jira has plenty of tools to help you plan your next release. In this blog post, we explain how to use these tools effectively for different release types. You will also get practical tips for extending the native Jira release planning capabilities with additional apps. Let’s dive in!

What is a Product Release and Why Plan it in Jira?

A product release is the process of deploying new or updated code to the production environment, making new functionality available for end users. A release results from multiple related processes, such as research, design, development, testing, documenting new features, and so on. In the context of Jia, a release, or fix version, represents a scope of functionality that will be deployed and is organized as a set of work items. As teams typically follow an incremental approach to software development, product releases often combine multiple updates and serve as clear milestones.

Jira is a popular choice for managing the product release cycle. It offers many tools for planning, allowing you to organize work at multiple levels and from various angles. A backlog, epics, sprints, and releases (also called versions) are all examples of such tools. Each of them addresses different needs and serves different goals.

Jira release planning, in particular, is crucial for understanding when something will be ready and when it will be deployed to production. Utilizing it effectively helps you plan delivery, manage resources, and communicate with stakeholders transparently.

The Main Approaches to Jira Release Planning

There are different ways to organize releases in Jira, depending on your team’s approach to software development. Here are the main release models:

Feature-based: Releases are tied to completing work on specific features rather than a pre-defined time frame. A release is shipped when the planned features are ready.
Continuous: As soon as a portion of work is completed, it’s deployed without delay. With this approach, there’s no need to wait for the rest of the scope to be ready. So, instead of one large release, there are continuous smaller updates.
Agile/Scrum: This implies a sprint-based approach, where a team has a specific scope planned for the sprint. Typically, a sprint is a two-week period, but the duration can vary depending on the specific process. At the end of each sprint, this scope should be completed and deployed to production. As a result, in this model, releases occur bi-weekly.

These approaches don’t always exist separately. In practice, many teams blend them, flexibly adapting different formats to their needs. For example, you can plan a feature release but deliver it partially in sprints. Another example is when you work with the Agile/Scrum model, but deliver continuously.

Planning a Feature-Based Product Release in Jira Step-By-Step

As I mentioned earlier, this type of release focuses on shipping a specific feature or features. Such a release demonstrates more obvious value to users and stakeholders compared to releases that don’t roll out a complete feature. One of the advantages of this approach is improved prioritization and flexibility in deadlines.

Another important benefit is enhanced cross-department alignment. When a product team plans to release a specific feature all at once, rather than in increments, the support and marketing teams can better prepare for the launch.

1. Decide How to Structure Your Release

To plan a feature-based release, product managers can use epics and fix versions in Jira. For example, our team is currently developing a new feature, multiple checklists, for our app Smart Checklist for Jira. This work is organized into multiple epics, which are included in the same release in Jira. When bugs are discovered during the testing stage, it’s important to add them to the release as well.

The estimated timeframe for completing all tasks is 3 months. Once all the work items within this scope are finished, everything will be shipped at once. For smaller features, there might only be 2-3 stories added to a Jira release, with a tentative due date set in advance.

Sometimes, it’s convenient to split a release into several fix versions to deliver the feature incrementally. Then, you can decide in advance which tasks will be included into fix version 1, 2, or 3 and assign them accordingly.

Once you have decided on the structure of your release, it’s time to start organizing it in Jira.

2. Create a Release in Your Jira Project

Let’s add a release to your company-managed Jira project. In the project menu on the left pane, you will find Releases. In Jira, Releases are also called versions or fix versions. Click Create version to add one.

Then, name the version and specify the start date and release date, if you have a clear timeframe. When naming the release, decide on a clear naming convention to avoid confusion. For a feature-based release, it makes sense to include both the feature name and the release number. For example: “Smart Checklist – Multiple checklists – V1”.

After creating a release, fill out the necessary information following the tips in the placeholders:

On this page, you can add a release description and any related materials that can be useful for the team when working on the release. In particular, consider including such items as:

Basically, the added assets can be anything you need. It’s enough to provide the URL and description for the item you want to include.

Apart from that, Jira allows you to link designs from Figma and preview them in the release hub and in work items. You will need to install the Figma for Jira app to enable this integration. The app is free, but you are required to have a paid Figma plan to connect your designs to Jira.

There’s also a dedicated section where you can add approvers for the release. This is especially convenient when you need a “green light” from multiple stakeholders. The section will list all your approvers along with the approval status from each person (Approved, Declined, or Pending):

All this information can be edited by anyone who has the Administer projects permission. This page is called the release hub. Here, you can see how much work has been completed in your fix version and check the status of Jira work items.

The release we’ve just created is called a single-project release. If you are a user of Jira Premium, Enterprise, or Jira Data Center, you can also create a cross-project release. The latter allows you to monitor and manage multiple releases from different teams and projects in one place as a single release.

> Pro tip: Fix versions can also be created with Automation for Jira. For example, every month or when a previous version has been released. You can specify the start and end dates for the release, the version name, and the project where you want to create it.

3. Add Work Items to Your Release

The next step is to add Jira work items (also known as Jira issues) to the release. These can be epics, stories, tasks, bugs, and any other work items in your backlog.

This can be done in different ways:

Adding work items from the Release page. To do this, open your release view and click +Add issues in the Issues section at the bottom:

Then, you will see a pop-up window with the search bar. Search for the work items you need by keywords in their summary or by their work item key (the number at the beginning of the work item name). You can also simply select work items from the dropdown menu:

Dragging work items from the backlog. This is helpful when you have many tasks to add and searching for them all would be inconvenient. Open your backlog and click Version -> Show version panel. Your versions, or releases, will appear in the panel on the left. Then, simply drag a work item to the area on the panel corresponding to the selected version, and it will be added to that version/release.

Using the Fix Versions field is another way to add work items to a release. Open a Jira work item and simply assign it to a specific release in the Fix Versions field. If you have a company-managed project, you can bulk edit fields for multiple work items in the backlog. To do so, open your backlog and then press and hold Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac). Select several work items, and you will see a menu for bulk editing at the bottom of the page. Select the release you need for the Fix Versions field and save the changes.

For advanced scenarios, use Automation for Jira or bulk change from JQL.

Later, it’s important to add the discovered bugs to the release. It’s essential to see them in the scope and ensure they are fixed before shipping the release.

When the work items are added, you can view them from the release page:

4. Track Release Progress with the Release Hub and Jira Timeline

To access the release hub, navigate to Project menu -> Releases. This is the page where you created your first fix version. When you have more of them, you’ll be able to monitor their status here.

This page provides a breakdown of how many work items have the Done status and how many are In progress or To do. This allows you to estimate the delivery pace, identify blockers on time, and, if necessary, make an informed decision about altering the release scope.

If you connected your development tools to Jira, you will be able to see additional information related to your work items: commits, builds, deployments, and so on.

To track the progress of several releases, you can use the Timeline view. If they are not shown in this view by default, go to Timeline -> View settings -> toggle on Releases.

Jira has color-coding that allows you to see the status of your releases on the timeline at a glance. A green circle next to the release name means the release has already been shipped. A blue dot indicates it’s in progress, and a red dot signals that the release is behind schedule.

If this article caught your attention and you want to learn more about Jira release planning, read the full version written by Olga Cheban and published on the TitanApps blog.

Jira Action Items Functionality

viktoriiagolovtseva — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 15:01:13 +0000

Jira Action Items are a new feature introduced in Jira to help teams track small tasks inside a work item (issue) without needing to create subtasks. Instead of breaking out additional tickets for quick to-dos or follow-ups, you can now add lightweight checklists directly into rich text fields like the description or comments.

This update is part of Atlassian’s broader effort to improve in-context collaboration within Jira Software, JSM, and Confluence. The action items feature brings checklist-like functionality into Jira’s core product, allowing users to quickly note, check off, and discuss tasks as part of ongoing work.

However, as simple as they are, action items also come with limitations. They don’t support due dates, assignees, or automation. That’s where checklist apps like Smart Checklist for Jira become essential, especially when you’re managing structured workflows, recurring processes, or complex acceptance criteria across your Jira project.

In this guide, we’ll explore how Jira Action Items work, what they’re best for, and when to use more advanced tools like Smart Checklist to keep your team’s work visible, actionable, and trackable.

How Jira Action Items Work

Jira Action Items are embedded checkboxes you can create directly in rich text fields within a work item (issue). They’re designed for quick, informal task tracking, like jotting down to-dos during standups or marking next steps in a bug report.

Creating Action Items in Jira

You can create action items in any description, comment, or other text field that supports rich formatting. There are three ways to add them:

Type /action item – This shortcut inserts an interactive checkbox into the field
Use [ ] markdown – Typing square brackets automatically creates a checklist-style line item
Use WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get)

Once added, these checkboxes are clickable. As you check off tasks, Jira updates the comment or description field in place.

Where Action Items Appear

Action items work inside:

The description field of a Jira work item (issue)
Comments – great for capturing feedback or follow-ups
Supported rich text editors across Atlassian products

Checked items remain visible, so teams can see which parts of the to-do list are completed.

Notifications for Action Items

When action items are created in comments and include @mentions, Jira can notify the mentioned users. However, there’s no formal assignee field, no due dates, and no way to track progress across multiple work items or projects.

Limitations of Jira Action Items

While Jira Action Items are a convenient way to keep track of small tasks, they’re not designed for structured workflows or recurring processes. Here are some important limitations to consider before relying on them for daily operations:

No formal assignee field for tasks

Action items live in the description field or comments. While you can mention a team member using @username to notify them via email, the item itself doesn’t have a formal assignee field.

Notifications will only work if the mentioned user has the appropriate permissions to view and edit the field. If a user doesn’t have edit access (e.g. to the description), they won’t be able to check off that action item, even if it’s addressed to them.

No automation or workflow integration

Unlike checklist apps like Smart Checklist, Jira Action Items don’t support automation rules, Jira APIs, or workflow triggers. That means:

You can’t add checklists from templates
You can’t update issue statuses or block the issue transition based on action item progress

No due dates, assignees, or reporting

There’s no way to assign a Jira Action Item to a specific team member, add a due date, or track progress across your Jira project. As a result:

You lose visibility into who is responsible
You can’t search just for action item status with JQL
There’s no audit trail or reporting for completed tasks

Not trackable or searchable

Because action items are stored as part of rich text fields, there’s no aggregate data across work items. You can’t:

See checklist completion rates
Filter issues by action item progress
Monitor who completed what and when

These gaps make Jira Action Items ideal for quick, informal checklists—but less useful for larger Agile workflows or definition of done tracking.

Jira Action Items vs. Smart Checklists: When to Use What?

While Jira Action Items offer a lightweight way to manage quick tasks, Smart Checklists by TitanApps provide the structure, automation, and visibility needed for larger Agile workflows.

Here’s a quick comparison of both tools:

With Smart Checklists, you gain control over the entire task lifecycle:

Monitor checklist completion status across your Jira project
Audit what was done, by whom, and when
Grant edit rights only to selected team members—separate from issue permissions

In short, if your team relies on workflow automation, recurring processes, or audit-ready reporting, Smart Checklist offers everything Jira Action Items cannot.

Advanced Functionality: When to Use Smart Checklists

For teams managing structured workflows, repeating processes, or compliance-heavy projects, Jira Action Items won’t cover all the bases. That’s where Smart Checklist becomes the go-to solution.

Whether you’re managing a sprint, validating a release, or onboarding a new teammate, Smart Checklist brings checklist templates, automation, and advanced tracking into your Jira Cloud setup.

When Smart Checklists Make Sense

You need to define a Definition of Done, acceptance criteria, or QA steps for every work item (issue)
You want to standardize DevOps routines using checklist templates (e.g., deployment, release, or rollback steps)
You’re managing recurring workflows that should follow the same structure every time
You need to track progress, monitor who did what, and audit completed work
You want to automate checklist creation and updates with Jira Automation or external triggers via API
You run finance routines, like vendor payment approvals, invoice processing, or budget reviews
You manage HR processes, including onboarding, offboarding, and performance review cycles
You coordinate marketing tasks, such as new feature launches, content production, or campaign checklists

Key Features That Go Beyond Action Items

Due Dates: Track deadlines at the checklist item level
Assignees: Assign checklist items to specific team members
Checklist Templates: Save and reuse templates across epics, teams, and issue types
Automation Support: Trigger checklist population via Jira automation or external systems
Audit Trail: Know exactly when and by whom each checklist item was completed
Custom Field Integration: Show checklist status in board views or issue panels

Smart Checklist turns Jira into a checklist-powered workflow engine, offering visibility and structure without the overhead of subtasks or custom dev work.

If you're interested in learning more about Jira action items, read the whole article, originally published on the TitanApps blog.

Vendor Payment Template for Jira

viktoriiagolovtseva — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:15:57 +0000

Vendor Payments Take Too Much Time And There Is a Way Out of the Vicious Cycle

Vendor payments are rarely as simple as they should be. Between chasing down missing invoice details, tracking approvals across tools, and routing payments through disconnected systems, most finance teams find themselves stuck in a time-consuming loop of manual processes.

Even when everything runs smoothly, the vendor payment process often involves:

Incomplete invoice submissions
Delayed approval workflows
Back-and-forth communication to clarify payment terms or purchase orders
Missed due dates causing disruptions in vendor relationships
Poor visibility into cash flow across multiple systems

It’s the classic “last step” of the procurement-to-payment journey, and also one of the most prone to inefficiency.

At Railsware, this led to hours lost each week on basic invoice payments. The finance team needed a better way to manage recurring tasks, validate documentation, and eliminate repetitive follow-ups.

The solution? A structured Vendor Payment Template built in Jira, powered by Smart Templates and Smart Checklist from TitanApps. It turned a fragmented, high-friction process into a streamlined, trackable workflow without leaving Jira.

What the Vendor Payment Template Looks Like

The Vendor Payment Template is a ready-to-use Jira work item template designed to simplify your vendor payment process from start to finish. Instead of starting from scratch or managing scattered approvals via chat or email, your team gets a standardized issue with all key fields, steps, and instructions built in.

You will need to use Smart Checklist for Jira to add the templatized checklist to your work item (issue). You can take our generalized template as a basis and customize it for your needs. For example, add new stages and deadlines, tag people, and so on.

Once the template is triggered, either manually or on a recurring schedule, it creates a structured issue with a pre-built Smart Checklist

The checklist is divided into stages that reflect the full payable process:

Invoice Submission: Ensure the invoice is attached and matches expected payment terms.
Validation: Check vendor details, budget allocation, and payment method (e.g. ACH, wire transfer, virtual card).
Compliance Check: Confirm if a W-8 or W-9 form is required and attached.
Approval: Route the issue to the appropriate reviewer before payment is processed.
Reconciliation: Log the payment details in the accounting system or attach confirmation from the bank or ERP.

Each checklist item can include embedded instructions, useful links (e.g. tax form guides), and default assignees.

To customize the template further you can use dynamic variables like:

{{project}} – to adapt the process for different teams or business units
{{deadline}} – to auto-fill the due date and include it in the issue title

These small automations reduce repetitive data entry and improve accuracy in payment tracking.

You can also use the built-in scheduler in Smart Templates to create a new issue every Friday, so your team never forgets a payment cycle. This keeps the finance team in sync and ensures invoice payments are handled on time regardless of how many vendors or due dates you’re managing.

How to Use the Template Step-by-Step

The Vendor Payment Template is designed for finance teams, accountants, and business owners who want a consistent way to manage invoice payments in Jira and not get lost in spreadsheets or approval delays.

Before, the first step is to install Smart Tools by TitanApps. Smart Checklist & Smart Templates allow you to replicate a consistent structure for every payment with one click, eliminating the need to start from scratch each time.

Here’s how it works in practice:

Submit the Payment Request

A team member (reporter) initiates the process via Jira usually by filling out a simple form through Jira Service Management. This info is transferred from JSM request to the description field:

Vendor name and contact info
Invoice number and amount
Due date and payment terms
Preferred payment method (ACH, wire transfer, card, etc.)
Linked purchase order or contract (if applicable)

This eliminates the need for manual data entry and sets the stage for clean processing.

Validate the Information

Once created, the Jira issue includes a Smart Checklist with validation steps. The assigned accountant reviews:

Invoice accuracy
Vendor details and tax forms (W-8/W-9, if needed)
Budget category and account
Attached documentation and payment source

This stage ensures all information is complete before the payment moves forward. To make this work you can prevent the Jira work item from transitioning to the next state if some mandatory checklist items remain unchecked/uncompleted. Learn more about validation of the mandatory items.

Approval Workflow

The issue is automatically routed to the designated approver, usually a finance lead or manager. They confirm that the payment meets company policy and sign off directly in Jira by updating the checklist item or issue status.

Built-in clarity means fewer questions, less Slack pinging, and better alignment with procurement and budget holders.

Process the Payment

Once approved, the payment can be executed using your preferred payment system (e.g., bank portal, ERP, or accounting software). You can attach confirmation (e.g., bank receipt or transaction ID) to the issue and mark it as complete in the checklist.

Reconcile and Close

Finally, the accountant logs the payment in your financial system and updates the issue status to “Done.” Because everything is captured inside Jira, you maintain an auditable trail for future reference or reporting.

Benefits of Using This Template

Finance teams often juggle late payments, missing details, and unclear responsibilities. With the Vendor Payment Template, these issues become manageable and in many cases, disappear altogether.

Here’s how this template helps your accounts payable team work faster, with fewer errors:

Fewer Delays, No Missed Due Dates

The checklist ensures timely payments by tracking every step from invoice submission to reconciliation. With the Smart Templates scheduler feature, tasks are created on time, every week, without reminders or manual setup.

Clear Responsibilities

Each stage from invoice validation to final payment comes with an assigned checklist item. Everyone knows who does what and when. No more “who’s handling this?” Slack messages.

Built-in Compliance Checks

The template includes checklist items and instructions for collecting W-8/W-9 forms, verifying tax documentation, and confirming the correct payment method (ACH, card, or wire transfer). This reduces compliance risk and ensures clean audit trails.

Repeatable Across Teams and Projects

With dynamic variables like {{project}}, this template can be reused across departments or locations. Whether it’s recurring payments, vendor onboarding, or budget-specific reviews, the process stays consistent.

Better Visibility into the Payable Process

Jira becomes the central source of truth for vendor payment management. At any point, team members can see the status of a payment, who approved it, and what steps remain.

Real-World Results

At Railsware, switching to this template helped reduce payment processing time by 27%. You can read more in the full case study here:
Vendor Payments Optimization: Transforming Financial Operations with Smart Tools

Automate Weekly Vendor Payments with Smart Templates Scheduler

One of the biggest wins of this workflow is that you don’t have to remember to do it every week.

With the scheduler built into Smart Templates for Jira, you can fully automate the creation of vendor payment issues, so that your accounts payable process kicks off automatically, every Friday (or any day you choose).

Here’s how it works:

Set It and Forget It

Configure the Smart Templates built-in scheduler to create a new issue each week based on the Vendor Payments Template. It’s perfect for recurring payment cycles where timing and consistency are critical. In this case we don’t use JSM and this is another workflow that can be managed with the same template.

Once the schedule is active, a fresh issue is created automatically, complete with:

Pre-filled fields for vendor payment processing
Smart Checklist with all steps (submission ? reconciliation)
Embedded instructions and documentation links
Clear deadlines and dynamic field content

This helps finance teams stay precise without having to manually edit every issue. It also guarantees full alignment with internal policies or payment term variations across vendors.

The result: no missed payments, no last-minute scrambling, and a structured process that runs like clockwork.

Vendor Payment Template: FAQ

Still unsure if this template fits your finance workflow? Here are answers to some of the most common questions we get from teams setting up vendor payment management in Jira.

Can this template handle different payment methods like ACH, credit card, and wire transfers?
Yes. The Smart Checklist allows you to define different paths for each payment method, including ACH payments, virtual cards, or wire transfers. You can also link to internal policies or instructions within checklist items to make sure each method is processed correctly.

How do I track payment approvals across multiple teams?
You can assign checklist items or Jira issue approvals to different users (e.g., accountant, CFO, project lead). This ensures that approval workflows are centralized in one issue and remain visible throughout the process.

What if vendor invoices arrive via email or from different tools?
You can set up a Jira Service Management form for vendor onboarding or invoice submissions. Once a request is submitted, the Smart Template kicks in and standardizes the flow. This helps you centralize requests, reduce back-and-forth, and avoid invoice loss.

Can this template integrate with our ERP or accounting software?
While the template itself lives in Jira, teams often use checklist items to log payment confirmations or attach export data synced from ERP platforms. You can also link to records in your accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks, Xero) or create Jira automation rules to support further integration.

Can I use this for international vendors with different payment terms?
Absolutely. The template can be duplicated and adjusted per region, currency, or project. You can also use variables like {{payment_terms}} to reflect different due dates or contract conditions for each vendor.

If you’re ready to take control of your accounts payable process, reduce delays, and eliminate manual entry errors, give the Vendor Payment Template a try.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article about the vendor payment template originally published on the TitanApps blog.

Your Guide to Cloning in JIRA: How to Clone Issues in Different Ways

viktoriiagolovtseva — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:55:57 +0000

While cloning in Jira can be done in just a few clicks, it becomes less straightforward when you have special requirements. What if you need to clone an issue to a different project, clone tasks in bulk, or do this automatically on a schedule? In this article, we explore all these scenarios and provide you with examples and step-by-step instructions.

The Basics of Cloning in JIRA: What is it and Why is it Useful?

The term refers to the process of duplicating an existing Jira issue (or work item), resulting in the creation of a new issue with identical details.

Typically, information such as the issue description, summary, and type is copied to the new issue. Other elements, such as comments or history, are not transferred. The most common reasons for cloning include reusing typical tasks, creating similar issues, or assigning a task to multiple teams.

Benefits of Issue Cloning in Jira:

Time optimization – instead of filling in issue details manually, you can re-use the structure from a similar issue. With recurring tasks, cloning significantly boosts efficiency.
Linking issues automatically – related or similar issues are linked automatically with the Clones/Cloned by link type. This helps you keep your work in Jira organized.
Issue standardization – when copying, you preserve the issue structure and can use it as a basis for new work items. You will only need to change the details that are different for the new issue.

How to Clone an Issue Within the Same Project

This type of cloning in Jira is quite straightforward. Open the issue you want to clone, click the three dots in the upper right corner, and select Clone.

In the pop-up window, you will see a list of additional items to include in the cloned issue (if any). In particular, these can be:

Attachments
Child issues
Links
Sprint value
Custom fields

Depending on your settings, you can also clone an issue directly from your Jira board. To do so, find the card of the issue you want to clone, click the three dots menu, and select Clone.

The cloned issue will be linked to the original task and added to the same project. It will also have the “Cloned” prefix in the summary, unless you edit it out when cloning.

How to Clone a Jira Issue to Another Project

Let’s say, you have a task in one project but need to do similar work in a second project. Another example is when you want to reuse information from a task in a different project. For instance, you have a regression ticket with a QA checklist and linked bugs and you want to clone it to another project as a report for the product manager.

Jira allows you to clone an issue to a different project with the help of a simple automation rule. If such cloning is not needed regularly, it’s best to set up a Jira automation that can be triggered manually. The cloning then occurs automatically. Let’s see how to do this in practice.

First, go to Project Settings -> Automation. Click Create Rule.
Select Manual trigger from issue as a trigger. Here, you can also specify which user groups can utilize this manual trigger and for which issue types it should be shown.
Choose Clone issue as an action.
Next, specify the project for the cloned issue and select the issue type. It can be the same as that of the original issue or a different one (task, subtask, asset, etc.). At this step, you can also remove the “Clone” prefix from the issue summary.
Select the fields you want to include in the cloned issue. For example, Assignee, Attachment, Reporter, Description, Linked issues, and so on. Once ready, enable the rule.

Then, go to the issue you want to clone, click Actions, and select Clone issue to another project.

The issue will be cloned to the selected project according to your settings.

How to Clone a Jira Issue Automatically Based on Conditions

In our previous example, cloning was triggered manually. Now, we’ll see how to set up a flow that is triggered by a specific event instead of a user action.

Let’s say you have a Jira board where your team adds their inputs for your software product. These can be improvement suggestions, ideas for new features, and so on. Later, your product team reviews these suggestions and decides what to implement and what not to implement. When an input is approved, it can be automatically cloned as a task for the development team.

Here’s an automation scheme for this:

When an issue is transitioned to Approved and the issue type is an Input item, it gets cloned into the specified project as a Story. In this example, we also added the prefix “Input” to the issue summary and a corresponding label for easier tracking.

You can add different triggers and conditions to the automation rule, depending on your specific situation and requirements. To set it up, go to Project Settings -> Automation -> Create Rule. Once ready, validate and enable your rule.

How to Remove the “CLONE” Prefix From Cloned Issues in Jira

This can be useful when you frequently clone issues automatically and the prefix is not really needed. Go to JIRA Administration -> System -> Advanced Settings. The first entry on the list should be jira.clone.prefix, and the specified value will be “CLONE—.” Click the value text to change or remove it.

Please note that you need to have Administrator permissions to do this. If that is not the case, you can adjust the prefix directly in the automation rules you use by editing the issue summary field.

How to Clone a Jira Epic With All Its Tasks and Subtasks

Currently, Jira does not offer an out-of-the-box option to clone the whole hierarchy of issues within an epic. Here are the alternatives you can consider:

Use Smart Templates for Jira to clone the whole hierarchy

With the help of this app, you can save an epic and all its issues, subtasks, and checklists as a reusable template. From that template, you can create an exact duplicate of the original epic. This allows you to clone an epic both to the same project or to another one.

Clone an epic manually from the issue view page

In this case, an epic and its issues will be cloned into the same project, but subtasks and checklists will not be copied.

Use Automation for Jira to clone an epic with its issues

You can set up a rule that will clone an epic and the issues it includes to the same or to another project. However, subtasks and checklists will not be transferred. The available workarounds for including subtasks often don’t work reliably due to Jira’s limitations.

If you're enjoying learning about how to clone a Jira ticket, read the whole article written by Olga Cheban, originally published on the TitanApps blog.

How To Create a Jira Test Case Template To Boost Efficiency

viktoriiagolovtseva — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 12:42:36 +0000

Many agile teams prefer Jira for managing test cases. Even though it’s not a dedicated tool, it provides a straightforward way to organize the testing process, track progress, and share results with stakeholders. Additionally, it enhances collaboration between QA and development teams.

Using test case templates in Jira allows you to manage this process even more efficiently. These templates save time, promote standardization, and provide a structured foundation for test execution. In this short tutorial, I will show you how to create a Jira test case template and use it with automation to simplify your testing process.

What is a Test Case Template in Jira, and What Should it Include?

A test case template is a structured plan that outlines the main steps for testing software functionality and includes placeholders for relevant contextual information. Depending on your process, you may need to use different types of Jira test case templates:

Issue-level template

This template is applicable to standalone Jira tasks. It typically contains generic information and placeholders for the main steps. Such a template can be easily adjusted for a wide variety of test cases. Alternatively, this template can also include a feature-specific test scenario, which is useful when the same test case is reused often.

Epic-level template

This template consists of a saved task hierarchy where a test suite is organized as an epic with multiple issues, each containing a specific test case. It is useful for teams that regularly perform regression tests on the same functionality. A template for this repetitive task can list feature-specific steps instead of generic information.

An issue with an individual Jira test case template typically includes:

Test title – an issue summary stating the test purpose
Description – an explanation of what needs to be checked
Preconditions – any parameters that have to be met to run the test
Test steps – a list of actions to perform during the test
Expected test case results – the description of a correct response
Actual results – the behavior observed during the test
Status – the outcome of the test, such as Passed/Failed
Links to other issues – links to requirements, user stories, and discovered bugs

Using a template eliminates the need to manually enter the structure or copy and paste it from another document. When saved as a template, it can be automatically added to specified issue types. With an epic-level template, it’s even more convenient. You can schedule automated epic creation and have a ready test suite with pre-assigned test cases exactly when you need them.

This approach ensures that everyone follows the outlined steps, making the testing process thorough and efficient.

Reusable Examples For a Jira Test Case Template

Let’s take a look at several hands-on examples. They range from a generalized issue-level template, which you can easily adapt for your needs, to an epic-level template listing feature-specific steps. We have also included an illustrative issue-level test case template for a login verification flow.

Example 1: A Generalized Jira Test Case Template

As every product and feature requires a dedicated test case, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. However, a generalized Jira test case template can be very useful for teams. It provides the structure for writing test cases according to your company’s best practices and allows you to add specific steps to the existing framework.

This reduces repetitive manual work, saves time, and promotes consistency. Here’s how it can look:

You can copy this template and use it in your Jira issue. You will need to insert it in the Smart Templates area of your task and then save the issue structure as a template. We cover how to do this in more detail a little later.

Example 2: A Jira Test Case Template For Login Flow Testing

Once you have a generalized Jira test case template, it can be adjusted to multiple specific test cases. This example illustrates how this can be done. The generic structure provided above was used to write a test case for login flow verification.

Example 3: An Epic-Level Test Case Template For Recurring Testing

Let’s say your team ships a new release every two weeks and needs to repeatedly test the same functionality after the updates. Then, of course, it makes sense to reuse test cases. With Smart Templates for Jira, you can organize your test suite as a Jira epic with multiple issues, each containing an individual test task with specific steps. Then, it’s easy to schedule automated issue creation and streamline this process.

As a result, when it’s time for regression testing, your team will have ready pre-assigned tasks with clear steps. Below is an example of an epic-level template for a food delivery app.

This template was created with the help of Smart Templates and Smart Checklist for Jira by Titan Apps. This checklist allows you to include additional information for each step in the expandable Details section below each item. There, you can note the test results, attach links, screenshots, and more.

Once new functionality is added, the template can be updated to include additional tasks.

It’s also convenient that the History tab in the Smart Templates’ Edit menu shows you a list of all issues created from a particular template. Here, you can review the details and check the log statuses for each issue:

Now, let’s explore how you can build such templates for your specific goals.

Step-by-Step Instructions For Creating a Jira Test Case Template

Jira doesn’t have native functionality for creating templates, so you need to use a third-party solution. Let’s see how this can be done with the help of Smart Templates for Jira. This tool allows you to create both epic-level and issue-level test case templates, like the ones you saw in the examples above. Here’s how to do this:

Install Smart Templates for Jira from the Atlassian marketplace.
Open a Jira issue that will serve as a basis for your template and draft the structure. If it’s a standalone issue, you can also copy the template from one of our reusable examples. For an epic-level template, create an epic and add the required issues with test cases.
If needed, adjust the structure before saving it as a template. Specify assignees, add variables, and include checklists with Smart Checklist for Jira.
In the Smart Templates section of your issue/epic, click Save structure as template, name your template, and save it.

After this, you can manually create a test case from this template whenever necessary.

Now, let’s see how to level this up with some automation. There are several options that allow you to do this with the help of Smart Templates for Jira:

Schedule automated issue creation from a template

Use Smart Templates’ built-in Scheduler feature to automatically create issues from your template. This is especially convenient for recurring tests. In the example below, the schedule is set to create an epic (test suite) with sub-tasks (specific test cases) bi-weekly on Wednesdays. This way, the testers will have ready tasks with test cases by the time they need to perform regression testing for the next release.

To access the Scheduler, open the list of your smart templates, select the one you need, then click the three dots -> Edit -> Scheduler.

Auto-add the template to all Test Case issues

For a generalized test case template, it can be useful to assign it to a specific issue type. Then, each new issue of this type will already contain the outlined structure for the testing process. To make this more convenient, you can add a new issue type to your Jira project, such as Test Case. Then, you will need to use Automation for Jira and create a rule that will add your template to the new issues of this type. Follow this guide to integrate Smart Templates with Automation for Jira.

The Benefits of Using a Test Case Template in Jira

To sum up, managing test cases in Jira with the help of Smart Templates allows you to organize the software testing process more efficiently. It helps you save time, optimize resources, and promote consistency and collaboration. In particular, the benefits include:

Faster test case creation – there’s no need to copy-paste the structure; the details of the test plan can be filled in automatically with variables
Standardized processes – everyone works with the same structured plan
Smoother onboarding – new team members can easily understand the processes and follow best practices
Saving time with automation – Smart Templates allow you to pre-fill fields (including custom fields), pre-assign issues, and schedule issue creation

When used with the right additional apps, Jira can be a pretty decent test management tool. For the best results, consider using Smart Templates together with Smart Checklist for Jira. This will allow your team to create test cases faster and manage them with less effort.

If you enjoyed reading this article about Jira test cases, originally written by Olga Cheban, visit the TitanApps blog to explore more related topics.

A Ready-to-Use Business Travel Template For Jira

viktoriiagolovtseva — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 09:50:37 +0000

For many of us, even planning a personal trip can be a daunting task. Missing one detail when booking a flight or hotel can lead to a disaster. The challenge becomes even greater when you need to organize a business trip for others, especially for large events where many people travel simultaneously.

Additionally, business travel often requires multiple approvals and cross-team collaboration. You will need a solution to keep everyone on the same page and easily track every detail. A business travel template for Jira is an ideal way to solve this challenge.

In this blog post, we share a ready-to-use template and explain how to use it.

What Does a Business Travel Template Look Like?

It’s a detailed checklist designed to help you organize business trips more efficiently. It consists of several sections, each dedicated to a specific aspect of the travel preparation process, such as buying tickets, booking accommodation, providing visa support, and so on.

This checklist can be added to Jira and used as a template. For each new business trip, you can create a Jira ticket with the ready action plan. This speeds up the process and makes it better organized and more accurate.

Copy and Customize This Free Business Travel Template

We have created a detailed template for organizing the travel process from start to finish. You will need to use Smart Checklist by Titan Apps to add this free template to your Jira work item.

As a result, you will get a reusable checklist like the one below:

It lists the main steps for all the travel preparation stages. Once you add it to your Jira task, you can customize it to better fit your company’s processes. For example, add approvers’ emails, insert links to company policies and relevant internal documents, and so on.

The saved checklist template can then be automatically added to all new trip planning Jira tasks.

Here’s the template you can copy and further adjust for your specific use case:


            # Ticket structure
– Link this process to the Support Help ticket as `caused by`
– Link this process to [Travel Epic](https://jira.atlassian.com/) as `included in` to have all travel processes in one place
# Check the submitted travel preferences first
– Collect and review submitted travel preferences submitted through the [helpdesk](https://confluence.atlassian.com/servicedesk/)
> – Tickets land in Slack in #travel-help
> – It’s preferable to communicate and clarify all details in comments in the Help ticket so that someone else can continue the process if you can’t do this.
– Check if everything is okay with [docs](https://drive.google.com/drive) (e.g. passport is valid)
– Check if the request is within the budget [here](https://lookerstudio.google.com/)
> – Policy: Business Travel
> – Data range: This year
– If needed, provide visa support
> Use **Support** Smart Checklist Template to proceed
– Research options for accommodation and transportation based on submitted preferences and dates of the trip
– Set up a call or communicate asynchronously to confirm travel dates, accommodation, and transportation options before booking
# Daily Allowance
– By referring to the [policy](https://confluence.atlassian.com/), calculate how much the daily allowance, taxi, and other expenses related to the business trip would cost
– Submit a [coverage ticket](https://jira.atlassian.com/)
# Price research
– Algorithm of the research in detail
>* Check on dedicated search sites
>* Re-check on aggregators
>* Check exact flights directly with the flight company
– Dedicated search sites
>* google.com/flght
>* kayak.com
>* http://skyscanner.com
– Aggregators
>* mytickets.ae
>* kiwi.com
>* orbitz.com
>* expedia.com
>* anywayanyday.com
– Search for the best ticket options that we already use
> * [LOT](https://www.lot.com/ua/en/)
> * [Wizzair](https://wizzair.com/#/)
> * [Ryanair](https://www.ryanair.com/us/en)
# Transportation booking
– Buy tickets
> Consider the [policy](https://confluence.atlassian.com/policy) and [these price ranges](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/) when selecting the best tickets option
> * Double-check time and date
> * Use the requestor’s international passport information
> * All tickets should be sent to email@company.com
> * Fill in VAT details to receive an invoice for the company.
> * Pay via company account
– Send tickets and online check-in page, the reservation number, and email to email@company.com
> Save the ticket and change the name of the file:
> – YYYY-MM-DD – Name – flight itinerary
– Make pay tickets for tickets
> Add step-by-step instructions
# Accommodation booking
`Travel to the USA:`
– Book hotel/accommodation
> – If a person is attending a conference, check with the event organizer for any partner hotels offering special offers or discounts.
– After receiving the booking confirmation, follow up with a phone call to the hotel to ensure that the hotel has charged the card on file for the entire duration of the trip.
`Travel to any other location:`
– Go to **Airbnb**
> * Login with our credentials
> * Choose English and USD currency
> * Choose the city, dates, and number of people
> * Open filters and select:
>> Entire place
>> Apartment
>> Instant book
>> Self check-in (preferable)
>> Free cancellation (preferable)
> * Choose an apartment within our budget and that follows our policy and align it with the submitted preferences
– Book the apartment
> * Check dates and number of people
> * Choose “Work trip”
> * Choose “Book this place for someone else”
> * Insert email address and press **Add**
> * if a requestor is not on the list, they must create an Airbnb account*
> * Press **Save**
> * Choose/indicate payment method and billing details if needed
> * Pay via company credit card; it’s indicated in the process description.
> * Check cancellation policy once again
> * Confirm and pay
– If Airbnb is not available, use Booking.com
– Instructions for **Booking.com**
> * Login with our credentials
> * Choose English and USD currency
> * Choose the hotel or apartment for the needed dates that fit the budget in the policy and align with the submitted preferences
> * Proceed to booking
> * Provide the requestor’s details to the booking
> * In the special request text block, ask about the invoice. Also, choose “I would like an invoice for my company at check-out.”
> * Pay via company credit card; it’s indicated in the process description
– Make pay tickets for lodging booking
– Insert pay tickets into the ticket’s description or in the comments
# City Tax
If the trip is to a European country, the hotel may charge a [City tax](https://visitukraine.today/blog/2616/which-countries-have-introduced-tourist-taxes-and-fees). It is paid at the hotel.
– Need to raise a Refund ticket
# Provide the requestor with all the needed info before arrival
– Share the travel itinerary with the requestor via email or Slack
– Send a link for a check-in, remind to check in in advance online
> Every Airline has a different link for check-in; find it on the airline website
– Provide lodging booking details and notify that the apartment is booked; they will communicate with the host on their own
– Share your personal number, and Telegram/WhatsApp for the requestor to contact you for any reason
# Upon Arrival
– Check if a person checked in to the hotel/apartment
– Check if no extra charges were applied
– Remind them of the check-out time and provide check-out guidelines
## For office visitors
– Show the office to them
> For office visitors – share the [guide](https://drive.google.com/drive)
– Provide them with the wi-fi access and make sure that it works properly
– Show the desk they can use
– Provide them with any [tech equipment if needed](https://confluence.atlassian.com/servicedesk/)
– On the 1st day, take the requestor for lunch and/or dinner, and/or organize a group of team members to go for lunch or dinner together
– Suggest places to visit and see while in the city
>* See [this guide](https://drive.google.com/drive) to get local tips on what places to visit, where to eat, and other important stuff
# Before Departure
– Remind about the departure date and time
– Collect an access card
– Advise to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before departure time
# Feedback
– Ask to provide inputs and feedback at this [link](https://docs.google.com/forms)

Using this business travel template allowed Railsware, a product studio, to cut the time spent on trip planning by 25%. Read the case study for the full story.

How to Add This Business Travel Template to Your Jira Work Item:

Install Smart Checklist for Jira by TitanApps from the Atlassian marketplace.
Copy the business travel template provided above.
Open a Jira work item and insert the copied template into the Smart Checklist window.
Use the markdown editor to adjust the template to your needs. For example, add new steps, set custom statuses, tag responsible people, and so on. Smart Checklist also lets you structure your checklist with headers and use other rich formatting options.
Save your checklist as a template as shown below.

Now, you can manually add this checklist template to any new Jira work item. To do so, click the three dots of the Smart Checklist menu and select Import from a template.

Alternatively, the checklist can be automatically added to new work items when they are created. This can be done by using Smart Checklist together with Automation for Jira. For example, you can set up a rule that will add a business travel template to all Jira work items that have the words “business trip” in their summary. Follow this Smart Checklist Guide to set up this automation.

If you enjoyed reading about the business travel template, read the whole article originally written by Olga Cheban and published on the TitanApps blog.

Difference between Agile and Scrum

viktoriiagolovtseva — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 11:21:43 +0000

Why Understanding Agile vs. Scrum Matters

Agile is a methodology that helps teams build products through iterative development, continuous feedback, and adaptability. Scrum is a framework within Agile that provides a structured way to manage work using fixed-length iterations called sprints.

Many teams confuse Agile and Scrum, assuming they are interchangeable. In reality, Agile is a broad concept that includes multiple frameworks like Scrum and Kanban. Understanding the difference helps teams choose the right approach for their projects.

Jira Software is designed to support Agile teams. It provides tools like Scrum boards, Kanban boards, and backlogs to help teams manage their work efficiently. Whether a team follows Scrum, Kanban, or a hybrid model, Jira offers features to track tasks, sprints, and workflows in real time.

This article explains the key differences between Agile and Scrum, how Jira supports both approaches, and how teams can use it to optimize their development process.

Key topics covered:

What is Agile, and how does it work?
What is Scrum, and how does it differ from Agile?
How to use Jira for Agile and Scrum projects.
Best practices for Agile project management in Jira.

Next, we’ll look at Agile as a methodology and its core principles.

What is Agile?

Agile is a project management methodology that focuses on flexibility, collaboration, and iterative development. It helps teams adapt to changing requirements and deliver value faster. Agile is widely used in software development, but it can also be applied to marketing, HR, and other business functions.

Core Agile Principles

Agile is based on the Agile Manifesto, which prioritizes:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
Working software over comprehensive documentation.
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
Responding to change over following a fixed plan.

Unlike traditional project management, Agile teams work in small, iterative cycles. They deliver working features frequently, gather user feedback, and make adjustments as needed.

Key Characteristics of Agile

Iterative development: Work is delivered in short cycles rather than all at once.
Customer-focused: Frequent feedback helps teams improve the product.
Collaborative approach: Teams, stakeholders, and customers work closely.
Adaptability: Priorities can shift based on changing needs.

Agile is not a single framework, it includes Scrum, Kanban, and other approaches. Each framework follows Agile principles but has different structures and workflows.

What is Scrum?

Scrum is a framework within Agile that organizes work into structured cycles called sprints. It is designed for small, cross-functional teams working on complex projects. Unlike Agile, which is a broad methodology, Scrum provides a specific set of rules, roles, and meetings to help teams manage work effectively.

Key Elements of Scrum

1. Sprints – Fixed-length iterations (1-4 weeks) where teams complete a set of tasks.

2. Scrum Roles:

Scrum Master – Facilitates the process and removes blockers.
Product Owner – Defines priorities and manages the backlog.
Development Team – Builds, tests, and delivers the product.

3.Scrum Events:

Sprint Planning – Define goals and backlog items for the sprint.
Daily Standups – Short meetings to track progress and address blockers.
Sprint Review – Demo completed work to stakeholders and get feedback.
Sprint Retrospective – Reflect on what went well and what to improve.

How Scrum Differs from Agile

Scrum follows fixed rules for how work should be planned and executed. Agile is more flexible, allowing teams to choose different workflows, planning styles, and iteration lengths.

Scrum teams work within a defined structure, while Agile teams can mix different frameworks, such as Scrum + Kanban (Scrumban), depending on their needs.

Scrum in Jira

Jira Software supports Scrum with:

Scrum Boards: Organize tasks into columns such as “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done” to visually track the flow of work.
Backlog Management: Prioritize, refine, and manage the product backlog, ensuring that the team works on the most valuable items.
Sprint Planning Tools: Set sprint goals, define the scope, and assign issues to the team for the sprint.
Burndown Charts: Track the progress of a sprint by visually showing the work remaining over time.

Scrum is ideal for teams that need structured workflows, clear roles, and predictable timelines.

If you want to learn more, read the whole article about scrum vs agile published on TitanApps blog.