If you're a new Scrum Master — or managing your own agile process with Zenhub — chances are you’ve thought:
“Wait… am I using this the right way?”
I’ve been a Scrum Master for over 4 years, and I’ve run 100+ Sprints across multiple teams. Zenhub is powerful, but without a clear setup and a lightweight process, it can get messy really fast.
If you’re running your first few Sprints in Zenhub, this guide will save you hours. I put together a guide based on 100+ Sprints — with checklists, templates, and real facilitation tips.
This post is a breakdown of how to use Zenhub effectively as a Scrum Master, with just the essentials:
✅ Clean workflows
✅ Epics that stay organized
✅ The right reports
✅ Fewer clicks, more clarity
Let’s jump in.
🧱 1. Set up a Workflow That Matches Reality
Your Zenhub Board is your team’s visual heartbeat. But most default boards include too many stages. I’ve found this simple setup works best for 95% of teams:
**To Do
In Progress
Review / Testing
Done**
💡 Optional: Add “Blocked” or “Ready for Review” if your team prefers more visibility.
Pro tip: Use Zenhub automations to move cards when PRs are opened/merged. It saves a ton of manual board wrangling.
🧩 2. Use Epics Strategically
Epics are great — until they become vague “buckets” that collect random issues.
How I use them:
Keep Epics goal-focused (e.g. “Improve onboarding experience” not “UI updates”)
Link only issues directly contributing to that goal
🔥 Bonus tip: Add an acceptance checklist inside the Epic description. It helps the team define “done” at a higher level.
🏷 3. Keep Issue Types Clear
Zenhub doesn’t enforce strict issue types — you define your own system. Use labels like:
story – user-facing work
bug – defects
task – tech debt or behind-the-scenes work
retro-action – improvement items from retros
spike – timeboxed research
✅ Label consistently
✅ Create GitHub issue templates to ensure that the team follows the agreed upon structure.
📈 4. Focus on These Reports
Zenhub has lots of reports, but for Scrum, I only check these regularly:
✅ Burndown Chart
Use it to guide mid-Sprint conversations
Don’t panic if you’re “behind” — look for patterns, not perfection
✅ Velocity Report
Great for planning future Sprints
Use average story points completed (not one-off spikes)
✅ Lead Time / Cycle Time
Helpful for spotting bottlenecks
If “In Progress” items sit too long, something’s stuck
🎁 Want the Full Toolkit?
I turned all of these insights into a lightweight, no-fluff toolkit called the Zenhub Agile Toolkit.
It includes:
- ✔ Checklists for Daily Scrum, Sprint Planning, and Retros
- ✔ A Zenhub setup guide
- ✔ People-focused coaching tips
- ✔ Templates and real meeting formats All based on real-world Scrum, not theory.
Here's a preview of what's inside:
You’ll get checklists like this for all the key Scrum meetings, plus Zenhub setup tips, and people-first facilitation advice.
👉 Want the full Zenhub Agile Toolkit?
Get the 3-part PDF bundle + templates here.
💬 Final Thoughts
Zenhub is one of the better tools for dev-focused teams — but it needs a little shaping. With the right workflow and just a few best practices, it can become your team’s most reliable dashboard.
Let me know in the comments:
What’s one thing you struggled with when setting up Zenhub or running your first Sprints? 👇
Top comments (1)
Just added a visual preview of the checklist format! Let me know if this helps you out.