Jira workflows are the backbone of how work moves through your team’s process. Whether you’re managing software development, IT support, or any other type of project, a well-designed workflow can improve clarity, accountability, and efficiency. In this post, I’ll walk you through the steps to create a workflow in Jira, along with some best practices to keep your team productive.

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Step 1: Define Your Process

Before diving into Jira, take a step back and map out your team’s actual workflow. Think about:

• What statuses do issues go through? (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Review, Done)
• Who needs to take action at each stage?
• Are there approval steps or conditions that must be met?
• Should certain transitions be restricted to specific roles?

A simple whiteboard sketch or flowchart can help visualize this before you start building it in Jira.

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Step 2: Navigate to Jira Workflows

Now, let’s jump into Jira:

1. Go to Jira Administration (⚙️ icon) > Issues.
2. Under Workflows, click Add Workflow.
3. Give your workflow a clear name and description (this will help later when you have multiple workflows).

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Step 3: Add Statuses

Statuses represent the different stages of your workflow. Jira provides some defaults, but you can create custom ones to match your process.

• Click Add Status and choose a meaningful name (e.g., “Awaiting Approval”).
• Assign a category: To Do, In Progress, or Done. This determines where the status appears on a board.
• Repeat for each stage in your workflow.

Pro Tip: Keep statuses as simple as possible. Too many can lead to confusion and slow down your team.

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Step 4: Configure Transitions

Transitions define how an issue moves from one status to another. For each transition:

• Click Add Transition and choose the starting and ending status.
• Name the transition (e.g., “Start Work” for moving from To Do → In Progress).
• Set transition rules if needed (e.g., only project leads can approve a transition).

Consider adding:

• Validators to ensure required fields are filled before moving forward.
• Conditions to restrict who can perform transitions.
• Post-functions to automate actions like assigning an issue or adding a comment.

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Step 5: Publish & Assign the Workflow

Once your workflow is set up:

1. Click Publish (or save as a draft if you need to test first).
2. Assign it to a Workflow Scheme.
3. Map the scheme to a Project, so it takes effect for relevant issue types.

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Best Practices for Jira Workflows

• Start simple and iterate. Avoid overcomplicating with too many statuses or conditions.
• Align with how your team actually works. If your process changes, update the workflow accordingly.
• Use automation wisely. Set up post-functions to auto-assign tasks or notify stakeholders when issues move forward.
• Regularly review and optimize. Workflows should evolve with your team’s needs.
• Don’t forget about cancelled work and failures. These include “not approved”, and “won’t do” or “cannot reproduce”.

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Final Thoughts

A well-structured workflow keeps your team aligned and ensures work moves smoothly. Take the time to plan before implementing, test with your team, and refine as needed.

Got questions or need help fine-tuning your Jira workflows? Let’s chat in the comments or reach out via Contact!