Checklists or Sub-tasks in Jira: How to Choose for Your Workflow

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In Jira, there are several ways to break down work, but sub-tasks and checklists are the two most practical when working with larger or structured issues. They both help with progress tracking, but each one works best for different kinds of work.

When sub-tasks make sense

Sub-tasks are separate Jira work items linked to a parent. They generally inherit fields and workflow from the parent issue, but can be configured if needed. They also have their own statuses and can be seen on boards, in sprints, and in reports.

Sub-tasks work well when:

• Each step is large enough that it needs its own Jira issue with history and workflow tracking.

• You need to track time spent, log work, or include the step in sprint or burndown reports.

• Each part moves independently across the board and may require its own discussion, attachments, or custom fields.

When checklists are a cleaner solution

Checklists live inside the parent issue and don’t clutter your board or backlog with extra issues. They’re quick to create, easy to edit, and ideal for lightweight tracking.

They work best when:

• Steps are small and don’t need their own workflow.

• You want to keep all progress visible in one place.

• The same steps are repeated often across issues.

Example: Definition of Done, QA steps, onboarding processes, or content review checklists. They all fit neatly into a checklist without overloading your project with sub-tasks.

Complexity vs. clarity

Sub-tasks add visibility to reporting, but they can make a project feel heavy if they are used for every tiny step.

Checklists keep things simpler and reduce visual noise, but they still offer structure, especially if your checklist app supports per-item assignees, due dates, and progress statistics.

Ownership and reporting

If you need advanced reporting, burndown tracking, or sprint commitments per step, sub-tasks will integrate better with Jira’s native reports.

If your main goal is to ensure every required step is completed without breaking work into multiple issues, checklists keep the work contained and easy to review inside the issue itself.

Making checklists more powerful in Jira Cloud

In Jira Cloud, basic checklists can be created in descriptions or comments, but Marketplace apps unlock more possibilities. With the right app, you can:

• Use checklist templates for repeatable processes.

• Assign individual checklist items to Jira users.

• Track completion rate at a glance.

• Convert checklist items into Jira issues when needed.

For teams concerned with security and data residency, apps with the Runs on Atlassian badge are built on Forge and hosted entirely within Atlassian’s infrastructure, meaning your checklist data stays securely within Atlassian. One such app is Checklist for Jira Cloud | Smart ToDo Lists, which our team developed.

Wrapping up

• Use sub-tasks for larger, trackable pieces of work that need their own workflow and reporting.

• Use checklists for smaller steps, repeatable processes, and when you want to keep everything inside one issue for clarity.