Top Alternatives and Additions to Jira Audit Log

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Have you ever wondered who changes something in Jira and fails to do it? Perhaps a sprint was ended too soon, a workflow was viewed differently, or a work item simply disappeared. It is a typical problem for most teams.

This is why auditing in Jira is so important. The audit log helps monitor key changes, identify the source of problems, and ensure project safety. It documents changes to permissions, workflows, and fields.

However, the audit log presents only half the story. It focuses on system settings rather than changes to daily tasks the teams make. It also requires admin access to view, and is not available on the Free plan.

The larger the teams are, the more difficult it becomes to answer simple questions like who changed what in Jira, when did that happen, etc. It is not only a good idea to have a clear audit trail, but it is also the key to trust, compliance, and zero problems in teamwork.

Why Jira’s Built-in Audit Log Isn’t Enough

Jira audit log is useful but limited. It deals with changes at the system level, rather than those that occur to work items on a daily basis.

You can see when a person makes changes to the workflow or changes permissions. However, it is not easy to trace the time a work item changed its status, assignee, or priority. 

(Image source: Atlassian Support)

The deleted work items are only tracked by their number. It is possible to see who deleted them and when, but it isn’t possible to view the work item details, such as title, description, comments, etc. 

It is so that when something goes wrong, such as a task being moved to Done before it should be, or data being lost, the audit log can’t always give you the complete picture.

Another limitation: the audit log can only be viewed by Jira admins. It is not accessible to most team members who may need to know what occurred in a project.

Audit data can be exported; however, it is not easily sorted or filtered. And even at that point, it doesn’t provide an overview of the history of your project.

Concisely, the audit log of Jira is excellent at monitoring the setup and configuration changes. However, it still has some huge gaps in regard to tracking of daily work, compliance checks, or project audits.

Best Alternatives and Additions to Jira’s Audit Log

If you want a clearer picture of what's happening in your Jira projects, there are various options beyond the provided audit log. Some options can extend Jira’s native capabilities, while others can add new ways to track and analyze activity.

So, let’s explore them. 

1. Jira REST API

Jira REST API allows accessing and manipulating audit data in a programmatic way. You can:

• Export audit events to be used in custom dashboards or reports.
• Insert new events of outside systems or plugins.

This is the best choice when technical teams require full control of their audit data and integrations.

It, however, needs scripting knowledge and doesn’t show deleted work items or work item history in detail by default.

👉 Learn more in the Jira Cloud REST API documentation

2. Automation for Jira

The automation rules in Jira are used to build your own coding-free lightweight audit trail. In Jira, you can create rules that respond to nearly any event.

For example:

• When the status of a work item is changed → send an update to Slack or capture the information in a custom field.
• When creating a new work item → share the information in a team channel.

Key activities can easily be monitored in real time through automation. You may automatically log changes, notifications to teams when something significant occurs, or even maintain your own change log within a project of its own.

It is strong and versatile, but with limitations. All the rules must be written by hand, and a large number of rules may become complicated over time. There is also the spread of data across various locations, such as comments, custom fields, or notifications, rather than centralizing it in a log.

In short, Jira automation is ideal for monitoring specific workflows or events, but it is not a comprehensive substitute for a detailed audit system.

👉 Learn more about Jira automation

3. Jira History of issues (by SaaSJet)

Issue History Jira is an app that allows you to monitor all changes at the work item level in a simple, visual manner. It records all updates, including changes to status and assignees, priority, due dates, and descriptions, and even keeps a record of deleted work items, allowing them to be restored, which the native Jira audit log doesn’t.

It is easy to filter changes by project, user, date range, or specific field to see who made a change and when. This will simplify the process of auditing activities, conducting compliance audits, or conducting post-project audits.

It is also possible to export reports to CSV or Excel, making documentation easier for managers, auditors, or QA teams.

It is worth noting that Issue History for Jira doesn’t monitor system-wide changes, such as workflow or permission changes. It instead supplements the built-in Jira audit log because most work within projects occurs daily, where collaboration, decisions, and accountability take place.

👉 Learn more: Issue History for Jira on Atlassian Marketplace

Summing Up

All these options can be good additions to the Jira audit log. The REST API provides technical teams with extensive custom control. Jira automation helps develop simple, rule-based tracking.

Issue History for Jira app provides a clear picture of changes to work items on a daily basis.

They collectively bridge gaps in the Jira audit log, providing teams with greater visibility, accountability, and confidence across all projects.