What are the best practices for managing agile workflows in Jira Software?

Question

I’ve been using Jira Software for agile project management, but I’m looking for tips on optimizing workflows and managing sprints more effectively. What are the best strategies for configuring boards, handling backlogs, and ensuring smooth sprint execution?

Alexey Pavlenko _App Developer_ · Answer

Hi @Daniel Brown ,

Specifically regarding managing sprints effectively, you will need to define what the effectiveness is. By tracking these metrics with your team, you can make sprint management effective by default in most situations. Simple metrics, like the Velocity Report or Sprint Report, are provided by JIRA itself.

However, when it comes to more sophisticated needs such as:

Tracking custom JQL metrics

Aggregating sprints into periods (months, quarters, half-years, or years), visualizing, and drilling down the data (e.g., from years to sprints)

Viewing multiple boards/teams on a single screen

Conducting in-place retrospectives

Comparing metrics between teams or periods

Identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing reasons behind mediocre performance, and easily justifying budget allocation for improvements

Viewing Dynamics between the current and previous periods

Viewing % of a metric relative to Initial or Final Scope. Average of metrics for the selected periods

Viewing average of metrics for the selected periods.
* Generating retro reports for SAFe, LeSS, SoS, etc. teams to:

* Compare groups of teams, e.g., Team 1 and Team 5 as one entity versus Team 3 and Team 4 as another.
* Compare periods, e.g., 2024 vs 2023 for Team 1 and Team 5 combined.

you will have to find a 3rd-party app. The functions I described above are completely covered by the app I developed - Multi-team Scrum Metrics & Retrospective.

Standard view:

In-place retrospection:

One of the Retro Reports:

Best regards,
Alexey Pavlenko

Prachi Bolar · Answer

Hi Daniel.

Welcome to community :)

You may refer to below document

- https://www.atlassian.com/agile/project-management/workflow-management

- https://www.atlassian.com/agile/tutorials/sprints

Thank you,

Prachu