Trying to figure out whether you need a Timeline, Plans, or a Roadmap? You’re not alone. These views can look similar at first, but each one is designed for a different planning job.
Here’s a quick, practical guide to help you choose the right one!
Quick comparison:
View | Best for | Scope | Visibility |
|---|
Timeline | Team and delivery planning | One Jira space | Licensed Jira users (any edition) |
Plans | Cross-team and portfolio planning | Multiple Jira spaces | Licensed Jira users (Premium - Enterprise only) |
Roadmap | Product direction and prioritization | Jira Product Discovery | Configurable: Licensed Jira users OR Public (anyone with the link) |
Timeline: plan work in a single Jira space
Use Timeline when your work lives in a single Jira space and you want a straightforward view of what’s happening and when.
- Plan and schedule work for one team or space.
- See issues, dates, dependencies, and progress in one place.
- Share a clear view of the team’s near-term or ongoing work.
Good fit: Team-level planning, sprint and release coordination, and keeping day-to-day work on track.
Plans: coordinate work across spaces
Jira Plans has four out-of-the-box views with the ability to create additional custom views as needed. Above is the capacity view.
Use Plans (formerly called Advanced Roadmaps) when planning gets more complex. Plans can bring work together from multiple Jira spaces and support a custom hierarchy, so you can plan at a higher level.
- Combine work from multiple teams or spaces.
- Create a hierarchy that matches how your organization plans.
- Model longer-term scenarios and understand how changes affect delivery.
Good fit: Cross-team planning, portfolio planning, capacity conversations, and larger initiatives that span multiple teams.
Roadmap: shape what to build next
Jira Product Discovery has five out-of-the-box views, with the ability to create more. The screenshot above is from the public roadmap for JPD.
Use a Roadmap from Jira Product Discovery to communicate product direction before your ideas become delivery work in Jira.
- Capture and prioritize customer problems, ideas, and opportunities.
- Group ideas into themes or outcomes.
- Share a product direction that’s easy for stakeholders to understand.
Good fit: Product discovery, prioritization, and communicating what’s being considered next and why.
Want a quick, help me choose?
Choose Timeline for one Jira space, Plans for connected work across multiple spaces, and Roadmap for product discovery and communicating direction.
Still deciding? Start with the audience and the question you’re trying to answer: What are we delivering? Use Timeline or Plans. What should we build next? Start with a Roadmap.
