Have you ever worked with a freelancer who doesn’t have Jira access? Then you probably know the routine: manual updates, emails about shifting deadlines, and calls to walk through the latest changes.
The freelancer may not need access to your entire Jira project. But they do need to know when their work is due, when something is ready for review, or when a launch date changes. So how do you keep everyone on the same schedule without adding another communication task to your day?
What if Jira and Google Calendar shared the schedule?
Imagine your team is working on a new marketing campaign in Jira. Your internal team manages tasks, deadlines, reviews, and the launch there. A freelance designer is responsible for several deliverables.
This is where Google Calendar Bridge for Jira can help. Instead of manually communicating every date change, you can synchronize the relevant Jira work with Google Calendar.
Your team continues managing the project in Jira, while the freelancer follows the dates they need in Google Calendar. You can choose which Jira work to synchronize using a project, saved filter, or JQL and select the Jira date fields that should appear in the calendar. This means you don't have to expose the whole Jira project just to communicate a schedule.
And when the schedule changes?
The synchronization works both ways. If a date changes in Jira, the synchronized Google Calendar event is updated. If you need to reschedule from Google Calendar, you can drag an event to another date and synchronize that change back to Jira. Event details such as the summary and description can also be updated.
Your team works in Jira. Your freelancer follows the schedule in Google Calendar. Both stay aligned as the plan changes.
Share the calendar, not Jira access
Once your Jira work is synchronized, you can use Google Calendar's sharing permissions to give the freelancer access. You decide whether they can only view the calendar or make changes.
The same workflow can be useful when working with agencies, contractors, customers, partners, or anyone else who needs visibility into your project schedule without necessarily working in Jira.
How to set it up
The workflow is straightforward:
- Connect your Google account to Google Calendar Bridge for Jira.
- Create a Google Calendar for the project or collaboration.
- Create a bridge and select that calendar.
- Choose the Jira work you want to synchronize.
- Select the Jira date or date-time fields you want to use.
- Create the bridge and let synchronization keep the schedule up to date.
- Share the Google Calendar with the people who need access.
🎥 Want to see the complete setup? Watch our step-by-step tutorial to see how to connect Jira with Google Calendar, configure your first bridge, synchronize changes, and share the resulting calendar: How to Connect Jira to Google Calendar | Google Calendar Bridge for Jira
