Jira Action Items vs Checklist Apps: Which Is Better for Your Team

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Jira action items are a newly introduced feature from Atlassian that allow you to include checkboxes in Jira  rich text fields.  Since their introduction, users have been asking about advanced uses such as cloning with an issue and integration with Jira automation. This article will provide a comparison of Jira Action Items vs Checklists for Jira, the leading checklist app available in the Atlassian Marketplace. (Note that I am with the team from Checklists for Jira).

What Are Jira Action Items and How Do You Create Them ?

Jira action items are clickable checkboxes that can be added to any rich text Jira field (description, comments, custom paragraph field, etc.) As with Confluence action items, users can create action items in Jira by:

• Selecting the checkbox icon in the text formatting menu
• Typing a pair of square brackets “[ ]”
• Using the  “/ action Item” slash command

How Can You Use Action Items ?

Using Jira Action Items to Organize Work

Most Jira issues will have a series of steps that need to be carried out before the issues is done. Having to choose between using unstructured data in the Description field, or creating a subtask can be frustrating. Action items will be a welcome addition in this case. 

However, if your process requires a different set of steps between each status in your workflow, then it would be more advantageous to use a separate checklist which can be updated by Jira automation as the issue progresses through the workflow.

Also note that with the checklists app, users to create multiple checklists on the issue and to view them in either list or tab view. If you want that further level of structure without using an app, your Jira administrator will need to create separate text fields beforehand.

Using Jira Action Items for Agile Processes

Agile development processes such as Definition of Done work great with a checklist, and you can absolutely create a DOD list in your Description field, or add it as a comment. The challenge here is repeatability. If you’re wanting to use a standardized Definition of Done across multiple issues and even multiple projects, then you’ll want to be able to save the list as a template and automatically apply it to issues.

Using Jira Action Items to Plan Work

Few thing are better for planning than an organized list. You can use action items to list out work that needs to be done on an issue (now or later).

Here, the distinguishing feature between action items and the checklist app is that a Checklist for Jira item can be converted into a separate issue or subtask in a single click. So, for example, if the amount of issues accumulating in your backlog makes you crazy, you can instead create one Epic issue with a checklist on it. Then when you’re ready to start work on that epic, you can create the checklist items into issue.

Using Jira Action Items for QA and Compliance

A checkbox is a great tool for enhancing QA and accountability, and many users will likely use Jira Action items to ensure compliance. It you need to go a step farther, then use a checklist app that allows you to set an enforcement mechanism such as a workflow validator. Your compliance team will thank you.

Jira Action Items FAQ

Do Jira Action Items work with Jira Automation ?

No, not at the moment. When Atlassian announced the release of Jira action items, one of the first questions posed was whether or not action items can be created via automation. As of this writing, Atlassian has not replied, but a few brave souls gave it a try using markdown. They were not successful, so if you need to integrate checklists with automation, you’ll need a third-party app.

Can Jira Action Items in JSM Projects Be Toggled by Both Agents and Customers ?

Another user asked if Jira action items would be available in all project types and how action items would function on the JSM portal. Atlassian hasn´t yet replied, so here´s what I can report from testing in our Cloud premium instance:

• Jira Action items are available in Jira Software Projects
• Jira Action items are not currently available in Jira Business Projects
• In JSM Projects, action items are available in the agent view, but cannot be created by customers on the portal. (Neither the slash command, nor the icon are available in the portal, and typing square brackets does not create a checkbox.)

Jira Action Items are not available in the JSM Customer Portal.

When an agent creates and/or checks a Jira action item, that update is shown on the portal. However, if a customer checks a Jira action item that the agent created, the change is not saved.

‍So if you want to share your lists with customers, use a Checklist app.

Can You Search for the Completion State of a Jira Action Item ?

Another user asked about JQL, wanting to know if you can search for checked action items. This does not appear to be supported and searching for square brackets in a text field did not yield the needed results, while Checklist apps can support JQL Expressions.

Jira Action Items vs Checklists for Jira Feature Comparison

Users will likely find Jira Action Items to be convenient for creating ad-hoc to-do lists on an issue in cases where creating a subtask would be overkill. However, if your use case calls for more advanced functionality such as integrating with automation, validating that a list is complete, or applying the same list to multiple issues, you’ll want to use a third-party checklist app such as Checklists for Jira.