Jira Subtask or Checklist. What is better to use?

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Jira subtasks and checklists are essential to any issue management tool. Let's establish the fact that tasks and subtasks are the building blocks of any project. If you want to ensure that a task is executed correctly the next time it's due, you can either break it down into smaller subtasks or add a checklist. We can discuss both options in more detail below.

Using Subtask Template for Project Management

Setting up Jira subtasks not only helps you plan your work but also keeps you organized. You can always go back and view the tasks and subtasks at any time, even if you start working on a project and don't finish it right away. 

Subtasks in Jira are similar to tasks in many ways. They have:

• a due date, 
• an owner, 
• and a description. 

The only difference is that a subtask can have one or more children's tasks, while a task can only have one parent.

Child issues can be searched with JQL, reported on, and used with applications or integrations.

How to Create Subtask in Jira?

Let's say you're working on a marketing plan for your product company. You can break down the marketing plan into four subtasks, each representing a specific project phase. The due date for each of the tasks is set to two weeks from now. You can set the status of each of the tasks to "In Progress" with a due date of two weeks from now. In this case, the final task will be completed two weeks from now.

More about subtask template creation you can find in the Atlassian support article.

How to Use Jira Checklists?

The beauty of using checklists in Jira is that it keeps everything in one place and takes control of productivity. With Recurring Checklists and Report, you can see what needs to be done, set up a plan to achieve it, and work through tasks in the most efficient order. Checking off each item on the list offers a sense of accomplishment and helps ensure that all tasks are completed.

You can also use checklists for specific tasks in Jira. Let's say your product development team has been assigned the task of designing the packaging for your new product. You can add a checklist to the issue to ensure that every step is completed correctly. 

How does Recurring Checklists and Report Works?

Follow these steps to quickly create a Jira checklist:

1. To get started, move all points of the task to the checklist.
   You can create a fully comprehensive guide with:

• action items, 
• links,
• tables,
• lists, and more using the checklist menu.

You can mention a user for each item from the checklist and have multiple agents working using the same list. To give an example, you can choose the project and assignee(s) who is responsible for the specific task.

2. Set up recurrence

You can establish specific parameters for task development by making a list, so you don't have to ever again create the same tasks over and over and won't have to bother about forgetting something essential.

Moreover, you can stop recurrence for a specific period. 

3. Take control of task performance

With a one-page report, you can easily control the execution of tasks, loading, and make decisions. Once you open the report, you’ll directly have a comprehensive understanding of the project process, what stages are already completed, and which are still waiting to be done.

How to Choose Between Jira Subtask or Checklist?

Sub-tasks and checklists are not completely different, but they do serve distinct requirements. Jira has a lot of built-in capabilities, but an app, such as Checkflow, can often streamline the process.

When to use it?	Checklist	Subtask
The parent issue is a large task that influences many areas		+
The main task needs to be delegated between different team members		+
Definition of done is required	+
The tasks need to be tracked separately		+
Acceptance criteria list	+
The instructions or guidelines	+
List of requirements	+

Conclusion

In our team, we use, Recurring Checklists and Report for accomplishing simple tasks that aren't time-sensitive or require a lot of effort. They can be a great solution for breaking big tasks into smaller components without taking up too much space in your calendar. And when we need to collaborate with numerous team members, we use the Jira subtask.