How to improve your Jira Issue Navigation: A step-by-step guide

[#1]

Navigating through a sea of issues in Jira can be overwhelming, especially when managing large projects. The good news is that there are effective ways to streamline this process. As a daily Jira user, I know the struggle of managing countless issues across multiple projects. It's easy to feel overwhelmed, especially when you're trying to prioritize tasks and respond to urgent tickets. However, I've improved my process and increased my team's productivity using the Jira Issue Navigator tool. Let me show you how you can do the same.

Step 1: Identify your Jira navigation pain points

Before diving into solutions, pinpoint the specific challenges you're facing:

1. Are you spending too much time searching for issues?

2. Is it challenging to organize and prioritize tasks?

3. Are you overwhelmed by the volume of information?

Step 2: Access the Jira Issue Navigator 

Jira Issue Navigator is a central hub that lets users easily search, sort, and customize Jira issues, simplifying the process of finding and managing Jira project issues:

1. Access the Issue Navigator by clicking "Issues" in the project sidebar.

2. Use the search bar at the top of the issues table to find issues by filtering by project, assignee, status, and more.

3. Modify the displayed columns, including adding custom fields.

Step 3: Explore Jira issue views

Dive into different issue views and customize them to manage tasks efficiently:

1. The default list view in Jira’s Issue Navigator displays issues in a tabular format, allowing for quick scanning of key details like issue type, priority, status, and assignee. You can customize columns to show relevant fields, including custom ones.
2. The detail view thoroughly overviews a specific issue, including its description, comments, attachments, and history. To access it, click on the desired issue’s “Summary” or “Key”.
3. The agile board view visualizes issues as cards on a board, with each column representing a workflow stage. The view is ideal for teams using agile methodologies like Kanban or Scrum. To access it, go to your project’s “Board” from the project sidebar.
4. The Jira queue view includes queues that enable agents to track their tickets efficiently. While native queues are limited to Service Management projects, the Queues for Jira & JSM app expands this functionality, allowing queues to include tickets from multiple projects. To access native Queues, go to your service project sidebar. To use Queues for Jira & JSM app, download it here.

Step 4: Master search functionality

Master the basic search for quick keyword matches and switch to advanced search with JQL for more complex queries:

1. Click the "BASIC" button above the table with issues and enter keywords, issue keys, or specific criteria into the search bar above the table with issues.

2. For more complex searches, click the "JQL" button and employ Jira Query Language (JQL). 

Step 5: Save search queries

When you create a useful search query, you can save it as a filter for easy access later:

1. Set up your desired basic or advanced search criteria.

2. Click "Save filter" above the search results.

3. Give your filter a name and decide if you want to share it with others.

4. Click “Save” to create a filter.

Step 6: Create and save custom filters

Make your work easier thanks by creating custom filters:

1. Go to “Issue Navigator” by clicking “Issues” in your project sidebar.

2. Choose your basic or advanced search mode.

3. When the search results match your criteria, click “Save filter”.

4. Provide a name and description for your filter, and decide if you want to share it with others.

5. Click “Save” to save your filter.

6. To use your custom filter, access “Filters” at the top of the Jira navigation bar.

Step 7: Export issue data

Exporting issue data from the Issue Navigator is a valuable feature for analyzing issues, generating reports, or sharing information:

1. Go to Issue Navigator and apply the necessary filters.

2. Click the "Export issues" button in the top-right corner.

3. Choose your preferred format and click on it to download the file.

Summary

By following these steps and using the Issue Navigator, you'll find issues faster, organize tasks more efficiently, boost your team's productivity, and transform your Jira experience. 

Remember, the key to success is customization – adjust your tools to fit your unique workflow.

What's your biggest issue with Jira issues? :) Let me know in the comments!

[Laurie Sciutti]

👏