Here are 10 unique JIRA tricks specifically tailored for a Scrum Master role.
These
tricks can help streamline your process, improve team visibility, and make your
work more efficient in managing the Scrum process:
### 1. **Create Custom Dashboards for Key Metrics**
As a Scrum Master, you can create custom dashboards to monitor essential Scrum
metrics such as sprint progress, team velocity, burndown charts, and issue status.
Create a dedicated **Scrum Master Dashboard** to quickly access all necessary data.
- Go to **Dashboards** → **Create Dashboard** → Add gadgets like **Sprint Health**,
**Burndown Chart**, and **Velocity Chart**.
- This provides an overview of your team’s current sprint progress and helps in
daily stand-ups.
---
### 2. **Set Up and Use Scrum/Kanban Boards for Multiple Teams**
JIRA allows you to create multiple boards for a single project, which can be
customized for different Scrum teams. You can create separate boards for team A,
team B, or even a board for **cross-team dependencies**.
- Go to **Boards** → **Create Board** → Choose **Scrum Board** or **Kanban Board**.
- For cross-functional or larger teams, you can filter boards based on specific
criteria (like team names, custom labels, or priority).
---
### 3. **Automated Status Transitions with JIRA Automation**
As a Scrum Master, setting up automation rules to streamline repetitive tasks is
invaluable. For example, automate issue transitions from **To Do** to **In
Progress** when a developer starts working on it.
- Go to **Project Settings** → **Automation** → Create Rule.
- Example rule: “When an issue is moved to the ‘In Progress’ column, automatically
assign the issue to the team member.”
---
### 4. **Use the ‘Epic Burndown’ Report to Track Epic Progress**
Instead of only tracking sprint-level progress, you can use the **Epic Burndown**
report to track progress across larger features (epics).
- Navigate to **Reports** → **Epic Burndown**.
- This gives a visual of how work is progressing towards completing larger
objectives, which is useful for long-term planning.
---
### 5. **Custom Filters for Sprint Backlog and Reporting**
As a Scrum Master, you often need custom views of the sprint backlog based on
specific criteria (e.g., **blocked issues**, **high-priority items**, or **team-
specific issues**).
- Use **Advanced Searching** (JQL) to create filters like:
- `status != Done AND sprint in openSprints() AND priority = High`
- Save these filters to be used in your boards, dashboards, or reports.
---
### 6. **Use the ‘Sprint Health Gadget’ to Track Sprint Progress**
The **Sprint Health Gadget** is useful for visually tracking how well your current
sprint is progressing in terms of issue completion and remaining effort.
- On your Dashboard, add the **Sprint Health Gadget** to monitor progress and
identify bottlenecks quickly.
- This gadget shows how much work is remaining, the number of issues completed, and
any blockers.
---
### 7. **Create and Use ‘Issue Links’ to Track Dependencies**
As a Scrum Master, you can use **issue links** to track cross-team dependencies or
inter-related tasks that need coordination. For example, you can link stories that
are dependent on one another.
- On any issue, use **More → Link** and select the appropriate link type like
“blocks,” “is blocked by,” or “relates to.”
- This will allow you to manage dependencies efficiently and highlight critical
blockers during stand-ups.
---
### 8. **Leverage JIRA’s ‘Board Quick Filters’ to Customize Views**
Quick filters are an excellent way to allow your team members to quickly find
issues relevant to them on a board.
- On a board, go to **Board Settings** → **Quick Filters** → Add a filter like “My
Issues” (filter by assignee) or “Blocked” (filter by custom status).
- This helps team members focus on their tasks and helps you visualize where
problems might be arising.
---
### 9. **Use ‘Bulk Edit’ to Manage Multiple Issues Efficiently**
As a Scrum Master, sometimes you need to make bulk changes to issues, such as
reassigning tasks or changing issue priorities during a sprint.
- Use **Issues → Search for Issues** and create a filter to find the issues you
want to modify.
- Select the issues and then use **Bulk Change** to update the status, priority,
assignee, or other fields for all selected issues at once.
---
### 10. **Create Custom ‘Issue Type’ and ‘Workflows’ for Scrum**
JIRA allows you to create custom **Issue Types** and **Workflows** for specific
Scrum needs. For example, you can create an issue type called “Sprint Task” or “Bug
Fix” and then create a custom workflow for these specific issue types to reflect
their unique process steps.
- Go to **JIRA Settings** → **Issues** → **Issue Types** or **Workflows**.
- This ensures that each team member follows the same steps and stages for
particular types of work.
---
These JIRA tricks can make a significant impact on how you manage your Scrum
process, helping you improve team visibility, streamline workflows, and automate
repetitive tasks.
