A Jira board is a visual representation of the workflow that tracks the status of various tasks and issues. It provides a simple and intuitive interface to monitor and manage the progress of current work. Jira boards are highly customizable and can be adapted to fit various types of workflows, whether it’s for software development, project management, or task tracking.
There are two main types of boards in Jira: Scrum boards and Kanban boards.
- Scrum Boards: These are used by teams that plan their work in sprints (usually 1-4 weeks long). A Scrum board will typically have columns for the stages of work, such as “To Do”, “In Progress”, and “Done”. At the start of each sprint, tasks are moved from the backlog to the “To Do” column, and as work progresses, they’re moved to the subsequent columns.
- Kanban Boards: These are used by teams that prioritize a continuous flow of work and don’t plan their tasks in sprints. Like Scrum boards, Kanban boards also have columns for each stage of work, but tasks can be added and moved as needed, not just at the start of a sprint. Kanban boards often use Work in Progress (WIP) limits to ensure that team members aren’t overloaded with too many tasks at once.
In both types of boards, each task or issue is represented by a card that includes key details like the assignee, a brief description, due date, and more. The goal of a Jira board is to make the team’s work and workflow visible, promote collaboration, and help teams manage and optimize their work processes.
