jira-expert

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name: "jira-expert" description: Atlassian Jira expert for creating and managing projects, planning, product discovery, JQL queries, workflows, custom fields, automation, reporting, and all Jira features. Use for Jira project setup, configuration, advanced search, dashboard creation, workflow design, and technical Jira operations.

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Atlassian Jira Expert

Master-level expertise in Jira configuration, project management, JQL, workflows, automation, and reporting. Handles all technical and operational aspects of Jira.

Quick Start — Most Common Operations

Create a project:

mcp jira create_project --name "My Project" --key "MYPROJ" --type scrum --lead "user@example.com"

Run a JQL query:

mcp jira search_issues --jql "project = MYPROJ AND status != Done AND dueDate < now()" --maxResults 50

For full command reference, see Atlassian MCP Integration. For JQL functions, see JQL Functions Reference. For report templates, see Reporting Templates.

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Workflows

Project Creation

1. Determine project type (Scrum, Kanban, Bug Tracking, etc.) 2. Create project with appropriate template 3. Configure project settings: - Name, key, description - Project lead and default assignee - Notification scheme - Permission scheme 4. Set up issue types and workflows 5. Configure custom fields if needed 6. Create initial board/backlog view 7. HANDOFF TO: Scrum Master for team onboarding

Workflow Design

1. Map out process states (To Do → In Progress → Done) 2. Define transitions and conditions 3. Add validators, post-functions, and conditions 4. Configure workflow scheme 5. Validate: Deploy to a test project first; verify all transitions, conditions, and post-functions behave as expected before associating with production projects 6. Associate workflow with project 7. Test workflow with sample issues

JQL Query Building

Basic Structure: field operator value

Common Operators:

=, != : equals, not equals

~, !~ : contains, not contains

>, <, >=, <= : comparison

in, not in : list membership

is empty, is not empty

was, was in, was not

changed

Powerful JQL Examples:

Find overdue issues:

dueDate < now() AND status != Done

Sprint burndown issues:

sprint = 23 AND status changed TO "Done" DURING (startOfSprint(), endOfSprint())

Find stale issues:

updated < -30d AND status != Done

Cross-project epic tracking:

"Epic Link" = PROJ-123 ORDER BY rank

Velocity calculation:

sprint in closedSprints() AND resolution = Done

Team capacity:

assignee in (user1, user2) AND sprint in openSprints()

Dashboard Creation

1. Create new dashboard (personal or shared) 2. Add relevant gadgets: - Filter Results (JQL-based) - Sprint Burndown - Velocity Chart - Created vs Resolved - Pie Chart (status distribution) 3. Arrange layout for readability 4. Configure automatic refresh 5. Share with appropriate teams 6. HANDOFF TO: Senior PM or Scrum Master for use

Automation Rules

1. Define trigger (issue created, field changed, scheduled) 2. Add conditions (if applicable) 3. Define actions: - Update field - Send notification - Create subtask - Transition issue - Post comment 4. Test automation with sample data 5. Enable and monitor

Advanced Features

Custom Fields

When to Create:

Track data not in standard fields

Capture process-specific information

Enable advanced reporting

Field Types: Text, Numeric, Date, Select (single/multi/cascading), User picker

Configuration: 1. Create custom field 2. Configure field context (which projects/issue types) 3. Add to appropriate screens 4. Update search templates if needed

Issue Linking

Link Types:

Blocks / Is blocked by

Relates to

Duplicates / Is duplicated by

Clones / Is cloned by

Epic-Story relationship

Best Practices:

Use Epic linking for feature grouping

Use blocking links to show dependencies

Document link reasons in comments

Permissions & Security

Permission Schemes:

Browse Projects

Create/Edit/Delete Issues

Administer Projects

Manage Sprints

Security Levels:

Define confidential issue visibility

Control access to sensitive data

Audit security changes

Bulk Operations

Bulk Change: 1. Use JQL to find target issues 2. Select bulk change operation 3. Choose fields to update 4. Validate: Preview all changes before executing; confirm the JQL filter matches only intended issues — bulk edits are difficult to reverse 5. Execute and confirm 6. Monitor background task

Bulk Transitions:

Move multiple issues through workflow

Useful for sprint cleanup

Requires appropriate permissions

Validate: Run the JQL filter and review results in small batches before applying at scale

JQL Functions Reference

> Tip: Save frequently used queries as named filters instead of re-running complex JQL ad hoc. See Best Practices for performance guidance.

Date: startOfDay(), endOfDay(), startOfWeek(), endOfWeek(), startOfMonth(), endOfMonth(), startOfYear(), endOfYear()

Sprint: openSprints(), closedSprints(), futureSprints()

User: currentUser(), membersOf("group")

Advanced: issueHistory(), linkedIssues(), issuesWithFixVersions()

Reporting Templates

> Tip: These JQL snippets can be saved as shared filters or wired directly into Dashboard gadgets (see Dashboard Creation).

| Report | JQL | |---|---| | Sprint Report | project = PROJ AND sprint = 23 | | Team Velocity | assignee in (team) AND sprint in closedSprints() AND resolution = Done | | Bug Trend | type = Bug AND created >= -30d | | Blocker Analysis | priority = Blocker AND status != Done |

Decision Framework

When to Escalate to Atlassian Admin:

Need new project permission scheme

Require custom workflow scheme across org

User provisioning or deprovisioning

License or billing questions

System-wide configuration changes

When to Collaborate with Scrum Master:

Sprint board configuration

Backlog prioritization views

Team-specific filters

Sprint reporting needs

When to Collaborate with Senior PM:

Portfolio-level reporting

Cross-project dashboards

Executive visibility needs

Multi-project dependencies

Handoff Protocols

FROM Senior PM:

Project structure requirements

Workflow and field needs

Reporting requirements

Integration needs

TO Senior PM:

Cross-project metrics

Issue trends and patterns

Workflow bottlenecks

Data quality insights

FROM Scrum Master:

Sprint board configuration requests

Workflow optimization needs

Backlog filtering requirements

Velocity tracking setup

TO Scrum Master:

Configured sprint boards

Velocity reports

Burndown charts

Team capacity views

Best Practices

Data Quality:

Enforce required fields with field validation rules

Use consistent issue key naming conventions per project type

Schedule regular cleanup of stale/orphaned issues

Performance:

Avoid leading wildcards in JQL (~ on large text fields is expensive)

Use saved filters instead of re-running complex JQL ad hoc

Limit dashboard gadgets to reduce page load time

Archive completed projects rather than deleting to preserve history

Governance:

Document rationale for custom workflow states and transitions

Version-control permission/workflow schemes before making changes

Require change management review for org-wide scheme updates

Run permission audits after user role changes

Atlassian MCP Integration

Primary Tool: Jira MCP Server

Key Operations with Example Commands:

Create a project:

mcp jira create_project --name "My Project" --key "MYPROJ" --type scrum --lead "user@example.com"

Execute a JQL query:

mcp jira search_issues --jql "project = MYPROJ AND status != Done AND dueDate < now()" --maxResults 50

Update an issue field:

mcp jira update_issue --issue "MYPROJ-42" --field "status" --value "In Progress"

Create a sprint:

mcp jira create_sprint --board 10 --name "Sprint 5" --startDate "2024-06-01" --endDate "2024-06-14"

Create a board filter:

mcp jira create_filter --name "Open Blockers" --jql "priority = Blocker AND status != Done" --shareWith "project-team"

Integration Points:

Pull metrics for Senior PM reporting

Configure sprint boards for Scrum Master

Create documentation pages for Confluence Expert

Support template creation for Template Creator

Related Skills

Confluence Expert (project-management/confluence-expert/) — Documentation complements Jira workflows

Atlassian Admin (project-management/atlassian-admin/) — Permission and user management for Jira projects

Data Quality:

Enforce required fields with field validation rules

Use consistent issue key naming conventions per project type

Schedule regular cleanup of stale/orphaned issues

Performance:

Avoid leading wildcards in JQL (~ on large text fields is expensive)

Use saved filters instead of re-running complex JQL ad hoc

Limit dashboard gadgets to reduce page load time

Archive completed projects rather than deleting to preserve history

Governance:

Document rationale for custom workflow states and transitions

Version-control permission/workflow schemes before making changes

Require change management review for org-wide scheme updates

Run permission audits after user role changes