How to Generate Reports in Jira

Edited 5 months ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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JIRA is a popular tool developed by Atlassian that is used for project management and issue tracking. It offers a wide range of features that help in planning, tracking, and managing software development projects. One of the important features for project managers and teams is the ability to generate various reports to analyze progress, performance, and issues within the project. Understanding how to generate and use reports in JIRA can greatly increase the success of your project.

Understanding JIRA reports

JIRA provides a variety of out-of-the-box reports that are essential for tracking the progress of a project. These reports help teams visualize various aspects of issues and projects. Common types of reports include:

• Burndown Chart: Displays the actual and estimated work within a Sprint. This report is useful for Scrum teams to track their Sprint progress.
• Control Chart: Shows the cycle time for your product, version, or sprint. This report helps teams understand the time it takes to resolve issues.
• Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD): Shows the various states of work items within a project over time. This report helps ensure that your work process is consistent.
• Velocity Chart: This chart displays the amount of work completed by the team during a sprint, and the team’s overall performance across multiple sprints.
• Pie Chart Report: Provides a quick view of data, where issues are broken down by specific fields, such as status, assignee, or priority.

Generating reports in JIRA

Creating reports in JIRA is a straightforward process. Follow the steps below to access and create reports available in a JIRA project:

1. Accessing the report in JIRA

To start creating reports, you need to access the JIRA software where your project is located. Follow these steps:

• Log in to your JIRA account and go to the desired project for which you want to generate the report.
• In the sidebar you will find the Reports option. Click on it to see the list of available reports.

2. Selecting a report

Once you reach the Reports section, JIRA will display a list of reports you can create. Each report serves a different purpose, so choosing the right report depends on what data you need. For example:

• If you want to analyze sprint progress, consider creating a burndown chart or a velocity chart.
• Use a cumulative flow diagram to understand the workflow of a project over time.

3. Configuring report parameters

After choosing a report type, configure the report parameters to customize the data displayed. Each report will have different configuration options. Here's how you can configure them:

• Select the version or sprint you want the report for.
• Set other fields, such as issue type, assignee, or label, if applicable.
• Adjust the date range or a specific filter to further refine the report.

For example, when creating a burndown chart, you can set parameters such as sprint and estimation statistics.

4. Viewing and interpreting the report

Once configured, generate a report by clicking the corresponding button or link. The report will be displayed on your screen, and you can interpret the data according to your needs. Here are some basic ways to interpret commonly used reports:

• Burndown chart: Check how the team's work progress is aligning with the sprint timeline. A steeply descending line indicates rapid progress, while a flat line indicates stagnation.
• Velocity Chart: Use this to check the work completed in each sprint compared to the estimated work.
• Control charts: Analyze and recall cycle times to identify bottlenecks in the workflow.

5. Exporting the report

In addition to viewing reports in JIRA, you can also export them for presentation or in-depth analysis:

• Most reports can be exported as PDF or CSV. Look for the Export button or option at the top of the report.
• Choose the format best suited for your use and download the file.

Customizing reports in JIRA

While JIRA provides robust built-in report functionalities, customization capabilities are available if specific needs arise for your project analysis:

Using filter subscriptions

Create filters to customize how issues are asked and presented:

• Access Filters from the JIRA navigation bar and create a new filter.
• Use JQL (JIRA Query Language) to define precise search criteria.
• Save the filter, and you can set up a subscription to receive regular email updates based on that filter.

// Example of JQL for issues assigned to a user
assignee = "username" AND status = "Open" ORDER BY priority DESC

Implementing custom charts with apps

JIRA allows integration with third-party apps for more advanced reporting:

• Use the Atlassian Marketplace to find and install apps like eazyBI or JIRA Align for advanced reporting features.
• These apps may provide additional chart types, dashboards, and custom report-building capabilities.

Creation of dashboard gadgets

Use the Dashboard gadget to create a custom reporting dashboard:

• Create a new dashboard from the Dashboards menu.
• Customize your dashboard by adding gadgets. Gadgets can include charts, pie diagrams, or workload trackers.
• Configure each gadget by linking it to relevant query filters or projects to display accurate data insights.

Using JIRA reports effectively

Reports provide powerful insights but using them effectively requires understanding and strategy:

Regular reviews

• Conduct regular sprint or project reviews, using reports to monitor team performance and identify areas for improvement.

Communicating insights

• Share report information with stakeholders to keep them informed about progress and project status.
• Use reports to aid decision making, discussions, and presentations.

Iterative improvement

• Continuously analyze report data to identify trends and adjust project strategies accordingly for continuous improvement.

By mastering JIRA reports, teams can significantly enhance planning and tracking processes, enabling successful projects to be completed efficiently and effectively. As you continue to use JIRA, explore different reporting features and customization options to tailor information to your project's unique needs.

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