Cómo Gestionar el Backlog en Jira

Efficient project management is critical to the success of any development team. Jira has become an indispensable tool for implementing agile methodologies such as Scrum, allowing you to organize tasks, set priorities and track progress in a visual and intuitive way. Mastering this platform will give you a significant competitive advantage in today's professional world.

How to start using Jira to manage projects with Scrum?

To start your journey with Jira, the first step is to create an account on Jira.com. The platform offers a free version with premium access for 30 days, which will allow you to explore all its functionalities with no initial commitment.

Once registered, you must create your first project using the Scrum template. It is important to select the "company-managed" option, as this will allow you to standardize configurations for several projects simultaneously, which is very useful when you manage multiple teams or initiatives.

After creating your project, go to the "Backlog" section in the left side menu. This area is fundamental in Scrum, as it contains all the tasks necessary to meet the project objectives.

What is the structure of the backlog in Jira?

In Jira, the backlog is divided into two main levels that are displayed on the same screen:

1. Product Backlog: This is the main container where all the tasks created for the project are located. These issues represent work that must eventually be done, but do not yet have a specific priority. It is located at the end of the list, marked as "Backlog". This item is managed by the Product Owner, who prioritizes the tasks according to their importance and value to the project.

2. Sprint Backlog: This is a subset of the Product Backlog that contains the issues selected for work during a specific sprint. These tasks represent the team's commitment for a given period. During the sprint planning, the issues are moved from the Product Backlog to the Sprint Backlog.

The relationship between the two is clear: while the Product Backlog functions as a general container of work, the Sprint Backlog is a specific list of committed work for a sprint. This structure allows the team to work iteratively and deliver value continuously.

What types of issues exist in Jira and how are they organized hierarchically?

In Jira, an issue is any unit of work to be performed within a project. These issues make up both the Product Backlog and the Sprint Backlog and are commonly referred to as tasks in Scrum.

Issues are hierarchically structured to divide work into manageable chunks, facilitating the continuous delivery of value and tracking of work performed:

Epics

They represent large blocks of work that are broken down into smaller parts. They are the highest level within the hierarchy and are not completed directly, as they depend on the development of the component tasks. In Jira, epics are not shown in the main backlog, but in the "Timeline" tab or in the epic view.

User stories

They represent functionalities from the end user's perspective. They are written with a specific structure: "As [user type], I want [goal] for [benefit]". These stories help keep the focus on the user's needs and are the next level in the hierarchy after epics.

Tasks

They are at the same level as user stories and are specific activities that the team must perform to complete a user story or goal within the sprint. They are more technical and detailed, and can be divided into subtasks if necessary.

Subtasks

These are the lowest level in the hierarchy. They are created within a user story or task to break the work into smaller, more manageable steps.

Bugs

Represent problems or bugs that need to be resolved during development. They do not have a specific hierarchy, as they can arise at any time and should be prioritized according to their impact on the project.

Where are issues visualized in Jira?

Jira offers several views to manage and visualize tasks according to the project context:

1. Timeline: it is located in the side menu, above "Backlog". Here you can see the epics in calendar format along with the user stories, tasks, bugs and subtasks that compose them. This view is useful for long-term planning, allowing you to visualize all tasks and understand how they relate to each other.

2. Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog: As we saw earlier, here are the tasks for the entire project and those to which the team is committed for the active sprint.

3. Dashboard: Shows all the issues that were moved from the Product Backlog to the Sprint Backlog and are active for the current sprint. They are divided into three columns: "To Do", "In Progress" and "Done", making it easy to visualize the progress of the project.

Other types of issues in Jira

In addition to the types mentioned above, Jira offers other types of issues for more complex projects:

• Initiatives: these are a higher level than epics and are used to group several related epics, usually on more ambitious goals that require the collaboration of multiple teams.

[Initiative] → [Epic] → [User Story/Task] → [Subtask].

Jira's flexibility allows you to tailor these issue types according to the specific needs of each project or team.

Mastering the structure and hierarchy of issues in Jira will allow you to better organize your work, prioritize tasks efficiently and keep a clear track of your project's progress. Constant practice with this tool will help you take full advantage of its capabilities for agile project management.

Have you used Jira in your projects? Share in the comments what types of issues you have found most useful and how you have adapted them to your specific needs.