I’ve met engineers who can solve dynamic programming problems in their sleep but freeze when someone asks, “How would you handle sprint planning in Jira?” I get it most of us learned algorithms, not workflow management. But interviewers love throwing Jira questions to see if you’ve actually shipped something with a team, not just coded in a vacuum.

When I was prepping for my first big tech coding interviews, I bombed one just because I couldn’t explain how tickets move from backlog to done. That’s when I started building Interview Coder to fix that exact gap. In this guide, I’ll show you the kind of Jira interview questions that catch people off guard and how to talk through them clearly, like someone who’s actually managed real projects.

If you want extra practice, Interview Coder’s AI Interview Assistant mock interviews can guide you through Jira workflows, boards, and permissions step by step, so you sound like someone who’s been in the trenches, not just memorized the docs.

Why Interviewers Throw Jira Questions at You (and What They’re Actually Looking For)

Let’s be real, nobody dreams of getting grilled about Jira in an interview. But if you're interviewing for any engineering role that even smells like team collaboration or product work, Jira is probably going to come up. I used to dread these.

Not because Jira is hard (it’s not), but because the questions are so... niche. One time, I got asked to explain how I’d configure a custom workflow with transitions, conditions, and screen schemes. Like, cool, let me just draw you a diagram on this napkin. Here’s what I’ve learned after sitting through enough of these:

What They’re Really Testing With Jira Questions

They’re not just checking whether you know what an "epic" is. They want to know:

Can you keep a sprint from turning into chaos?
Do you understand how actual teams use this tool, not just where buttons live?
Can you walk into a messy project and make Jira make sense?

Expect questions that cover:

Creating projects
Customizing issue types and screens
Permissions (yes, those random checkboxes matter)
Boards (scrum vs kanban, and how not to screw them up)
Filters, dashboards, and automations
How do you connect Jira with Confluence, GitHub, or Bitbucket

If you’re thinking “that’s a lot,” yeah, it is. But the questions follow a pattern.

They’re Checking if You’ve Actually Used Jira

If your only experience with Jira was clicking “Done” once a day, you’ll get exposed fast. These questions are designed to sniff out real usage:

Ever built a workflow from scratch?
Did you tweak notifications or set up automation rules?
Can you explain why you added a validator on a transition?

They want examples. Not textbook answers. I once talked about how I cleaned up a bloated backlog by setting up a Jira Query Language (JQL) filter that flagged untouched tickets after 30 days. The interviewer didn’t say a word, just nodded and moved on. That’s when I knew I nailed it.

You’ll Get Thrown Into Scenarios: Here’s How to Handle Them

“Let’s say your team is mid-sprint and suddenly bug reports double overnight. What do you do?”

That’s not theory. That’s Tuesday.

These scenario questions test your ability to use Jira under pressure effectively. Think:

How you’d use filters to sort through the noise
What validators or conditions do you add to prevent chaos
Whether you involve a PM before changing a workflow (pro tip: always)

There’s no perfect answer; they’re watching how you think.

Jira Questions Are Also About Your Agile Chops

Most companies don’t run Jira in a vacuum. They run it with standups, retros, sprint planning, and all the other rituals. So, yeah, they’re going to ask:

How do you use Jira to run sprint planning?
What do you check in a daily standup?
Can you explain what a velocity chart actually means?

If you’ve ever been the person explaining burndown charts to a confused manager, you're golden here.

Collaboration: The Sneaky Skill Behind Jira Mastery

Jira isn’t just tickets. It’s people trying not to drop the ball.

Interviewers want to hear how you’ve:

Used @mentions and watchers to avoid miscommunication
Structured permissions so interns don’t accidentally delete a backlog
Linked Confluence docs so people didn’t have to beg for updates

It’s not about being a Jira wizard. It’s about not letting your team get lost in the chaos.

Workflows, Dashboards, and Reports: No One Cares If They’re Pretty If They Don’t Work

In one interview, I was asked to build a dashboard that flagged sprint risks. Mid-demo, I realized their entire filter system was broken, so none of their burnup charts meant anything. I rewrote a couple of filters, added some real metrics, and told them their previous dashboards were basically vibes. Got the offer.

Expect stuff like:

“Write a JQL query to show unresolved bugs assigned to your team.”
“Build a dashboard that shows sprint health.”
“Which reports do you check before a release goes out?”

They want to see if you can set up filters once, reuse them forever, and actually surface red flags before they hit production.

JQL: The Part Everyone Hates Until They Need It

Most people write JQL like it’s a riddle. Interviewers are testing if you can be the exception.

Stuff like:

Find all bugs created this week across four projects.
Which tickets are blocked by XYZ-123?
Show high-priority issues that haven’t been updated in 5 days.

They want you to understand operators, functions, and how to glue clauses together without writing a monster query no one else can debug. If you can walk through your logic like you’re teaching a junior dev, you win.

Permissions, Roles, and Avoiding Chaos

Let’s be honest, half the Jira mess in any org comes down to botched permissions. Interviewers will throw real problems at you:

“How do you restrict transitions for external users?”
“Can a support agent escalate a bug to engineering?”
“What’s the cleanest way to give visibility without giving away edit access?”

They want proof that you can set guardrails without breaking stuff or locking people out of their own work.

Automations, Integrations, and Release Tracking

Everyone wants automation. Few teams bother to check if it actually works.

Expect questions like:

“Can you trigger Slack notifications when tickets move to ‘Blocked’?”
“How do you sync releases with your CI tool?”
“What’s your process for versioning tickets tied to a release?”

They’re testing if you think through the full lifecycle, not just click a webhook and hope for the best.

How to Not Fumble the Bag When Answering

Here’s how I approach it:

Tell them what broke.
Show what you did in Jira (filters, rules, fields, dashboards, JQL, whatever).
Tell them what changed (ideally with numbers, or at least something a PM would care about).

Example

“Sprint velocity looked fine… until I built a dashboard showing blocked stories over time. Turns out 40% of stories sat blocked for 3+ days. That led to a change in how we did backlog grooming. JQL and dashboards helped me make that case.”

You don’t need to sound fancy. Just be clear, fast, and real.

Want to Practice? Try These Prompts

Write JQL for unresolved bugs in Project ABC, assigned to the current user

project = ABC AND issuetype = Bug AND resolution = Unresolved AND assignee = currentUser()

Enforce that a component must be set before a ticket moves to In Progress
Build a dashboard for a release manager showing blocked issues + failed builds

Here’s the format I’d use if I were prepping:

What was broken
What I did in Jira
Technical detail (JQL, workflow step, automation rule)
What changed

Make your answers boring and valuable; that’s what teams want more than anything.

30 Basic Jira Interview Questions and Answers

1. What is Jira?

How To Describe It Like Someone Who’s Actually Used It

Why this comes up: They want to make sure you’ve at least seen a backlog before.
How I answer it:“Jira’s a work tracking tool built by Atlassian. Most teams use it to manage bugs, tasks, and features. I’ve mostly used it in Agile teams it keeps the backlog clean and lets everyone see what’s actually getting shipped.”

Tips

Say “tracking tool” not “project management solution.”
Keep it short. No one cares about the marketing fluff.

2. Why Do Teams Even Use Jira?

Give A Reason That Isn’t Just “Because Everyone Else Does”

Why they ask: They want to know if you understand why it’s still around even though we all complain about it.
How I answer it “Honestly? Because it works. It’s not perfect, but it keeps tickets visible, lets teams build their own workflows, and plays nice with GitHub, Slack, and all the other stuff we actually use.”

Tips

Mention real integrations you’ve used.
Don’t over-praise it. Everyone’s had a love/hate relationship with Jira.

3. Jira vs. Bugzilla

How To Not Sound Like You Googled This Five Minutes Before The Interview

Why they ask: Old-school managers love comparisons.
How I answer it:“Bugzilla is basically a bug tracker. Jira started there but now it handles full project management sprints, epics, custom boards, all that. I’d rather use Jira on any real product team.”

Tips

Focus on breadth (Jira can do more).
Don’t fake deep experience with Bugzilla unless you actually used it.

4. What’s a Jira Workflow?

Explain It Like You're Onboarding A Junior Dev

Why they ask: They want to know if you actually understand how tickets move.
How I answer it:“A Jira workflow is just the set of steps a task goes through — like ‘To Do’, ‘In Progress’, ‘Code Review’, and ‘Done.’ Teams can customize it, so I’ve seen some with way more stages depending on QA or approvals.”

Tips

Drop real status names you’ve worked with.
Show you’ve seen custom workflows, not just defaults.

5. What’s a Jira Issue?

Hint: It’s Not Just “Bugs”

Why they ask: They want to know if you understand Jira’s building blocks.
How I answer it:“An issue is any kind of task. It could be a bug, a feature, a chore, or even a spike. Most teams use types like Story, Epic, Task, Bug, and sometimes Sub-task to break things down.”

Tips

Don’t just say “ticket.” Say how your teams used the different types.

6. What’s a Jira Dashboard?

How To Describe It Without Sounding Like A Product Demo

Why they ask: They’re checking if you know how to keep an eye on progress.
How I answer it: “It’s your project’s control panel. You can set it up to show burndown charts, sprint velocity, how many bugs are open whatever matters to your team. I usually set mine up to track blockers and how fast we’re closing stuff.”

Tips

Mention gadgets or charts you’ve used.
Say what you personally look at on a dashboard.

7. What Reports Can Jira Generate?

Make It Sound Useful, Not Academic

Why they ask: They want to see if you use Jira to make decisions not just to move tickets.
How I answer it:“There are a bunch sprint reports, velocity charts, cumulative flow, average issue age. I mostly use sprint and burndown reports to see if we’re shipping on time. And the pie chart is good for gut-checking how many bugs are piling up.”

Tips

Don’t name-drop reports unless you’ve actually used them.
Say what insights you got from those reports.

8. What Agile Methodologies Are Supported By Jira? Scrum And Kanban Explained

What They’re Really Asking

Do you understand how agile works in the real world or are you just name-dropping buzzwords from some YouTube tutorial?

Here’s what I usually say when this comes up:

"Jira plays well with both Scrum and Kanban. Scrum’s great if your team runs in short sprints like two weeks of chaos, then a breather. Kanban is more like, 'Just keep things moving.' You throw tasks on a board, limit how much you're juggling, and ship when stuff's ready. Jira doesn’t care what you pick it’s got boards, charts, and drag-and-drop for both. Just don’t try to mix them unless you know what you’re doing."

I used Scrum when I was prepping for my TikTok internship ran my own weekly sprints. Jira made it dead simple to track what was done and what I was still pretending to get to.

9. What is JQL? Advanced searching with Jira Query Language

What They Want To Know

Can you find stuff in Jira without scrolling like you're looking for your dignity in a group chat?

JQL = Jira Query Language. It’s basically search on steroids. You write structured queries to hunt down issues based on fields like status, assignee, project, labels you name it.

If someone says “advanced search” in Jira, they’re talking JQL. For example:

project = “Interview Coder” AND status = “To Do” AND assignee = currentUser()

That’s how I filtered my backlog when I was working on Interview Coder V1. One command, boom only my to-dos, none of the team’s mess.

If you’re applying for any role that touches Jira even a little, learn how to write basic JQL. It’s not hard, and it’ll make you look way more competent than the guy clicking filters like he’s diffusing a bomb.

10. How Does A Service Desk Work in Jira? Managing Customer Requests With SLAs And Automation

Why This Comes Up

They want to know if you get how customer support gets organized behind the scenes.

Jira’s Service Desk (now part of Jira Service Management) is like a mini helpdesk. Clients or users submit tickets either by email or through a portal and then agents (or you) respond, track, and close them.

There’s a bunch of helpful stuff built in:

You can set SLAs (aka timers that say “you better reply to this in 24h or you're toast”)
You can add automation, like tagging tickets or sending follow-ups
Everything runs through the same Jira interface, so it feels familiar

I once set up a basic service desk just to track interview support requests from users testing Interview Coder. It saved me from 200 Slack messages that all said the same thing: “Hey, it’s not loading.” Now I just read the queue.

11. What Are The Key Components Of A Jira Workflow? Statuses, Transitions, Resolutions, And Owners

Translation

Do you know how stuff actually moves from "Not started" to "Shipped"?

Here’s the deal:

Statuses = where a ticket is (To Do, In Progress, Done, etc.)
Transitions = how it moves between statuses
Resolutions = how it ends (Fixed? Won’t Fix? Duplicate?)
Assignees = who’s on the hook

A good workflow makes things feel natural. A bad one? You’ll be stuck in “Waiting for QA” limbo forever.

During my Amazon prep, I made my own Jira workflow to keep track of system design problems. It was super basic Open → In Progress → Done—but I added a “Stuck” status for those questions that made me spiral. That helped me figure out what needed outside help vs what just needed 10 more hours of thinking.

12. How do you create a new project in Jira? Steps for project setup and templates

Why They Ask This

Because Jira can be overwhelming, and they want to know if you can set up something without breaking it for the whole team.

Here’s how I explain it like a normal human:

You hit Projects > Create project. Pick what you’re working on Scrum, Kanban, or Basic. Name your thing, choose a template, and hit go.

That’s it. But real talk the template you pick matters. Don’t pick Scrum if you don’t plan on running sprints. Don’t pick Kanban if your team needs deadlines. Don’t pick Basic unless you enjoy chaos.

When I started Interview Coder, I used the Basic template. Big mistake. Switched to Kanban a week later and immediately got my life together.

13. What’s The Deal With Jira Issue Statuses?

I’ll keep it real: the first time I opened Jira, I clicked around like I was diffusing a bomb. Everything was “In Progress,” nothing ever seemed “Resolved,” and nobody agreed on what “Closed” actually meant. Here’s how I explain it when I’m helping someone prep:

Open

It exists now. Time to figure out who’s picking it up.

In Progress

Someone's working on it (at least, that’s the idea).

Resolved

Fixed, probably. But we’re waiting for someone to double-check.

Closed

Done, Buried, Never speak of it again (until it comes back).

That’s the default setup, but let’s be honest most teams mess with this. Some add a “QA Review,” “Ready for UAT,” or “Won’t Fix” status. I once saw a team use “Send Help” as a legit workflow step. Jira doesn’t judge.

If you get this question, they’re not looking for you to memorize every possible status they just want to know you get how teams track stuff in Jira. Talk through the flow. Be specific. Bonus points if you mention how customizing statuses can help mirror how a team actually works (instead of pretending all teams are the same).

14. How I Make Jira Dashboards Suck Less

Dashboards in Jira are kind of like your desk. Some people live in chaos. I like to see just what I need, nothing more.

So if they ask how you’d customize one, here’s what they want to hear:

You know how to add gadgets (not actual gadgets, but the widgets Jira calls “gadgets”).
You can configure them like setting up an issue stats gadget to track bugs in a specific sprint.
You can rearrange stuff to fit how your brain works.

Some teams set up role-based dashboards like a QA lead having a dashboard full of test case blockers, or a product manager with gadgets tracking epics, scope creep, and maybe their will to live.

Keep it practical. This is your chance to show how you surface just enough info without drowning in noise.

15. Jira Schemes: Same Settings, New Project? No Problem

Okay, schemes sound boring. But once you’ve set up Jira more than once, you start appreciating anything that saves you from clicking the same buttons 12 times in a row.

Here’s how I explain it:

Jira schemes are just reusable settings. Instead of configuring permissions, notifications, or issue types from scratch every time, you create a scheme once, and then assign it to multiple projects.

Let’s say you’ve got five dev teams, and they all work the same way. One permission scheme for all of them? Easy. One notification setup? Done. You avoid inconsistency, and it’s way easier to make changes later.

If you’ve worked with Jira as an admin or had to untangle someone else’s setup, mentioning schemes shows you actually get how the tool works behind the curtain.

16. Using Jira for Scrum without losing your mind

This one hits close to home. I used Jira for Scrum during my prep sprints before landing interviews at Amazon, Meta, and TikTok. Real sprints. Real deadlines. Real bug-induced panic.

If they ask you how to use Jira for Scrum, here’s how I’d walk them through it:

Set up sprints and fill the backlog
Use the board to move stories/tasks across columns
Watch the burndown chart not because it's pretty, but because it tells you if you’re behind
Use the velocity chart to set expectations (or to argue with your PM)

You can also mention sprint planning, retros, and tracking bugs within the sprint. If you’ve actually done this in real life, don’t be afraid to tell a quick story like how you used Jira to spot a scope bloat situation and fix it before the sprint imploded.

That kind of detail? It lands.

17. How I Actually Use Jira for Kanban Projects

Back when I was juggling side projects and internship prep, Jira kept my chaos semi-organized. If you're using Kanban, keep it dead simple: set up a board with the usual suspects “To Do,” “In Progress,” “Done.” Then throw in swimlanes to separate bugs from features or by team if you're fancy. Set WIP limits to stop your team (or yourself) from hoarding tickets like Pokémon cards. It’s not magic. It’s discipline. The board just helps you stick to it.

18. Managing Epics in Jira Without Drowning in Tickets

When I was prepping for my TikTok internship, I had like 3 different projects happening at once all broken into chunks. That’s where Epics come in. Create one, give it a name that actually makes sense, then start linking stories and tasks to it. It helps you track big-picture progress without getting lost in individual tickets. You can check out progress bars and burnups if you’re into that. Bonus: you’ll look way more organized during standups.

19. Linking Jira Issues Like a Pro (Without Being Annoying About It)

Linking issues is one of those things nobody cares about… until everything breaks. Let’s say your bug is caused by a feature shipped last week. You link them. Or you find two identical bugs because no one checked before making a new ticket. Link those. Use “blocks,” “duplicates,” “relates to” they all help keep stuff from falling through the cracks. Jira’s not a mind reader. Link the dots for your own sanity.

20. What Each Jira User Role Can and Shouldn’t Do

Quick rundown:

Jira Admin = full god-mode. Try not to abuse it.
Project Admin = manages one or more projects, configures workflows, etc.
User = does the actual work, bless their souls.

Each role has limits. Don’t give admin to someone who just joined. That’s how you end up with 12 custom fields for “priority.” Roles are customizable, but don’t overthink it unless your org is huge.

21. Time Tracking in Jira Without Losing Your Mind

If your manager’s asking, yes Jira lets you log hours per ticket. You just click “Log Work” and enter your time. You can also run reports to see where the time went. If your team is using something like Tempo or Clockify, Jira plugs into those too. Just don’t fake your numbers. It’s not worth the Slack thread later.

22. Generating Reports in Jira (That Don’t Suck)

Jira has a ton of reports: burndowns, pie charts, velocity, you name it. Most people pick one and never touch the rest. I’d say pick a chart that actually helps you answer the questions your team is asking. Need to see how close you are to shipping? Burndown. Want to know which team is drowning? Cumulative flow. Export to CSV if you like spreadsheets. You don’t need to be a Jira wizard you just need to care about the story behind the chart.

23. Jira Best Practices (From Someone Who’s Broken Every One)

Here's what I learned the hard way:

Don’t go wild with custom fields unless you love confusion.
Keep workflows simple. No one wants to click through 5 statuses to close a ticket.
Review and clean up your boards regularly. Dead tickets rot.
Actually train new team members don’t assume they “get it.”

Bad Jira setups feel like quicksand. Good ones disappear into the background.

24. How I Handle Prioritization Without Chaos

Here's my system:

Use built-in priority tags (“High,” “Medium,” etc.) but don’t rely on them blindly.
Add a custom field for engineering complexity or effort if that helps triage.
Review priorities weekly. Priorities don’t age like wine they rot.

The goal is to surface what actually matters, not what’s loudest in the backlog.

25. My Favorite Jira Integrations (That Don’t Get in the Way)

Three I actually use:

Confluence

For linking PRDs or random docs I’d otherwise lose.

Bitbucket

Ties commits to tickets so I know what’s deployed.

Slack

Pings me when someone moves a ticket or assigns me stuff.

They’re not fancy. They just reduce the back-and-forth. If your stack’s different, Jira has like 500 integrations. Just pick ones your team already uses — otherwise it becomes bloat.

26. How do you use Jira filters?

Saved Searches Aren’t Just For Nerds They’re How I Survive Dashboards

Let me be blunt if you're still manually scrolling through Jira to find issues, you're burning time for no reason. When I was juggling internship interviews and side projects, I needed to be lightning-fast with issue tracking. That’s when I got serious with Jira filters.

Here’s what I did:

I wrote saved searches using JQL (Jira Query Language). It’s just SQL’s slightly annoying cousin.
I saved those filters to power dashboards and reports no more clicking around like a zombie.
When I worked with teams, I made sure everyone could see the same data by sharing filters.

The whole point? Spend less time hunting tickets and more time getting sh*t done.

27. What is the purpose of Jira automation?

Because I Don’t Want To Babysit Jira On A Tuesday At 3 A.M

Look, I don’t wake up thinking “I hope I get to manually assign bugs all day.” And neither should you.

Jira automation exists so you can stop doing repetitive stuff and let the tool actually help you. I’ve used it to:

Auto-assign tickets when bugs are labeled a certain way
Move issues forward in a workflow when pull requests are merged
Send notifications (but not too many nobody wants spam)

It's not about doing more. It’s about doing less manual junk and letting the system carry the boring parts.

28. How Do You Troubleshoot Common Jira Issues?

Step One: Don’t Panic. Step Two: Logs

I once broke a workflow for an entire dev team by messing with permissions. (Sorry again, Alex.)

Here’s how I fix things when Jira starts acting up:

First, I check logs; most answers are hiding there if you know what you’re looking for.
If performance is slow, I run a quick check on queries, plugins, and load.
If users are complaining about access, it’s probably a permissions thing and that’s usually my fault.

The fix? Adjust, test, and reboot. No rocket science. Just boring troubleshooting until Jira stops yelling.

29. How Do You Migrate Data To Jira From Another Tool?

Like Moving Out Of A Bad Apartment, But With CSVs

This is one of those things that sounds painful… because it is. But if you’ve done it once, you kind of get the rhythm.

Here’s how I’ve handled it:

Export everything from the old system. Usually CSVs. Sometimes XML. Occasionally chaos.
Map the fields' meaning, make sure the old data fits into Jira’s buckets.
Import using Jira’s import tools or APIs.
Validate that it didn’t break everything. (Spoiler: sometimes it does. Always test.)

The secret? Do it in chunks. Don’t YOLO a complete migration unless you enjoy data loss and regret.

30. What Features Would You Add To Jira?

Honestly, I Just Want Reports That Don’t Suck

Jira’s powerful. It’s also kinda clunky in places. If I could make it better, I’d start with reporting. The default stuff works, but it’s basic. I want something that feels more like a dashboard and less like a spreadsheet from 2011. Also, mobile updates could use love. Half the time I check issues from my phone, and it feels like I'm typing code on a microwave.

40 Jira Interview Questions for Experienced

1. Reports You Can Actually Use in Jira (Without Falling Asleep)

Let’s be real most people open Jira reports once, panic at the charts, then go back to guessing.

I used to be that guy. When I first started prepping for big tech internships, I thought “reports” were some fancy manager thing. Turns out? If you ignore them, your project tracking becomes a mess fast. When I finally took time to understand what they actually show not what the Jira documentation says they show I started moving faster, making better calls, and managing sprint expectations like someone who actually knows what they’re doing.

Here’s the no-fluff version of what you get in Jira:

General Reports

Time Tracking Report: How bad are your time estimates?
Version Workload Report: Who’s drowning in tickets?
Workload Pie Chart Report: Same thing, but with slices.
Created vs Resolved Issue Report: Are you digging a ticket graveyard or actually finishing things?
Average Age Report: How old are your unresolved issues? Be honest.
User Workload Report: See who's overloaded (or under the radar).
Resolution Time Report: Speed of getting stuff done.
Pie Chart Report: Pick a field, slice it up.
Recently Created Issues: Fresh tickets, hot off the press.

Scrum Reports

Sprint Report: How your sprint really went.
Velocity Chart: Are you consistent or just winging it?
Version Report: Track progress by version.
Epic Report: See how close you are to finishing that giant epic that’s been haunting your backlog.
Release Burndown: Burn baby burn (but with data).
Burndown Chart: Straight up sprint progress.
Cumulative Flow Diagram: Spot bottlenecks.
Control Chart: Track cycle time.

Kanban Reports

Cumulative Flow Diagram
Control Chart

No need to memorize where everything is. Just:

Open the project

Hit “Reports” in the sidebar

Use the “Switch report” dropdown to jump between views

Done.

2. Bulk Editing Without Losing Your Mind

Bulk edit in Jira used to terrify me. One wrong click and suddenly 87 issues are assigned to the wrong sprint. Ask me how I know.

But if you're careful, it's actually a lifesaver. Go to the issue navigator, select your filters, hit the “Tools” menu, and choose Bulk Change. From there, you’ve got four options:

Transition issues through a workflow step
Edit fields across issues (labels, priorities, etc.)
Move them to another project or issue type
Delete (only if you’ve made peace with your mistakes)

Double check everything before confirming. Jira won’t hold your hand here.

3. What the Colors Mean in Time Tracking (No Guessing)

You ever look at the time tracking section and think, “Cool colors… now what?”

Here’s the cheat sheet:

Blue

Original Estimate (what you thought it’d take)

Green

Logged (what you’ve actually done)

Orange

Remaining (what’s left or what you hope is left)

If orange > blue, yeah… that’s your bad.

4. Agile Board Settings That Actually Matter

When I first joined a team that used Jira, I thought the board “just worked.” Nope. It works if someone set it up right. If you’re the admin, here’s the stuff you can control (and should actually care about):

Field

Why It Matters

Board Name

Self-explanatory. Use something your team won’t ignore.

Administrators

Add folks who won’t break things. Or at least, not often.

Saved Filter

Controls which issues show up. Don't mess this up.

Who sees the board. Yes, this matters for access.

Filter Query

View/edit the actual JQL driving the board content.

Ranking

Enable this if you want to prioritize tasks (you do).

Projects in Board

Automatically pulled from your filter. Clean filters = clean boards.

5. Creating User Stories That Don’t Confuse Everyone

Creating stories in Jira isn’t hard unless you try to wing it.

Here’s what I do:

Go to Create Issue
Set Issue Type: Story
If it belongs to a larger epic, fill in the Epic Link
If it’s a smaller chunk, create Sub-tasks under the story

Don’t overthink it. Just be clear about what’s being built, by who, and how you’ll know it’s done.

6. How to Actually Customize an Agile Board (Not Just Click Around)

Want your board to match how your team works? You’ll want to tweak:

Scope

What issues/projects show up

Permissions

Who can view or mess with the board

Layout

Columns (statuses) and swimlanes (by story, priority, assignee, etc.)

Filters

For when your backlog becomes an unscrollable wall

You can waste hours tinkering or just get the basics right and focus on shipping.

7. What Happens After a Transition

When you move an issue to “Done” or “In Progress,” Jira quietly runs some stuff in the background these are called post-functions. Here’s what usually happens:

An event is created (triggers email notifications)
A comment gets auto-added
Fields update
Change history is saved

You don’t need to write custom functions unless you’re doing something super weird. But understanding what fires helps when stuff breaks.

8. Change History: The Paper Trail You Didn't Know You Needed

I used to ignore change history in Jira until the day I accidentally deleted a field and couldn’t remember who did what. Rookie mistake. Now I check it like it’s my inbox.

Jira keeps a detailed log of who touched what, when, and how badly they messed it up (or fixed it). It's not glamorous, but it's your safety net. Here’s what you’ll find:

Changes to issue fields (e.g. someone edited the title for the 8th time)
Comments created or deleted
Attachments added or removed
Issue links created or nuked
Deleted worklogs

It’s like version control, but for chaos management.

9. Labels: Not Fancy, Just Useful

Labels in Jira are like tagging your files with sticky notes so you can actually find stuff later.

I tag issues during sprints like it’s my second job frontend, backend, urgent, fire-drill, whatever helps me filter things faster. You can add them while creating the issue or edit them later. Don’t overthink it. Just tag it how your brain thinks.

10. The Jira Schema: AKA The Skeleton Behind the Screams

If Jira ever feels like a mystery dungeon, the schema is the map. It controls how your project behaves what people can do, what they see, and how issues move.

Here’s what makes up the schema:

Notifications

Who gets pinged and when

Workflows

How an issue moves from “To Do” to “Done” or “Closed with Tears”

Permissions

Who’s allowed to break stuff

Issue Types

Bug, Feature, Task, Existential Crisis

Screens

Which fields show up where

Field Configs

What’s required, hidden, or just plain annoying

Once you get the schema, Jira starts making actual sense. Sort of.

11. How Jira Service Desk Actually Works

Here’s what happens when someone sends a ticket:

They file a request through the portal (or email, because no one reads docs).
A support agent sees it pop into their queue.
Everyone goes back and forth until the agent solves it or ghosts them.
The ticket is closed. The user feels seen. Or not.

That’s it. Under the hood, it’s just structured back-and-forth emails dressed in UI.

12. Kanban Boards: Visual Noise That Keeps You Focused

When I’m trying to get out of sprint-mode and just move things across columns, I spin up a Kanban board.

How to make one:

Login to Jira.
Hit “Create Project.”
Pick Kanban Software Development.
Smash “Next.”

Now you’ve got your board. Drag, drop, update. It’s like Trello with commitment issues.

13. JQL: Basically SQL’s Younger Sibling That Smokes

JQL (Jira Query Language) lets you filter issues like a pro. It’s field → operator → value. That’s it.

Stuff like:

project = IC AND status = "In Progress"

Once you get the syntax down, you stop scrolling and start pulling exactly what you need. It’s like having x-ray vision for issues.

14. Jira Core: The "Do Whatever You Want" Version of Jira

Jira Core is barebones Jira. No fancy DevOps tools, no clutter.

You get:

Custom workflows
Basic issue tracking
Enough structure to stay organized, without the bells and buzzers

Perfect for non-dev teams or engineers who hate tools doing too much.

15. Project-Level Configs: Yes, Jira Lets You Mess This Up Too

For every project + issue type combo, you can tweak:

Who has access
Which fields show up and in what order
Which statuses exist in the workflow
Which versions/components are available
Who can edit/delete/comment/etc.

Basically, Jira gives you enough rope to build a ladder or hang yourself. Depends on the admin.

16. Why Editing Active Workflows Feels Like Defusing a Bomb

Jira doesn’t love when you mess with live workflows. Here’s what you can’t do once it’s active:

Rename the workflow (but sure, change the description, woohoo)
Delete steps (you wish)
Change the status on a step
Add transitions to a step with zero transitions
Change step IDs

Moral of the story? Think before you publish your workflow or get comfy cloning things.

17. Kanban vs. Scrum: Same Tool, Different Personality

Kanban

No sprints, just flow. You move tasks across columns and limit how much is in progress. Great for ops or devs who hate sprint planning.

Scrum

All about sprints. You plan, you commit, you sprint, you retro. Ideal for teams who love ceremony (or at least tolerate it).

Pick your poison. Both work. Depends on your chaos tolerance.

18. Add-ons That Are Actually Worth Installing

Here are a few tools that saved my team’s sanity:

Slack

For notifications and yelling

Github

For PRs and linking commits

Tempo Timesheets

Time tracking, if you’re into that

PagerDuty

For on-call and incidents

Jenkins-CI

For builds

Usersnap

For bug reporting with screenshots

If your Jira feels empty, plug these in. Just don’t install everything blindly. (Been there. Jira became unusable.)

19. Cloning Issues: Copy-Paste, But With Boundaries

Cloning an issue is exactly what it sounds like: You make a copy.

It keeps:

Project
Summary
Links
Assignee
Priority
Attachments
Basically everything except the timeline

The clone is separate. Changes to one don’t affect the other. That’s the whole point. Think of it like making a sibling issue similar DNA, but different outcomes.

20. Stuff That Doesn't Make It Into a Clone

Not everything gets copied when you clone a Jira issue. Here’s what won’t make the jump:

Time tracking data
Issue history
Comments
Links to Confluence pages

Think of cloning as copy-pasting the stuff that matters for action, not the backstory.

21. Jira Reports: Quick Rundown

You’ll probably forget these the moment your interview ends, but here’s the cheat sheet:

Time Tracking Report
Average Age Report
Pie Chart Report
Single Level Group by Report
Resolution Time Report
Recently Created Issues Report
Resolved vs. Created Issues Report
User Workload Report
Workload Pie Chart Report

Pro Tip

If you're blanking out, “Pie Chart” is usually a safe bet. Every app loves a pie chart.

22. What Cloning Actually Means

Cloning isn’t magic it just makes a new copy of an existing issue so others can jump in without touching the original. Here’s what carries over:

Summary
Description
Assignee
Environment
Priority
Issue Type
Security
Reporter
Components

But again, comments and time logs don’t come along for the ride. No history, just a fresh start.

23. What a Cloned Issue Doesn't Include

This is probably the third time you’re reading this that’s on purpose. Repetition = recall.

Time tracking
Comments
Issue history

Drill it in. Don’t lose points over this one in an interview.

24. Bulk Editing in Jira

Want to edit a bunch of issues at once without going insane? Use the Bulk Change option from the Tools menu.

You can:

Move
Edit
Delete
Run a transition

Bulk ops = good for cleanup sprints or last-minute refactors before review.

25. Moving Issues Around

You’ve got the wrong project? Or the wrong issue type? Use the Move Issue wizard.

It lets you:

Switch to a different project
Change the issue type
Adjust custom fields and status

Don’t overthink it. Jira just wants to know where the issue’s going and what needs to change.

26. Sharing an Issue With Someone

Sharing isn’t deep tech. You can:

Click “Share” to send it via email
Tag someone in a comment
Mention them in the Description

Same idea as tagging a teammate in Slack just slower.

27. Turning Off Email Spam During Bulk Changes

Jira’s default is to blast everyone’s inbox when you touch things in bulk. Avoid that.

Uncheck “Send Notification” in the bulk operation wizard. That’s it.

28. What Shows Up in the Issue Change Log

Interviewers might throw this one in to catch you off guard. Here’s what gets tracked:

Any field change
File attachments
Deleted comments
Deleted work logs
Created or removed links

Basically: if it changes, it logs.

29. What Jira Calls a Schema (No, It’s Not a Database Thing)

In Jira-world, a schema is just a set of settings you can reuse across projects. There are 7 types:

Notification Scheme
Permission Scheme
Issue Type Scheme
Workflow Scheme
Field Configuration Scheme
Screen Scheme
Field Layout Scheme

You don’t need to memorize every detail just know schemas = Jira settings bundles.

30. What’s Inside a Jira Schema

The pieces inside a schema include:

Notifications
Workflows
Issue types
Permissions
Screens
Field configs

If it controls how stuff works in Jira, it probably lives inside a schema. Think of them as presets for how a project behaves.

31. JQL Without the Headache

What Even Is JQL?

Think of JQL (Jira Query Language) as your secret cheat code to search issues the way you want. It’s not pretty, but it’s powerful. You just mash together a field, an operator, and a value and it filters Jira like magic. No more clicking through a maze of dropdowns. I used this religiously during my internships when I was buried under 60+ bug reports.

32. Rolling Back a Workflow

Can You Send An Issue Backwards In Jira?

Short answer, Not really. Jira doesn’t love going in reverse. But if you’re in a bind, you can rig something with an "On Hold" status to act like a detour. It’s not elegant but when you’re firefighting production bugs at 2am, you stop caring about elegance.

33. Audit Logs: Your Jira Receipts

What Does The Audit Log Actually Do?

It’s basically Jira’s memory. It tracks every click, change, and config tweak. If someone "accidentally" deleted a workflow or assigned 90 tickets to the intern, this is where you catch them.

34. Backups: Not Optional

Can You Back Up Jira Cloud Data?

Yep, but Jira plays hard to get. You only get one backup file at a time the new one wipes out the last. So don’t mess it up. I once overwrote a backup five minutes before demo day. Never again.

35. What’s in That Backup?

Here’s What Actually Gets Saved When You Run A Backup

Issues
Attachments (only if you tick that box)
Avatars (for some reason)
Users and groups

No fancy dashboard configs or custom scripts, though. Keep that in your own repo.

36. Validators: The Gatekeepers

What Are Validators In Jira?

They’re the bouncers. Before Jira lets your transition through, validators check if the input passes the rules. If it fails, Jira slams the door shut. No transition, no drama. Just error messages.

37. What the Heck Is an Event?

What Does Jira Mean By “Event”?

It’s Jira-speak for: "This thing just happened, now who do we notify?" Events are tied to templates, emails, and post functions. You’ll care about this the moment someone yells, “Why didn’t I get the notification!?”

38. Labels vs. Links

How Are Labels And Issue Links Different?

Labels are like sticky notes. Fast, messy, searchable.
Links are structured relationships between issues. Like “blocks,” “relates to,” “duplicates.”

Both are useful. I once used labels to tag every ticket with “roy-messed-this-up” during a sprint review. Big hit.

39. Time Tracking Colors (aka Jira’s Mood Ring)

What Do The Three Time Tracking Colors Mean?

Blue = what you thought it would take
Orange = what’s left
Green = how long you’ve actually been in the trenches

Useful for when PMs ask “how’s it going?” and you need receipts.

40. How the Service Desk Actually Works

What’s The Jira Service Desk Flow?

Here’s the quick version:

User sends a request through the portal

It lands in a queue

An agent picks it up

They fix it

You both go back to your lives

It’s not rocket science, but there are a lot of small ways it can go sideways if you don’t set up the queues or SLAs right.

Nail Coding Interviews with our AI Interview Assistant − Get Your Dream Job Today

If you’re anything like me back in undergrad, you’ve probably wasted way too many hours trying to brute-force your way through hundreds of random LeetCode questions. “Just do 300 problems and patterns will click,” they said. Cool story. I did that. Twice. And still froze during my first Amazon interview.

What actually helped? Practicing the right problems. The ones that actually show up. With the kind of pressure and back-and-forth that happens in real interviews. That’s when things started to click. That’s what got me internships at Amazon, TikTok, and Meta. That’s what Interview Coder is built for.

No more mindless reps. This is reps with context.

What Interview Coder Actually Does (Without the Buzzwords)

Interview Coder isn’t magic. It’s just what I wish I had when I was grinding alone in my dorm room, getting stuck on dumb edge cases at 2AM.

It’s a tool that sits inside your editor and talks to you like a coach who actually gives a damn. It gives you nudges when you’re stuck, shows you better ways to write your code, and teaches you how to talk through your solution not just code it.

Need to prep for a live interview with someone watching over your shoulder? Cool. You can share your screen with built-in privacy and get help without crossing the line. You’re still in control. It just makes the feedback loop tighter the way it should be.

Prepping for Jira Interview Questions? I Got You.

You’d be surprised how many people bomb Jira interviews because they only know how to click around the UI. Interviewers don’t care if you can find a button. They care if you can explain what happens when a workflow breaks, or how to set up automation so you’re not creating a bottleneck.

That’s why I built out practice sets inside Interview Coder specifically for Jira roles. Not generic practice. Real setups. Stuff like:

Writing JQL filters that actually matter
Creating workflows that don’t fall apart after two sprints
Locking down permissions the right way
Knowing when to add a custom field vs. reusing an existing one
Understanding the REST API well enough to not break production
Using Jira and Confluence together like someone who knows what they’re doing

This isn’t some “read the docs” prep. You get short prompts, drills, and walkthroughs you can finish in a lunch break.

Jira Questions You’ll Probably See (and How I’d Answer Them)

What’s Jql And When Would You Use It?

JQL = Jira Query Language. It lets you filter issues based on custom criteria. One example I’ve used:

assignee = currentUser() AND priority = High AND status != Done

You save that filter, power a dashboard, and make sure nothing urgent slips through.

How Do Permission Schemes Work?

Permissions live at the project level. You set them up so, say, only leads can delete issues, but anyone on the dev team can transition them. Keeps you out of trouble when teams get bigger.

How Would You Design A Workflow For Feature Dev?

Keep it clean: Backlog → To Do → In Progress → Code Review → QA → Done. Add guards like: "Only QA can move to Done" or "Send Slack alert on deploy".

What’s A Custom Field And When Do You Create One?

Only when you have to. Like when product wants to track something that doesn’t fit the defaults say, customer tier for support tickets. But be careful, or you’ll end up with 200 fields nobody uses.

How To Integrate Jira With CI/CD?

Hook your commits to your Jira issues. Use smart commits to auto-transition tickets. Add webhooks so Jenkins (or whatever tool you’re using) sends status updates back to Jira.

No Hiding Behind Multiple Choice: Practice Like It’s the Real Deal

Most people bomb interviews not because they don’t know the answer but because they can’t explain what they’re doing while thinking under pressure. That’s what Interview Coder fixes. I built the mock interview mode to mimic what actually happens in tech screens timed whiteboarding, pair sessions, code review.

No “tutorial mode.” No second chances. You write code. You talk it through. You get feedback that doesn’t baby you. The goal? You walk into interviews already knowing how you’ll sound when you’re asked why you chose that tradeoff.

Pick

Stress test mode or guided walkthrough. Either way, no fluff.

Why I Built It This Way (And Why Engineers Stick Around)

Over 87,000 devs use Interview Coder. Not because I paid influencers. But because they realized "Leetcode and vibes" doesn’t work anymore.

If you’re trying to land a system design interview or explain how Jira works to a manager who barely reads the doc, you can’t afford to ramble. Teams use Interview Coder to rehearse how they say things, not just how they solve them. We keep it honest. No spy tactics. You can’t secretly record someone else’s screen or ghost through interviews. What you see is what you’ll say when it counts.

Quick Jira Prep Drills That Actually Work

Forget cramming Jira docs 10 minutes before the interview. Instead:

Bang out 5 JQL expressions a day until writing filters feels like writing console.log().
Build tiny workflows and talk through every transition. Don’t just drag boxes.
Explain permission schemes like you’re onboarding a new dev or convincing security you’re not the weak link.
Anchor your answers in stuff hiring managers care about: delivery time, sprint velocity, reduced churn.
Watch yourself back. Yes, it’s painful. Do it anyway. You’ll spot the fluff in your explanations.

Features That Actually Matter (Because I Hate Gimmicks)

Here’s what I care about and what I made sure Interview Coder includes:

Searchable question bank. You want to drill filters, you get filters.
Scenarios that feel like real work. Not made-up puzzle garbage.
Sample JQL snippets so you’re not copy-pasting Stack Overflow 5 minutes before your call.
Role-play prompts that force you to think on your feet.
Feedback that points out when you're rambling.
Hooks into your actual IDE and docs because you shouldn’t have to fake what tools you’ll use.

Pick what works. Ignore what doesn’t. This isn’t school.

If You’re Serious About Passing the Jira Interview

Don’t wait until you get the recruiter email to start prepping. Go into Interview Coder. Pick one topic permissions, filters, workflows, whatever. Set a timer for 2 hours. Get asked questions that real interviewers ask. Hear what your voice sounds like when you're mid-answer. Refine from there.

It’s boring. It’s repetitive. But it works.

Why Interviewers Throw Jira Questions at You (and What They’re Actually Looking For)

What They’re Really Testing With Jira Questions

They’re Checking if You’ve Actually Used Jira

You’ll Get Thrown Into Scenarios: Here’s How to Handle Them

Jira Questions Are Also About Your Agile Chops

Collaboration: The Sneaky Skill Behind Jira Mastery

Workflows, Dashboards, and Reports: No One Cares If They’re Pretty If They Don’t Work

JQL: The Part Everyone Hates Until They Need It

Permissions, Roles, and Avoiding Chaos

Automations, Integrations, and Release Tracking

How to Not Fumble the Bag When Answering

Example

Want to Practice? Try These Prompts

Related Reading

30 Basic Jira Interview Questions and Answers

1. What is Jira?

How To Describe It Like Someone Who’s Actually Used It

Tips

2. Why Do Teams Even Use Jira?

Give A Reason That Isn’t Just “Because Everyone Else Does”

Tips

3. Jira vs. Bugzilla

How To Not Sound Like You Googled This Five Minutes Before The Interview

Tips

4. What’s a Jira Workflow?

Explain It Like You're Onboarding A Junior Dev

Tips

5. What’s a Jira Issue?

Hint: It’s Not Just “Bugs”

Tips

6. What’s a Jira Dashboard?

How To Describe It Without Sounding Like A Product Demo

Tips

7. What Reports Can Jira Generate?

Make It Sound Useful, Not Academic

Tips

8. What Agile Methodologies Are Supported By Jira? Scrum And Kanban Explained

What They’re Really Asking

9. What is JQL? Advanced searching with Jira Query Language

What They Want To Know

10. How Does A Service Desk Work in Jira? Managing Customer Requests With SLAs And Automation

Why This Comes Up

11. What Are The Key Components Of A Jira Workflow? Statuses, Transitions, Resolutions, And Owners

Translation

12. How do you create a new project in Jira? Steps for project setup and templates

Why They Ask This

13. What’s The Deal With Jira Issue Statuses?

Open

In Progress

Resolved

Closed

14. How I Make Jira Dashboards Suck Less

15. Jira Schemes: Same Settings, New Project? No Problem

16. Using Jira for Scrum without losing your mind

17. How I Actually Use Jira for Kanban Projects

18. Managing Epics in Jira Without Drowning in Tickets

19. Linking Jira Issues Like a Pro (Without Being Annoying About It)

20. What Each Jira User Role Can and Shouldn’t Do

21. Time Tracking in Jira Without Losing Your Mind

22. Generating Reports in Jira (That Don’t Suck)

23. Jira Best Practices (From Someone Who’s Broken Every One)

24. How I Handle Prioritization Without Chaos

25. My Favorite Jira Integrations (That Don’t Get in the Way)

Confluence

Bitbucket

Slack

26. How do you use Jira filters?

Saved Searches Aren’t Just For Nerds They’re How I Survive Dashboards

27. What is the purpose of Jira automation?

Because I Don’t Want To Babysit Jira On A Tuesday At 3 A.M

28. How Do You Troubleshoot Common Jira Issues?

Step One: Don’t Panic. Step Two: Logs

29. How Do You Migrate Data To Jira From Another Tool?

Like Moving Out Of A Bad Apartment, But With CSVs

30. What Features Would You Add To Jira?

Honestly, I Just Want Reports That Don’t Suck

Related Reading

Top 10 JIRA Interview Questions for Freshers (From Someone Who’s Been There)

1. How does a basic JIRA workflow work?

To Do