How to create and use sprints in Jira: A tutorial

In this tutorial, we'll explain how to work with sprints in Jira. Note that the team rituals you do outside Jira—such as sprint planning meetings, retros, and daily standups—won't be covered here.

If you're looking for all types of team rituals, check out this How to do scrum with Jira tutorial. Stick around if you're looking to nail down the specific creation and use of sprints in Jira!

Step 1: Create a sprint

1. Go to the Backlog of your Scrum space.

2. Click the Create Sprint button at the top of the backlog.

Note that you can create more than one sprint, if you want to plan work several weeks in advance.

Step 2: Fill your sprint with stories from the backlog

Once you've created your sprint, you'll need to fill it with work items. Before you do this, make sure you sit down with your team and discuss what work you'd like to commit to doing. Ensure you add enough work for everyone in the team.

How to add stories to your sprints

1. Navigate to the Backlog.

2. Drag and drop work items from the Backlog onto your sprint.

Note that you can also add an work item to your sprint by editing the work item and updating the Sprint field.

Step 3: Start sprint

Once you've added work items to your sprint and the team is ready to work, you'll need to start the sprint. You canonly start a sprint if:

• You haven't started one already. If you want to have more than one active sprint at a time, try the Parallel Sprints feature.

• The sprint is at the top of the backlog. If you want to start a planned sprint that is lower down, you'll need to reorder your sprints to move it to the top.

How to start a sprint

1. Go to the Backlog of your Scrum space.

2. Find the sprint that you want to start and click Start Sprint.

3. Update the Sprint name and add a Sprint goal if you want to, and select the Start date and End date for the sprint.

Step 4: Monitor your team's progress

During the sprint, you'll probably want to monitor the team's progress. One way of doing this is by viewing the Sprint Report.

Step 5: Close the sprint

How to close a sprint

• Navigate to the Active sprints of your Scrum board.

• If necessary, select the sprint you want to complete from the sprint drop-down. Note that if you have multiple sprints in the Active sprints of your board, the 'Complete Sprint' button will not appear until you select one of the sprints.

• Click Complete Sprint. All completed work items will move out of Active sprints.

• If the sprint has incomplete work items, you’ll be asked to move them to one of the following:

  • The backlog

  • Any future sprint

  • A new sprint

Optimize your sprints with automation

Once you understand how sprints work, you can optimize your processes using automation. Here are three of the most common automation rules used for sprints in Jira.

1. Send a weekly Slack message with all the work items still open in the sprint. Go to rule.

2. When a sprint finishes, then assign outstanding work items to the next sprint. Go to rule.

3. When a work item moves to ‘In Progress’ and the sprint is empty, then move the work item to the next active sprint. Go to rule.

See these automation rules and hundreds more in the Jira Automation Template Library.

Want to learn more about setting up sprints in Jira?

If you want more information about adopting Scrum for your team, use our How to do scrum with Jira tutorial guide. Excited to get started right now? Check out our list of Jira templates to set up sprints exactly how you want to.

For more detailed information on working with sprints in Jira, check out our sprints documentation. Have additional questions? Ask the Atlassian Community for real-world use cases and helpful explainers.

How to Create a Sprint in Jira Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a story and a sprint?

A story is a single work item or requirement, while a sprint is a time-boxed period in which a team completes a set of stories from the backlog.

What is a sprint and how do you start one in Jira?

A sprint is a fixed time period where teams complete work from their backlog. To start a sprint in Jira, go to the Backlog, click "Create Sprint," add work items, and then click "Start Sprint" when ready.

How do I create a new sprint in Jira?

To create a new sprint in Jira, navigate to your Scrum board's Backlog and click the "Create Sprint" button at the top. You can plan multiple sprints in advance if needed.

Why can't I create a sprint in Jira?

You may not be able to create a sprint in Jira if you lack the necessary permissions, haven't set up a Scrum board, or your backlog isn't populated. Check your permissions and board setup to resolve this.