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Interview Top 50 Questions (From Basics To Advanced)
In our JIRA Training Tutorials, we’ve compiled the Top 50 JIRA Interview Questions and Answers to help you prepare with confidence—whether you’re a fresher just getting started or an experienced professional looking to refresh your knowledge. These carefully selected questions cover everything from “What is JIRA?” to advanced topics like workflow customization, automation rules, and integrating JIRA with other tools.
This guide is designed to provide clear, practical explanations so you can walk into your interview fully prepared and job-ready.

Basic Interview Questions (Freshers)
1. What is JIRA, and what are its key features?
JIRA is a project management tool developed by Atlassian, primarily used for issue tracking and project management.
Key features include:
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Issue Tracking: Manage and track tasks, bugs, and user stories.
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Agile Support: Customizable Scrum and Kanban boards for Agile teams.
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Workflows: Visualize project stages with customizable workflows.
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JQL (JIRA Query Language): Advanced search capabilities to filter and track issues.
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Reports and Dashboards: Visual tracking of progress with customizable reports and dashboards.
2. Explain the difference between a Scrum board and a Kanban board in JIRA.
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Scrum Board: Used for teams working in sprints, focusing on completing work within a set period (e.g., 2 weeks). It allows users to manage backlogs, plan sprints, and track progress.
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Kanban Board: A continuous workflow board where tasks are managed without sprints. It’s ideal for teams that handle ongoing work and need to prioritize tasks as they come in.
3. What are the different issue types in JIRA?
Common issue types in JIRA include:
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Bug: An issue related to software defects.
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Story: A user-focused feature or functionality.
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Task: A piece of work or action to be completed.
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Epic: A large body of work broken into smaller tasks or stories.
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Sub-task: A smaller task under a parent issue.
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Improvement: Enhancements to existing features or functionality.
4. What is JQL, and how is it used in JIRA?
JQL (JIRA Query Language) is a powerful query language used to search for issues in JIRA. It allows you to create complex queries to filter issues based on parameters like project, status, assignee, etc. For example, project = "Website" AND status = "In Progress"
will return all issues from the “Website” project that are currently in progress.
5. How do you create an issue in JIRA?
To create an issue in JIRA:
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Click the Create button in the top navigation bar.
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Select the issue type (Bug, Story, Task, etc.).
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Fill out the required fields (Summary, Description, Priority, Assignee, etc.).
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Click Create to submit the issue to the selected project.
6. What are the advantages of using JIRA for project management?
JIRA offers several benefits for project management:
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Customizability: Tailor workflows, issue types, and boards to suit your team’s needs.
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Agile Support: Seamlessly integrates with Scrum and Kanban methodologies.
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Collaboration: Provides a central platform for teams to collaborate and track progress.
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Reporting & Analytics: Real-time reports help with tracking and project forecasting.
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Integrations: Integrates with other tools like Confluence, Bitbucket, and Slack.
7. What is a JIRA workflow?
A JIRA workflow is a set of steps that defines the lifecycle of an issue. It includes statuses like “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done,” and transitions between these statuses. Workflows can be customized to match a team’s process and include rules, conditions, and triggers.
8. What is a Jira User Story?
A user story in Jira represents a feature or requirement from an end-user perspective. It helps teams understand what the user wants and why, written in a simple format like “As a [user], I want [goal] so that [reason].”
9. How do you customize a Jira issue?
You can customize issues by adding custom fields, changing workflows, or setting different screens for issue types using the project settings or Jira admin panel.
10. What is the difference between a project and a board in Jira?
A project is a collection of issues with a shared goal. A board (Scrum or Kanban) is a visual way to manage issues from one or more projects.
11. What is the use of a filter subscription in Jira?
Filter subscriptions allow you to schedule automatic emails with the results of saved issue filters, helping teams stay updated without manually checking.
12. What are Jira’s global permissions?
Global permissions apply system-wide and control who can access or administer Jira, like “Jira System Administrators” or “Browse Users.”
13. What is a Jira version?
A version marks a point in your project timeline. Teams use versions to schedule releases and track which issues are fixed in each release.
14. What is a Jira sprint?
A sprint is a fixed time period (typically 2 weeks) during which a team works on a defined set of issues from the backlog.
16. What is a Jira backlog?
The backlog is a list of all issues or user stories that haven’t been started yet. Teams prioritize work here before adding it to sprints.
17. What is an “Active Sprint” in Jira?
An active sprint is the currently running sprint in a Scrum board, showing tasks that are in progress, done, or not started.
18. How do you delete an issue in Jira?
Only users with delete permissions can delete an issue by opening the issue and choosing the “Delete” option from the menu.
19. What is the purpose of a Jira filter?
Filters let you search and save specific issue queries using JQL. These help you track specific types of issues or projects.
20. What are the different Jira user roles?
Common roles include Project Administrator, Developer, Tester, and viewer. Each role comes with specific permissions.
21. Why is Jira used?
Jira helps teams track, manage, and organize their work, especially in software development using Agile and Scrum frameworks.
22. What are the color indicators in JIRA and their significance?
Colors show issue priorities (e.g., red for high priority), sprint statuses, or SLA warnings to help you act quickly.
23. How can an issue be shared in Jira with others?
Click the “Share” button on an issue and send it via email or copy the link to share directly.
24. Why is an issue labeled in Jira?
Labels help categorize issues with keywords. You can search and filter issues by label for better tracking.
25. How is an issue linked in Jira?
You can link issues to show relationships like “blocks,” “relates to,” or “duplicates” by using the “More” > “Link” option.
26. What is Cloning an Issue in Jira?
Cloning copies the issue and creates a duplicate. It helps when a similar task needs to be repeated without retyping details.
27. What things are not cloned from the original issue?
Comments, issue history, time tracking, and links are usually not copied during cloning.
28. How to create a clone of an issue?
Open the issue, click “More” > “Clone,” give it a name, and click “Create.”
Intermediate JIRA Questions
1. How do you create a custom field in Jira?
Go to Jira settings > Issues > Custom Fields > Add Custom Field. Choose a field type, name it, and add it to screens.
2. Explain “Bulk Change” in Jira.
Bulk Change allows you to update, transition, delete, or edit multiple issues at once from the issue navigator.
3. What are Jira’s notification schemes?
They define who gets notified when specific issue events (like assignment or comments) occur. Configurable per project.
4. How do you use Jira’s “Versions” feature?
You can plan releases by assigning issues to a version. Versions help in tracking completed, pending, or future features.
5. How do you import data into Jira?
Use the CSV Import tool under Jira Admin > System > External System Import. Map fields to match Jira issue types.
6. What is Jira Portfolio?
Now called Advanced Roadmaps, it helps in planning and managing multiple projects with timelines and dependencies.
7. Can Jira be used for test case management?
Yes, with plugins like Zephyr or Xray. These allow test creation, execution, and linking test results with Jira issues.
8. What are the limitations when editing an active workflow?
You cannot edit certain parts (like status names) of an active workflow unless you copy and modify it first.
9. What is a Workflow designer in JIRA?
It’s a visual tool that lets you build and edit workflows using drag-and-drop for statuses, transitions, and conditions.
10. What elements are included under change history of an issue?
It tracks all updates like status changes, comments, assignee changes, and field modifications with timestamps.
11. How to view change history for any issue in JIRA?
Open the issue, scroll to the “History” tab under the Activity section.
12. What is the Move Issue wizard in JIRA?
It helps move an issue from one project or issue type to another while mapping required fields.
13. How to schedule an issue in JIRA?
Use the Due Date field or assign it to a sprint. You can also automate scheduling using automation rules.
14. How project details are listed in JIRA?
Each project has a summary page showing issue types, workflows, people, and recent activity.
15. How to create a Kanban board in JIRA?
Go to Boards > Create board > Kanban board. Choose from an existing project or create a new one.
16. Mention some popular Jira add-ons.
Zephyr, Xray, ScriptRunner, Tempo Timesheets, Structure, BigPicture.
17. How to define a component in JIRA?
Components are sub-sections within a project (like UI, Backend). Define them in project settings > Components.
18. How to delete a component in JIRA?
Go to Project settings > Components, click delete (trash icon) next to the component.
19. How to edit multiple issues at once?
Search for issues using filters, click “Tools” > “Bulk Change,” then choose edit, transition, or delete.
20. What is Zephyr for Jira?
Zephyr is a test management add-on that allows you to write, manage, and execute test cases within Jira.
21. What is the importance of the JIRA Dashboard?
Dashboards show real-time data via gadgets like charts, filters, and status updates. Helps with reporting and visibility.
22. What are JIRA Components, and how are they different from Labels?
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Components are sub-sections of a project used to organize issues by category, such as front-end, back-end, or database. They can help categorize tasks based on specific areas.
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Labels are user-defined tags that can be applied to issues for additional categorization. Labels are more flexible and can be used across different projects.
23. How do you set up permissions in a JIRA project?
To set up permissions:
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Go to Project Settings.
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Select Permissions.
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Use the Permission Scheme to define who can view, create, edit, or delete issues, and perform other actions. You can assign permissions to groups or individual users.
24. What are Versions in JIRA, and how do they help in project tracking?
Versions represent milestones or releases in a project. They are used to track the progress of tasks associated with a specific release. Versions help in organizing issues by release dates and allow you to generate release notes once the work is completed.
25. Explain how to configure an Agile board in JIRA.
To configure an Agile board:
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Go to Boards > Create Board.
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Choose between a Scrum board or a Kanban board.
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Select the project you want to associate with the board.
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Customize the board’s settings, such as columns, filters, and issue types, to match your team’s workflow.
26. How do you use JIRA Reports to track progress?
JIRA offers several reports to track progress:
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Burndown Chart: Tracks the amount of work remaining in a sprint.
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Velocity Chart: Shows the team’s completed work over multiple sprints.
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Cumulative Flow Diagram: Tracks the flow of tasks across different stages of the workflow.
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Sprint Report: Provides an overview of completed and incomplete tasks at the end of a sprint.
27. What is an Epic in JIRA, and how is it different from a Story?
An epic is a large body of work that can be broken down into smaller tasks or stories. It represents a feature or initiative. A story is a smaller, more detailed unit of work within an epic. Stories are generally completed in one sprint.
Advanced JIRA Questions(Experienced)
1. How do you create a custom workflow in JIRA?
To create a custom workflow:
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Go to JIRA Settings > Issues > Workflows.
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Select Add Workflow to create a new one.
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Define statuses, transitions, and conditions.
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Assign the workflow to a project via a workflow scheme.
2. What is the difference between JIRA Cloud and JIRA Server/Data Center?
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JIRA Cloud is hosted by Atlassian on their servers, offering automatic updates, scalability, and minimal configuration.
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JIRA Server/Data Center is hosted on-premise, giving teams more control over their environment and customizations. It also requires manual updates and maintenance.
3. How do you automate tasks in JIRA using Automation Rules?
Automation Rules in JIRA help streamline tasks by setting up triggers and actions. For example, you can set a rule to automatically transition an issue to “In Progress” when a developer starts working on it. Go to Project Settings > Automation, then define your trigger (e.g., issue created), condition (e.g., priority is high), and action (e.g., assign to a user).
4. What are the best practices for using JIRA in large enterprises?
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Standardize Workflows: Ensure consistent processes across teams.
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Use Automation: Reduce manual tasks by automating common processes.
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Custom Permissions: Set fine-grained permissions to control access.
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Integrate Tools: Connect JIRA with other tools like Confluence for documentation.
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Scale Efficiently: Use JIRA Data Center for better performance in large organizations.
5. How do you integrate JIRA with Confluence, Bitbucket, or other tools?
Integration with tools like Confluence (documentation), Bitbucket (code repository), and Slack (communication) is done through Atlassian Marketplace apps or built-in connectors. These integrations allow for seamless collaboration, tracking, and communication across teams.
6. What are Service Desk features in JIRA, and how do they differ from Software projects?
JIRA Service Desk is a customer service platform that provides support ticket management. Key features include SLA tracking, customer portals, and automation for ticket handling. It differs from JIRA Software, which is focused on software development and project management. Service Desk is more geared toward support teams.
7. Explain how JIRA handles SLAs (Service Level Agreements).
JIRA Service Desk allows you to set SLAs to measure the response and resolution times for support tickets. SLAs are based on conditions like priority or issue type, and JIRA tracks these times to ensure support teams meet their commitments. If an SLA is breached, JIRA notifies the team to take action.
8. What are the differences between JIRA and Bugzilla?
Jira supports Agile, has better UI, and more integrations. Bugzilla is more focused on traditional bug tracking and is less flexible.
9. What are the version control systems we can integrate with JIRA?
Bitbucket, GitHub, GitLab, Subversion, etc., via development tools integration.
10. What is a validator in JIRA?
A validator checks inputs before a transition occurs. For example, making sure a comment is added before closing an issue.
11. What is an issue collector?
It’s a form you can embed on a website to allow users to create issues directly into Jira projects.
12. What is an Audit Log?
Tracks all admin-level changes like configuration updates, workflow edits, and permission changes for accountability.
13. How to migrate JIRA data from one instance to another?
Use Jira’s export/import feature with XML or use Jira Cloud Migration Assistant for cloud-to-cloud migrations.
14. What is the significance of JIRA’s Issue Security Schemes?
They restrict visibility of issues to certain roles or users, ensuring sensitive data is protected.
15. How to optimize JIRA for large enterprises with thousands of issues?
Use indexing, limit custom fields, archive old projects, and leverage data center editions with load balancing.
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