Jira Advanced 2026 | Master Jira Administration & JQL

In this lesson, you will learn the key principles of customizing Jira without creating unnecessary complexity. We’ll discuss when customization adds value, why reusable configurations are better than one-off solutions, and why Jira should support your processes—not replace or fix them. These best practices will help you build a Jira instance that is simple, scalable, and easy to maintain.

In this lesson, you will learn how to create, configure, and assign custom workflows in Jira. We’ll explore how workflows interact with board columns, why issues can disappear when statuses are not mapped correctly, how to build practical workflows with meaningful transitions, and how to apply them safely using workflow schemes while avoiding overly complex designs.

In this lesson, you will learn how to customize Jira workflow transitions using workflow rules. We’ll explore conditions, validators, post functions, triggers, and events, build practical transition rules, and discuss best practices for testing workflows, providing meaningful error messages, and keeping workflow automation simple and reliable.

In this lesson, you will learn how to create, configure, and manage custom fields in Jira. We’ll explore field contexts, screens, and field configurations, troubleshoot why fields may not appear on issues, and build a practical custom user field while applying best practices for keeping your Jira instance organized and scalable.

In this lesson, you will learn how Jira screens and screen schemes work together with issue types and workflows. We’ll create a custom screen, configure which fields appear during different issue operations, connect screens to workflow transitions, and explore best practices for designing simple, user-friendly interfaces that match your team's processes.

In this lesson, you will get an introduction to Jira Query Language (JQL) and learn why it’s one of the most valuable skills for Jira users and administrators. We’ll explore how JQL differs from basic search, how to build more powerful queries, and why understanding JQL is essential for troubleshooting filters, boards, and dashboards.

In this lesson, you will learn the fundamentals of Jira Query Language (JQL). We’ll compare basic filters with JQL, build your first queries using fields, operators, and keywords, learn how to save and share filters, export search results, and follow best practices for creating reusable queries that support reporting and prioritization.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use JQL to search and manage Jira issues based on people-related fields. We’ll build queries using assignees, reporters, custom user fields, groups, and watchers, explore user-related operators such as WAS, and use bulk changes to efficiently reassign and update multiple issues at once.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use JQL to search and analyze Jira issues based on workflow status. We’ll build queries to find stale work, track status changes over time, identify reopened issues, detect skipped workflow steps, and use status history operators to uncover bottlenecks and improve workflow visibility.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use JQL to search issues based on links and hierarchy. We’ll explore issue links, parent–child relationships, Epic queries, link types, and practical techniques for finding related work items, navigating issue hierarchies, and building queries across multiple linked or parent issues.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use JQL to search Jira issues based on dates and time ranges. We’ll build queries using relative and absolute dates, explore functions such as startOfDay() and startOfWeek(), filter work completed during specific periods, and identify stale issues that have not been updated for an extended time.

In this lesson, you will learn how to write more advanced JQL queries by combining multiple conditions with logical operators and parentheses. We’ll explore operator precedence, improve query readability, create reusable base filters, and build layered searches that are easier to maintain and share across your Jira projects.

In this lesson, you will learn where JQL excels and where its limitations begin. We’ll review the types of queries JQL handles well, discuss practical workarounds for more complex scenarios, and explore when to use exports or other tools for reporting and advanced analysis.

In this lesson, you will learn best practices for creating reliable JQL filters. We’ll cover how to test your queries, verify results using relevant columns, document and name filters clearly, configure sharing and permissions, and prepare reusable filters for boards, dashboards, and team collaboration.

In this section, you will learn how Jira boards, dashboards, and reports work from an administrator’s perspective. We’ll explore how to create and configure boards, understand common board settings, troubleshoot typical issues, and ensure teams have the right setup to work effectively. The section concludes with a practical case study that brings everything together.

In this lesson, you will learn how Jira Scrum boards work and how to configure them effectively. We’ll explore the relationship between boards and filters, understand board settings, customize layouts and quick filters, prioritize work with ranking, manage sprints, and troubleshoot common issues with missing work items and board configuration.

In this lesson, you will learn how Jira Kanban boards work and how to configure them effectively. We’ll compare Kanban with Scrum, enable and organize the Kanban backlog, map workflow statuses to board columns, configure work-in-progress (WIP) limits, and troubleshoot common issues related to workflows, column mapping, and permissions.

In this lesson, you will learn how to build effective Jira dashboards for different audiences. We’ll create dashboards using saved filters, configure gadgets such as pie charts and filter results, display key team metrics, highlight urgent work, and explore best practices for organizing, sharing, and maintaining useful dashboards.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use Jira Timelines to visualize epics, dependencies, releases, and sprint schedules. We’ll configure timeline settings, troubleshoot common timeline issues, create work item dependencies, and explore Jira Plans for managing roadmaps across multiple projects and teams.

In this lesson, you will learn how Jira reports work and how to interpret the most important Scrum and Kanban reports. We’ll explore burndown charts, sprint reports, cumulative flow diagrams, velocity charts, and control charts, while also covering common reporting issues, board configuration, story points, and the latest Jira reporting experience.

In this lesson, you will learn how story points work in Jira and why they are essential for Agile planning and reporting. We’ll cover the basics of story point estimation, configure the Story Points field, compare story points with time tracking, troubleshoot common setup issues, and see how story points power sprint planning, velocity tracking, and Jira reports.

In this lesson, you will learn how to apply Jira administration concepts in a real-world case study. We’ll design and configure an HR Operations project from scratch by creating custom issue types, workflows, permissions, custom fields, boards, and reports, while also identifying requirements that should be validated with stakeholders before completing the implementation.

In this lesson, we will explore various additional tools, integrations, and plugins available for JIRA, some of which may be paid. The focus is on demonstrating setup options and enhancing your proficiency with JIRA through diverse functionalities.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use Jira Automation to streamline business processes. We’ll build an approval workflow that automatically creates approval subtasks, configure triggers, conditions, and actions, troubleshoot common permission issues, test automation rules safely, and explore best practices for implementing automation without overwhelming your users.

In this lesson, you will learn how to integrate Confluence with Jira to create connected documentation and workflows. We’ll create a Confluence space, link documentation to Jira projects, embed live Jira work items into Confluence pages, create Jira issues directly from documentation, and explore best practices for managing project knowledge alongside your work.

In this lesson, you will learn the key Jira system administration tools that every administrator should be familiar with. We’ll explore the audit log, global permissions, permission and notification helpers, shared filters and dashboards, and other essential system settings that help you troubleshoot issues, manage access, and maintain a healthy Jira instance.

In this lesson, you will learn how to enhance Jira with apps from the Atlassian Marketplace. We’ll explore how to evaluate and install plugins, review security and pricing considerations, discover popular tools such as ScriptRunner and Draw.io, and learn best practices for safely extending Jira’s functionality.

In this lesson, you will learn the key principles of effective Jira administration. We’ll cover best practices for keeping Jira simple and scalable, designing for future growth, aligning Jira with real business processes, testing changes safely, empowering users through education, and managing change in a way that builds trust and encourages Jira adoption.

Congratulations on completing the course! In this final lesson, we’ll recap what you’ve learned, discuss practical ways to continue developing your Jira administration skills, and explore how to gain real-world experience. I’ll also share my own journey into Jira administration, tips for building your portfolio, and resources to help you keep learning as Jira continues to evolve.