How do I add an existing ticket to an epic in Jira?

Adding an existing ticket to an epic in Jira is a straightforward process that allows you to organize your tickets under larger initiatives or projects. Epics in Jira are used to group together related tickets under a common objective. For example, you may create an epic for a new project, and then add existing tickets for individual tasks to that epic.

Adding existing tickets to epics can help provide structure to your tickets and give more context. It also allows you to track progress on the epic level. Here are the steps to add an existing ticket to an epic in Jira:

Prerequisites

Before adding a ticket to an epic, you need:

• An existing epic set up in Jira
• One or more existing tickets that you want to associate with that epic
• Edit permissions for the tickets and epic (if you don’t have permission, you may need to request that an admin add the tickets to the epic)

Add Single Ticket to Epic

Here are the steps to add a single existing ticket to an epic:

1. Navigate to the epic you want to add the ticket to.
2. In the left side panel, click the “Issues” tab to view existing tickets associated with the epic.
3. Click the “+” button to add an issue and start typing the ticket name or key. Select the ticket from the dropdown results.
4. Click “Add” to add the ticket to the epic. It will now show under the epic “Issues” tab.

Example Adding Single Ticket

Let’s say we have an epic called “New Website Redesign” with key WEB-123. We have an existing ticket “Create sitemap” with key WEB-456 that we want to add. Here are the steps:

1. Go to the “New Website Redesign” epic WEB-123
2. Click the “Issues” tab
3. Click the “+” button, start typing “WEB-456” and select it from the dropdown
4. Click “Add” to add it to the epic

This adds the existing “Create sitemap” ticket to our epic.

Add Multiple Tickets to Epic

To add multiple existing tickets to an epic at once:

1. Navigate to the epic you want to add tickets to.
2. In the left side panel, click the “Issues” tab.
3. Click the “Link Issues” button.
4. Select the issues you want to add by checking the boxes. You can also search or filter the list.
5. Click “Link Issues” to add the selected tickets to the epic.

Example Adding Multiple Tickets

Let’s add two tickets to our website redesign epic:

1. Go to the epic WEB-123
2. Click the “Issues” tab
3. Click “Link Issues”
4. Check the box for tickets WEB-456 and WEB-789
5. Click “Link Issues”

This will add both existing tickets WEB-456 and WEB-789 to our epic WEB-123.

Important Notes

• Adding a ticket to an epic does not move it – it simply associates the ticket with the epic. The ticket will still show under its original project and other metadata.
• If desired, you can drag and drop tickets to reorder them under the epic “Issues” tab.
• Make sure any epic you add tickets to has the Epic Link field enabled under issue types.
• You can also bulk add multiple tickets by editing the Epic Link field on the tickets.

Removing Tickets from Epics

To remove an existing ticket from an epic:

1. Navigate to the epic.
2. Click the “Issues” tab.
3. Find the ticket you want to remove and click the “x” icon next to it.
4. Confirm you want to remove the ticket from the epic.

This will disassociate the ticket from the epic but not delete or move the ticket itself.

Benefits of Organizing Tickets in Epics

There are several benefits to structuring tickets under epics in Jira:

• Context – Epics group related tickets to tell a story or provide context about the bigger goal or objective.
• Visibility – Adding tickets to epics makes them more visible and easier to track.
• Reporting – You can roll up metrics, progress, and reports across tickets under an epic.
• Tracking – The epic level offers a high-level view to track progress across associated tickets.

Overall, epics help organize tickets, provide visibility into the connections between issues, and offer a way to track initiatives and objectives at a higher level.

Other Questions

Here are some other common questions about working with epics and tickets in Jira:

Can I bulk add existing tickets to an epic?

Yes, you can bulk add multiple existing tickets to an epic at once by editing the Epic Link field on the tickets to point them to the desired epic. You can edit this field in bulk using Jira’s bulk edit options.

Can I prioritize tickets under an epic?

You can prioritize tickets within an epic using Jira’s ranking function. Drag and drop the tickets under the epic into your desired order and they will be ranked accordingly.

Can I view an epic without tickets assigned?

Yes, you can view and create epics without any tickets associated with them to start. Then you can go back later and add issues.

How are epics different from projects and versions?

Epics are different from projects and versions in Jira:

• Projects provide structure for teams and permissions.
• Versions track release timing for a project.
• Epics group related tickets under a common objective or initiative.

So epics essentially sit above individual tickets and below projects to provide an additional layer of organization around goals and outcomes.

Conclusion

Adding existing tickets to epics is an easy way to organize your issues and track progress at a higher level in Jira. Simply navigate to the epic, click the “Issues” tab, and use the “+” button to search for and add tickets. You can also bulk add multiple tickets at once.

Structuring tickets under epics gives more context, visibility, and reporting capabilities. It’s a best practice for managing projects and initiatives of all sizes in Jira. Start grouping your tickets into epics to take advantage of Jira’s powerful hierarchical feature set.