How to Create an Epic in Jira: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Jira's project structure can feel overwhelming at first, but once you understand how Epics fit into the hierarchy, everything clicks. Whether you're managing a software sprint or coordinating a cross-team initiative, knowing how to create and configure an Epic correctly makes the difference between a project board that guides your team and one that confuses it.

What Is an Epic in Jira?

An Epic is a large body of work that can be broken down into smaller tasks, called Stories, Tasks, or Subtasks. Think of it as a container — a thematic umbrella that groups related work together under one trackable unit.

For example, if your team is building a new user authentication system, the Epic might be called "User Authentication Overhaul." Beneath it, you'd have individual Stories like "Design login screen UI" or "Implement OAuth 2.0."

Jira's issue hierarchy typically looks like this:

Epics exist across multiple sprints and don't have to fit within a single two-week cycle. That's what sets them apart from Stories or Tasks.

Before You Create an Epic 🗂️

A few things affect how Epic creation works in your Jira environment:

• Jira version: Jira Software (cloud) vs. Jira Software (Data Center/Server) have slightly different interfaces. The steps below apply broadly, but menu labels may vary.
• Project type: Scrum and Kanban boards handle Epics differently. Scrum boards show Epics in the Backlog view; Kanban boards surface them through the Epic Panel.
• Permission level: You need at least Project Member or Developer permissions to create issues. Admins may have restricted issue creation for certain roles.
• Company-managed vs. team-managed projects: Company-managed (formerly "classic") projects offer more granular Epic configuration. Team-managed projects have a simplified setup.

If you're unsure which project type you're using, check the project sidebar. Team-managed projects display a simplified left-hand nav without a dedicated Backlog section.

How to Create an Epic in Jira (Step-by-Step)

Method 1: From the Backlog (Scrum Projects)

1. Open your Jira project and click Backlog in the left sidebar.
2. Look for the Epic Panel — usually toggled by clicking "Epics" on the left side of the backlog view.
3. Click "+ Create Epic" at the bottom of the Epic Panel.
4. Enter an Epic Name (a short label used on boards) and an Epic Summary (the full issue title).
5. Hit Enter or click Create.

Your Epic now appears in the panel and is ready to have Stories linked to it.

Method 2: Using the Global Create Button

This method works across all project types:

1. Click the "+ Create" button in the top navigation bar (usually top-left in Jira's interface).
2. In the Create Issue dialog, select your Project.
3. Set the Issue Type to Epic.
4. Fill in the required fields:
   • Summary: The full name of your Epic
   • Epic Name: The short label displayed on issue cards
   • Description: Optional but recommended for context
   • Assignee, Priority, Labels, Start Date, Due Date: Fill as needed
5. Click Create.

Method 3: From the Roadmap View

Jira's Roadmap (available in most Jira Software plans) offers a timeline-based way to create Epics:

1. Click Roadmap in the left sidebar.
2. Click "+ Create Epic" directly on the timeline.
3. Type the Epic name inline and press Enter.
4. Click the Epic bar to open its detail panel and add more fields.

The Roadmap view is particularly useful when you need to visualize how Epics overlap across time or set date ranges.

Configuring Your Epic After Creation

Creating the Epic is just the start. A well-configured Epic makes tracking and reporting far more useful.

Key fields to set:

• Epic Color: Assign a color so issues linked to this Epic are visually coded on the board.
• Start Date / Due Date: Helps Roadmap rendering and sprint planning.
• Priority: Signals urgency relative to other Epics.
• Labels or Components: Useful for filtering in large projects with many Epics.
• Linked Issues: If this Epic depends on or blocks another Epic, document it here.

Linking Stories and Tasks to an Epic 🔗

Once your Epic exists, you populate it by linking child issues:

• On a new Story: During issue creation, find the "Epic Link" field and select your Epic.
• On an existing Story: Open the issue, find "Epic Link" in the detail panel, and assign it.
• In the Backlog: Drag issues from the unassigned area into the Epic panel's associated backlog section.

In next-gen (team-managed) projects, the field may be labeled "Parent" rather than "Epic Link" — same concept, different label.

Variables That Affect Your Workflow

Not every team uses Epics the same way, and your setup introduces meaningful variation:

• Team size: Small teams might have two or three Epics active at once; larger organizations might manage dozens simultaneously, requiring stricter naming conventions and ownership assignment.
• Release cadence: Teams releasing monthly may close Epics faster; teams on quarterly cycles keep Epics open longer, which affects how you track progress.
• Custom fields: Some organizations add custom fields to Epics (business value, risk level, OKR alignment). If your admin has added these, they'll appear in the Create dialog — and ignoring them might break reporting workflows.
• Integrations: If Jira is connected to Confluence, Slack, or portfolio tools like Jira Align, how you name and structure Epics can affect how data surfaces in those tools.
• Estimation approach: Whether your team uses story points, time tracking, or no estimation changes how Epic progress is measured in reports like the Epic Burndown Chart.

How Epic Progress Is Tracked

Jira rolls up child issue statuses into the Epic automatically. In the Epic detail view, you'll see a progress bar reflecting how many linked issues are To Do, In Progress, or Done.

For more granular reporting, the Epic Report (available in Scrum projects) shows a burndown of remaining work within an Epic across sprints. This is only meaningful if child issues have estimates attached — an Epic with unestimated Stories produces incomplete reporting.

The right way to structure your Epics — how many to run at once, how granularly to break them down, whether to use the Roadmap or the Backlog panel as your primary view — depends heavily on how your team operates, what your project type supports, and what your organization's Jira configuration allows. Those variables sit entirely on your side of the screen.