Jira Dashboard – An Easy Guide [2022]
Your Jira dashboard should tell a story, that is informative, useful, and engaging and the team should use the information and data in a meaningful way.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the basics of what makes a Jira dashboard and how to create one.
- What is a Jira Dashboard?
- The Default Dashboard
- How to Create a Dashboard
- Jira Dashboard Reporting
- Wrapping Up
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Jira Dashboard?
The Jira dashboard is the first thing you see when you log in to your Jira account. It is a dashboard that lets you see what is going on with the project you are managing. There are three main components to the Jira dashboard: the dashboard itself, the user interface, and the add-ons. The dashboard is a list of different areas that the project manager needs to know about to effectively manage their project.
To keep track of the difficulties and tasks you have on your list, you can also build customizable dashboards and add gadgets. These dashboards provide tools for organizing your work, projects, and accomplishments into various charts.
Additionally, the system dashboard offers a default dashboard for each employee in your company. Therefore, it is beneficial to make sure that you configure it for your regular activities.
Must Reads:
- Introduction to Jira Boards [2022]
- How to Create JIRA Kanban Boards [2022]
- How to Delete Boards in JIRA? A Simple & Effective Step in 2022
The Default Dashboard
The default dashboard is the view you get to see as soon as you log in to your Jira account. This Jira dashboard consists of all the following things:
- Navigation Bar
- Projects List
- Settings
- Administration
- List of tasks created
- Issues
- Gadgets
You can access the default dashboard as the admin of the Jira project. The admin can change the color, logo, name, accessibility, and privacy settings of each project.
How to Create a Dashboard
Step 1:
On the Navigation bar, under the Dashboard, you have to click on Create dashboard.
Once you click on the create dashboard, a dashboard pop-up will appear like the image given below.
Step 2:
Under the Viewers section, you have four options to choose from. The Private option gives access only to the owner/admin of the project, whereas, the other three options give access to other members of the board.
After you select the viewers and editors options, you can fill in the project name and description relevant to your project.
Step 3:
Under the Viewers and Editor’s section, you have a section named Project under which you can see all the projects listed, and you can choose the relevant one that you are working on.
Step 4:
In the next section, there is a drop-down to choose the roles to assign to the project. The roles include administrator, assignee, etc.
Step 5:
If you are planning to work on more than one project, then there is an option to do that by clicking on the Add button under both the Viewers and Editors section.
Once you enter all the necessary information about the project, you can click on Save to create the dashboard.
The new dashboard will appear like the image shown below after you click on the save.
Step 6:
After you create the dashboard, you can then move to add gadgets.
On the right side of the dashboard, you will see the “Add a Gadget” menu. The default Jira project comes with 30 gadgets, and some gadgets are available for different projects according to their type.
Step 7:
If you need a gadget for your project, you can add them by clicking on the Add button next to the gadgets listed.
Once you click on the Add gadget, it will get added to your dashboard. From the image below, you can see that the Filter count gadget is on my dashboard.
Step 7:
There is another feature in the dashboard through which you can move the gadgets using a hoover button.
The below image shows how the dashboard will look after you add multiple gadgets.
Step 8:
In the top right corner, there is an icon that says Change layout. You can use this to change the way how your dashboard appears.
It can be two windows, a single window, three windows, and, so on.
Step 9:
If you want to take a quick look at your project’s progress and accomplishments, you may do so by clicking on the burger icon in the top right corner next to the change layout.
The View as Wallboard shows a visual radiator of your project and is part of the Jira dashboard’s gadget.
Step 10:
If you want to view all the dashboards, you can click on View all dashboards. It will take you to the main dashboard view.
There is also another way to do this. In the Menu bar under the Dashboards section, you can click on View all dashboards.
The view all dashboards page will look like the image shown below.
If you click on the default dashboard, it will take you to the homepage of your dashboard which will look like the below image.
Step 11:
There is an alternative way to create a new dashboard from the dashboards. Once you go to the view all dashboards page, there is a Create dashboard button in the top right corner.
If you want to create a dashboard within the dashboard view, you can use this option.
Jira Dashboard Reporting
You can use the reports feature of a Jira Dashboard to create a general dashboard specific to you. This is a great way to create a baseline where you can compare your progress over time to see how your performance is coming along. This also helps you identify trends and make adjustments to your processes as necessary.
Jira dashboard reporting involves much more than just seeing your data; it truly excels when data it combines several sources methodically to form a coherent narrative.
The more complicated and extensive your Jira instance is, the more difficult it is to show the reports clearly. Jira dashboards are simple to make, but they may occasionally feel daunting, especially when you’re trying to decide which gadgets to use, filters to include, and the like.
The task of establishing excellent reporting standards gets more challenging if you are not a Jira query language (JQL) specialist.
Do not worry, and get acquainted with the appropriate reporting tools, advice, and methods necessary to develop straightforward, aesthetically pleasing, and simple-to-understand Jira dashboards.
Related Reads:
- Jira Ticket – How to Create, View and Delete [2022]
- A Guide to Jira Issue Types [2022]
- 5 Best JIRA Alternatives
Wrapping Up
There are many benefits to learning Jira Dashboard, such as the ability to manage an effective workflow, the ability to provide a visual representation of progress, and the ability to display progress in workflows. Studies show that a leaner, more organized process leads to success and a better experience for your organization.
For courses on project management and tools please check our course list.
For more information on project management software and methodologies read our blogs.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Difference between the Jira dashboard and the Jira board?
The Jira dashboard is a view of all the work you perform on your Jira boards. The default dashboard is the first dashboard you see when you enter the Jira application.
2. Can I edit a shared Jira dashboard?
The Jira dashboard is owned by the administrator of the project but is based on the shared access the admin can give you to edit the dashboard.
3. How can I customize the Jira dashboard?
Yes, as the administrator of the Jira dashboard, you can customize it according to your preferences. Note that only the admins can custom-create dashboards, but even the admins cannot delete the default dashboards.
Simon Calder
Chris “Simon” Calder was working as a Project Manager in IT for one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious cultural institutions, LACMA. He taught himself to use Microsoft Project from a giant textbook and hated every moment of it. Online learning was in its infancy then, but he spotted an opportunity and made an online MS Project course - the rest, as they say, is history!