Tutorial: Get Started with Jira#

Navigate Jira and understand your team’s workflow.

What You’ll Learn#

Complete this tutorial to:

  • Access the SKAO Jira instance

  • Find your team’s board and backlog

  • Understand ticket types and statuses

  • View and update your assigned tickets

Time required: 15-20 minutes

Prerequisites:

  • Jira account linked to the SKA project (ask your Scrum Master for access)

  • Team name or project key

Step 1: Access SKAO Jira#

Open your browser and navigate to the SKAO Jira instance:

jira.skatelescope.org

Log in with your institutional credentials.

Step 2: Find Your Team’s Board#

After logging in:

  1. Click Boards in the top navigation

  2. Search for your team’s board by name or project key

  3. Click the board to open it

Your Scrum Master will tell you which board your team uses.

Step 3: Understand the Board Layout#

Jira boards show columns representing workflow states:

To Do → In Progress → In Review → Done

Tickets (or “issues”) move left to right as work progresses.

Key areas:

  • Backlog — Work not yet started

  • Active Sprint — Current sprint’s work

  • Board — Visual view of ticket status

Step 4: Understand Ticket Types#

SKAO uses several ticket types:

  • Epic — Large feature or initiative spanning multiple sprints

  • Story — User-facing functionality

  • Task — Technical work item

  • Bug — Defect to fix

  • Spike — Research or investigation work

Each type has a distinct icon on the board.

Step 5: View Your Assigned Tickets#

To see tickets assigned to you:

  1. Click your profile icon (top right)

  2. Select Assigned to me

Use the quick filter on your board.

Step 6: Update a Ticket#

Click a ticket to open it. You can:

  • Change status — Drag to a new column, or click the status dropdown

  • Log time — Click Log work to record hours spent

  • Add comments — Keep your team informed of progress

  • Link to GitLab — Reference the Jira ID in your branch name or commit

Congratulations!#

You now:

  • Access SKAO Jira

  • Find your team’s board

  • Understand ticket types and workflow

  • View and update your assigned work

Next Steps#