How to Create an Epic and Add Stories in Jira
An epic is one big piece of work, like a whole feature, split into stories. See how to create an epic in Jira, describe its goal, and add child stories to it.
Step by step
What is an epic
- Epics in Jira. An epic is one big piece of work, like a whole feature. It is too big for one sprint, so you split it into smaller stories. Here we create one in Jira.
Create the epic
- Create. Click Create to start a new work item.
- Pick Epic. Click the work type. Pick Epic, the one with the purple lightning icon.
- Name the feature. Name the epic after the feature: Wish list. Keep the name short so it fits on every card.
- The goal. In the description, write the goal: what changes for the user when the epic is done. Here it is: Goal: shoppers can save products for later and come back to buy them.
- Create. Click Create to save the epic.
- Open the epic. Jira confirms that the epic was created. Click View epic to open it.
Add stories
- Add a child story. Now split the epic into stories. Click Add child work item. Type the first story: Save a product to my wish list.
- Make it a story. Click Select work type to choose what kind of item this child is. Pick Story, the one with the green bookmark icon.
- Create. Click Create to add the story to the epic.
- Child work items. The story now sits under the epic as a child work item. Add the other stories the same way. The epic then shows how much of the feature is done.
Recap
- Epic, then stories. To sum up: an epic is a feature. Give it a short name, write the goal in the description, then add child stories under it.
Common mistakes
- Creating stories on their own, outside the epic. If you don't add them as children, they don't count towards the epic's progress. Open the epic and click Add child work item for each story, so they all sit under it.
- Leaving the child's work type unset. If you skip Select work type, the child may not be saved as a story. Pick Story, with the green bookmark, before you click Create.
- A long epic name. The epic name shows on every card under it, so a long name gets cut off. Use the feature's name, like Wish list, and put the detail in the description.
- An empty description. Without a goal, nobody can tell when the epic is finished. Write one line on what changes for the user, like Goal: shoppers can save products for later and come back to buy them.
When a business analyst uses this
After a discovery workshop, a business analyst creates one epic for each agreed feature, like Wish list, and copies the goal from the requirements into the description. Each user need from the workshop becomes a child story, so the product owner can see what's left before sign-off.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between an epic and a story in Jira?
An epic is one big piece of work, like a whole feature, that is too big for one sprint. A story is one smaller piece of that feature, and it sits under the epic as a child work item.
How do I add a story to an epic in Jira?
Open the epic, click Add child work item and type the story. Then set the work type to Story and click Create.
What should I write in a Jira epic description?
Write the goal: what changes for the user when the epic is done. For example, Goal: shoppers can save products for later and come back to buy them.
