An Epic Groups Related Tasks Into One Larger Goal
An Epic in Jira is a container that holds multiple related issues — tasks, bugs, or stories — under a single large objective. Instead of managing fifty individual tasks scattered across your board, you bundle them into one Epic called "Mobile App Redesign" or "Payment System Overhaul". Everyone on the team sees when ready which small tasks roll up into which big goal.
Epics are the layer between your overall project and the individual work items your team members pick up each day. A project might have three or four Epics running in parallel. Each Epic might contain ten to thirty issues. This structure lets you track progress on the big picture without losing sight of what each person is actually doing right now.
Key Takeaways
- Create an Epic by opening your Jira project, clicking Create, selecting Epic as the issue type, and filling in the name and description.
- Link existing issues to an Epic by opening each issue, scrolling to the Epic Link field, and selecting the Epic from the dropdown.
- View all issues in an Epic by clicking the Epic name on your board or in the backlog, which shows you progress and remaining work at a glance.
- Use the Epic panel on the left side of your Jira board to filter your view to a single Epic, so your team focuses on one goal at a time.
Create a New Epic From the Create Button
Open your Jira project and click the blue Create button in the top left. A dialog box appears with a dropdown menu that says "Issue Type". Click that dropdown and select Epic from the list. If you do not see Epic, your project may not have Epics enabled — ask your Jira administrator to turn on the Epic feature for your project.
Fill in the Epic Name field with a clear, short title: "User Authentication Redesign" or "Q2 Performance Improvements". This name appears everywhere — on your board, in reports, in team conversations — so make it specific enough that someone new to the project understands what work it covers. Add a description if you want to explain the goal, the scope, or why the Epic matters. Click Create, and your Epic is now live in Jira.
Your new Epic appears in the backlog but not yet on your board, because no issues are attached to it. The Epic itself is not work — it is a label that groups work together. You add issues to it next.
Link Existing Issues to Your Epic
Open any issue you want to add to the Epic. Scroll down to find the Epic Link field. If you do not see it, click the Configure Fields button (the gear icon) and turn on the Epic Link field. Click the Epic Link field and a dropdown appears showing all Epics in your project. Select the Epic you just created.
Repeat this for every issue that belongs to the Epic. You can do this one at a time, or if you have many issues, you can bulk-edit them: go to your backlog, select multiple issues by clicking the checkbox next to each one, click Tools, select Change Epic, and pick your Epic from the list. Jira updates all of them at once.
As you link issues, the Epic automatically updates to show how many issues are in it and what percentage are done. This gives you a live view of progress without opening a separate report.
View Your Epic and Its Issues on the Board
On your Jira board, look at the left sidebar. You see a list of all Epics in your project. Click the Epic name, and your board filters to show only the issues linked to that Epic. Now your team sees exactly the work that belongs to this goal, with no distractions from other Epics.
Click the Epic name again to remove the filter and see all issues across all Epics. This toggle lets you zoom in on one Epic when your team is focused on it, then zoom out to see the full picture when you need to.
If you are working in the backlog view instead of the board, Epics appear as collapsible sections. Click the arrow next to the Epic name to expand it and see all linked issues, or collapse it to hide them and focus on other Epics.
Track Progress and Adjust Issues as You Work
As your team moves issues from To Do to In Progress to Done, the Epic automatically updates its progress bar. You can see at a glance that the Epic is 40% complete, or 80% complete, without asking anyone for a status update. This is especially useful in standups or when a manager asks where a large goal stands.
If you realize an issue does not belong in the Epic, open the issue and clear the Epic Link field. If you need to move an issue to a different Epic, click the Epic Link field and select a new Epic. Jira updates the counts and progress bars when ready.
You can also create new issues directly inside an Epic. From the backlog, click the Epic name to expand it, then click Create Issue. The new issue is automatically linked to that Epic, saving you a step.
Use Epics to Report Progress to Stakeholders
Jira's reporting features work with Epics. Go to your project and click Reports. Select Epic Report, and Jira shows you a breakdown of each Epic: how many issues are in it, how many are done, how many are in progress, and how many are not started. This report is useful for weekly status meetings or for showing leadership what your team has shipped.
You can also create a burndown chart for a single Epic if you want to see whether it is on track to finish by a target date. This helps you spot problems early — if the Epic is supposed to be done in two weeks but the burndown shows you are only halfway through, you know you need to add people or cut scope.
Common Mistakes When Creating Epics
The most common mistake is making Epics too small. An Epic should represent weeks or months of work, not a few days. If your Epic has only three or four issues, it is probably too narrow. Combine it with related work or break it into smaller pieces that still roll up into a larger goal.
Another mistake is forgetting to link issues to the Epic. You create the Epic, but then you keep working on issues without attaching them. Go back and link them — it takes a minute per issue and gives you the visibility you created the Epic for in the first place.
A third mistake is using Epics as a way to assign work to people. Epics are for grouping related work, not for assigning it. Use the Assignee field on individual issues to say who is doing the work. Use the Epic to say what goal the work serves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create an Epic from the backlog instead of the Create button?
Yes. In the backlog view, click Create Epic at the top of the backlog. A dialog appears where you name the Epic and click Create. It works the same way as using the Create button, just from a different starting point.
What happens if I delete an Epic?
The issues linked to the Epic are not deleted — only the Epic itself is removed. The issues remain in your project, but they no longer have an Epic Link. You can re-link them to a different Epic or leave them unlinked.
Can I have sub-Epics, or nest Epics inside other Epics?
Standard Jira does not support nested Epics. An Epic contains issues, not other Epics. If you need a hierarchy deeper than Epic and Issue, you may need to use a custom field or a Jira plugin, or restructure your Epics to fit your workflow.
How do I know if my Epic is too big or too small?
An Epic that takes one person more than a few weeks to complete is usually too big — consider splitting it. An Epic with fewer than three or four issues is usually too small — consider combining it with related work. The right size depends on your team, but aim for Epics that take two to eight weeks to finish.
Can I see all Epics across multiple projects in one view?
Not in the standard board or backlog view. You can use Jira's portfolio or roadmap features if your plan includes them, or you can create a filter that searches for issues across projects and groups them by Epic. Ask your Jira administrator what reporting tools are available in your instance.