GUIDE 2024

How To Create Versions in Jira [Tutorial]

Are you wondering how to create a version in Jira? Well you’ve come to the right place.

A version is a term associated with Jira that refers to a set of bug fixes and features that a team releases as a single update. 

From a software development and management point of view in Jira software, versions are important since they act as timestamps that show when a team has completed a milestone. They are also important in helping the team to create a timeline for finished work, set expectations, and manage workflows.

This article explains how to create versions in Jira software step-by-step.

4 Steps to Create Versions in Jira

In total, there are four steps that you must follow to build a version in Jira. 

Let’s dive into each one.

Step 1: Create a Version in Jira

There are four prerequisites you must have before you start to create versions in Jira. 

Credit: Atlassian

To be specific, you must have: 

  • An account with Jira Software
  • Created a Jira Software Kanban or Scrum project
  • Included one or more issues in the project
  • Gone into the ‘Project Settings’ and enabled the ‘Releases Feature’. 

Once you’ve done that, follow these steps. 

  1. Open up Jira Software and go to the project you’re working on. 
  2. Once you’re in the project, navigate to the project menu. There, click on ‘Releases.’
  3. Press ‘Create version.’
  4. From the choices that appear on your screen, go to the ‘Name’ text box and type in a name. You also have the option to input a description for the version and a ‘Release’ and/or ‘Start Date.’ However, filling in these specific text boxes is not mandatory to create the version.
  5. Click ‘Save.’

You are free to choose a name that you think is most suitable for the version. Most version names are numerical. However, it is not uncommon to come across versions named after an internal code familiar to the development team. 

Clicking on ‘Save’ opens up access for both the fields ‘Fix Version’ and ‘Affects Version.’

The ‘Fix Version’ refers to the version that you hope to release bug fixes and features to end-users. The development team uses this field to gauge velocity and progress, conduct feature reporting, and carry out release planning.

The ‘Affects’ version is the one where the development team first identified the problem or bug. While some teams do use it to track bugs, in Jira, most teams use the ‘Fix Version’ instead.

There is no limit on the number of versions you must create. Product leaders advise the development team to create as many versions as they see necessary. All in all, it’s your job to figure out what works best for the specific project you’re working on.

Step 2: Add Issues to Version

Some projects have backlogs while others do not. 

Let’s break down what you must do in both scenarios to continue creating your version in Jira. 

If you have a backlog

Here are the steps you must follow if you have an existing backlog: 

  1. Go to your project backlog. 
  2. Toggle to the ‘Versions Panel’ located on the left of your screen.
  3. With your cursor, drag and drop the issue to the version you’d like to include it in. 

 

Credit: Atlassian

If you don’t have a backlog

  1. Open the issue. 
  2. Locate the field named ‘Fix Versions’ and input the version you’d like to merge with the issue. 

Step 3: Monitor the Version’s Progress

Development teams who use Jira are fortunate that the software provides them with multiple tools to view a version’s progress. 

Let us take a closer look at some of these tools. 

Roadmaps

In Jira, roadmaps allow you to gather your releases and issues into a single digital space to facilitate easier collaboration with stakeholders, monitor progress, and charter the path for a deliverable. 

Credit: Atlassian

Roadmaps have a ‘Releases’ feature that enables you to visualize a given release on a timeline and view important details from the ‘Roadmap View’ function. 

To view a release, follow these two steps: 

  1. To the top-right part of your screen, click on the option ‘View Settings.’
  2. Tick the box that appears next to ‘Releases.’

Credit: Atlassian

Once you’ve done so, consider exploring the additional options made available to you to plan a release. 

The Release Hub

The Release Hub is a service desk that allows you to manage all your releases. It offers an overview of your release statuses and gives an analysis of the number of issues in each version.

Credit: Atlassian

Here’s how you access this function: 

  1. Navigate to your project. 
  2. Choose the option ‘Releases’ found in the project menu. 
  3. Once you’re then, be sure to filter out the versions that you are not looking at. This allows you to focus on the ones that matter to you at a specific point in time.
  4. Rearrange versions to your liking by dragging and dropping them as you see fit.
  5. Choose the status that you believe is most appropriate for the version, selecting among ‘Archived,’ ‘Released,’ and ‘Unreleased.’
  6. View the progress tab to visualize the number of issues that you’ve assigned to the version as well as determine how many are within a given status.

Step 4: Complete the Version

At this stage, you are ready to release the version. 

Here are the steps you must carry out to do so: 

  1. Go back to your project.
  2. Visit the project window again, but this time, click on ‘Releases.’
  3. Choose the version you’re looking at releasing. 
  4. Click on ‘Actions’ and then hit the ‘Release’ button. 

There you have it: you have released the version. 

In case you are working with a Kanban board, you also have the option to release the issues through the ‘Done’ column in the form of a new version that the board itself generates. 

Conclusion

Creating a version in Jira and releasing it is a straightforward process. 

That said, the number of options that the software tool affords you makes it easy for some to go astray. 

Follow this guide to get precise and clear instructions on how to carry out the process for a smooth and successful version release in Jira. 

Josh Fechter
Josh Fechter
Josh Fechter is the co-founder of Product HQ, founder of Technical Writer HQ, and founder and head of product of Squibler. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.