An epic is a large body of work that holds stories, tasks and bugs. Create one with Create and the work type Epic, or with + Create Epic on the timeline. Add work by setting each item’s Parent field to the epic. To see what is inside, open the epic or search parent = KEY; both show direct children only, so subtasks need a tree view such as Cascade.
What an epic is in Jira
An epic is a large body of work broken down into smaller work items. It sits at level 1 of Jira’s hierarchy, one level above stories, tasks and bugs, which can each hold subtasks. An epic usually spans several sprints. Example: the epic Checkout redesign holds the stories Save cart for later and Pay with a saved card, and a task to upgrade the payment library. See Atlassian’s what is an epic, and epic vs story vs task for how the types differ.
How to create an epic in Jira
- Create button: select Create in the top navigation, change the work type to Epic, add a summary and create it.
- Timeline: select + Create Epic at the bottom of the work items column, type a name and press Enter. The label uses whatever your space calls its parent work type.
- Backlog (company-managed): open the Epics panel and select + Create epic.
Company-managed spaces used to ask for a separate Epic Name. That field is deprecated, and Jira now shows the Summary in its place. See managing epics and creating work items on the timeline.
Add stories and tasks to an epic
- Parent field: open the work item and set Parent to the epic. Parent replaced the older Epic Link field, and filters that use Epic Link still work.
- Backlog: drag the work item onto the epic in the Epics panel, or expand the epic and create a work item inside it.
- Timeline: drag the work item under the epic.
To take a work item out of an epic, drag it to No epic in the backlog, or clear its Parent. Stories and tasks don’t need an epic at all; the Parent field is optional.
See all the work in an epic
The epic’s child work items
Open the epic: its child work items appear in a table you can sort and configure. It shows up to 500 children.
Search with JQL
parent = SHOP-12 lists the epic’s direct children. It does not return their subtasks. On Premium and Enterprise, issuekey in portfolioChildIssuesOf("SHOP-12") returns every level below the epic, one epic at a time.
Backlog and timeline
In a company-managed backlog, select an epic in the Epics panel to filter the backlog to its work. On the timeline, each epic shows a progress bar from its children’s statuses: green for done, blue for in progress, grey for to do. It counts work items, not story points. See epic progress on the timeline.
Change an epic’s color, mark it done, or delete it
- Color: in the backlog’s Epics panel, open the epic’s details and select the colored square next to its name. On the timeline, select the square beside the summary, or right-click the schedule bar; children take the parent’s color. See changing schedule bar colors.
- Done: move the epic to Done like any other work item. In company-managed spaces this also sets the epic’s separate Epic Status field. Its children keep their own statuses.
- Delete: select ••• > Delete. You need the Delete work items permission. The epic’s children are not deleted; they lose their parent and stay in the space. See deleting work items.
Epic reports
Company-managed scrum spaces have two epic reports under Reports: the Epic report, which lists an epic’s completed and remaining work, and the Epic burndown, which forecasts how many sprints are left. Team-managed spaces don’t have either. An epic also doesn’t add up its children’s story points on its own. See the epic burndown report.
See an epic down to its subtasks
Each native view stops somewhere: the epic’s child table and parent = show one level, the timeline stops at stories, and the deeper JQL function needs Premium. A tree view shows the whole epic at once.
Cascade is a Chrome extension that opens inside your Jira Cloud tab. Choose your epics and the tree expands each one to its stories, tasks and bugs and their subtasks. Open any work item’s details beside the tree, or export the tree to a spreadsheet. No Jira administrator has to install it, though your employer’s browser policies may restrict extensions.
Pick an epic and see every story, task and subtask under it in one list. The tree is free today.
Jira epics FAQ
What is an epic in Jira?
A large body of work that is broken down into smaller work items: stories, tasks and bugs. It sits one level above them in Jira’s hierarchy and usually spans several sprints.
How do I create an epic in Jira?
Select Create in the top navigation and change the work type to Epic. You can also select + Create Epic at the bottom of the timeline, or + Create epic in the backlog’s Epics panel in a company-managed space.
How do I add a story to an epic?
Set the story’s Parent field to the epic. In the backlog you can also drag the story onto the epic in the Epics panel, and on the timeline you can drag it under the epic.
How do I see all work items in an epic?
Open the epic to see its child work items, or search with parent = KEY. Both list direct children only. To include subtasks in one view, use a tree view such as Cascade.
What happens to stories when you delete an epic?
They are not deleted. They lose their parent and stay in the space without an epic.
How do I change an epic’s color?
In the backlog’s Epics panel, open the epic’s details and select the colored square next to its name. On the timeline, select the colored square beside the summary or right-click the schedule bar.
Is there an epic report in team-managed spaces?
No. The Epic report and Epic burndown are in company-managed scrum spaces, under Reports.