To see all the work under a Jira epic, search for parentEpic = SHOP-12 in company-managed spaces. It returns the epic’s stories, tasks and their subtasks. The more common parent = SHOP-12 finds direct children only, so it misses subtasks. Results are a flat list, and adding columns for status, assignee and last update answers most questions about an epic. To see the work nested with a filter on, use Plans on Premium or a tool such as Cascade.
Find everything under the epic
For one quick look, open the epic and read its child work items. To see every level, use JQL, Jira’s search language. Go to Filters > Search work items, switch to JQL and paste one of these. Your epic’s key is the code on the epic, such as SHOP-12.
- Company-managed space:
parentEpic = SHOP-12returns the epic’s work items and their subtasks. Atlassian also has a support article on this. AddAND key != SHOP-12if the epic appears in its own results. - Team-managed space:
parentEpicisn’t documented for these spaces. Useparent = SHOP-12, which looks one level down, then add each story that has subtasks:parent in (SHOP-12, SHOP-20, SHOP-21).
You keep that second list by hand. A new story appears, but its subtasks won’t until you add the story’s key.
Not sure which you have? Try parentEpic first. If it gives an error or no subtasks, use the second search.
Make the list answer your questions
In the results, select Configure columns and add Parent, Status, Assignee, Updated and Due date. If Parent isn’t offered in your search view, use the list view, where it’s a standard column.
To see who has what, sort the results by assignee. Add this to the end of your search:
ORDER BY assignee ASC, status ASC
Each person’s work now sits together, ordered by status.
Searches for the usual questions
Add one of these after your base search with AND, for example parentEpic = SHOP-12 AND statusCategory != Done.
| Question | Add this |
|---|---|
| What’s done? | Add: statusCategory = Done |
| What’s left? | Add: statusCategory != Done |
| What’s stuck? | Add: status = "In Progress" AND updated <= "-7d" |
| What has no owner? | Add: assignee IS EMPTY AND statusCategory != Done |
| What’s late? | Add: due < now() AND statusCategory != Done |
Change In Progress to your team’s status name. In the “stuck” search, the quotes around "-7d" matter. Without them, Jira reads the number as milliseconds.
A comment counts as an update, so this search can miss work that’s stuck but still being discussed. Treat the results as a list of work to ask about.
Get it by email each week
Save the search as a filter, then subscribe to it.
- Save the search and name it. If you see a dropdown, choose Save as.
- Open the filter’s Details, then select New subscriptions.
- Choose a schedule, then select Subscribe.
You can send it to yourself, or to a group you belong to if you have the Manage Group Filter Subscriptions permission. Emails include only the first 200 results.
Where Jira’s reports fit
- Epic Report: shows an epic’s progress. Atlassian documents it for scrum boards in company-managed spaces.
- Timeline: can show a progress bar on each epic, from View settings. It covers one space.
- Summary: the Summary view has a work progress card across epics in a software space.
These tell you how far along an epic is. To see which work item is holding it up, you still need the list.
See it as a tree
Filtered results lose their nesting, so a subtask sits in the list away from its story. The Parent column helps, but you end up reading the tree in your head. On Premium and Enterprise, Plans can keep the full hierarchy while filtering.
Cascade is my Chrome extension, so weigh this accordingly. Epic view lets you pick epics from a space and shows the whole tree under them. Filter by status or assignee and matching work stays inside its parents.
Time in status shows work that has sat still, Changed since your last visit marks what moved, and Saved views brings back a set of epics. You can also export the tree to CSV or Excel for a status update.
Cascade works in Chrome on Jira Cloud only, and it isn’t a planning or reporting tool. Each person who wants it installs it.
It needs no admin install. Open Jira Cloud, click the Cascade button on the right edge of the page, choose Epic view and pick an epic.
Add to Chrome (Chrome Web Store, opens in a new tab)Cascade runs in Chrome on a computer.Work under a Jira epic FAQ
How do I see all stories in an epic in Jira?
Open the epic and read its child work items, or search for parent = SHOP-12 with your epic’s key. That search returns the stories and tasks directly under the epic.
How do I include subtasks of an epic in JQL?
Use parentEpic = SHOP-12 in a company-managed space. Atlassian’s JQL functions page says it applies to company-managed spaces only. In a team-managed space, list the epic and its stories yourself: parent in (SHOP-12, SHOP-20, SHOP-21).
Why does my epic search miss subtasks?
The parent field looks one level down. Subtasks belong to stories, so a search on the epic’s key doesn’t reach them.
Does the Epic Report work in team-managed spaces?
Atlassian documents the Epic Report for scrum boards in company-managed spaces. Its team-managed report list includes burnup and velocity, but not the Epic Report.
Is Epic Link still used in Jira?
No. Jira Cloud replaced Epic Link with the Parent field. Older filters still run, but use parent or parentEpic in new searches.
I’m Ahmad Fiaz Jan, and I build Cascade for Jira on my own. I write these guides from Atlassian’s own documentation and link every source. More about me at ahmadfiaz.me and on LinkedIn.