Documentation for GreenHopper 6.2.x. Documentation for other versions of JIRA Agile is available too.
GreenHopper is now called JIRA Agile. Learn more.

Work mode is where you transition your cards (issues) through a series of columns (statuses).

To access a board in Work mode:

  1. Log in to JIRA.
  2. Click the Agile link's down-arrow in the top navigation bar, then select your preferred board from the resulting dropdown menu.

  3. Your board will be displayed. Click 'Work'.

Screenshot: a Kanban board in 'Work' mode (click to enlarge)

In Work mode you can:

  • Work on Issues — Choose the highest ranked issues in the 'To Do' column and drag them to the 'In Progress' column. (See Transitioning an Issue.) As you complete each issue in the 'In Progress' column, drag it to the 'Done' column.
    (info) Right-click selected issues to add them to a sprint, send them to the top/bottom of the backlog, view them in the JIRA Issue Navigator or perform .
  • Release a Version — Click Release to create your new version and mark it as 'released' throughout JIRA and GreenHopper. (See Releasing a Version (Kanban).)

(info) Note:

  • column constraints apply to the total number of issues in a column, regardless of whether some issues are currently hidden because a Quick Filter is in use.

  • swimlanes can be based on criteria of your choice. Swimlane issue counts are affected by Quick Filters, that is, issues hidden by a Quick Filter will be excluded from the swimlane count.
    (tick) Press "-" to expand/collapse all swimlanes.

  • for Kanban boards, you can specify a Work sub-filter, which refines the issues returned by your board's filter (see Configuring Filters). By default this sub-filter includes issues with no fix version or unreleased fix versions. So when the Release link is used to release a Kanban version, the completed issue will no longer be shown in the Done column.

  • an issue will only be visible in Work mode if:
    • the issue matches the board's Saved Filter (see Configuring Filters); and
    • the issue's status maps to one of the board's columns; and
    • the issue is in an active sprint.

Using Quick Filters

A Quick Filter refines the collection of issues displayed on your board. Quick Filters appear immediately below the board name in Work mode and Plan mode. Click a Quick Filter to apply it (click it again to turn it off). 

By default your board includes two Quick Filters:

  • Only My Issues — Only displays issues which are assigned to you.
  • Recently Updated — Only displays issues which were updated in the last 24 hours.

(info) If any custom Quick Filters have been configured for your board, they will appear next to Only My Issues and Recently Updated.