How to Create an Epic in Jira: 5 Steps With Examples (2026)

Need to group related work? Learn how to create an epic in Jira in 5 steps, with examples. Read now to discover how.

An epic in Jira groups related work around a larger goal, such as launching a new checkout or improving onboarding. If you create one with the wrong issue type or leave its child work unlinked, your team can lose track of progress and scope.

That confusion can spread into sprint planning, roadmaps, and reports. A list of stories may look like one initiative, yet Jira will not necessarily treat it as a connected body of work.

But here's the truth: creating an epic takes only a few steps once you know where to find the right controls. Here's how to create one, add related issues, and check that the hierarchy works. I’ll also cover common setup snags and give you a practical example you can adapt.

How to Create an Epic in Jira in 5 Steps

You can create an epic from your project’s backlog or Jira’s issue-creation screen. Then add stories, tasks, or bugs as child work by setting the epic as their parent.

Step 1: Open the right Jira project

Go to the project where your team will plan and track the work. Check the project name before creating anything, especially if you manage several projects with similar names.

For example, a team launching a new subscription checkout might use its “Payments” project rather than a broader “Marketing” project.
Step 2: Start creating an issue

Choose Create in Jira’s navigation. You can also look in the project backlog for an epic-creation option; the available controls may vary by project type and Jira interface.

If you start from the general creation screen, select the project first. Jira uses that choice to show issue types and fields available in that project.
Step 3: Select Epic and add the key details

Choose Epic as the issue type. Enter a specific summary, such as “Launch self-service billing,” and add a description that explains the outcome and boundaries.

Fill in any required fields, which can differ across projects. A useful description might say that customers should be able to view invoices, update payment methods, and manage subscriptions without contacting support.
Step 4: Create and link the child work

Save the epic, then create the stories, tasks, or bugs needed to deliver it. Set the new epic as the parent of each related issue, using the Parent field or the project’s epic panel.

For the billing example, child stories could cover viewing invoices, updating a card, and canceling a subscription. Subtasks usually belong under a standard issue, rather than directly under an epic.
Step 5: Check the hierarchy and progress

Return to the backlog or epic view and confirm the child issues appear under the right epic. Open a child issue to check its parent relationship if the work is missing from the view.

Review the epic’s scope with your team. If a story does not contribute to the epic’s outcome, move it elsewhere or revise the epic boundaries before sprint planning.

What an Epic Does in Jira

An epic is a larger piece of work that groups related Jira issues around a shared outcome. It helps you organize work that may take multiple stories, tasks, or sprints to complete.

Think of an epic as a container for a goal, not a detailed action list. “Launch self-service billing” describes a result; “Add an invoice download button” is a smaller issue that can contribute to it.

Here's why: Jira’s issue hierarchy gives teams a way to connect detailed work to a broader initiative. Epic views and reports can then help you review the linked work together.

Epic, story, task, and subtask

An epic usually sits above stories, tasks, or bugs in the project’s issue hierarchy. Stories and tasks represent pieces of work, while subtasks break an individual issue into smaller assignments.

For example, “Improve account security” could be an epic. “Add two-factor authentication” might be a story, and “Update the settings screen” could be a task under that story.

Write an Epic That Gives Work a Clear Boundary

A strong epic makes the intended outcome easy to understand. Keep the title concrete, and describe what belongs inside the effort so the team can decide whether a new issue fits.

Compare “Account improvements” with “Let customers update their account email.” The second title points to a specific result, making it easier to connect relevant issues and spot unrelated requests.

The best part? You do not need to plan every child issue before creating an epic. Start with the outcome and a few known work items, then refine the scope as the team learns more.

Example epic details

Summary: Launch self-service billing
Outcome: Customers can manage common billing actions without contacting support.
Included work: View invoices, update payment methods, and cancel a subscription.
Out of scope: Changing subscription prices or redesigning the full account area.
Success check: The team can confirm that each included billing action works in the customer account.

Use that example as a starting point, not a rigid template. A clear boundary is especially useful when several teams share an epic or its work spans multiple sprints.

Epic Setup Can Differ Between Jira Projects

Jira projects do not always present the same issue controls. A team-managed project and a company-managed project may have different menus, fields, or backlog layouts.

You might be wondering: What if you cannot find an epic option? Check that you selected the intended project and that Epic is available as an issue type there. Project configuration and permissions can affect what you see.

Use the parent relationship, not just matching labels

Adding the same label to an epic and a story does not necessarily connect them in Jira’s issue hierarchy. Set the epic as the child issue’s parent so the work appears in the relevant epic views.

Let me explain: a label is a useful tag, while the parent relationship expresses that one issue belongs to another. If your report or backlog depends on epic grouping, verify the parent field directly.

Keep Epic Scope Useful During Delivery

An epic can become difficult to manage when unrelated requests accumulate under it. Review the linked issues during planning and remove work that no longer supports the stated outcome.

For example, a billing epic might attract a request to refresh the entire account dashboard. That may be valuable, but it could deserve a separate epic if the redesign has a different goal and schedule.

Check progress through Jira’s available backlog views and reports. If the epic appears stalled, inspect whether its child issues are unassigned, blocked, or not connected correctly before changing the plan.

Jira Epic Planning Solution: ONES.com

ONES.com brings project management and knowledge management together in one platform. ONES Project is its project management product and a Jira alternative; ONES Wiki handles knowledge management as a Confluence alternative. They are sold separately.

ONES.com product screenshot

For teams organizing epics, ONES Project offers Jira-compatible workflows, sprint management, custom workflows and fields, automation, and built-in reporting. Those capabilities can help teams keep planning and progress tracking connected, while reducing reliance on extra plugins.

Core capabilities

Disconnected issue workflows → Jira-compatible workflows → Teams can use familiar work patterns while managing project work in ONES Project.
Epic details do not fit standard fields → Custom fields → Teams can capture information that matters to their planning process.
Approval steps are hard to follow → Custom workflows → Teams can shape issue movement around their own review stages.
Sprint planning is spread across processes → Sprint management → Teams can plan and review iterative work within the project management environment.
Repeated manual actions slow issue handling → Automation → Teams can automate suitable workflow actions and reduce repetitive effort.
Progress is difficult to review → Built-in reporting → Teams can examine project progress without relying on a separate reporting plugin for every view.
Plugin dependence adds complexity → Native project capabilities → Teams can use core planning and tracking features within ONES Project, potentially reducing plugin needs.
Hosting requirements limit choices → Cloud, On-Premise, Private Cloud, or Air-gapped deployments → Teams can select an environment that fits their operating requirements.

Application scenarios

A software team moving from Jira can use ONES Project’s Jira-compatible workflows to organize epics, sprint work, custom fields, and reports. Its free plan supports up to 30 seats, which can give a smaller team room to try the platform.

A team with strict network or hosting requirements can consider an On-Premise, Private Cloud, or Air-gapped deployment. ONES.com states that its cloud and self-hosted versions have full feature parity, so teams can assess deployment needs without giving up feature access.

ONES.com is powered by ONES Assistant, its AI assistant. Teams evaluating the platform can also consider whether its separate project and knowledge management products fit their work; there is no need to adopt both automatically.

Common Challenges When Creating Jira Epics

Epic is missing from the issue type list. Confirm that you selected the correct project and check with a project administrator about the available issue types and your permissions.
Child issues do not appear in the epic. Open an affected issue and verify that its Parent field points to the intended epic. A matching label alone may not create the hierarchy.
The epic title is too broad. Replace general wording such as “Website work” with a goal that signals the intended outcome, such as “Let customers manage saved addresses.”
The epic contains too many unrelated issues. Revisit its scope and move work with a different outcome into another epic or planning area.

FAQs About Jira Epics

Can I create an epic from the Jira backlog?

Often, yes. Open the project backlog and look for an epic panel or creation control. The exact layout depends on the project type and Jira interface. If you do not see an epic option there, try Jira’s general Create action, select the project, and check whether Epic is an available issue type.

Backlog product screenshot

How do I add a story to an epic in Jira?

Create or open the story, then set its Parent field to the epic you want. Some project views also let you add work through an epic panel or backlog control. After linking it, return to the epic view and confirm the story appears there. If it does not, check the parent relationship and project context.

Can a Jira epic contain another epic?

In the standard issue hierarchy, epics group work such as stories, tasks, or bugs, while subtasks sit beneath standard issues. The default hierarchy does not generally place one epic inside another. Some Jira configurations may support additional hierarchy levels, so check the setup used by your organization before planning nested initiatives.

What should I include in an epic description?

Describe the outcome, the work that belongs in scope, and any important boundaries. For example, an epic about self-service billing could include viewing invoices and updating payment methods while excluding subscription pricing changes. Clear boundaries help teammates decide whether a new story contributes to the goal and make planning conversations more focused.

Conclusion

Creating an epic in Jira means selecting the right project and issue type, describing a clear outcome, and linking relevant child work through the parent relationship. Then check the hierarchy and revisit the scope as work evolves.

If you have been struggling to group related issues, start with one real initiative and connect a few concrete stories or tasks. That small step can make planning and progress reviews easier to follow. For teams considering another project management environment, ONES Project offers Jira-compatible workflows and multiple deployment options within ONES.com.