Using Jira for your Workflow/Collaboration
- Jan 2
- 2 min read
I’m currently working on a project for my alma mater, Bowling Green State University. With accessibility deadlines quickly approaching for public higher-education institutions, the head of the Center for Faculty Excellence asked me to step in and support some of the accessibility training for BGSU’s learning community.
This project includes a mix of “just-in-time” documentation, short video tutorials, and a live virtual facilitation in mid-February. Since I’m not a current faculty member and don’t have access to their internal workflow tools, we decided to use Jira to keep everything organized. The head of the CFE was already familiar with Trello, so moving into Jira felt like a natural next step.
What I’m enjoying so far
You can choose your level of complexity.
A simple project can stay simple, and a more layered workflow—with multiple collaborators, reviews, or dependencies—has room to grow. Jira really lets you right-size the tool to the work.
If you know Trello, you’re already halfway there.
The board structure feels instantly familiar, so there’s almost no learning curve.
Flexible ways to view your project.
Timeline, calendar, board - whatever view your brain needs to stay on top of deadlines, Jira makes it easy.
Notifications that work for you.
You can customize what you follow, what triggers alerts, and how often you hear from the tool. No more inbox chaos.
Seamless connection to Confluence.
This is a big deal. You can create documentation, flow charts, and whiteboards, and everyone always has access to the latest version, no more reattaching updates or wondering which file is “the right one.”
Tasks and subtasks you can actually track.
Being able to break down work into clear steps and visualize progress keeps everything moving.
I talk with a lot of people who find it overwhelming to step outside their comfort zone and try new workflow tools. Luckily, experimenting with tools is something I genuinely enjoy—whether it’s learning something brand new or using a familiar tool in a new way.
So I put together a short video for anyone who feels intimidated by getting started. My hope is that it shows just how simple it can be to dive in and start exploring. (Please excuse my congested voice - I’m still recovering from the winter respiratory yuck.)
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