{"id":102,"date":"2024-09-01T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-01T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/titanapps.io\/blog?p=102"},"modified":"2026-01-19T18:04:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T18:04:48","slug":"epic-vs-story-vs-task","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/titanapps.io\/blog\/epic-vs-story-vs-task","title":{"rendered":"Jira Epic vs Story vs Task: What to Use and When"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While an Epic, Story, and Task are all types of work items, they serve different purposes and are used in distinct ways. Knowing when it\u2019s best to use each of them is essential for effective project management. This understanding helps you set up a smooth workflow for your agile team, prioritize work effectively, and communicate better with stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we examine the key differences between these work types and provide examples of how to utilize them in accordance with Jira best practices<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an Epic in Jira?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An Epic is a large body of work that can be broken down into smaller pieces of work \u2013 such as Stories, Bugs, or Tasks. Epics are often used to group multiple work items connected by a common goal or topic. They help product owners organize teamwork around large projects. Child work items inside Agile Epics can have their own assignees, allowing you to assign tasks to different team members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example of an Epic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say you want to launch a new website, which will require the involvement of your design and development teams. Specifically, you need to create a design, prepare content, write code, and test the website. In this case, launching the website can be an Epic, while all other aspects, such as writing copy or coding the website, would be Tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s another example. The Epic is \u201cPublish the app to the App Store.\u201d It includes several Tasks that the team needs to complete in order to prepare the app for publishing, such as \u201cConfigure App Store Connect Entry,\u201d \u201cPrepare and Upload App Metadata,\u201d and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although these are separate Tasks, they are united by the same Epic as they contribute to achieving the same goal \u2013 publishing the app. In this example, Tasks also include Checklists \u2013 an element that helps organize smaller steps at a more granular level. We will take a closer look at Checklists a bit later in this tutorial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"What<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is a Story in Jira?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stories, also known as \u201cUser Stories,\u201d are requirements written from the end-user perspective. They explain how a software feature will benefit the user and provide more context for the development team. In Jira, they are smaller pieces of work, typically placed within an Epic. In other words, a Story is a user-facing benefit that can be explicitly verified. Each Story starts with a sentence that describes what we would like to do as a user<\/em> of the product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a scrum team, it\u2019s typical to plan work in such a way that one Story can be completed within one sprint. If it\u2019s too big, it can be split into several smaller Stories. The amount of work required to complete a Story is estimated in story points. One story point represents up to 2 hours of work required, and 21 story points indicate that something requires a full sprint to complete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example of a Story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The screenshot below shows what a typical Story can look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Story<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another example: As a user of an employment management platform, I need access to the vertical view of my Employee Dashboard when using the mobile app, so I can easily access the information it contains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note the description formula used in these examples: \u201cAs a [persona], I want [capability], so that [value]\u201d<\/strong>. This format is typical for user stories. In agile development, it helps teams capture user needs in a clear and intuitive way. As a result, the product development team can maintain focus on producing value for end users, which is the key principle of the agile methodology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Jira Task?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In software development, Tasks are all the individual components of work that must be completed to make a Story happen. In other areas, a Task can be simply anything you need to do. Tasks can be grouped under an Epic or exist as standalone work items. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example of a Task<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember the user story from the previous example? The one where a user needed the vertical view of the Employee Dashboard? For this Story, adding a vertical dashboard to the app requires completing several tasks. These include preparing the designs, writing code to implement the changes, and testing the dashboard before deploying the update. All these pieces of work can be presented as Jira tasks inside an Epic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here\u2019s another example of a Jira Task. A marketing department is planning a major ad campaign for Black Friday, so they create a Jira Epic to manage it. This Epic includes several tasks: creating ads for social media, designing banners for partner websites, and preparing a landing page. All these pieces of work are examples of a Jira Task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stories and Tasks often include elements like Subtasks and Checklists. Let\u2019s have a closer look at them to better understand their role.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

What is a Jira Subtask?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Subtask is a child work item representing a smaller fragment of work inside a larger Task or Story. Parent work items can have multiple Subtasks – each with its own description, assignee, and reporter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In agile project management, Subtasks are often used for Tasks and Stories that have several responsible people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example of a Subtask<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Subtask<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here, preparing the team for the conference is the parent Task, and all the smaller pieces of work that it consists of are included as Subtasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Subtasks are convenient for many purposes, they also have certain drawbacks. If your Tasks have too many Subtasks, this structure can become confusing and challenging to work with. For example, if you have an Epic with multiple Tasks and each of them contains multiple Subtasks, you will have to go three levels of hierarchy down to find the necessary details in the Subtasks description. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For such cases, it\u2019s often more convenient to use checklists \u2013 then, all the necessary details will be visible at a glance from the Task view (or another work item view).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Jira Checklist?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Checklist is a structured list of action items that need to be completed within a larger Task, Story, or Epic. It\u2019s a good fit for multi-step processes, where it\u2019s important to keep track of many details and not miss anything. A checklist can be added to any type of parent and child work items, including Subtasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example of a Checklist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the screenshot below, you can see a reusable template created by Smart Checklist for Jira<\/a>. It documents the standard steps for the recruitment process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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### Update the Hiring Team ?
\n- Identify people who have access to the salary info (contact {{recruiter}})
\n- Create a private channel in Slack for discussions, use the following naming: “hire-job-position” (e.g., hire-product-lead)
\n- Invite the hiring team members to the Slack channel<\/p>\n

### Position discovery ????
\n- Do deep research, learn what you can by reading and asking people. You need to confidently operate the main terms relevant to the position before you start the session (see [presentation] or the [explanatory video])
\n- For new, hard-to-fill positions, or leadership positions, conduct research on how other companies are hiring for such roles. Check how other companies do it through searching for articles\/approaches, videos, or [Mock interviews](https:\/\/www.thebalancemoney.com\/how-to-use-mock-interviews-to-practice-interviewing-2061626)
\n- Review job boards that can be used for posting a vacancy or sourcing candidates
\n> -if it makes sense to use [Djinni](https:\/\/djinni.co\/developers\/) - approve it with @MD
\n> -if there are paid platforms that you can use for posting, approve the posting with @HiringManager in [Slack channel]. Mention the price and explain why posting on that platform will be useful for hiring
\n- Prepare a list of questions for the Position discovery session in the corresponding Interview distribution matrix, “Interview checklist” tab
\n- Schedule the Position discovery session (1-3h, depending on the role). If the team cannot come up with the list of projects, schedule +1h.<\/p>\n

### Job Description ?
\n- Prepare a job description using [this guide](insert your link)
\n- Define job title, responsibilities, and requirements
\n- Outline key qualifications, skills, and experience needed
\n- Include salary range and benefits (if applicable)
\n- Approve the JD draft with the hiring team. Ask them to review the structure and content, NOT the grammar
\n- Review the JD draft with the @ContentWriter<\/p>\n

### Vacancy posting ?
\n- Post on the company website
\n- Post on job boards (LinkedIn, Indeed, etc.)
\n- Post on social media channels
\n- Post internal referrals and employee networks
\n- Add vacancy to the applicant tracking system (ATS)<\/p>\n

### Tracking & Follow-up ?
\n- Monitor application responses
\n- Ensure compliance with equal opportunity policies
\n- Review applications against job requirements
\n- Filter out unqualified candidates
\n- Prioritize top candidates for further evaluation<\/p>\n

### Candidate Screening & Shortlisting ?
\n- Consult hiring managers for input on top candidates
\n- Prepare a structured shortlist (e.g., top 5\u201310 candidates)
\n- Notify shortlisted candidates and schedule interviews
\n- Send rejection emails to unqualified candidates<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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