Jira is one of the best project management tools out there, while Slack is probably the most used team messaging service. If you’re running some kind of software company, chances are you’re already using both, so in this article our project management experts will go over how to set up a Slack-Jira integration to combine some of their functionality.

Key Takeaways:

• Integrating Slack with Jira means that you can create issues, projects and a whole lot more in Jira from Slack, while receiving Slack notifications if anything changes in Jira.
• You need to set up the integration from Slack — you can’t do it from Jira without using a third-party app. You also control the integration from Slack, as there’s no native plug-in in Jira.
• The whole process of setting up this automation will take five minutes, tops.

If you’re not yet familiar with Jira, check out our Jira review for more on this excellent project management tool. Otherwise, join us as we first go over why it’s a good idea to combine these two great programs, before getting to how we can set up a link between the two in under five minutes.

What Are the Benefits of a Jira-Slack Integration?

Making Jira and Slack play nice isn’t just easy, it’s also a great time-saver. Once it’s set up, you can create new Jira issues and projects from Slack by entering just a single command, add comments to issues from your team channels, and a number of other handy things. You’ll also be sent a message in Slack anytime something important happens in Jira, as specified by you.

Not only can you do all this and more, you can also tweak the settings on these options — for example, make a notification fire only if you’re assigned to the issue in question. This integration will improve workflow, cut down on screen switching and help you keep better track of projects overall.

How to Integrate Slack and Jira

Setting up a Jira-Slack integration is pretty easy, and we’ll go over it in just a few steps. All you really need to do is make sure that you’re logged in to both your Jira and Slack accounts and have them open. Also, please note that we’ll be working from Slack; setting up the integration from Jira isn’t possible unless you use a third-party plug-in, which often costs extra.

Because it only goes one way, so to speak, the Slack-Jira connection isn’t as useful as an integration between Slack and Trello, but it still gets the job done. Let’s get started.

Setting up a Slack Integration With Jira

1. Go to Slack’s App Menu

   To start, we need to go to Slack’s app menu, which can usually be found in the top part of the sidebar on the left. If you can’t find it, it’s likely under the “more” tab.

   

2. Find and Select the Jira Integration

   Once in the “apps” menu, enter “Jira” into the search bar and you’ll get a number of results, most of which are commercial options developed by third parties. What we want is called either Jira Cloud or Jira Server, depending on which version of Jira you have. If you’re not sure, it’s probably Jira Cloud (read about the differences in our Jira pricing article).

   

3. Add Jira to Slack

   The next screen is an overview of what the integration can do. Once you’re ready, click the “add to Slack” button below the Jira logo.

   

4. Give Permission for Jira to Integrate With Slack

   Next up you’ll see a screen where you need to confirm that you’re giving Jira access to Slack. Read all the details, then click “allow.” If you’ve changed your mind, hit “cancel,” instead.

   

5. Log in to Jira

   Next, you’ll need to log in to your Atlassian account. First, click on the green button that says “log in” to continue.

   

6. Enter Your Atlassian Account Details

   On this screen, enter your username (your email address, most likely) and password — a password manager helps here — and then hit “log in.”

   

7. Finish up and Go Back to Slack

   Atlassian will log you in, check that everything is kosher, then bring you to a screen announcing success. If not, check that you entered the right username and password combination; otherwise, hit the green “go to Slack” button.

   

8. Get to Know Slack Commands for Jira

   Once you’re back in Slack, there’ll be a new entry in your right-hand sidebar for Jira, under the “apps” tab. Click on it, and you’ll be brought to a channel where you and the Jira bot can chat. The first message you’ll receive is one that summarizes the basic commands you can use — to get the full list, just enter “/jira help” in the Jira channel.

   

9. Create a Jira Issue in Slack

   For example, you can now create Jira issues from Slack by just entering the command “/jira create.” This brings you to a small menu where you can choose the type of issue it will be, its name, as well as who to assign it to.

   

10. Switch on Jira Notifications

    Also very handy are the notifications you’ll receive in Slack whenever anything changes in Jira. The easiest way to switch those on is to go to the message below the overview of commands in your Slack channel and click on the button that says “turn on personal notifications.” From there, you can choose which actions trigger a message.

    

These are the basics of setting up your Jira-Slack integration, as well as some of the things you can do with it. We encourage you to experiment with the available commands so you can get a feel for everything this handy automation can do.

Final Thoughts: Slack and Jira Integration

Setting up an integration between Jira and Slack is pretty easy, as you can see, and is well worth the effort. The time you’ll save in the long run is immense, and you’ll also be spared the annoyance of having to switch between screens.

If you’d rather use another platform than Slack, we have a guide on the best Slack alternatives.

We hope you were able to set up this automation without any trouble. If you run into any issues, don’t hesitate to post them in the comments below. Thank you for reading.

FAQ

• How Do I Create a Jira Ticket in Slack?

  Set up the integration as described in this guide, then with the “/jira create” command, pick the project you want the ticket created in, then pick the issue type. From there, it should be self-explanatory.

• How Does the Jira-Slack Integration Work?

  Slack has a pre-made Jira integration that you can simply activate. All you really need to do is click on the right buttons, allow the two apps access to each other and that’s pretty much it.

• How Do You Integrate with Slack?

  Slack has a great overview of all the apps that it can integrate with. Just go to the apps menu and find whatever program you want to use with Slack. Chances are, it’ll be there.