How to use JIRA for Getting Things Done GTD

In this post, I want to teach you how to apply the getting things done (GTD) method using Atlassian’s JIRA system. You must have some basic knowledge of GTD and of how to use JIRA. I just recently finished reading the original GTD book from 2001, and I wanted to explore how to use this method with JIRA as this is the software I use day to day in the office.

As I searched the internet, I saw several posts that covered the topic of using GTD with JIRA, but most of these methods were too complex for a regular JIRA user to implement. They also required admin level access to the JIRA system. I wanted a simple way to apply GTD with JIRA that could be used by the average user.

Getting things done is action oriented, and it requires you to process your “In” box and utlize a process to defer, delegate, or act on something. To be effective with this system, you must maintain lists and regularly review those lists.

You can model lists in JIRA using saved issues filters. If you also use Confluence, you can embed these same lists directly in a Confluence page as a JIRA issues filter that becomes a single page you can use to review all of your lists.

JIRA is quite a complex piece of software, and many companies have many different setups, workflows, and states for JIRA. I wanted a way to apply GTD using common elements that would be present in any setup. In other words, I wanted this method to work with the lowest common denominator.

My basic approach to applying GTD involves using labels and custom JIRA issue filters. You can choose to save these issue filters and review each as an individual list, or you could embed them in a Confluence page as I have mentioned. What is important is that you establish a set of unique labels that can be used to filter things. I chose to prefix my labels with my username. So for instance, I have username-in for my inbox, username-waitingfor for issues I have delegated that I need to followup on