How to Move from Jira to ClickUp Step by Step

If you are ready to streamline project tracking and simplify work management, learning how to move from Jira Work Management or Jira Software to ClickUp is a smart first step. This guide shows you how to analyze your Jira setup and build a clear, action-ready workspace in your new tool.

The steps below are inspired by the feature comparison between Jira Work Management and Jira Software in the original Jira Work Management vs Jira Software article, and adapted into a practical how-to process.

Step 1: Audit Your Current Jira Projects Before Moving to ClickUp

Before you set anything up in ClickUp, document how work currently flows in Jira. This helps you rebuild only what you actually need and avoid clutter.

List Your Jira Work Management and Jira Software Projects

Start by compiling a simple inventory of active projects:

• Department projects (marketing, HR, finance, legal, operations)
• Software development projects (Scrum, Kanban, bug tracking)
• Cross-functional initiatives that touch multiple teams
• Archived or paused projects you might not need to migrate

For each project, capture:

• Project name and purpose
• Team or department owner
• Type of work (business, software, support, product, etc.)
• Current status (active, on hold, closing soon)

Map Jira Issue Types and Fields

Jira Work Management and Jira Software both rely on issues, custom fields, and detailed tracking. Document the essentials so you can rebuild them efficiently in ClickUp.

Create a reference list of:

• Issue types you use (task, story, bug, epic, sub-task, custom types)
• Standard fields (summary, description, assignee, reporter, priority, due date)
• Custom fields specific to your teams
• Any mandatory fields required to transition an issue

Note which fields are truly used by your team versus fields that simply exist in the scheme but add noise.

Capture Jira Workflows and Statuses

Workflows in Jira can differ between Work Management and Software projects. Identify what you must preserve when moving into ClickUp views and statuses.

For each project, document:

• Current statuses (for example: To Do, In Progress, In Review, Blocked, Done)
• Transition rules (who can move what, and when)
• Automation rules linked to transitions
• Any approval steps or sign-offs

This mapping will later guide how you design Lists, statuses, and automations in your new workspace.

Step 2: Design Your Workspace Structure in ClickUp

Once you understand your Jira setup, translate it into a clean hierarchy in ClickUp. The goal is to support both business teams and software teams without recreating every legacy detail.

Create Spaces in ClickUp for Each Major Area

In Jira Work Management, projects are usually aligned with business teams. Jira Software projects are often aligned with agile product teams. Use that same concept when building your Spaces.

Typical Spaces in ClickUp might include:

• Product & Engineering
• Marketing
• Sales & Customer Success
• Operations
• HR & People
• Finance & Legal

Within each Space, you can later create Folders and Lists that mirror the project and board structure you used previously.

Translate Jira Boards into ClickUp Folders and Lists

In Jira Software, boards are often tied to a project or a set of filters, while in Jira Work Management, boards support business workflows like content calendars or request tracking. Build an equivalent layout in ClickUp.

For each Jira project or board, decide whether it should become:

• A Folder that groups several Lists (for example: a product line, a campaign, or a program)
• A single List for smaller, self-contained projects

Examples:

• Jira Software Scrum project → Product Space → Folder named after the product → Lists for Backlog, Current Sprint, Releases.
• Jira Work Management marketing calendar → Marketing Space → Folder called Campaigns → Lists for each campaign or quarter.

Rebuild Statuses from Your Jira Workflows

In Jira, workflows can be complex with many intermediate states. When you move to ClickUp, keep statuses simple but still meaningful.

Use your earlier workflow audit to group related statuses. For example:

• To Do, Open, Backlog → To Do
• In Progress, In Development → In Progress
• In Review, QA, UAT → Review
• Closed, Done, Resolved → Done

Create custom statuses in each List within ClickUp that reflect the lifecycle of work for that specific team. Avoid copying every legacy status unless it serves a real purpose.

Step 3: Configure Tasks and Fields in ClickUp

Jira Work Management and Jira Software rely heavily on fields and issue types. In ClickUp, you can mirror important data using task types, custom fields, and templates.

Set Up Task Types and Custom Fields

First, align your issue types with task usage in ClickUp. For instance:

• Story and Task → Standard tasks
• Bug → Tasks with a Bug tag or a custom Bug field
• Epic → High-level tasks or separate Lists used as containers
• Sub-tasks → Subtasks and checklists inside a main task

Then create custom fields in ClickUp to match the Jira fields your team depends on, such as:

• Priority level
• Component or module
• Customer or account name
• Environment (prod, staging, dev)
• Business owner or requester

Limit custom fields to data you actively use for filtering, reporting, or decisions.

Build Task Templates Based on Jira Patterns

Jira Work Management projects often reuse common issue structures, such as intake forms or standard tasks. Capture these in ClickUp as task templates.

Create templates for:

• Bug reports with pre-filled sections for steps to reproduce, expected result, actual result, and environment details
• User stories with fields for acceptance criteria and user persona
• Marketing requests with fields for audience, goal, and deadline
• HR or operations requests with required details and approvals

Using templates guarantees consistent information, just like well-designed Jira issue types.

Step 4: Recreate Agile Practices in ClickUp

Teams coming from Jira Software will want to preserve their agile processes. You can mirror sprints, backlogs, and reporting inside ClickUp using Lists, views, and dashboards.

Set Up Backlogs and Sprints

In a typical Jira Software setup, each board has a backlog and sprint cycles. Rebuild that structure as follows:

1. Create a Backlog List in the relevant product Folder.
2. Create a separate Sprint List for the current iteration.
3. Use custom fields or tags to track story points or estimation values.
4. Use filters and views to prioritize high-value work.

As you plan a new sprint, move or duplicate items from the Backlog List into the Sprint List. This gives you a workflow similar to Jira without overcomplication.

Use Views to Replace Jira Boards

Jira Work Management and Jira Software both offer board views to track progress. In ClickUp, use multiple views on the same List or Folder to support different needs.

For each team, configure views such as:

• Board view grouped by status for daily standups
• List view for quick bulk edits and filtering
• Calendar view for deadline-driven work like campaigns and releases
• Timeline or Gantt style view for long-term planning

These views offer the same high-level visibility your team is used to, while staying flexible for both business and software work.

Step 5: Replace Jira Reporting with ClickUp Dashboards

Reporting is a key difference between Jira Work Management and Jira Software, especially for agile metrics. Use dashboards in ClickUp to centralize insights for leaders and teams.

Create Dashboards for Stakeholders

Plan a small set of focused dashboards, such as:

• Executive overview with total open work, key projects, and delivery trends
• Product and engineering dashboard with sprint metrics, open bugs, and releases
• Business operations dashboard with request volumes and resolution times

Give each dashboard a handful of meaningful widgets instead of recreating every report you had before.

Align Metrics with Your Jira Baseline

When possible, align metrics in ClickUp with the way you reported in Jira. For example, if leadership is used to seeing weekly throughput or issue age, build similar visualizations so stakeholders recognize the data structure.

During the transition, run reports from both tools briefly and validate that trends remain consistent over time.

Step 6: Plan the Migration and Rollout from Jira to ClickUp

With your structure defined, you are ready to move work from Jira Work Management and Jira Software into the new system.

Prioritize What to Migrate

You likely do not need to move every historical issue. To keep ClickUp clean, migrate only what provides value:

• Active projects and in-progress work
• Key historical tickets needed for compliance or audit
• Open bugs and feature requests

Archive or export the rest to a backup location for reference.

Communicate the New ClickUp Workflow

Share a simple guide with your team that explains:

• How Spaces, Folders, and Lists map to the old Jira setup
• Where to create new tasks and requests
• How to use views, filters, and dashboards
• Who owns each area of the workspace

Offer a short training session or screen recording that walks through daily routines like standups, planning, and status updates.

Get Extra Help Optimizing Your ClickUp Setup

If you want expert support designing a scalable workspace or planning a smooth migration from Jira Work Management and Jira Software, you can work with specialized consultants. For example, the team at Consultevo helps organizations plan, configure, and optimize modern work management systems from the ground up.

By carefully auditing your current Jira environment, designing a clear hierarchy, and rebuilding workflows in ClickUp, you create a unified system that supports business teams and software teams in one place without unnecessary complexity.