Jira for Beginners: Sprints and Kanban
Learn Jira on real Jira Cloud screens (Free plan): plan and run your first two-week sprint with story points, then set up a Kanban board with a WIP limit and read the cycle time and cumulative flow reports.
Jira for Beginners: Sprints and Kanban is a free, hands-on AI course for team leads, coordinators and anyone asked to move a team's work from a spreadsheet into Jira: 2 short modules (about 27 minutes in all) where you do each step yourself in a safe practice copy of Jira, which checks your work. No coding, no cost, and you can start without signing up.
Who it’s for: Team leads, coordinators and anyone asked to move a team's work from a spreadsheet into Jira. Jira's Free plan; no software background needed.
Why this course
A shared spreadsheet of requests turns into a weekly status meeting and a list where everything is high priority. Jira shows who is doing what without the meeting, but its first screens are full of new words: spaces, work items, sprints, story points, WIP limits.
The two modules cover both ways teams use Jira: Scrum, for planned work in two-week sprints, and Kanban, for requests that never stop arriving. Every practice screen is a real Jira Cloud screen, captured on the free plan.
What you’ll build
- Module 1: A team-managed Scrum space called "Ops practice" (key OP) with six work items estimated at 22 story points, a two-week sprint holding the top four items (18 points) with a one-line goal, and a board where three cards reached Done.
- Module 2: A team-managed Kanban space called "Support practice" with a Waiting on customer column before Done, six practice requests and a column limit of 4 on In Progress.
- Module 1 · Jira · Beginner · ~15 min
Jira: Plan and Run Your First Sprint
Your manager wants the team’s work in Jira by next Monday instead of a spreadsheet, so anyone can see what is in progress without a status meeting. You have never opened Jira, and the team’s first sprint starts the same day.
- Module 2 · Jira · Beginner · ~12 min
Jira: Kanban Board with WIP Limits and Cycle Time
Your four-person support team handles about 50 requests a week from a shared inbox. Each person has eight or more requests open, and a request takes about a week to close. Your manager wants a board that shows where requests get stuck, and a rule that stops people starting new work before old work is finished.
Prerequisites
- For the practice: a web browser. Each module runs in a copy of the real tool’s screens, so you need no account and no sign-up to start module 1.
Time to complete
About 27 minutes of hands-on practice across 2 modules (51 steps in all). Modules take 12 to 15 minutes each, so you can do one in a sitting and come back for the next.
Take it with you
Jira cheat sheet: the settings and words from this course on one printable page. Read it online · Download the PDF
Glossary
Questions about this course
Is Jira for Beginners: Sprints and Kanban free?
Yes. All 2 modules of Jira for Beginners: Sprints and Kanban are free, and you can start module 1 without signing up.
How long does Jira for Beginners: Sprints and Kanban take?
About 27 minutes of hands-on practice across 2 modules, beginner. Each module takes 12 to 15 minutes, so you can do one at a time.
Which tools will I practice in?
Jira. You practice in a copy of each tool's real screens that checks every step, so nothing touches your real accounts, and no coding is needed.
Who is Jira for Beginners: Sprints and Kanban for?
Team leads, coordinators and anyone asked to move a team's work from a spreadsheet into Jira. Jira's Free plan; no software background needed.
Where do I start?
Start with module 1, Jira: Plan and Run Your First Sprint. The modules are in order, so each one builds on the last.
Is Jira free?
Jira Cloud has a Free plan for small teams (up to 10 users at the time of writing; check Atlassian's pricing page for the current limit). Both modules use only Free plan features.
Should my team use Scrum or Kanban?
Scrum fits planned projects with a clear goal; Kanban fits unpredictable requests such as support, IT or operations. Many teams start with Kanban, because sprints can be switched on later.
What do I need before I start Jira for Beginners: Sprints and Kanban?
Only a web browser for the practice: it runs in a copy of each tool's screens, so you need no account and no sign-up to start module 1.
What will I build in Jira for Beginners: Sprints and Kanban?
A finished result in 2 of the 2 modules, for example: A team-managed Scrum space called "Ops practice" (key OP) with six work items estimated at 22 story points, a two-week sprint holding the top four items (18 points) with a one-line goal, and a board where three cards reached Done; A team-managed Kanban space called "Support practice" with a Waiting on customer column before Done, six practice requests and a column limit of 4 on In Progress.