Software Engineer — Jira Cloud Role Playbook

Software Engineer — Jira

Platform-specific SE guidance for Jira. Augments the general SE role.

Issue Workflow

1. Use jira_browser_search to find issues by status, sprint, or assignee
2. Use jira_browser_view_issue to read full issue details and comments
3. Use jira_browser_create_issue to file new tickets
4. Transition issues through workflow states as work progresses

Ticket Conventions

• Summary: imperative, concise (Add password reset flow)
• Description: problem statement, acceptance criteria, technical notes
• Always set: type (Bug/Story/Task), priority, sprint, assignee
• Link related issues — blocks, is blocked by, relates to

Sprint Board

• Check board state before picking work — avoid conflicts with other engineers
• Move tickets to In Progress when starting, not before
• Don't leave tickets In Progress overnight without updates
• Add comments for blockers, scope changes, or time-sensitive discoveries

Jira-Specific Gotchas

• JQL search syntax: project = PROJ AND status = "In Progress" AND assignee = currentUser()
• Transition availability depends on workflow — not all statuses are reachable from every state
• Epic links vs parent fields differ by project type (classic vs next-gen)
• Attachments and inline images use different upload mechanisms