Intro to Epics
Video Placeholder Duration: 5-7 minutes Topics covered: What are epics, creating epics, managing work items in epics, tracking progress
What are Epics?
Epics are large work containers that group related tasks into bigger initiatives. They sit above regular work items in your planning hierarchy, helping you organize complex projects.
Think of Epics as:
- Major features that span multiple sprints
- Large initiatives with many subtasks
- Themes that tie related work together
Epics vs Work Items vs Initiatives
| Level | Scope | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Initiative | Strategic goal | "Improve User Onboarding" |
| Epic | Major deliverable | "Redesign Welcome Flow" |
| Work Item | Individual task | "Design welcome screen" |
Enabling Epics
Epics are a Business-tier feature:
- Go to Project Settings
- Navigate to Epics section
- Click Enable
Once enabled, an Epics section appears in your project sidebar.
Creating an Epic
Navigate to Epics
- Click Epics in your project sidebar
- Click New Epic
Epic Details
Fill in the essential information:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | Descriptive name for the epic |
| Description | Goals, scope, and context |
| Priority | Urgency level |
| Assignees | People responsible |
| Labels | Tags for categorization |
| Start Date | When work begins |
| Due Date | Target completion |
Adding Work Items to Epics
From the Epic
- Open an Epic
- Click Add Work Item
- Create new items or add existing ones
From a Work Item
- Open any work item
- Find the Epic property
- Select the parent Epic
Important Rule
A work item can belong to only one Epic — this ensures clear organizational structure without overlap.
Epic Progress Tracking
Progress Bar
Each Epic displays a visual progress indicator:
[██████████░░░░░░░░░░] 50%
Completed: 5 | In Progress: 3 | Backlog: 2Progress Calculation
Progress is based on work item states:
- Completed items / Total items = Percentage
Color-Coded Status
- Green: On track
- Yellow: At risk
- Red: Behind schedule
Custom Properties
Epics support custom properties for project-specific tracking:
Available Property Types
| Type | Example Use |
|---|---|
| Text | Business justification |
| Number | Budget, story points |
| Dropdown | Phase, category |
| Boolean | Approved, customer-facing |
| Date | Review date, launch date |
| Member | Product owner, sponsor |
Adding Custom Properties
- Open Epic settings
- Click Add Property
- Configure the property type and options
- Save
Epic Views
View your Epics in different layouts:
List View
Simple list with key information:
- Title, progress, dates
- Quick scanning of all Epics
Board View
Kanban-style by status:
- Drag Epics between states
- Visual progress overview
Timeline View
Gantt-style visualization:
- See Epic durations
- Identify overlaps and gaps
Epic Actions
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Edit | Modify Epic details |
| Duplicate | Copy the Epic (Pro) |
| Archive | Move to archive |
| Delete | Permanently remove |
| Convert | Transform to work item (Business) |
Converting Epics
If an Epic's scope shrinks, convert it to a regular work item:
- Open the Epic
- Click More options
- Select Convert to Work Item
Epic Best Practices
Size Appropriately
Epics should be:
- Completable in 1-3 months
- Large enough to warrant grouping
- Small enough to track meaningfully
Clear Boundaries
Define what's in and out of scope:
- Include acceptance criteria
- Document constraints
- Link to requirements
Regular Updates
Keep Epics current:
- Update progress status
- Add/remove work items as scope changes
- Communicate changes to stakeholders
Use with Cycles
Epics span multiple cycles:
- Work items in an Epic can be in different sprints
- Track Epic progress across cycle boundaries
Epic Workflow Example
The Epic spans 3 sprints, with work items distributed across them.
Key Takeaways
- Epics group related work items into larger initiatives
- Enable in Project Settings → Epics (Business tier)
- Work items can only belong to one Epic
- Progress is calculated from completed work items
- Custom properties allow project-specific tracking
- Epics can span multiple cycles/sprints
- Size Epics to be completable in 1-3 months
Next Steps
For even larger strategic goals, learn about Initiatives.
Next Lesson: Intro to Initiatives