Jira Migration Guide

Jira migration guide: how to migrate from Jira to Sprint Bridge

A practical, step-by-step plan for moving off Jira: what comes across, how to export Jira to CSV, how fields map, and how to run both tools in parallel so nobody loses a sprint during the switch.

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Guided migration wizard on Professional and above · Assisted migration on Business

Jira to Sprint Bridge at a glance
Imports from JiraTitles, descriptions, story points
Jira editionsJira Software & Jira Cloud
Other sourcesWrike, Monday.com, Trello, CSV
Self-service wizardProfessional+
Hands-on helpBusiness & Enterprise
Epics, sprints, statuses, comments and attachments are not imported, and Jira and Sprint Bridge do not sync. Your Sprint Bridge data can be exported in JSON, Excel or CSV at any time.
Scope

What moves over in a Jira migration

Knowing up front what imports, and what you will rebuild, is the difference between a calm cutover and a stressful one.

Imported from Jira

  • Work item titles
  • Work item descriptions
  • Story points

From Jira Software or Jira Cloud, on Professional and above. Existing test suites can be brought in separately through bulk test case import.

Plan to rebuild or verify

  • Epics, sprints and workflow statuses: recreate the ones you still need and assign imported work items to them
  • Comments, attachments, sub-task links and issue history: keep these in your Jira backup
  • Automation rules, filters and saved dashboards (Sprint Bridge calculates 40+ KPIs automatically, so many dashboards are no longer needed)
  • Marketplace app data and configuration, such as Zephyr or Tempo
  • Permission schemes, which become Sprint Bridge roles
  • Anything your pilot import shows did not map cleanly
PlanMigration help included
Starter (free)Import not available. Good for a pilot sprint on a new project created in Sprint Bridge.
ProfessionalGuided migration wizard, self-service
BusinessGuided migration wizard plus assisted migration support
EnterpriseDedicated migration engagement with your account manager

Plan details and prices are on the pricing page. Every import source is listed on the integrations page.

Before you start

Pre-migration checklist

An hour spent here saves days later. Work through this list with your Jira admin and one Scrum Master from each team.

Decide what to move

  • List every Jira project and mark it migrate, archive or leave behind.
  • Close or archive stale issues. Old, untouched tickets are cheaper to leave in a Jira backup than to import.
  • Pick a pilot team. One team with an active sprint is the best test of the import.
  • Choose a freeze date. After it, new work is created only in Sprint Bridge.

Document how Jira is set up

  • Issue types and statuses for each project, so every Jira status has a Sprint Bridge workflow state to land in.
  • Custom fields that teams actually use, and which ones you can drop.
  • Apps and automations your process depends on, such as test management or time tracking.
  • Users and roles, with email addresses, so people can be invited before import.
Back up first. Take a full Jira backup or export before changing anything, and keep it after cutover. It is your safety net and your long-term archive for issues you decide not to migrate.
Step by step

How to migrate from Jira in six steps

The same sequence works for one team or twenty. Larger organisations simply repeat steps 3 to 5 for each group of projects.

01

Set up your Sprint Bridge workspace

Request a workspace, invite your users and assign roles: Administrator, Scrum Master, Product Owner, Developer, Tester or Stakeholder. Create a project for each Jira project you are moving and choose its workflow mode: Sprint, Kanban or Hybrid (Hybrid needs Professional or above).

Configure workflow states to match the Jira statuses you documented, and set up story, defect and task templates so imported work lands in a familiar structure.

02

Export Jira to CSV

Jira's built-in export works from the issue search. In Jira Cloud:

  1. Open Filters and switch to the advanced issue search (JQL).
  2. Enter a query for one project, for example project = ABC ORDER BY created ASC. Include resolved issues so your backup is complete.
  3. Choose Export and select the CSV option with all fields, so custom fields come with it.
  4. If the project is large, export in batches, for example by adding AND created >= 2025-01-01 date ranges. Jira caps the number of issues in a single export.

Keep this export even after you move: it is your record of comments, history, sprints and everything else the Sprint Bridge import does not bring across. A CSV export holds issue data, not the attachment files themselves.

03

Import with the guided migration wizard

On Professional and above, start the guided migration wizard and choose Jira as the source. Each Jira issue comes across as a work item with its title, description and story points. Then group the imported work items into the epics, sprints and workflow states you set up in step 1.

Start with your pilot project only. On Business and Enterprise, your assisted migration contact or account manager can review the mapping with you before you import everything.

Editing a user story in Sprint Bridge, with workflow status, details, AI Insights and description
An imported work item in Sprint Bridge: the title and description from Jira, ready to estimate, enrich with AI and plan into a sprint.
04

Validate with a pilot

Compare issue counts per project and per issue type against the Jira export. Open a sample of work items and check titles, descriptions and story points, then confirm each one sits in the right epic, sprint and status. Then have the pilot team run one real sprint and note anything that felt wrong.

05

Import the remaining projects

Fix the mapping based on what the pilot found, then import the rest of your projects in batches. Re-check counts after each batch. Velocity history and burndown begin building in Sprint Bridge from the first sprint you run there.

06

Cut over and retire Jira

On the freeze date, move every team's active work to Sprint Bridge, import any issues created in Jira since your last export, and switch Jira to read-only. Keep it available for reference until you are confident nothing is missing, then cancel the subscription.

Jira to Sprint Bridge

Jira to Sprint Bridge field mapping

How common Jira concepts translate. Where a row says verify, check it during your pilot import before you move everything.

JiraSprint BridgeNotes
ProjectProjectStarter allows 1 project; Professional and above are unlimited.
SummaryWork item titleImported.
DescriptionWork item descriptionImported. Run AI story quality scoring afterwards to tidy old tickets.
Story pointsStory pointsImported, so estimates carry over into capacity planning.
EpicEpicNot imported. Recreate the epics you need; Business adds portfolio and roadmap views above them.
SprintSprintNot imported. Plan your next sprint in Sprint Bridge; velocity builds from there.
Issue type (Story, Task, Bug, Sub-task)Story, task or defectNot imported. Set the type on imported work items as you organize them.
Comments, attachments, historyJira backupNot imported. Keep your Jira export or a read-only Jira site for reference.
Scrum or Kanban boardProject workflow modeChoose Sprint, Kanban or Hybrid per project; WIP limits and swim lanes are set on the board.
Workflow statusesWorkflow statesNot imported. Configure states first, then set each work item's state.
Custom fieldsNot importedDecide which fields you still need and recreate only those.
Project rolesRolesAdministrator, Scrum Master, Product Owner, Developer, Tester, Stakeholder.
Zephyr test casesTest casesUse bulk test case import; tests then live alongside the stories they validate.
Tempo worklogsTime entriesNot covered by the import; plan to start fresh or keep history in your Jira backup.
Dashboards & reportsBuilt-in KPIsRebuild only what you still need; 40+ KPIs are calculated automatically.
Automation rulesRebuild manuallyNot imported. Review which rules are still needed before recreating them.
Cutover

Running Jira and Sprint Bridge in parallel

A big-bang switch on a Monday morning is the riskiest way to change tools. A short parallel period lets teams build confidence without stopping delivery.

Pilot first. One team runs its next sprint in Sprint Bridge while everyone else stays on Jira. Starter is free for up to 10 users, so a pilot on a fresh project can start before anyone signs a contract; importing existing Jira work needs Professional or above.

One source of truth per team. Each team works in exactly one tool at a time. Double entry is where data drift and frustration come from.

Freeze, then read-only. After the freeze date, create new work only in Sprint Bridge, import the final delta from Jira, and set Jira to read-only so history is still searchable.

Jira and Sprint Bridge do not sync, which is why each team should work in exactly one tool. For a longer, phased rollout, move teams over one at a time; book a migration demo to plan the order.

After cutover

Post-migration checklist

Data

  • Issue counts match the Jira export for every project and issue type.
  • Epic and sprint links are intact on a sample of stories.
  • Final delta imported for anything created in Jira after the last export.
  • Jira backup stored somewhere your team can find it.

People and process

  • Everyone can sign in with the right role; Business and Enterprise teams can switch on SSO and MFA.
  • Workflow states and WIP limits reflect how each team really works.
  • Notifications are connected, such as Microsoft Teams, Outlook or Google Calendar.
  • Jira set to read-only, with a date agreed to cancel the subscription.
Still deciding whether to move at all? Read why teams choose Sprint Bridge as a Jira alternative, see the full feature comparison, or review the best Jira alternatives for 2026.
Common Questions

Frequently asked questions

Answers to the questions teams ask most before a Jira migration.

How do I migrate from Jira to Sprint Bridge?
Audit and clean up your Jira projects, set up your Sprint Bridge workspace and workflow states, export a full Jira backup, then import your work items with the guided migration wizard on Professional or above and organize them into epics and sprints. Validate the result with a pilot team, run both tools in parallel for a short period, and then make Jira read-only.
How do I export Jira to CSV?
In Jira, open the issue search, select the issues you want with a filter or a JQL query such as project = ABC ORDER BY created ASC, and choose Export, then the CSV option that includes all fields. Jira limits how many issues a single export contains, so large projects are usually exported in batches, for example by created date range.
What Jira data can Sprint Bridge import?
Sprint Bridge imports work item titles, descriptions and story points from Jira Software or Jira Cloud, on Professional and above. Epics, sprints, statuses, comments, attachments, automation rules and Marketplace app configuration are not imported, so recreate what you need and keep a Jira backup for the rest.
Is migration help included in my plan?
Import is not available on Starter. Professional and above include the guided migration wizard for self-service imports. Business adds assisted migration support, and Enterprise includes a dedicated migration engagement with your account manager. Sprint Bridge also imports from Wrike, Monday.com, Trello and CSV exports from any tool.
Can we run Jira and Sprint Bridge in parallel during the switch?
Yes, and we recommend it. Keep Jira available while a pilot team runs real sprints in Sprint Bridge, set a freeze date after which new work is only created in Sprint Bridge, then switch Jira to read-only for reference. The two tools do not sync, so each team should work in only one of them at a time.
Will we lose data when we migrate from Jira?
The import brings across work item titles, descriptions and story points; everything else stays in Jira, so keep a full backup of your Jira site, compare issue counts after each import batch, and spot-check a sample of issues before you retire Jira.
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