Jira is a project and issue-tracking tool created by Atlassian in 2002. Its name comes from a shortened form of “Gojira,” the Japanese word for Godzilla—a playful nod to it being a powerful bug-tracking rival to older tools like Bugzilla.
At its core, Jira helps teams plan work, track tasks, and manage progress. Every piece of work—whether a software bug, a feature request, a marketing task, or a support ticket—is logged as an issue. Teams move these issues across customizable workflows such as To Do → In Progress → Done, giving everyone clear visibility into who is doing what.
Jira is heavily used in software development for Agile methods like Scrum and Kanban (via Jira Software), but it’s equally popular with IT operations, HR, marketing, finance, and support teams (via Jira Service/Work Management). It serves one main purpose: bringing structure, transparency, and accountability to teamwork—now boosted by AI features—so projects move faster with fewer misunderstandings.
What the Jira logo represents
The blue, geometric chevron in the Jira logo points upward, symbolizing progress, direction, and momentum. Its sharp, connected edges reflect team alignment and structured workflows—the very principles Jira promotes. The clean, modern design mirrors Atlassian’s focus on clarity, collaboration, and efficient project movement.
