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Getting Started

Four steps take you from an installed app to a working field you can search in JQL. You need Jira admin permissions. The app works alongside Jira's own Time Tracking, so you don't change any global settings.

Not installed yet? Start a free trial from the Atlassian Marketplace listing.

Set up your first field​

  1. Create the field

    Go to Jira admin settings → Fields → Fields, select Create new field and pick Time tracking as the field type. Give it a name your team will recognise, such as "QA Estimate".

    Create field panel with Time tracking selected as the field type

    Pick Time tracking as the field type

    Need a single value instead of estimate, spent and remaining? Pick Duration, see Setting up a Duration field.

  2. Add it to screens

    On the Fields page, open the field's Actions menu (⋯) and select Add field to screen.

    Fields page with the QA Estimate field's Actions menu open and Add field to screen highlighted

    Add field to screen in the field's Actions menu

    Search for the project's screens, tick the ones used to create and edit issues, and select Update. Leave Add the field to the field schemes of all projects using these screens ticked.

    Associate field QA Estimate to screens page with two of a project's screens ticked

    Tick the project's screens, then select Update

  3. Enter a value on an issue

    Create an issue in one of those projects and enter an estimate in Jira's format, for example 2h, 1d 3h or 2w.

    Create issue form with an original estimate entered in the QA Estimate field

    The original estimate on the Create screen

    Open the issue: the field shows time logged against time remaining, like Jira's own Time Tracking.

    Issue view with the QA Estimate field showing time logged and time remaining

    The field on the issue view

  4. Find it in JQL

    In Advanced search, start typing "QA Estimate. and Jira suggests the field's aliases, such as TimeSpent or RemainingEstimateSeconds. Keep the quotes around the whole expression: "QA Estimate.TimeSpent" = 2d.

    JQL search for issues where QA Estimate time spent equals two days

    Searching by a Time Tracking field in JQL

    If the issue comes back, the field is ready for more projects and teams.

Setting up a Duration field​

A Duration field holds one value, such as an SLA limit or a meeting length, with no estimate, spent and remaining. You set it up the same way: pick Duration as the field type in step 1, then follow the remaining steps.

Create field panel with Duration selected as the field type

Pick Duration as the field type

The demo below walks through the whole flow, from creating the field to entering a value on an issue.

Next steps​

ConfigurationSet time units, configure bucket sets, and add workflow validators.Use Time Tracking fieldsEnter estimates, log time, and track remaining effort on any Time Tracking field.Use Duration fieldsEnter and update Duration values; understand auto-normalization.