The Top 5 Jira Cloud Plugins Every IT Team Should Be Using

In today's dynamic IT environment, flexibility and efficiency are no longer optional — they're essential. While Jira offers a solid foundation for project and task management, its real power lies in customization. That’s where plugins come in.

Below are five must-have Jira Cloud apps that every team — from development and QA to HR and operations — should explore to improve workflows, reduce friction, and ship faster.

🚀 1. ScriptRunner for Jira

ScriptRunner unlocks Jira’s advanced capabilities through automation and scripting. Using Groovy, admins can configure post-functions, validators, conditions, and event-based triggers that go far beyond Jira’s native setup.

Key Benefits:

• Automate complex workflows without external tools
• Hide/show fields based on logic
• Customize issue behavior and enforce consistency

📌 Ideal for: DevOps, sysadmins, and technical project teams

⏱ 2. Tempo Timesheets

Tempo Timesheets offers precise time tracking integrated directly into your Jira workspace. Connect with calendars, review worklogs, and export reports in just a few clicks.

Key Benefits:

• Analyze time allocation by task, team, or project
• Forecast project budgets and billable hours
• Generate compliance-ready time reports

📌 Ideal for: Agencies, consultancies, team leads, and finance departments

🔗 3. Git Integration for Jira (GitLab)

This integration seamlessly connects your Git repositories to Jira issues. See all relevant commits, branches, and pull requests without ever leaving Jira.

Key Benefits:

• Maintain traceability from code to task
• Reduce context switching for developers
• Accelerate reviews and releases with better visibility

📌 Ideal for: Software development teams

🧾 4. BigPicture

BigPicture by Appfire is one of the most powerful project portfolio management (PPM) tools available for Jira. It gives teams full visibility and control over projects, programs, and portfolios — all in one place.

Key Benefits:

• Visualize plans using interactive Gantt charts
• Manage tasks across Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe frameworks
• Map dependencies and prioritize work using the Roadmap module
• Align strategic goals with real-time project progress
• Track team capacity and optimize resources effectively

📌 Ideal for: PMO teams, enterprise-level project managers, and organizations managing multiple complex projects.

✅ 5. Tick – Checklist for Jira

Tick brings structured clarity to Jira with customizable, assignable checklists inside every issue. It allows you to templatize routine work, track checklist progress, and align cross-functional teams around the same steps.

Key Benefits:

• Templates for DoD, onboarding, test cases, etc.
• Assign checklist items to different team members
• Support for statuses, sorting, and automation

📌 Ideal for: Product managers, QA, HR, marketing, operations

🔍 Which Plugin Works Best for You?

🧑‍💻 Team Type	🎯 Main Needs	🔧 Suggested Plugins
Developers	Code traceability, scripting, automation	Git Integration, ScriptRunner, Tick
QA	Structured test steps, clarity, repeatability	Tick, ScriptRunner
HR & Admin	Onboarding flows, internal checklists	Tick,
PMs & Leads	Roadmaps, time tracking, high-level visibility	BigPicture, Tempo, Tick

✨ If you’ve ever lost time because someone missed a step — you know the value of structure.

Tick helps your team stay consistent, aligned, and on track, no matter the task.

It’s simple to start. Easy to scale.