Free template · Project plan
Project plan template for Jira, ready for a Gantt chart
A Gantt chart is only as good as the plan behind it. This project plan template lists what a Gantt chart in Jira needs: work items with a start date, a due date, an owner and the links that say what must finish first.
Project plan: [project name]
Owner: [name] · Start: [date] · Target end: [date] · Jira project: [key]
1. Milestones
| Milestone | Date | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| [milestone] | [date] | [criterion] |
2. Work items
| Work item | Owner | Start date | Due date | Must finish first |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [item] | [name] | [date] | [date] | [item, or none] |
| [item] | [name] | [date] | [date] | [item, or none] |
3. Assumptions and constraints
[Holidays, shared people, external dates, buffer kept before the end.]
4. Weekly check
- Items past their due date: [list].
- Items starting before what they depend on finishes: [list].
- Changes to the end date: [date, reason].
Copied. Paste it into a new Confluence page.
How to use it in Confluence
- Click Copy the template, open a new Confluence page and paste: headings, lists and tables stay as they are.
- Replace the parts in [brackets] and delete what does not apply to you.
- To reuse it, save it as a space template: Space settings › Templates › Create template, then paste.
Before you put it in Jira
- Use Jira’s own Start date and Due date fields. Dates in a separate tool drift away from the work.
- Link only real dependencies. “Must finish first” links are what make a Gantt chart useful; too many make it unreadable.
- Keep a buffer at the end, not in every task. It stays visible and nobody spends it early.
Related: how to build a Gantt chart in Jira.