Close a sprint and move incomplete work items in Jira
Closing a sprint is easy until Jira asks what to do with the work that is still open. That choice is not cosmetic: it changes the next sprint's scope, the backlog, and what your reports say happened. Here is the safe way to finish a sprint in both Jira space types.
Company and team-managed spaces
The close-sprint decision is the same in both space types. You need Manage sprints and Schedule work items permissions in every space covered by the board and sprint, unless you are a Jira administrator. Jira counts only work in the board's right-most column as complete.
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Review the active sprint
Open Active sprints and make sure you have selected the sprint you intend to finish. If parallel sprints are enabled, select the sprint before using Complete sprint. -
Check the work Jira calls incomplete
Anything outside the board's final column is open, even if its status sounds finished. Complete every subtask first: Jira will not complete a sprint while a subtask remains open. -
Select Complete sprint
Click Complete sprint. Finished work leaves the active board and remains in the sprint history for reporting. -
Choose the destination for open work
In the dialog, choose Backlog, an existing future sprint, or New sprint. Use the backlog when the work needs re-prioritising; use the next sprint only when the team has already agreed to carry it over.
Good to know
The close-sprint dialog is a planning decision, not an undoable cleanup button:
- Backlog and next sprint mean different things. Backlog removes the commitment; moving work to the next sprint adds it to that sprint's scope immediately.
- Only the final board column counts as done. A custom Done-like status in another column can be carried over as incomplete.
- An incomplete work item cannot go straight to another active sprint. Move it to the backlog first, then add it to the active sprint. The completion dialog can send it directly only to the backlog or a future sprint.
- Shared sprints have a wrinkle. When a sprint is shared by multiple boards, only open work from the board completing it can be carried into a future or new sprint; open work from the other boards returns to Backlog.
- Reports preserve the closed sprint. Moving incomplete work does not rewrite where it was during the sprint, so sprint reports still show the original commitment and scope changes.
Make the next sprint visible
Use a board view that makes carry-over work and the next sprint easy to scan before planning starts.
FAQ
Should I move incomplete Jira work items to the next sprint or the backlog?
Move them to the next sprint only when the work remains an agreed commitment. Put them in the backlog when the team needs to re-prioritise them against new work.
Why does Jira say a work item is incomplete when it looks done?
Jira treats work in the board's right-most column as complete. Check that the work item's status is mapped to that column.
Can I complete a sprint with open subtasks?
No. Complete or otherwise resolve the subtasks first, then complete the sprint.