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Create a personal My work board across all your Jira spaces

By Jens Schumacher, former Head of Product for Jira

If your work spans several Jira spaces, "what's on my plate?" is a surprisingly awkward question to answer. Jira's built-in "My open work items" filter does look across all spaces, but it's a flat list, not a board you can work from. To get an actual board of just your work, you build a saved filter and create a board from it. The board can include work from company and team-managed spaces; where you place that board is the important limitation.

Company and team-managed spaces

The setup is the same for work from both space types: save a site-wide search, then create a board from that filter. Put a personal board on your profile, or place a shared board in a company-managed space. Jira does not let you locate an additional board inside a team-managed space.

  1. Search for your work

    Go to Filters → Search work items, switch to JQL, and enter assignee = currentUser() AND statusCategory != Done ORDER BY Rank. The currentUser() function means the filter works for anyone who runs it.

  2. Save the filter

    Click Save as and name it (e.g. "My work"). Keep it private if it's just for you.

  3. Go to Boards → Create board

    From the top nav, open Go to all: Boards, then Create board.

  4. Create the board from your saved filter

    Choose Kanban (usually the right fit for a personal view), then Board from an existing saved filter and pick "My work." Choose your profile as the location for a personal board, or a company-managed space for a shared one.

  5. Configure columns

    Map your statuses to columns. Because your work may span spaces with different workflows, expect to map a few statuses so nothing hides. The board can show work from both company and team-managed spaces when the saved filter includes it.

Your personal boards

See your work across Jira spaces without saved filters to maintain.

Learn how

Good to know

What to expect building a personal cross-space view in Jira:

  • "My open work items" is a list, not a board. It spans spaces but you can't work it like a board.
  • A filter-based board can include both space types. The board itself can live on your profile or in a company-managed space, but not inside a team-managed space.
  • Workflow mismatches need column mapping. A cross-space board mixes workflows; unmapped statuses hide work items.
  • Use currentUser() in JQL, not your name. A hardcoded display name breaks if it changes and won't work for anyone else. currentUser() keeps the filter portable.
  • Sprint access follows the board filter and permissions. A cross-space board can show sprint work from several spaces, but sprint actions require the relevant permissions everywhere the work lives.
  • Scope creep. Filters across "all spaces" can surface work from spaces you'd forgotten you had access to. Add a project in (...) clause to contain it.

Your work, every space, one board

Not a list: a real board you can drag, group, and edit, scoped to just your work. Free to try with your Jira.

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FAQ

How do I see all my Jira work items across multiple spaces?
The quickest way is the built-in "My open work items" filter under Filters, which spans every space you can access. For more control, use Advanced search with assignee = currentUser() AND statusCategory != Done. Both produce a list rather than a board.
Can I turn "my work items across spaces" into a board?
Yes. Save a filter using assignee = currentUser(), then create a board from that saved filter. Locate a personal board on your profile or a shared board in a company-managed space; it can still include work from team-managed spaces.
Why should I use currentUser() instead of my own name in JQL?
currentUser() resolves to whoever runs the filter, so it stays correct even if your display name changes and works as a shareable template. Hard-coding your name makes the filter brittle and only valid for you.
Why does my "My open work items" list show spaces I don't recognize?
It includes every space you have permission to see, which can include ones you've forgotten about. Add a project in ("A", "B") clause to your JQL to limit the view to the spaces you actually care about.
Can I make variations like "due this week" or "waiting on me"?
Yes. Each is a different JQL filter, for example due <= endOfWeek() AND assignee = currentUser(). In native Jira each variation is its own saved filter and, if needed, its own filter-based board. In BetterBoard they are different filters on the same board.
How does BetterBoard make this one step?
You add the spaces you work across to a single board and filter it to your own assignments from the filter bar. The result is a working board, not a list, and it updates automatically as new work is assigned to you: no saved filter or board-from-filter setup.