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Group a Jira board with swimlanes

By Jens Schumacher, former Head of Product for Jira

On a Jira board, columns always mean status: To Do, In Progress, Done. If you want to group work a different way, use the board's Group menu to add horizontal swimlanes. The choice affects your view and does not require board administration. Company-managed board administrators also have a separate option for shared, query-based swimlanes.

Company and team-managed spaces

The everyday grouping flow is the same in both space types. Jira offers a set of available attributes for the current board, and the selection applies only to your view.

  1. Open the board

    Open the board you want to organise. Columns continue to represent workflow statuses.

  2. Open Group in the toolbar

    Select Group in the toolbar at the top-right of the board. Grouping now has its own menu, separate from View settings.

  3. Choose an available attribute

    Pick an attribute such as assignee or parent. Jira immediately groups the visible work into horizontal swimlanes; choose no grouping to return to the standard board.

Group by the field that matters

Group by status, assignee, priority, or any field.

Learn how

Good to know

What to know about grouping Jira boards:

  • Columns always mean status. Native Jira boards can't make columns represent assignee, priority, or any other field: swimlanes are the only grouping lever.
  • Grouping is personal. Changing the selection in the Group menu changes your view, not everybody else's. It does not require Jira, space, or board administration.
  • The attribute list is not every Jira field. Use the choices Jira offers for that board; the exact set can vary by space type and board configuration.
  • Company-managed boards also support configured swimlanes. A board administrator can open Board settings → Layout → Swimlanes and choose shared presets or define query-based lanes with JQL.
  • Query swimlanes are different from the Group menu. They are shared board configuration, require board administration, and unmatched work collects in the default lane.

Group by anything, in one click

Assignee, priority, epic, sprint, label, or any single-select custom field: BetterBoard groups your board however you need, without JQL or admin rights. Free to try with your Jira.

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FAQ

Can I make Jira board columns show assignee or priority instead of status?
No. Jira board columns are tied to workflow status. Use the Group menu to add horizontal swimlanes for one of the attributes Jira offers without changing the columns.
How do I group a board in a company-managed space by assignee?
Open the board, select Group in the toolbar, and choose Assignee when it is available. Jira immediately adds an assignee swimlane across the status columns for your view.
Can I create custom swimlanes in Jira?
Yes, on a board in a company-managed space. A board administrator can open Board settings → Layout → Swimlanes, choose Queries, and write a JQL clause for each shared lane. This is separate from the personal Group menu.
Why can't I change the swimlanes on my board?
You can use the board's Group menu without admin access. Editing shared swimlane configuration under Board settings in a company-managed space is restricted to board administrators.
Do swimlanes change the board for everyone?
The selection in the Group menu is personal to your view. Shared query-based swimlanes configured by a board administrator in a company-managed space are board configuration.
How is BetterBoard's grouping different?
BetterBoard treats grouping as a view setting, not fixed board config. Any user can group by status, assignee, priority, sprint, labels, or any single-select custom field in one click and switch it as needed, without JQL or admin permission, and without changing the view for everyone else.