Importing from Jira goes wrong when you try to recreate everything. The win is keeping the mental model and dropping the sprawl.
Use this checklist to plan a calm migration.
Checklist
1) Decide what you’re keeping
- Which projects move first?
- Which issue types matter?
- Which fields are actually used?
2) Clean up before you import
- Archive dead projects
- Close stale issues
- Rename statuses to a small set you can keep consistent
3) Map the essentials
- Statuses → your workflow
- Priorities
- Assignees and reporters
- Labels/tags (only the useful ones)
4) Import and validate
- Spot-check 20 tickets across different statuses
- Confirm links/attachments where relevant
- Confirm permissions and visibility rules
5) Roll out the portal
- Decide which clients get portal access
- Share a 3-step “how to submit” guide
- Publish your SLA and retainer boundary (if applicable)
If you’re moving from Jira and want to keep the ticket-first shape with less overhead, see: Import from Jira.