Jira migration checklist for a controlled cutover
The decisions and checks to complete before, during and after Jira migration.
Key takeaways
- Migration has an owner, scope and cutover date.
- Trial import comes before the final export.
- Final verification ends with a clear source-of-truth rule.
Before migration
- Assign a migration owner and administrators.
- Inventory active projects and JPD spaces.
- Decide what remains archive-only.
- List custom statuses, types and required fields.
- Agree on a cutover date and change freeze.
- Tell the team where new work starts after cutover.
Trial import
- Export CSV with all fields.
- Run preflight without writes.
- Map statuses, types, priorities and users.
- Add real sprint dates when missing.
- Review warnings and unsupported fields.
- Import one representative project.
Verification
- Compare open item counts.
- Check epics, parent/subtask relationships and sprints.
- Open items with comments and blocking links.
- Review unassigned users.
- Check JPD opportunities, interviews and insights.
- Record manual corrections before final import.
Final cutover
- Stop entering new work in Jira.
- Create the final export.
- Repeat import. Stable Jira identities prevent duplicates.
- Review conflicts for manually changed items.
- Declare WorkThroughLine the source of truth.
- Keep the original Jira export as an archive.
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