Standardize Onboarding and Offboarding with Checklists in Jira

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Every team has repeatable processes. Some are simple, while others are complex and involve multiple departments, such as employee onboarding and offboarding. Without a clear structure, it’s easy to miss small but important steps, which can cause unnecessary delays, errors, or even security risks. This is where checklists in Jira come in. They turn processes that feel messy into clear, structured tasks.

Why checklists matter for onboarding and offboarding

Onboarding and offboarding are key moments in an employee’s journey. They shape first impressions when someone joins and ensure smooth transitions when someone leaves. Both processes are:

• Multi-step: dozens of small steps need to be completed.

• Cross-functional: HRs, admins, team leads, or accountants can all be involved.

• High risks if something is missed: overlooking just one step can affect productivity, compliance, or even security.

Add structure and accountability

Checklists bring clarity, structure, and accountability to these workflows. By assigning each item to a particular user, they ensure that everyone knows what needs to be done, in what order, and who is responsible for each step.

Save time and standardize workflows with templates

One more big advantage of using checklists in Jira is the ability to create and reuse templates. They allow teams to:

• Standardize processes: Every new hire or departure follows the same structured workflow, reducing the risk of errors.

• Save time: Instead of building a checklist from scratch for each ticket, you can simply apply a template.

• Customize steps per role or department: You can create multiple templates, such as for onboarding a developer or a designer, while keeping the core steps consistent.

Keep everything in one place

Some teams manage onboarding and offboarding with spreadsheets or Confluence pages. While that works, it usually requires extra effort to keep things updated, and tasks end up living outside the place where the real work happens.

By keeping checklists directly inside Jira work items, you can:

• Organize tasks, context, and checklists all in one place.

• Track progress step by step without losing visibility.

• Use nested lists to group tasks logically and keep steps easy to follow.

Reduce risks

Checklists also reduce the risk of errors, as small tasks (like setting up permissions or collecting equipment) are less likely to be overlooked.

How to add checklists in Jira

If you’re looking for a way to use checklists in Jira work items, there are several Marketplace apps that can be of help. One of them is Checklist for Jira Cloud | Smart ToDo Lists that our team created. Built on Forge, the app runs securely on Atlassian infrastructure and gives you full control over how and when data leaves Atlassian Cloud. That’s especially important for sensitive workflows like onboarding and offboarding, where data security and reliability are especially important.

Wrapping up

Onboarding and offboarding are processes where using checklists really pays off, as they:

• Add clarity and accountability.

• Standardize repetitive processes with templates.

• Reduce risk of errors and missed steps.

• Create a smoother experience for employees and managers.

Try using checklists in your team’s Jira workflows and see how they make tasks clearer and easier to manage.

There are many more use cases where checklists can simplify processes in Jira, and we’ll explore more ideas in upcoming posts. Stay tuned!