The Managing Jira Projects for Cloud (ACP-620) certification is a professional credential offered to those seeking validation of their knowledge and hands-on skills in managing Jira projects within a cloud-based environment. This certification is particularly designed for Jira project administrators, team leads, or project managers who are not system-level administrators but are responsible for day-to-day project configurations, issue handling, and agile board management.
The exam focuses on project-level management rather than platform-level administration. Candidates are expected to be familiar with project creation, issue management, workflow customization, board setup, reporting, permissions, and Agile implementation within Jira Cloud. This role-centric certification is ideal for individuals who serve as intermediaries between development teams and stakeholders by managing Jira projects effectively.
Earning this certification demonstrates that a professional is capable of applying Jira Cloud functionalities in real-world contexts. It verifies that the individual understands not only how Jira Cloud works technically but also how it is used to deliver successful project outcomes, enable collaboration, and maintain process consistency across teams.
The Importance of Jira Cloud in Modern Project Management
Jira Cloud has become a widely adopted tool in organizations across industries due to its versatility and cloud-native advantages. It allows remote and distributed teams to collaborate on tasks, track work progress, and manage projects efficiently from anywhere in the world.
Because it is deployed in the cloud, users benefit from automatic updates, high availability, integrated security, and access to additional cloud-native features. It eliminates the need for manual system maintenance and allows for quick scaling as team or project needs grow.
Jira Cloud supports a wide range of project types, including software development, IT operations, marketing campaigns, business operations, and customer service workflows. The platform’s flexibility means it can be tailored for teams following Agile methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban, traditional Waterfall models, or a hybrid approach.
Understanding the Jira Cloud platform’s capabilities is a critical first step toward both passing the ACP-620 exam and utilizing the tool to its full potential. As cloud computing continues to dominate the technology landscape, mastering Jira Cloud provides professionals with a highly marketable skill set.
Project Types in Jira Cloud: Company-Managed vs. Team-Managed
A central concept in Jira Cloud is the distinction between two types of projects: company-managed and team-managed. Understanding how each project type functions, and when to use them, is vital for managing real-world projects and answering exam questions.
Company-managed projects (previously called classic projects) offer advanced configurations and centralized control over workflows, screens, permissions, and schemes. They are ideal for organizations requiring consistency across teams and projects. These projects are managed by Jira administrators and allow greater standardization, enabling shared configurations across multiple projects.
Team-managed projects (formerly known as next-gen projects) are simplified and more autonomous. These are designed for independent teams who prefer to manage their own workflows, issue types, and configurations without affecting global Jira settings. Team-managed projects are easier to set up and use but offer less customization depth compared to company-managed projects.
The ACP-620 exam focuses more on company-managed projects, as they reflect a project manager’s role in configuring and maintaining consistent structures across larger or more complex team setups.
Core Components of a Jira Project
To manage Jira projects effectively, candidates must understand how key components work together to define a project. These include:
Issue Types: Jira supports different types of work items, known as issues. Common issue types include tasks, stories, bugs, and epics. Custom issue types can also be created to represent specific kinds of work, such as change requests or business cases.
Workflows: A workflow is the path an issue takes from creation to completion. It defines statuses (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done) and transitions between them. Project managers must know how to customize workflows to reflect team processes.
Screens and Screen Schemes: Screens determine what fields are visible to users when creating, editing, or viewing an issue. Screen schemes map screens to specific issue operations. Understanding screen schemes helps ensure users enter the correct information at each issue lifecycle stage.
Fields and Field Configurations: Fields capture information about issues, such as priority, due date, and description. Field configurations determine which fields are required, hidden, or optional. Custom fields can be created to support specialized tracking.
Permissions: Permissions control what users can do within a project, such as creating issues, editing issues, or managing sprints. Jira uses permission schemes to define access levels for different roles.
Notifications: Notifications inform users of changes to issues. Notification schemes determine which users are alerted for events like issue creation, assignment, or resolution.
Understanding how to configure and manage these components is a core part of the ACP-620 certification. Candidates should be able to tailor these elements to meet business needs while following Jira best practices.
Roles and Responsibilities in Jira Projects
While system administrators handle the global configuration of Jira Cloud, project administrators focus on individual project setup and day-to-day operations. In this context, the ACP-620 certification validates knowledge relevant to roles such as:
- Project Managers: Oversee timelines, deliverables, and team workloads. Use Jira to assign issues, monitor progress, and report outcomes.
- Project Administrators: Handle the configuration of project settings, workflows, boards, and permissions.
- Scrum Masters or Agile Coaches: Support Agile ceremonies and ensure that the team follows best practices in Jira.
- Team Leads: Use Jira to allocate tasks, monitor team performance, and adjust plans based on progress or changes.
Understanding the scope of authority and responsibilities assigned to each of these roles helps ensure effective use of Jira. The ACP-620 certification reflects the expectation that project administrators and managers are able to support teams across various stages of the project lifecycle using Jira’s capabilities.
Navigating the Jira Cloud Interface
Navigating the Jira Cloud interface is a crucial part of preparing for the ACP-620 certification. Jira Cloud is a cloud-based project management platform used by teams to track work, collaborate, and deliver projects efficiently. To succeed in the certification and in practical use, candidates must understand the key components of the interface and how to use them in real-world scenarios. Mastering the interface enables project administrators to configure projects, manage issues, and maintain control over workflows and team activities.
The global navigation bar is the main access point in Jira Cloud. Located at the top of the screen, it allows users to quickly navigate between projects, filters, dashboards, and administrative settings. From this bar, users can select the “Projects” menu to view or access different Jira projects. The “Filters” option allows users to find issues using predefined or custom filters, and the “Dashboards” link takes users to visual summaries of their project data. For administrators, the navigation bar also includes options to manage system-wide settings and apps.
Within each project, the project settings menu provides access to a wide range of configuration options. This includes settings for issue types, workflows, screens, permissions, and notifications. For example, issue types define what kinds of work items are tracked in a project, such as tasks, stories, or bugs. Workflows define the lifecycle of these issues—how they move from creation to completion, including all statuses and transitions. Screens determine which fields are visible and editable at different points in the issue’s workflow. Permission schemes are also managed in project settings, allowing administrators to control who can view, edit, assign, or comment on issues. Understanding how to configure these settings is essential for tailoring Jira to fit team processes.
The issue view panel is where users interact with individual issues. This panel displays all relevant details about an issue, such as its summary, description, status, priority, assignee, and due date. It also includes activity information like comments, work logs, and history. Users can attach files, link related issues, or update custom fields specific to their project. The panel is highly interactive and central to daily Jira usage. Whether resolving bugs or updating progress on a task, users rely on this panel to track and manage work items effectively.
In Agile projects, the backlog and board views play a critical role in planning and execution. The backlog view shows all upcoming work that has not yet been assigned to a sprint or moved into active development. Items can be ranked by priority and scheduled into future sprints from this view. The board view, whether Scrum or Kanban, provides a real-time visual representation of the team’s work. It uses columns like “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done” to show the current status of each issue. Teams use this board to track sprint progress, move tasks between statuses, and identify bottlenecks. Familiarity with both views is important for effective Agile project management.
Reports and dashboards are tools that help track progress and visualize data. Jira includes several built-in reports, such as burndown charts, velocity charts, and cumulative flow diagrams. These reports provide insights into sprint progress, team velocity, and workflow efficiency. Dashboards, on the other hand, are customizable pages where users can add gadgets to display project metrics, charts, and filters. For example, a dashboard might show a list of high-priority issues, a pie chart of issue types, and a burndown chart for the current sprint. These tools are especially useful for team leads and stakeholders who need a high-level overview of project status.
Hands-on experience with Jira Cloud is one of the best ways to prepare for the ACP-620 exam. The exam tests both conceptual understanding and practical skills. Candidates should create sample projects, experiment with workflows and permissions, explore dashboards, and practice using filters. Learning to navigate Jira efficiently and understanding how different parts of the interface connect will help in answering scenario-based questions on the exam.
In summary, navigating the Jira Cloud interface effectively is vital for success in both the ACP-620 certification and day-to-day project administration. Candidates must be able to use the global navigation bar, configure project settings, manage issues through the issue view panel, utilize the backlog and board views for Agile workflows, and interpret reports and dashboards. A combination of theoretical knowledge and hands-on practice is key to mastering Jira Cloud and demonstrating the skills required for the certification. This knowledge also forms the foundation for managing and scaling Jira projects in any cloud-based project environment.
Agile Methodologies and Practical Use of Jira Cloud
Agile is at the core of how Jira Cloud operates in many environments. While Jira is flexible enough to accommodate Waterfall or hybrid models, its real strength lies in supporting Agile teams through structures like backlogs, sprints, user stories, epics, and boards. Understanding Agile fundamentals and how Jira enables them is essential for ACP-620 certification.
Jira Cloud is used across industries to manage both technical and non-technical projects, often in Agile contexts. Project managers and team leads are expected to implement and manage Agile practices within Jira by setting up appropriate workflows, boards, estimation tools, and reporting mechanisms. This section covers the most commonly used Agile frameworks in Jira Cloud—Scrum and Kanban—along with the core Agile elements Jira is built to support.
Scrum in Jira Cloud
Scrum is a popular Agile methodology that focuses on delivering work in short, repeatable iterations called sprints. A sprint typically lasts two to four weeks and includes a fixed set of tasks or user stories.
In Jira Cloud, a Scrum project includes the following components:
- Backlog: A prioritized list of user stories, tasks, and bugs that teams plan to address in future sprints.
- Sprint: A time-boxed iteration during which selected issues from the backlog are completed.
- Sprint Planning: A meeting where the team selects and commits to issues to work on during the sprint.
- Daily Stand-ups: Short team meetings to review progress and plan for the day.
- Sprint Review and Retrospective: Post-sprint meetings to review outcomes and improve processes.
Jira Cloud allows teams to create sprints from the backlog view, move issues into sprints, assign story points for effort estimation, and monitor progress with a burndown chart. Candidates should understand how to manage a sprint backlog, update issue status during a sprint, and close sprints properly to prepare for the exam.
Kanban in Jira Cloud
Kanban is another Agile methodology that emphasizes continuous delivery and visualization of work. Instead of time-boxed sprints, Kanban projects operate with a continuous workflow and focus on limiting work in progress.
Key components of Kanban in Jira Cloud include:
- Kanban Board: A visual board showing the flow of tasks across columns representing different stages.
- Work In Progress (WIP) Limits: Restrictions on how many tasks can be in a given column at one time.
- Cycle Time and Lead Time: Metrics to measure the speed at which work items are completed.
Jira Cloud’s Kanban board is ideal for operational teams, support tasks, or projects with an ongoing, unpredictable workload. Candidates preparing for ACP-620 should be able to configure Kanban boards, manage swimlanes, apply filters, and analyze cumulative flow diagrams to detect bottlenecks.
User Stories, Tasks, and Epics
Issues in Jira represent units of work. In Agile environments, the most common issue types are:
- User Stories: Represent features or functionality from an end-user perspective.
- Tasks: Represent specific work items, often technical or administrative in nature.
- Bugs: Represent defects in the product that need to be fixed.
- Epics: Large bodies of work that can be broken down into multiple user stories or tasks.
An Epic might represent a major feature such as “Customer Onboarding,” while user stories under that Epic could be “As a new user, I want to sign up using my email” or “As a user, I want to receive a welcome email.” Managing these relationships is crucial in Agile project management.
Candidates should be able to link issues to their parent Epics, track progress at both the Epic and story level, and use hierarchy reports to understand how work is progressing across multiple levels.
Managing the Backlog and Planning Sprints
The backlog is a core feature in Scrum-based Jira projects. It acts as a holding space for all issues that are yet to be assigned to a sprint. Effective backlog management involves:
- Creating new issues and assigning them to Epics.
- Ranking issues based on business value or priority.
- Estimating story points to help with capacity planning.
- Moving issues into upcoming sprints for planning.
Candidates should be comfortable using the backlog view to groom issues, reorder them, use quick filters to identify certain types, and assign them to team members. Sprint planning also requires an understanding of velocity—the average amount of work a team can complete per sprint—to avoid overcommitting.
Configuring Agile Boards
Boards provide a dynamic, visual representation of work in Jira. They can be customized to reflect specific team workflows and provide insights into the status of tasks. Each board is tied to a filter that defines which issues it displays.
ACP-620 candidates should know how to:
- Create and configure boards.
- Modify columns and swimlanes.
- Apply quick filters to help teams focus on relevant tasks.
- Customize card layouts to display essential fields.
Boards help teams track progress and stay focused, but they also help project managers monitor team throughput and identify workflow issues. Being able to configure and read these boards accurately is a key part of Jira project administration.
Custom Workflows and Statuses
A workflow in Jira represents the path an issue follows from start to completion. It is composed of:
- Statuses: Such as “To Do”, “In Progress”, and “Done”.
- Transitions: Which move an issue between statuses.
- Conditions: Control when transitions are available.
- Validators and Post-functions: Add automation or enforce checks during transitions.
Custom workflows allow teams to reflect their unique processes. For example, a software development team may require code review and QA steps before an issue is considered complete.
Candidates should understand how to:
- Design a workflow that reflects a team’s process.
- Assign workflows to specific issue types.
- Modify transitions and statuses.
- Add conditions to prevent issues from being moved prematurely.
The ability to create and modify workflows is often tested in scenario-based questions during the certification exam.
Agile Reports and Performance Metrics
One of the strengths of using Jira for Agile is its built-in reporting. These reports help stakeholders understand how work is progressing and whether the team is on track to deliver.
Important Agile reports include:
- Burndown Chart: Shows how much work remains in a sprint.
- Velocity Chart: Indicates how much work the team has completed in recent sprints.
- Sprint Report: Summarizes what was completed in a sprint and what was not.
- Cumulative Flow Diagram: Helps identify bottlenecks in Kanban-style workflows.
- Epic Report: Tracks the progress of user stories under an epic over time.
Candidates should understand how to interpret these reports, use them during retrospectives, and share insights with stakeholders through dashboards.
Managing Estimation and Capacity
Estimation in Jira helps teams plan and commit to work realistically. Common estimation units include:
- Story Points: A relative measure of effort or complexity.
- Time Estimates: In hours or days.
Teams should use estimation consistently to improve predictability. During sprint planning, Jira displays the total number of story points in the sprint, which helps teams ensure they are not overloading.
Capacity management includes understanding how much each team member can contribute during a sprint. Project managers use velocity and past performance to forecast future sprint capabilities.
Candidates should be familiar with setting estimation units at the project level, applying them to issues, and using them during planning.
Real-World Use Cases of Agile in Jira
In real-world projects, the practical use of Jira often involves:
- Breaking down client requirements into manageable user stories.
- Organizing work by Epic, assigning responsibilities, and setting due dates.
- Running weekly or biweekly sprints and adjusting based on retrospectives.
- Managing dependencies between teams using linked issues.
- Updating boards during daily standups.
- Using labels and components for better issue categorization.
- Reporting sprint outcomes to stakeholders via dashboards.
The ACP-620 exam evaluates whether you can handle these real-life scenarios efficiently.
This section has covered Agile methodologies supported in Jira Cloud, with a focus on Scrum and Kanban. Topics included the structure and use of backlogs, sprints, boards, Epics, and user stories. Candidates also explored board configuration, custom workflows, estimation, and Agile reporting—core functions for managing any Agile project in Jira Cloud.
Mastering these concepts ensures project managers can run Agile projects efficiently while aligning with team needs and stakeholder expectations. In the next section, we will explore advanced topics like permissions, filters, JQL, reporting, and Jira Cloud automation for improved performance and data-driven project management.
Exam Strategy, Real-World Scenarios, and Career Impact of ACP-620
The ACP-620 certification is more than a knowledge test—it measures a candidate’s ability to apply concepts in realistic scenarios involving Jira Cloud project administration. The exam is designed for individuals who have practical experience configuring and managing projects in Jira Cloud. Preparation involves not just studying but practicing hands-on with the platform.
The exam typically consists of multiple-choice and scenario-based questions. Candidates may be required to identify correct configurations, resolve permission issues, interpret reports, or choose appropriate workflows for given use cases. The exam is time-limited, so time management and familiarity with the interface are key.
Topics to prioritize include:
- Project types and configurations
- Managing Agile boards
- Issue types, fields, and screens
- Workflows and transitions
- Filters and dashboards
- Permissions and roles
- Automation rules
- Reporting and metrics
The more time spent navigating actual Jira Cloud environments, the better. Simulation of team workflows, experimenting with configurations, and analyzing reports will build the confidence needed for exam success.
Best Practices for Exam Preparation
To effectively prepare for the ACP-620 exam, follow a structured approach:
- Study the Exam Objectives
Review the certification page and focus on the detailed skills listed under each topic. These objectives guide both your learning plan and what to expect during the exam. - Practice in a Jira Cloud Environment
Set up your own Jira Cloud instance and create sample projects using both team-managed and company-managed configurations. Configure boards, workflows, filters, and dashboards. Apply real-world project logic. - Review Agile Concepts
Refresh your understanding of Scrum, Kanban, sprints, backlogs, and epics. Know how to apply these in Jira using the correct tools and features. - Work With JQL and Filters
Practice writing Jira Query Language (JQL) statements to filter issues. Use those filters in dashboards and reports. - Understand Permission Schemes
Explore how to assign users to roles, manage groups, adjust access levels, and configure issue security. - Experiment with Automation Rules
Create rules using triggers, conditions, and actions. Test them on different issue types and scenarios. - Review Reports and Dashboards
Generate various reports such as burndown charts, sprint reports, and cumulative flow diagrams. Learn how to read them and how to explain them to non-technical stakeholders. - Simulate Common Use Cases
Set up workflows for bug tracking, change management, product development, or marketing campaigns. Solve permission or visibility issues in these contexts. - Join Online Communities
Engage with others studying for the exam. Ask questions, read others’ experiences, and share tips. - Self-Assessment
Test your knowledge through questions or flashcards. Focus more on areas where your understanding is weak.
Candidates who actively use Jira Cloud in their current roles often have a distinct advantage, but structured preparation is valuable for all.
Real-World Applications of the Certification
The ACP-620 certification is not purely academic—it aligns closely with actual project needs in organizations that use Jira Cloud.
Here are some real-world scenarios where the skills tested in ACP-620 are directly applied:
- A project manager needs to create a reusable board for multiple teams using shared filters and custom fields.
- A product owner must generate a dashboard that shows sprint progress, unresolved bugs, and high-priority issues for stakeholder reporting.
- A team lead wants to implement a workflow that includes QA approval before an issue can be marked as done.
- A service team sets up automation rules that route incoming issues to team members based on request type or priority.
- An admin must troubleshoot why a team member cannot transition an issue and must adjust permission schemes.
- During a retrospective, a team reviews a sprint report and burndown chart to assess delivery against commitment.
The exam prepares professionals to handle these tasks confidently and to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical teams.
Advantages of ACP-620 Certification
There are several tangible benefits to earning the ACP-620 certification:
- Career Advancement: Certified professionals often stand out in hiring and promotion decisions. The certification signals verified Jira Cloud expertise, especially valuable for project manager, team lead, or Agile coach roles.
- Increased Credibility: Certification adds authority when proposing changes, leading retrospectives, or troubleshooting project issues. It shows you understand both the technical and process sides of Jira.
- Productivity Gains: Understanding how to customize Jira Cloud increases team efficiency. Automating workflows, optimizing boards, and visualizing data can save hours each week.
- Better Team Collaboration: Certified professionals can coach teams on Jira best practices, improving how teams plan, communicate, and deliver.
- Alignment With Industry Standards: As more organizations adopt cloud-first solutions, Jira Cloud knowledge becomes increasingly valuable across sectors, including software, finance, healthcare, education, and marketing.
Many organizations also recognize ACP-620 certification in performance reviews or when assigning ownership of Jira projects across departments.
Who Should Take the ACP-620 Exam?
The certification is designed for professionals who work with Jira Cloud regularly and need to manage or support project-level administration. Ideal candidates include:
- Project Managers using Jira to manage deliverables and track team progress.
- Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters supporting sprints, backlogs, and team dynamics.
- Product Owners who need to align user stories, Epics, and priorities in Jira.
- Team Leads responsible for configuring boards and workflows for their teams.
- Administrators who configure Jira projects but don’t manage system-wide settings.
- Business Analysts who interpret reports and metrics for strategic decisions.
Even if you’re not in a traditional technical role, but you interact with Jira often, this certification offers structure, skills, and recognition for your work.
Post-Certification Opportunities
After passing the ACP-620 exam, certified professionals gain a solid foundation to pursue further advancement in project and technical leadership. Potential next steps include:
- Taking on broader project portfolios in Jira Cloud, especially across multiple teams.
- Exploring additional certifications related to Jira Administration, Agile at Scale, or IT Service Management.
- Becoming a Jira champion within the organization—training new users, optimizing workflows, and driving adoption.
- Leveraging Jira integrations with other tools such as knowledge bases, development platforms, or customer service platforms.
- Building automation solutions to reduce manual processes and enforce consistency.
- Driving Agile transformation by aligning Jira usage with business outcomes.
The ACP-620 opens doors to opportunities in both small teams and enterprise environments that use Jira Cloud as a central collaboration platform.
This section focused on strategies for preparing for the ACP-620 certification exam, applying Jira Cloud skills to real-world scenarios, and exploring the career impact of earning the credential.
The exam is practical, scenario-based, and designed for those who manage Jira projects day-to-day. Certification validates your skills, enhances your credibility, and prepares you for expanded responsibilities in modern project teams.
By mastering concepts such as workflows, dashboards, filters, automation, and Agile structures, certified professionals can deliver more value to their teams and take the next step in their careers.
Final Thoughts
The ACP-620: Managing Jira Projects for Cloud Certification stands as a meaningful benchmark for professionals seeking to validate their expertise in project management within the Jira Cloud environment. As teams become more distributed and project complexity continues to grow, the need for well-configured, data-driven, and agile-friendly tools has never been more critical—and Jira Cloud is at the forefront of this transformation.
Earning the ACP-620 certification is more than a personal achievement. It signals to employers and teams that you are equipped to manage workflows, lead Agile teams, configure projects for maximum efficiency, and drive consistent project outcomes using one of the most powerful project management platforms available today.
This journey requires more than memorizing features—it demands practical understanding, strategic thinking, and hands-on experience with real-world project scenarios. Whether you’re managing backlogs, refining workflows, creating insightful dashboards, or ensuring stakeholder alignment, this certification ensures that you do so with confidence and competence.
Beyond the exam, the knowledge gained through preparation equips you to improve team collaboration, simplify project operations, and elevate your organization’s project maturity. It positions you not just as a tool user, but as a project enabler and leader.
As you close out your preparation, remember: mastery comes from practice, precision comes from experience, and leadership comes from clarity. The ACP-620 certification reflects all three—and prepares you to lead Jira-based projects with purpose and professionalism in any cloud-first environment.
Good luck on your journey to certification and continued success in your project management career.