The short answer
Atlassian defines a swimlane as a horizontal categorization of work items. Columns show where work is; swimlanes show which group it belongs to. A board can group its rows by queries, stories, assignees, epics or spaces, or have no swimlanes at all.
On a company-managed board, a space admin or board admin sets this under More actions (•••) > Board settings > Layout > Swimlanes, in the Select method dropdown.
The swimlane options
| Method | One lane per | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Queries | JQL query | Urgent work on top |
| Stories | Parent with its subtasks | Stories split into steps |
| Assignees | Person | Who is doing what |
| Epics | Epic (parent) | Progress per goal |
| Spaces | Space | Boards spanning teams |
| No swimlanes | None | Small, simple boards |
Queries
Each swimlane is defined by a JQL query. By default Jira creates two: Expedite, with the query priority = Blocker, and Everything Else. A team can add lanes for anything a query can describe. Atlassian's help says the default Everything Else lane sits at the bottom of the board, cannot be deleted, and catches every work item that does not match a lane above it.
Stories
One parent work item per swimlane, holding its subtasks. Work items without subtasks appear below. This keeps small subtask cards from scattering across the board. See subtasks explained.
Assignees
One person per swimlane. Unassigned work appears above or below the swimlanes, whichever the admin chooses. Useful in a daily stand-up: each person talks through their own lane.
Epics
One parent work item per swimlane, an epic by default, with work that has no epic grouped below. Atlassian notes that parents outside the board's current filter are hidden, which is one reason an epic can be missing (see epic not showing on the board).
Spaces
One swimlane per space, for boards that pull work from more than one space.
No swimlanes
No grouping at all: just columns.
Reading a board with swimlanes
- Read across, then down. Each lane is a small board of its own. Read one lane left to right before moving to the next.
- Check the bottom lane. Everything Else, or the lane for work without an epic or assignee, is where unplanned or unsorted work ends up.
Choosing a swimlane method
If you get a say, ask which question the team needs the board to answer:
- "Who is overloaded?" Assignees.
- "How far along is each goal?" Epics.
- "Is anything urgent stuck?" Queries, with an expedite lane at the top.
- "Where are the steps of this story?" Stories.
A small team with few cards may be better off with no swimlanes. Lanes help when a board is busy; on a quiet board they add scrolling.
Atlassian's swimlane steps are for company-managed spaces. On team-managed boards, the view settings have a Group by dropdown that selects which attribute swimlanes are grouped by.
Practise reading a busy board
Swimlanes are a tool for busy boards, and busy boards take practice. Agile Board Practice has a lesson where you run a busy board near the end of a sprint, find the most urgent ticket, use the people filter to see who is overloaded, and hand work over, with feedback on each step.
Frequently asked questions
What are swimlanes in Jira?
Atlassian defines a swimlane as a horizontal categorization of work items. Swimlanes group the rows of a board by query, story, assignee, epic or space.
How do I change swimlanes on a Jira board?
On a company-managed board, a space or board admin selects More actions, Board settings, Layout, Swimlanes, and picks a method in the Select method dropdown. Team-managed boards use the Group by dropdown.
What is the Everything Else swimlane?
It is the default lane at the bottom of a query-based board. It cannot be deleted and holds every work item that does not match a lane above it.
Can I group my Jira board by epic?
Yes. Choose the Epics swimlane method. Each epic gets a lane, and work without an epic is grouped below.
Who can configure swimlanes?
A space admin for the board's location or a board admin for the board itself.