Streamlining Team Communication with Jira Notifications

Keeping everyone informed is key to effective teamwork — but too many emails or pings can quickly turn into noise.
If your team uses Jira, you’ve probably seen both extremes: some people get every single notification, while others miss important updates altogether.

In this blog, we’ll explore how Jira notifications work, how to control them, and simple ways to make sure the right people get the right updates — without overwhelming anyone.

What Are Jira Notifications?

Whenever something happens in Jira — like an issue being created, commented on, assigned, or transitioned — Jira can send a notification to the people involved.

These notifications can go to:

• The person who reported the issue

• The current assignee

• Team members watching the issue

• Or even an entire project role or group

They can be sent by email, through Microsoft Teams integrations, or shown as in-app notifications.

How Notifications Work Behind the Scenes

Jira uses what’s called a Notification Scheme — think of it as a rulebook that says:

“When this event happens - notify these people.”

For example:

• When an issue is created - notify the Reporter and Project Lead

• When a comment is added - notify the Assignee and Watchers

• When an issue is resolved -  notify the Reporter

Each Jira project has one notification scheme attached to it.

The Challenge: Notification Overload

Many users (especially new ones) feel bombarded by Jira emails — sometimes hundreds per day!
That usually happens because:

• The notification scheme includes too many roles or groups.

• People “watch” issues unnecessarily.

• Automation rules send duplicate alerts.

The result?

Important messages get buried among routine updates.

How to Fix It: Best Practices for Smart Notifications

Here’s how you can keep everyone informed without overwhelming your team.

1. Review and Simplify Your Notification Scheme

If you’re an admin, open the project’s Notification Scheme and review who’s receiving what.
Ask yourself:

• Does everyone on the list really need this update?

• Could this be simplified to just the reporter and assignee?

You can always create a custom notification scheme that fits your team’s needs — for example, notifying only key roles for certain events.

2. Users can Manage Their Own Preferences

Every user can control how often they get Jira updates.

To do this:

1. Click on your profile picture → Personal Settings.

2. Scroll to Email Notifications.

3. Choose preferences like “Notify me only when I’m mentioned.”

This helps reduce inbox clutter and ensures people only get updates that matter to them.

3. Use Mentions Instead of Reply—All Emails

Instead of replying to Jira emails or looping in everyone, simply @mention the relevant person in a comment.

For example: - “@Alex Can you please confirm the testing status?”

That person will be notified automatically — no need for everyone else to get the same message.

4. Integrate with Microsoft Teams

If your team uses collaboration tools, you can connect Jira directly to Teams.

This lets you:

• Get notifications in a shared channel instead of individual emails.

• Quickly respond to updates or add comments without switching apps.
  
  Example: When a high-priority issue is created, Jira can automatically post in your #it-support channel.

5. Use Automation for Smart Summaries

Instead of sending an email for every little change, you can create daily or weekly summary notifications.

For example:

• A daily summary of open issues.

• A weekly report of resolved tickets.

This can be set up using Jira Automation so your team stays updated without constant pings.

Stay tuned for more Atlassian tips, updates, and best practices — shared every Friday!