What Are Playbooks in Jira Service Management?

Have you ever found yourself asking, “What’s the exact process for handling this type of request?” or “Where’s the checklist for onboarding someone new?” That’s where Playbooks in Jira Service Management come in.

Playbooks are a new way to guide your team step-by-step through important tasks — whether you're fixing an issue, welcoming a new hire, or responding to a critical incident.

💡 Why Use a Playbook?

Think of a Playbook like a digital checklist, right inside Jira. It helps ensure:

Everyone follows the same process
No steps are missed
Work gets done faster and more consistently

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time something happens.

🛠️ How It Works

A Playbook is made up of steps — some are simple instructions, and others can be automated.

For example:

🔹 “Notify the IT team”
🔹 “Run a script to reset passwords”
🔹 “Check off when access has been granted”

You can start a playbook directly from a Jira issue — like a ticket or request — and it’ll walk you through what to do, step by step.

👩‍💼 Great for Any Team

Whether you're in:

IT Support (e.g. troubleshooting or account setup),
HR (e.g. onboarding or offboarding),
Facilities (e.g. setting up equipment),

Playbooks make your work smoother, clearer, and repeatable.

📌 Real-Life Examples

Here are a few things you can use Playbooks for:

Scenario	How a Playbook Helps
New employee joins	Checklist for IT access, welcome email, equipment setup
Password reset request	Steps to verify user, trigger reset, log completion
Responding to an incident	Guide to contain, notify, resolve, and document

🎯 The Bottom Line

Playbooks help teams get it right the first time — no matter who’s handling the request.

If your team handles recurring tasks or complex requests, Playbooks can save time, reduce confusion, and make your process shine ✨.

📘 Want to learn more?
Check out Atlassian’s guide: Get started with Playbooks