---
description: Zephyr for JIRA ( Server and Center versions) is a native application that exists in JIRA and brings test management capabilities to any JIRA project. When Zephyr is used with JIRA, the test can be ea
title: Zephyr for JIRA Tutorial: Test Management Tool
image: https://www.guru99.com/images/zephyr-for-jira-tutorial.png
---

 

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**⚡ Smart Summary**

Zephyr for Jira, now sold by SmartBear as Zephyr Squad, is a native test management add-on that lets teams design, plan, execute, and report on tests without leaving Atlassian Jira. This tutorial walks through every core workflow, from creating a test issue to tracking dashboards.

* 🧩 **What It Is:** Zephyr Squad (formerly Zephyr for Jira) is a Jira-native test management app from SmartBear that adds a Test issue type, test cycles, executions, and reporting gadgets to any Jira project.
* 🆚 **Squad vs Scale:** Squad is the lightweight Jira-native add-on covered in this tutorial. Zephyr Scale (formerly TM4J) is the heavier enterprise option with reusable libraries, custom statuses, and BDD support.
* 🛠️ **Core Workflows:** Create a Test issue, build a test cycle, add tests to the cycle, assign executions, mark Pass or Fail at the step level, and view metrics through Zephyr dashboard gadgets.
* ☁️ **Deployment Options:** Available for Jira Cloud, Jira Data Center, and Jira Server (server support ended in February 2024), and installed in minutes from the Atlassian Marketplace.
* 🤖 **AI Assistance:** SmartBear’s HaloAI now suggests test cases from Jira stories, drafts step descriptions, and surfaces risky areas, reducing manual authoring time inside Zephyr Squad and Zephyr Scale.
* 📊 **Reporting:** Built-in Zephyr gadgets such as Test Execution Burndown, Top Failing Tests, and Traceability roll execution data into native Jira dashboards for go/no-go decisions.

[ Read More ](javascript:void%280%29;) 

![Zephyr for Jira test management tutorial]()

Zephyr is one of the most widely used test management solutions for Atlassian Jira. Acquired by SmartBear in 2021, the Zephyr family now includes **Zephyr Squad** (formerly Zephyr for Jira), **Zephyr Scale** (formerly TM4J), and **Zephyr Enterprise**. SmartBear reports that tens of thousands of customers across more than 100 countries use Zephyr products every day to ship software faster.

[Zephyr Squad](https://smartbear.com/test-management/zephyr-squad/?utm%5Fsource=guru99&utm%5Fmedium=tutorial&utm%5Fcampaign=zephyr-for-jira-tutorial) is the native Jira application that brings quality test management capabilities into any Jira Cloud or Data Center project. When Zephyr is used inside Jira, tests can be created, viewed in any Jira project, and executed immediately or as part of a structured test cycle that links to other Jira issues. Detailed testing metrics are tracked through customizable Zephyr dashboard gadgets.

[Zephyr provides multiple deployment options](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1014681/zephyr-squad-test-management-for-jira):

1. Zephyr Squad for Jira Cloud
2. Zephyr Squad for Jira Data Center
3. Zephyr Squad for Jira Server (end-of-life February 2024)

This tutorial covers Zephyr Squad and its features in detail.

## Features of Zephyr Squad for Jira

* Native to Jira, so users can author and run tests without leaving the project they already work in.
* Testing is integrated with project cycles, which enables teams to track software quality and make informed go/no-go decisions each sprint.
* Create, plan, and execute tests using the Test issue type that Zephyr adds to every Jira project.
* Create, view, and modify test steps and attachments for individual tests. Build test execution cycles, run the tests, and link defects back to specific test steps.
* Track quality metrics through ready-made Zephyr gadgets such as Test Execution Burndown, Traceability, and Top Failing Tests.
* Support for REST API, ZAPI, and CI/CD integrations with Jenkins, Bamboo, and GitHub Actions for automated test result imports.

Top Pick 

[ ](https://guru99.live/x1545x "Zoho Projects") 

[Zoho Projects ](https://guru99.live/x1545x "Zoho Projects") 

Zoho Projects is a powerful project management software that supports the full lifecycle of any project — from planning and execution to testing and team collaboration. It equips you with the right tools including task tracking, Gantt charts, sprint boards, and real-time reporting. Its intuitive interface and flexible framework make it an ideal choice for both beginners and experienced project managers looking to streamline their workflows efficiently.

[Visit Zoho Projects ](https://guru99.live/x1545x "Zoho Projects") 

## Zephyr Squad vs Zephyr Scale: Which One Should You Use?

SmartBear sells two Jira-focused test management products, and confusing them is the most common mistake new users make. Picking the right one depends on team size, governance needs, and how much test reuse you require across projects.

* **Zephyr Squad** – The lightweight Jira-native option covered in this tutorial. It stores tests as Jira issues of type _Test_, supports ZQL searches, and is ideal for agile teams that want test management directly inside their existing Jira board.
* **Zephyr Scale** – The enterprise option (formerly Test Management for Jira, or TM4J). It stores tests outside the Jira issue tracker, supports a reusable test library, custom statuses, parameters, Gherkin BDD steps, and folder hierarchies. Better suited for large QA organizations with regulatory or audit needs.
* **Zephyr Enterprise** – A standalone web application that operates outside Jira. It is aimed at organizations that need cross-tool reporting beyond Atlassian.

If you are an agile squad of fewer than fifty testers who live inside Jira, Zephyr Squad is the right starting point. If you need shared test libraries across many projects or formal compliance reporting, evaluate Zephyr Scale instead.

## How to Use Zephyr Squad for Jira Test Management

Before you start, set up an instance of Zephyr Squad. Either start a [free trial of Zephyr Squad](https://smartbear.com/test-management/zephyr-squad/free-trial/) or purchase a license from the Atlassian Marketplace. Confirm that the Zephyr Squad add-on is installed and enabled by your Jira admin, and that your user account has permission to create and edit Test issues in the target project.

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## Create a Test

**Steps:**

1. To create a test case (an issue with type **Test**), click the **Create** button in the top menu navigation.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI1.png)

1. The **Create Issue** dialog opens with the following required fields:  
  1. **Project** – The Jira project where the test case will live after creation.
  2. **Issue Type** – Choose **Test** (this issue type is added by Zephyr Squad).
  3. **Summary** – The name or title of the test case.
  4. **Reporter** – The Jira user who is creating the test case.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI2.png)

1. Once the required fields are filled in, scroll to the bottom of the form and add test steps. Each step captures three pieces of information:  
  1. **Test Step** – Description of the action that needs to be performed for this step.
  2. **Test Data** – Any data required for the step.
  3. **Expected Result** – The result that should appear after the action is performed.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI3.png)

## Modify and View a Test

**Steps:**

1. To view a test case and modify any of its fields, click **Tests** in the top menu navigation and select **Search Tests**.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI4.png)

1. The search screen opens with Zephyr Query Language (ZQL) controls for filtering test cases. Click the **Summary** of the test case you want to inspect. In this example we open the **Guru99 Example Test Case**.  
  1. ZQL offers extra filters such as test status, cycle, label, and assignee to narrow the results.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI5.png)

1. This opens the individual test case view. Click any field to edit it inline. Press **Enter** on the keyboard and Zephyr autosaves the change. You can also edit individual test steps and rearrange them by drag and drop.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI6.png)

## Create a Test Cycle

**Steps:**

1. To create a test cycle, click the **Cycle Summary** tab on the **Test Summary** page.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI7.png)

1. Existing cycles appear on the left-hand side of the interface in an organized folder structure. Add a new test cycle by clicking the **+** button at the top of the folder structure menu.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI8.png)

1. The **Create New Cycle** dialog opens. Complete the fields and click **Save**. The fields are:  
  1. **Version** – The list of versions defined for the Jira project.
  2. **Name** – Name of the test cycle (required).
  3. **Description** – A short description of the cycle.
  4. **Build** – Informational field for build identifier (optional).
  5. **Environment** – Informational field for the test environment (optional).
  6. **From** – The start date of the test cycle.
  7. **To** – The end date of the test cycle. The end date is not enforced, so users can keep adding and executing tests beyond it.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI9.png)

1. After saving, the new cycle appears in the folder tree on the left side of the interface.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI10.png)

## Add Tests to Test Cycles

**Steps:**

1. To add test cases to a test cycle, open the **Cycle Summary** tab and click the cycle you want to populate. Then click **Add Tests** on the right-hand side of the interface, above the test execution table.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI11.png)

1. The **Add Tests** dialog appears. Use the drop-down list to search for the test cases that should join the cycle, or type a test ID directly. After picking the tests, assign them to a Jira user. That user is the initial owner who will execute the added tests in the cycle.
* The assignee can be changed later when an individual test is executed.

Click **Add** once you have finished selecting and assigning all your test cases.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI12.png)

1. Zephyr adds and assigns every selected test case to the chosen Jira user. A progress dialog appears. When it finishes, click **Close** at the bottom right.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI13.png)

1. After the tests are added, click the cycle name to see all the added tests inside the execution table.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI14.png)

## Assign Test Executions

**Steps:**

1. On the **Cycle Summary** page, click the **E** button next to the test case you want to assign.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI15.png)

1. The test execution view opens. Use the **Assigned To** drop-down list to pick a different user. Zephyr autosaves the change.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI16.png)

## Execute the Tests

**Steps:**

1. Quick-execute a test case by changing its status in the **Status** column of the cycle execution table. For a more detailed run, click the **E** button next to the test.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI17.png)

1. From the execution view, mark the whole test case by selecting a value from the **Execution Status** drop-down list (typical values: PASS, FAIL, WIP, BLOCKED, UNEXECUTED). Zephyr records the run.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI18.png)

1. You can also execute each test step independently. Scroll to the Test Details section and change the **Status** drop-down for each step. Step-level results roll up to the test case status and feed Zephyr’s reporting gadgets.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI19.png)

## View Testing Progress

**Steps:**

1. To view test progress across all activities, click **Dashboards** in the top menu navigation and open the dashboard you want to inspect.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI20.png)

1. The dashboard displays every gadget that has been added, including any Zephyr reporting gadgets. To add more Zephyr gadgets, click the **Add Gadget** button at the top right of the dashboard.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI21.png)

1. The **Add a gadget** dialog opens. Type **Zephyr** in the search bar to filter Zephyr’s testing gadgets (Test Execution Burndown, Top Failing Tests, Test Execution Results, Traceability, and others). Select a gadget and click **Add gadget** to place it on the dashboard so your team can track progress at a glance.

[](https://www.guru99.com/images/1/101018%5F1008%5FZephyrforJI22.png)

## How AI Is Changing Test Management in Zephyr

SmartBear has rolled AI capabilities into the Zephyr family through its [HaloAI](https://smartbear.com/product/haloai/) initiative, and the impact on Zephyr Squad and Zephyr Scale is already visible. AI now reads the linked Jira story and generates draft test cases with steps, test data, and expected results, which dramatically cuts the time testers spend on authoring.

AI features also surface risk by analyzing past execution history. They highlight tests that fail most often, flag flaky steps, and suggest which areas of the product deserve extra coverage in the next cycle. Generative assistants can summarize a failed run into a defect description that is ready to link to Jira, and they translate ZQL queries from plain English. AI does not replace human review, but it shifts test management toward higher leverage, exploratory work.

## FAQs

🧩 What is Zephyr for Jira used for?

Zephyr for Jira, now sold as Zephyr Squad by SmartBear, is a native Jira add-on for test management. It lets teams create test cases as Jira issues, build test cycles, execute tests, link defects, and track quality through dashboard gadgets without leaving Jira.

🆚 What is the difference between Zephyr Squad and Zephyr Scale?

Zephyr Squad is the lightweight Jira-native option that stores tests as Jira Test issues. Zephyr Scale (formerly TM4J) is the enterprise option with a separate test library, custom statuses, BDD steps, and folder hierarchies, designed for large QA teams and audit-heavy environments.

☁️ Does Zephyr Squad work on Jira Cloud, Data Center, and Server?

Zephyr Squad runs on Jira Cloud and Jira Data Center. Atlassian ended Jira Server support in February 2024, so new Zephyr Squad deployments target Cloud or Data Center. Existing Server installations are no longer receiving feature updates.

🔍 What is ZQL in Zephyr?

ZQL is Zephyr Query Language, a JQL-style syntax for searching test cases, executions, and cycles. It supports filters such as cycleName, executionStatus, projectKey, and assignee, and helps testers build saved searches and dashboard reports.

🔗 Can Zephyr import automated test results from CI tools?

Yes. Zephyr Squad exposes a REST API and the ZAPI add-on for posting automated results. Common pipelines push results from Jenkins, Bamboo, GitHub Actions, Selenium, Cypress, and TestNG to update execution status inside Jira automatically.

🤖 How does AI help testers inside Zephyr?

SmartBear’s HaloAI generates draft test cases from Jira stories, suggests test steps and expected results, summarizes failed runs into defect descriptions, and highlights flaky or high-risk tests so teams focus on the cases most likely to fail.

🧠 Can generative AI write reliable Zephyr test cases on its own?

Generative AI produces solid first drafts for steps, test data, and expected results, but it still misses edge cases and business context. Treat its output as a starting point, review it with the developer or product owner, and validate every step manually before execution.

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