How to Create a Freelancer Management System in Jira

If you’re working with freelancers, you need a way to manage them. And while Jira is traditionally used for project management, it can be adapted to manage freelancers, too. 

This guide will help you set up a freelancer management system in Jira to organize tasks, track time, and monitor progress from the same place you manage your internal projects. We’ll be covering:

• The pros and cons of using Jira as a freelancer management system
• A step-by-step guide to creating a freelancer management system in Jira
• Ways to use Visor to connect freelancers with Jira data

Pros of Using Jira as a Freelancer Management System

Jira’s flexibility, scalability, and customization make it an ideal tool for freelancer management. Here are a few reasons to use Jira for managing freelancers:

You Can Centralize Task Management

Jira’s task management capabilities enable you to assign specific tasks to freelancers, set deadlines, and monitor progress—all in one centralized platform. This makes it easier to prioritize workloads, ensure accountability, and track task completion. By visualizing tasks through boards or lists, you can also see where bottlenecks might occur and adjust workloads accordingly.

It Offers Custom Workflows

One of Jira’s biggest strengths is its ability to support custom workflows tailored to your freelancer management needs. Whether it’s for onboarding, task approvals, or project completion, you can build workflows that reflect the unique stages of your freelance projects. For instance, you can create separate statuses for stages like “Freelancer Assigned,” “In Review,” or “Completed,” ensuring that every step is transparent and trackable. This can give you happier freelancers and better project outcomes by providing clear guidance and expectations.

You Have a Single Communication Platform

Effective communication is key when working with freelancers, especially when they’re remote. Jira allows you to centralize all project-related discussions and updates on a single platform. This reduces the back-and-forth through email or third-party chat tools. Freelancers can leave comments, ask questions, and receive updates directly on their assigned tasks or issues. It helps ensure that all relevant stakeholders are on the same page, preventing misunderstandings and miscommunication.

Jira Offers Time Tracking & Reporting

Jira’s time tracking feature is incredibly useful when managing freelancers. You can monitor how much time a freelancer spends on individual tasks or even entire projects. This data can be used for billing, productivity analysis, and making sure that deadlines are being met.

And if you want insights into performance trends, Jira’s reporting tools can help there, too. You can simply generate reports to assess the work delivered by freelancers over time.

There Are a Variety of Seamless Integrations

Jira can be easily integrated with other tools to create a streamlined workflow. For example, you can connect it to payment systems like PayPal or accounting software for seamless invoicing and payments to freelancers.

You can also integrate Jira with other project management tools (such as Slack, Trello, or Confluence) to smooth communication and collaboration across platforms. If you’re concerned about training freelancers to use Jira, you can add a bi-directional integration with Visor. Visor allows you to share Views featuring Jira data even if your freelancers never open a single Atlassian product.

Cons of Using Jira as a Freelancer Management System (and How to Overcome Them)

While Jira can be a powerful tool for managing freelancers, there are a few caveats. Here are some potential downsides to consider when using Jira as a freelancer management system.

There’s a Steep Learning Curve

Jira is designed primarily for software development and project management teams, so it may feel overwhelming for newbie users. Freelancers, especially those not accustomed to agile methodologies, may struggle to find their way around the platform.

Solution: Offer an alternative interface, like Visor. In Visor you can create multiple custom Views that are designed for specific users or groups. That way, you can cut back on the complexity and let freelancers see just what they need to perform their assigned tasks. For example, our Marketing team uses Visor to communicate with freelancers who don’t know or have access to Jira. (You can see a spreadsheet shared with freelancers in Visor below.)

A spreadsheet in Visor

It Can Be Too Complex for Simple Projects

For small projects or teams that don’t require detailed workflows, Jira can be overkill. Its powerful features might seem unnecessary and lead to more time spent configuring the platform than managing freelancers.

Solution: In Jira, you can make your freelancer management system as complex or simple as you like. If you’ve got a small project or team, just use the essential features to avoid over-complicating your system.

There’s Limited Built-In Time Tracking and Billing

Jira’s native time-tracking feature is pretty basic, and it doesn’t have built-in tools for billing or invoicing freelancers. This can make it difficult to track hours accurately and pay freelancers without third-party integrations.

Solution: You can use add-ons like Tempo Timesheets or integrate Jira with accounting software such as QuickBooks or Xero to fill in the gaps.

Communication Can Be Tricky

Jira is not designed as a communication tool, and while it supports comments and notifications, it lacks robust real-time collaboration features such as chat, video calls, or direct messaging. This may make communication between teams and freelancers a bit harder.

Solution: Pair Jira with tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams for real-time communication. Or if you’ve got an asynchronous team that isn’t all in the same time zone, Visor can help you share project status in an easy-to-understand way. Just share spreadsheets, Gantt charts, and Kanban boards tailored to fit your freelancers’ needs. The Board View shown below is the one freelancers at Visor can access to see and adjust the current status of their project – without any extra clutter.

Kanban freelancer management

It’s Expensive for Smaller Teams

Jira can be expensive for smaller teams or businesses, especially if you require additional seats for every freelancer. 

Solution: Visor offers unlimited free viewers, letting you share Jira data with freelancers without paying for additional (expensive) Jira seats. 

Sharing views in Visor

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Freelancer Management System in Jira

1. Create a New Project for Freelancer Management

The first step is to create a new project in Jira dedicated to managing freelancers.

• Go to Projects > Create Project.

• Choose Scrum or Kanban depending on your workflow preference.

• Name the project something relevant like “Freelancer Management.”

2. Customize Freelancer Workflows

Define workflows that reflect the stages of your freelancer tasks, from onboarding to completion:

• Onboarding: Add freelancers, gather contracts, and verify legal documentation.
• Task Assignment: Create a system where tasks move from To Do to In Progress to Done.
• Approval Process: Add a custom step for review and approval before marking tasks as completed.

You can do this by customizing the workflow in the Project Settings > Board section. You can also add columns to your Kanban board without going into Settings by clicking the + icon on the right side of your screen.

3. Set Up Custom Fields

Jira allows you to add custom fields that cater to specific freelancer information, such as:

• Freelancer Name
• Hourly Rate/Payment Terms
• Contract Type
• Due Date

These fields can be added by navigating to the ⛭ icon in the upper-right corner then selecting Issues from the dropdown menu.

Scroll down the Issues menu on the left and select Custom Fields. A list of existing custom fields will appear. Then select the Create Custom Field button. 

Select the type of field you’d like your custom field to be. For example, you could choose the “User Picker” field type for a Freelancer Name field.

You can then associate the new custom field with different screens by adding a check next to the screens in which you want the field to display.

Sharing your Jira data with Visor? Your custom fields will transfer over so that your freelancers will be able to see any fields you’ve added for their benefit. Try it, free!

4. Use Labels or Custom Issue Types for Freelancers

Use labels or create a custom issue type (such as “Freelancer Task”) to distinguish freelancer work from other tasks. You can assign tasks to specific freelancers, making it easier to filter and track their work. 

5. Enable Time Tracking

While time tracking is automatically enabled in Jira, you should make sure it’s active to ensure that you pay freelancers accurately. 

To adjust your time tracking options in Jira, go to the ⛭ icon > Issues. Then scroll down to Issue Attributes, where you can select Permission Schemes. The Permission Schemes screen will appear. 

Find the scheme you want to check, then select Permissions next to it. Scroll down to Time Tracking Permissions. You can update or remove any of the time tracking options available.

NOTE: You can also use Jira plugins such as Tempo Timesheets for advanced time-tracking features.

6. Set Up Payment and Invoicing Processes

Managing freelancer payments within Jira is possible by integrating it with payment or accounting systems.

You can use Jira’s integration with tools like QuickBooks or Xero to automate payment based on tracked hours. Or for smaller teams, manually logging hours and payments in custom fields or comments works well.

7. Create Reports to Track Freelancer Performance

Use Jira’s reporting tools to analyze freelancer productivity and project progress. You can just navigate to Reports and generate custom reports for time spent, task completion, and project status.

Best Practices for Managing Freelancers in Jira

As you start managing your freelancers in Jira, here are a few tips that’ll make things easier.

Make it Easy to Communicate

Establishing clear communication is critical when working with freelancers, especially in remote settings. You can leverage Jira’s comments, tasks, and notifications to ensure expectations, deadlines, and project details are communicated clearly. You can also use task descriptions and comments to clarify assignments and tag freelancers when providing feedback or updates. 

Even better, you can create Views in Visor that allow your freelancers to quickly see due dates, project deadlines, and other relevant project details in a clear, focused set of charts, boards, or spreadsheets.

A basic Visor dash

Require Regular Updates

One of the best practices in managing freelancers is ensuring they provide regular updates on their work. Ask freelancers to consistently update their task status in Jira (or Visor, if they don’t have access to Jira), marking tasks as “In Progress,” “On Hold,” or “Completed.” This keeps you informed of their progress without the need for constant check-ins. By encouraging real-time updates, you can address any delays, challenges, or scope changes proactively, helping projects stay on track.

Use Automation to Make Things Run Smoothly

You can streamline freelancer management by making full use of Jira’s automation capabilities. For example, you can set up automated reminders for freelancers to alert them about upcoming deadlines or overdue tasks. Automation can also help move tasks through your workflow automatically—for instance, by transitioning tasks to the next stage once a freelancer marks them complete. Additionally, use automated notifications to keep team members and stakeholders informed about important milestones or status changes. This reduces manual oversight, saves time, and ensures smoother project flow.

Provide Plenty of Documentation

Keeping thorough and accessible documentation is a best practice when managing freelancers. Use Jira’s attachment feature to store important documents, such as contracts, scope of work, or detailed project requirements, directly within relevant tasks. For more extensive documentation, like guidelines or larger briefs, integrate Jira with Confluence to create dedicated spaces where freelancers can easily access all project-related resources. This ensures that both you and your freelancers have quick access to the necessary files, reducing confusion and improving overall project clarity.

One good way to gain this clarity is by using a dashboard to create a high-level overview of your freelance team’s work. Visor offers a colorful, fully customizable Dashboard View that can help. Visor’s Dashboard allows for a free-edit rich text section, so you can link to all the freelancer documentation you need and have it available to everyone at the click of a mouse.

Dashboard in Visor

Maximizing Your Freelancer Management Efficiency with Jira and Visor

While Jira offers a comprehensive framework for managing freelancers, integrating it with Visor takes your freelancer management to the next level. Visor’s intuitive interface allows you to simplify complex Jira data, making it easy for freelancers to see exactly what they need without the steep learning curve of Jira. By using Visor’s Views, freelancers can access custom dashboards, boards, or spreadsheets, keeping them focused and organized without being overwhelmed by unnecessary features.

With Visor, you can seamlessly share Jira data, track project timelines, and manage tasks without needing to purchase additional Jira licenses for every freelancer. Whether you’re coordinating multiple freelancers or managing simple projects, Visor enhances visibility and collaboration, streamlining communication and automating routine processes. By combining Jira’s powerful project management capabilities with Visor’s user-friendly interface, you can build an efficient and scalable freelancer management system that meets your team’s specific needs.

If this article was helpful, consider reading these related articles:

1. Jira Dashboard Guide: How to Create & Share Reports in Visor
2. Jira for Marketing – How To Get The Best Results
3. Best Jira Plugins 2024 – Which Should You Use?

Moira West

Moira West

Moira West is a former journalist and educator who has spent the last nine years writing about technology, data management, and more. She is excited to now bring her expertise to Visor. When she's not working, she spends time with her family, paints, bakes, and writes more -- just for fun.