What is estimation in Jira?

Estimation on a Jira Software board is a powerful tool to help planners assess the size of a backlog and infer a reasonable due date for a project. Instead of manually estimating every issue in a backlog, which may span months into the future, this capability uses basic information to project a completion date. It does this by comparing initial issue estimates against the average amount of work the team is currently completing per sprint. This average is referred to as the team’s velocity. Learn how to configure issue estimation.

Once a project is estimated, you can then track your team’s progress against your target end date. Learn more about tracking the progress of your team’s work. Learn more about how to track the progress of projects in Jira.