The Constant Question: What Do We Start With First?

This was always a confusing debate.
Do we start with Jira and then make Instagantt reflect it?
Or should we first build out the Instagantt plan and then mirror it in Jira?

• Do we start with Jira and then make Instagantt reflect it?
• Or should we first build out the Instagantt plan and then mirror it in Jira?
  Honestly, both sides had valid points.
  If you start with Jira, you get a detailed breakdown from day one, but you risk losing sight of the bigger picture when updating stakeholders.
  If you start with Instagantt, it’s easy to present timelines and deliverables but when the dev work starts rolling in, it’s hard to keep up with all the micro-tasks unless everything’s mirrored in Jira.
  After a few chaotic project cycles, I’ve realized it doesn’t have to be either-or.
  It works best when both run almost in parallel.

The Approach That Finally Worked

Here’s what we started doing:

1. Begin with high-level features in Instagantt: This gives everyone (especially stakeholders) a clear visual timeline and understanding of the overall project direction.
2. At the same time, create corresponding user stories or epics in Jira. These should directly reflect the items on Instagantt.
3. Let your technical leads and developers break those down into smaller, daily or sprint-level tasks in Jira. Instagantt remains your “bird’s-eye view” while Jira handles the daily grind.

This way, both tools stay in sync, one shows what’s happening, the other shows how it’s happening.

What Changed When We Tried This

I’ll give you two examples that clearly showed us the difference.

Before: When Instagantt Came First

We once began a project almost four weeks before kickoff, starting only with Instagantt. At that point, we didn’t have the entire team onboarded yet, so our Gantt chart was very high-level.
Jira? We didn’t even start setting it up until two days before kickoff.
Then things started changing rapidly: requirements shifted, new details came in last minute and suddenly, we had no single source of truth. Instagantt had only broad titles, no defined subtasks, and Jira became a dumping ground of disconnected tasks.
It took us another two weeks just to clean it all up and make both tools reflect reality again. For nearly 70% of that project, we were reporting chaos.

After: When Jira and Instagantt Ran Together

The next time around, we tried something different.
We created the final Instagantt plan just a week before kickoff but this time, we also set up an active Jira board in parallel.
As soon as Instagantt was reviewed and finalized, we immediately began creating Jira tickets to define the exact requirements. That way, every new update or change was captured instantly in both places.
The result?

• Smooth, async reporting cycles for stakeholders
• Better visibility into blockers for me as a manager well in advance

I have realised that if we’re struggling to keep Jira and Instagantt aligned and questioning what tool holds more importance, then the key isn’t choosing one tool over the other; it’s using both intentionally.
Instagantt gives your stakeholders clarity.
Jira gives your team structure.
Together, they give you control.

For me, this alignment made all just the difference that I needed between chaos and clarity.