Glossary
What is an epic? Definition and boundaries
An epic groups work that together achieves a larger goal and is too big for one iteration. How it differs from a story and a task, and when it is worth having.
An epic is a bracket around several pieces of work that together achieve a larger goal and are too big to finish in one iteration. It describes an outcome rather than an activity — and gets broken down once its turn comes.
Where the boundaries are
A task is a step of work. A story describes a benefit from the user's point of view. An epic is the level above: “payment in checkout” is an epic, “offer Apple Pay in checkout” a story, “install the certificate” a task.
What it changes
An epic keeps the backlog readable. Without that level, thirty small entries sit side by side and nobody can see which goal they serve. The usual failure is the opposite: epics left open for years because they were never split — at which point the epic is a folder, not a unit of planning.
In Zuuna
Epics are their own field on the card and show as a coloured chip on the board; you can filter and group by them in every view.
FAQ
How big may an epic be?
Big enough to describe a recognisable goal, small enough to finish in a foreseeable time. Anything open longer than a quarter is a theme rather than an epic.
Does every card need an epic?
No. Bug fixes and small maintenance work serve no larger goal — forcing them under an epic makes reporting worse, not better.