Summary
- Templates make it quicker and easier to work on recurring tasks and projects in Jira. They are a way of automating the creation of spaces, work items, and sets of work items.
- User stories, employee onboarding, and bug reporting are some of the Jira recurring tasks for which issue templates and/or work item create screen templates would be useful.
- Jira space templates make it easier to create and manage multiple spaces that have the same configuration and keep their configuration synchronized.
- Jira doesn’t offer any functionality for creating full ticket templates, work item create screen templates, or templates for sets of work items. Cloning and Jira automation offer workarounds that “simulate” templates, but they’re limited and very far from the real deal.
- Jira does offer project/space templates but your options are predefined templates for specific use cases that you can’t customize, or the shared configuration feature that is hard to understand and even harder to get right.
- You can build Jira ticket templates (including work item create screen templates), epic and subtask templates, and space templates with Templating.app for Jira.
- Templating.app works with Jira automation, which means you can automatically apply an issue template to a space when that space gets created, and your people can start working right away.
- In native Jira, you can’t create a space without admin rights, but with Templating.app, you can give users the right to create spaces based on your Jira space templates.
Introduction
We all want ways of working faster in Jira. If our team is doing the same tasks over and over, we don’t want to write all our tickets from scratch every time. Plus, we’re likely to miss stuff. We’re only human.
It’s why we need Jira templates. Templates in Jira make it quicker to get started on work, streamline processes, and ensure consistency between recurring tasks and projects.
In this article, we’re going to look at how you can create:
- Jira ticket templates, both for a whole work item and the work item create screen only
- Templates for sets of Jira work items, from subtasks to complete epic hierarchies
- Jira project/space templates
We’ll also look at the templating capabilities available out of the box, and what functionality you can add to your Jira with Atlassian Marketplace apps.
The benefits of templates in Jira
Jira templates are a way of automating tasks and processes in Jira and kickstarting workflows faster.
Let’s say you have a task that has to be done repeatedly in much the same way, e.g. onboarding a new employee or writing a monthly newsletter. Jira ticket templates can save you from having to fill out the fields with the same information each time.
For example, if your summary and description should have similar text, and/or your tickets should have the same assignee and priority, a Jira ticket template would have all these things predefined.
Then let’s say you have ancillary tasks associated with your main task. Taking the onboarding example, your ancillary tasks might include the following:
- Sign contracts
- Assign employee a Jira account
- Order employee a company laptop
- Prepare welcome pack
Jira epic or subtask templates that have all these tasks and others ready to go would save a huge amount of time and stop the HR team from missing anything.
Finally, say you want to create a Jira project or space that has the same basic setup as another. For example, the same space lead, work types, workflows, permissions, and notifications. A Jira project template would have all these things predefined so that you can skip a whole load of configuration and get teams up and running faster.
In addition to saving time and reducing errors, another key benefit of Jira templates is task and space standardization. When you create a task, a set of tasks, or a space based on a template, you’re making sure all the necessary steps are followed each time. This maintains consistency in the delivery of work.
Now let’s look at how you can create Jira ticket templates for individual work items.
How to create Jira ticket templates for individual tasks
A Jira ticket template is great if you have a recurring task that you have to complete over and over. Ticket templates have predefined fields, e.g. a default assignee and predefined text in the summary and description, so that you can create the work item quickly and get to work straight away.
But creating and using Jira ticket templates in native Jira isn’t as simple as you might think.
Are Jira ticket templates available out of the box?
Currently Jira has no built-in functionality that allows you to create a Jira ticket template.
There are, however, three workarounds.
The Jira ticket cloning workaround
The most basic workaround is creating a Jira work item and cloning it. This is easy to do but it’s limited in features and not particularly user-friendly. Plus, duplicating something isn’t the same as using a template, because you copy all the customizations along with it, i.e. all the field values of the first ticket. It would be the same as copying a filled-out form when all you want is the form. Cue a lot of manual deletion.
The Jira automation workaround
You can use Jira automation to create a Jira work item with predefined fields, using the “Create work item” action. You can also use smart values in your automation rule to add dynamic information, e.g. the name of a new hire in an onboarding ticket. The problem is that your “template” is buried in automation logic; it’s not a tangible object. That makes it harder to configure and maintain, and easier for something to go wrong, e.g. a rule fails to trigger or a smart value breaks.
The Jira custom fields workaround
Another way of simulating the behavior of a Jira ticket template is to create custom fields and add default values to them.
The problem is that, firstly, custom fields are complicated to set up. Secondly, most users are looking to create templates using the system fields, such as the work item description, which can’t be changed or customized (unless you’re working in a team-managed space).
This leads users to try and replace the system fields with custom fields. This is even more complicated, invariably fails, and can lead to all kinds of confusion in your instance, thereby making your Jira admin’s job harder.
Jira task templates on the Atlassian Marketplace
Because Jira doesn’t offer ticket template functionality, and none of the workarounds are ideal, it’s time to look at adding this functionality to your Jira via an Atlassian Marketplace app.
Templating.app for Jira allows you to create a reusable template for a Jira work item/issue with fields such as summary, description, assignee, and priority all predefined. If you want to create a new work item based on this template, simply go into the app, select the template, change anything you need to change, and voila. You have a work item that’s ready to be worked on.
Templating.app also lets you create templates solely for the Jira work item create screen and guide users when they’re filling out a ticket. The app’s behavior builder feature allows you to conditionally change how fields behave on a Jira ticket during the work item creation process. For example, you can change field names, add helper text, show/hide fields, and set default field values, e.g. a default description. And you can customize these behaviors for different work types, job roles, components, priorities, and other field inputs.
How to create templates for sets of Jira work items
Most users looking for Jira templates probably don’t want them for a single work item. They likely want a template for a whole hierarchy of tickets, from epic to subtask. In other words, something that lets you hit a button and generate all the work items in one go.
There are two types of templates that are relevant here:
- A Jira epic template when you have to complete the same big buckets of work over and over. This would have the epic and child work items, potentially with their own subtasks, predefined and ready to go.
- A Jira subtask template when you want to add a set of subtasks to multiple tasks or stories because these subtasks need doing for every one.
So let’s look at ways of building templates to automate the creation of a set of Jira work items.
Are Jira templates for sets of tasks available out of the box?
Jira has no built-in functionality that lets you automate the creation of a set of tasks using an epic or subtask template.
Once again, cloning and automation rules offer workarounds. Let’s explore these first.
Cloning Jira epics and subtasks
When you clone a Jira ticket, you can choose whether to clone its child work items along with it. So, you can clone an epic and check the box to include child work items. Or you can clone a task/story and check the box to include subtasks.
This isn’t a proper template nor is it a very user-friendly workaround. You’d clone all the customizations and have to edit each child task post-creation. And you’d have to keep cloning and editing if you want to use the same sequence of child work items regularly.
The other major limitation with epics is that you can only clone the first level of its hierarchy. So if the epic’s tasks have subtasks, those won’t get copied. If you want to clone the whole epic, you must duplicate each subtask individually. If the epic has lots of child tasks, and those tasks each have a few subtasks, you’re going to spend forever doing this.
The Jira automation workaround
Using Jira automation is fine for creating one work item with predefined fields, but it’s incredibly cumbersome to create a whole set of tasks. There is no “Create multiple work items” action, so your automation rule would need to contain multiple “Create work item” actions that all need configuring separately.
There is a “Create subtasks” action, but it has very limited templating functionality; the action only supports setting the summary. It means the rest of the subtask fields will be blank.
Also, in order to individualize all the work items being generated by Jira automation, you’re reliant on smart values, which are powerful but easy to break.
In general, Jira automation is not for the faint of heart. You can see evidence on the Atlassian Community of users tying themselves in error-filled knots when dabbling with automation rules. If you’ve got the stomach for it, it’s okay for one or two use cases, but if you have a bigger need for Jira templates and lots of users eager to work with them, it’s not really suitable.
Jira epic and subtask templates on the Atlassian Marketplace
If you have lots of Jira recurring tasks across a range of use cases, you need templates. Epic and subtask templates are a much easier, faster, and more flexible way of automating tasks in Jira than cloning work items or building automation rules.
Marketplace apps like Templating.app enable you to make issue templates for complete Jira work item hierarchies. Your template could be for an epic, where the epic, child tasks, and subtasks are all predefined. Then, when you need a new set of work items based on the template, simply go into the app, select the template, customize it, and click “Create”.
Alternatively, you may have a unique work item that requires the completion of the same set of subtasks as another. With Templating.app you can build Jira subtask templates as well. Then, while you’re creating or editing the new work item, simply choose from the list of templates, customize the subtasks if needed, and you’re good to go.
Templating.app allows you to add placeholders called variables to your issue templates, which enable you to individualize your work items with dynamic information, e.g. a name, date, or number. Then, when a user applies the template, they will be prompted to add custom information.
Putting variables in your issue templates is much easier than constructing an automation rule with smart values because you don’t need to understand smart value syntax, data structures, rule context, etc.
How to create Jira project templates
Another Jira template you might be looking for is one for a whole project/space. If you want to create a Jira space that has a similar setup to another, a template would save a lot of time. You’d be able to skip a bunch of repetitive setup and configuration tasks and dive straight in. Jira space templates also ensure consistency and quality and facilitate the standardization of frameworks and best practices, which is particularly useful in big organizations.
Now let’s look at the options for creating Jira project/space templates.
Are Jira templates for projects/spaces available out of the box?
This may come as a surprise considering the lack of templates for work items, but yes! Jira does come with space templates. In fact, you’ll find dozens of templates for different kinds of Jira spaces, e.g. software development, marketing, sales, finance, HR, and general project management.
These templates are detailed and serve a multitude of use cases. If, for example, you’re looking for a Jira project management template for tracking tasks, roadmapping, bug reporting, or managing your backlog, you’re in luck. Jira has templates for all these functions and more.
However, all these templates have preconfigured schemes. In other words, the space configurations for work types, fields, work item security, work type screens, notifications, permissions, and workflows are all predefined and cannot be customized to better suit your purposes. If you want to change what work types can be created in a sales or HR template, you can’t. You’re stuck with the work types you’re given.
What this means is that Jira’s native space templates are useful if you’re happy to work a certain way, i.e. the way the template tells you to.
You’ll also find that some schemes will hinder the performance of your add-ons and might make administering your Jira instance unnecessarily complex, particularly as the number of spaces grows.
Can you make your own project templates in Jira?
You can, but it’s hard to understand, hard to get right, and there are limitations.
What you have to do is create a space, select another space to use as a template, and get Jira to share the configuration of the other space with your new one.
However, once you’ve selected the space you want to use as a template, you can’t customize any of the configurations. For example, if you want to use different work item security schemes because you’re working with an external partner, and you’d like the partner to be able to access some work items but not others, you cannot specify this at the space creation stage.
What’s worse, if a user doesn’t tick the “share configuration” box – which happens often – Jira will add duplicate configuration items (workflows, screens, schemes etc.) to your instance every time a new space gets created. Your instance will get cluttered and your Jira admin will either have to clean up the mess or lose control altogether.
Jira project templates on the Atlassian Marketplace
A Marketplace app like Templating.app can fill in the gaps left by Jira’s native space templates. Templating.app allows you to build reusable Jira space templates that can be customized at the creation stage and carry no risk of cluttering up instances with duplicate configuration items. It also has a cleaner user interface than the much messier native feature.
Importantly, you can give normal users the ability to create Jira spaces. Out of the box, you can’t create a space if you don’t have admin rights. Templating.app allows you to circumvent this and give specific users or sets of users the right to create spaces based on your templates.
Use case examples for automating tasks and projects in Jira with templates
User stories
A Jira user story template could either be a full Jira ticket template, or a template for the work item create screen only. A user story template for the work item create screen could have a default description with the text: “As a [type of user], I want [an action] so that [a benefit/value]”, which is the basic template for all user stories.
You could then have default text to remind the person creating the ticket to add acceptance criteria, so that the software team know exactly what they need to do to meet the end user’s expectations. You could also include a default value for the assignee if you want all user stories to be assigned to a specific person.
Bug reporting
You want to make sure an end user who reports a bug in their software provides all the information necessary for the IT team to fix it. Otherwise the team have to waste time asking questions. A Jira description template would be useful here. Using Templating.app’s work item create screen templates, you could add a default description to the bug work type that guides the user to provide detailed information, such as the steps the IT team need to reproduce the bug.
Blog articles
When a marketing team puts out a blog, it often involves a bunch of different people doing the same tasks over and over. In addition to actually writing the article, other tasks may include providing an SEO brief on what keywords to use, providing imagery, publishing the article, and publishing social posts to promote it.
For this, a Jira subtask template would be helpful. Then, when you create a task for a new blog, you’d be able to add a set of predefined subtasks for providing imagery and publishing right there in the ticket.
Employee onboarding
As mentioned earlier, there are lots of tasks and duties involved in onboarding a new employee. You may want to create a task for the new employee, and then create subtasks within the ticket using a subtask template.
However, onboarding activities sometimes have a large scope and involve multiple teams. Therefore you might want to create an epic for the employee and have a set of tasks under it, with subtasks under those. And you could have a Jira epic template that looks something like this:
Customer spaces
If you have Jira spaces dedicated to different customers, they probably have the same space type, lead, and schemes, and you’re likely to be creating them regularly. A Jira space template would save you from having to repeat the same configuration steps every time you add a new customer to your instance.
Multi-project management
If you need to create and manage multiple spaces that have the same configuration and require the same work items, both space and issue templates would be useful. It means you can create a new space without all the configuration steps, and add a set of predefined work items to it without having to create them all individually. This saves time and ensures consistency between spaces.
You can also use a Jira automation rule to turn these two steps into one. For example, with Templating.app, you can make a rule that automatically applies a specific issue template to a Jira space when you create the space. This makes space creation even faster for your users.
Filling the Jira template gap
The lack of Jira ticket templates is one of the biggest missing pieces in the Atlassian toolset. Cloning work items isn’t really what anyone wants. You’re not trying to duplicate old tickets. You’re trying to build new ones based on a standardized structure.
The closest thing to a template for work items that Jira offers natively is the “Create work item” action in Jira automation. However, it’s cumbersome and time-consuming, especially for sets of work items. And no one really wants their templates tied up in automation logic. They want actual, tangible templates.
So an Atlassian Marketplace app is your best bet here. With a tool like Templating.app, you can build real Jira ticket templates and individualize them with variables without the complexity of automation rules and smart values.
If you want to work faster in Jira by automating the creation of recurring tasks and projects with real Jira templates, book a personal demo of Templating.app or try the app for free on the Atlassian Marketplace.
