Create templates
Mastering organizational workflows starts with understanding how different issues connect. Jira issue templates adapt to the unique hierarchy of any project, ensuring every Jira ticket template carries the right data for its specific role. This structure helps teams maintain order and clarity across all levels of work.
Jira issue hierarchy
In Jira, work items are organized into three primary levels:
- Epics (Level 1): High-level initiatives that group multiple tasks together.
- Standard Issue Types (Level 0): Common work items, such as a Jira story, task, or bug.
- Subtask Issue Types (Level -1): The smallest units of work, which are nested inside standard issues.
Note on terminology
Atlassian now often refers to issues as work items, and projects as spaces. This documentation uses both terms interchangeably. Every Jira issue template functions the same way, regardless of the specific label used in the Jira interface.
Available template structures
Jira templates can be built with different levels of complexity:
- Basic templates: These focus on a single level. Any issue type can be selected, but the template only creates one individual issue at a time.
- Simple templates: This structure supports a two-level hierarchy. It allows for the creation of two linked levels simultaneously, such as a Jira story with its subtasks or an epic with its standard tasks.
- Advanced templates: This option offers a complete three-level hierarchy. Usually, the structure begins with a Jira epic template, followed by standard tasks and their respective subtasks.
Remember
In order to configure and create templates, user must be logged in as a user with the Jira Administrators Global Permission. You can expand permissions for other users. Read more here.
How to configure the templates?
All Jira templates are managed through a central global page. To start the configuration process, these steps should be followed:
- Log in to your Jira instance.
- Click Apps in the left-side navigation.
- Select Issue Templates Agent.
The management pages provide instructions for building everything from a standard user story template to a complex, multi-level Jira epic template. For a faster setup, a library of ready-to-use examples is available for inspiration.
Whether the user wants to create Jira or Jira Service Management templates, both template types are designed and managed from the same pages. In order to do so, users have to just switch between the tabs: Templates for work items and Templates for customer portal.