How to create templates in Jira

Creating templates in Jira can greatly enhance your project management efficiency, streamline workflows, and maintain consistency across your tasks. Whether you are new to Jira or looking to optimize your usage, this guide will walk you through the various methods of creating and utilizing issue templates in Jira.

Template library inside Jira (2nd method below)

What are Jira issue templates?

Jira issue templates are predefined copies of Jira issues that you can reuse across different projects and tasks.

These templates can be created for any issue type, including Epics, Stories, Tasks, Bugs, and more.

The main advantage of using templates is to save time by avoiding the repetitive task of filling out similar issues multiple times, ensuring uniformity and standardization in issue creation.

Benefits of using Jira templates

• Consistency: Templates ensure that all issues follow a standardized format acros the organization, making it easier to track and manage them.
• Efficiency: By using templates, you can significantly reduce the time spent on creating new issues from scratch.

How to create templates?

There are two primary methods for creating reusable issue templates in Jira, which we will outline below.

• The first method is quick to implement as it is built into Jira, though it may have some limitations based on your specific requirements.
  For instance, this method is not suitable for issues containings sub-tasks or other issue types likes Stories for Epics.
• The second method involves using a third-party application specifically designed to meet these advanced needs.

First method: Using the Jira cloning feature

Create templates by cloning issues

1. Access your Jira instance
   Log in to your Jira account and navigate to the project where you want to create a template.
2. Select an existing issue to clone
   Find the issue you want to use as a template. This can be any issue type, such as a Task, Story, or Bug.
3. Open the issue
   Click on the issue to open its detailed view.
4. Clone the issue
   In the top-right corner of the issue view, click on the “More” button (three dots) to open the drop-down menu. From the options, select “Clone.”
5. Configure the clone settings
   A pop-up window will appear, prompting you to configure the clone settings. You can adjust the following options:
   Summary: By default, the summary will be prefixed with “CLONE -”. You can change this to better suit your needs.
   Include Sub-Tasks: Check this box if you want to include the sub-tasks of the original issue in the clone.
   Clone Links: Decide whether to include links to the original issue.
6. Create the cloned issue
   After configuring the settings, click “Create.” Jira will create a new issue with all the details copied from the original issue.

Limitations of the “Clone” feature
While the native “Clone” feature is handy for creating templates, it has some limitations:

• Cannot clone epics with child issues: The feature does not support cloning Epics along with their child issues. You will need to clone each child issue separately.
• No variable support: The cloned issue will be an exact copy of the original. You cannot use variables to customize fields dynamically.
• Manual adjustments: Any changes needed in the cloned issue must be made manually after the clone is created.
• User experience: This workflow might seem a bit “hacky” to your Jira users.

Second method: Using a 3rd-party extension

This is the most effective solution available to ensure a seamless experience for both Jira users and project administrators.

Here, we introduce our app available on the Atlassian Marketplace.

1. Access the Atlassian Marketplace
   Click on the following link to install Issue Templates for Jira Cloud.
2. Start the installation
   On the app listing page, click the “Try it free” button at the top-right corner. This will initiate the installation process.
3. Complete the installation
   The app will be installed on your selected Jira instance. Once the installation is complete, you will see a confirmation message.
   You will also be guided to an introduction page to better understand what the app can do for you.
4. Access your Jira instance and select an existing issue
   Find the issue you want to convert into a template. This can be any issue type, such as a Task, a Story, a Bug, an Epic or even custom issue types.
5. Save the Issue as a Template
   Open the issue and click on the three-dots icon at the top-right corner.
   Select “Save as new template” from the drop-down menu.
6. Configure the Template
   You can start with a simple template using the default settings or customize your templates to the finest details.

Using the app, you or any Jira administrators can customize advanced templates with hierarchies of issues, as follows.

Conclusion

Incorporating Jira templates into your workflow can significantly improve your project management by ensuring consistency, saving time, and reducing manual effort.

Whether you are handling simple user story templates, bug reports or complex projects, using templates can help you maintain standardization and efficiency.

Start exploring Jira templates today and see how they can transform your project management experience.

And if you’re looking for an even more powerful and user-friendly solution, consider trying our add-on, Issue Templates for Jira Cloud, which offers advanced features, seamless integration, and a user-friendly interface to take your Jira usage to the next level.

Lastly, you will find here extensive documentation on creating issue templates in Jira using our add-on.

In the news

Looking for a ready to use user story template? We published an article about it!