In company-managed projects, having clear and relevant fields on issues and requests is crucial for ensuring streamlined workflows, accurate reporting, and enhanced team collaboration. Properly configuring these fields allows project teams to capture necessary information, minimize clutter, and optimize the user experience for both internal team members and external stakeholders.
This guide will walk you through how to configure fields in company-managed projects, focusing on customizing their appearance and behavior on issues and requests.
Step 1: Understanding Field Types
Before diving into configuration, it’s essential to understand the types of fields available:
- System Fields: These are default fields provided by the project management tool (such as Jira, Asana, etc.). Examples include “Summary,” “Description,” “Assignee,” “Priority,” and “Status.”
- Custom Fields: These are fields created to meet specific needs of your project. For instance, you might add fields like “Risk Level,” “Customer Impact,” or “Estimated Time.”
Knowing which fields are necessary for your project type is crucial when customizing how they appear.
Step 2: Accessing Field Configuration
To begin configuring fields, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the Project Settings:
- Go to the project for which you want to configure fields.
- On the sidebar, click on Project Settings.
- Select Screens:
- In the settings menu, find the Screens option. This is where you manage the fields that are visible on issues for different issue types (e.g., Bug, Task, Story).
- Configure Field Screens:
- Each issue type may have its own screen configuration. Select the screen associated with the issue type you want to modify.
- A list of fields will appear. You can add or remove fields from this screen, which will determine what fields are visible when creating, viewing, or editing issues.
Step 3: Adding and Removing Fields
To make sure that only relevant fields are shown on issues and requests:
- Add a Field:
- Click the Add Field button.
- Select the field you want to add from the dropdown list (or create a new custom field).
- Once added, you can drag the field to the preferred position on the screen.
- Remove a Field:
- To remove an unnecessary field, simply find it in the field list and click the Remove button.
- Organize Fields:
- You can drag and drop fields to rearrange their order on the issue screen, helping to improve the user interface. Key fields can be placed at the top for quick access, while less frequently used fields can be positioned lower.
Step 4: Customizing Field Behavior
After selecting which fields will appear, you may want to customize how these fields behave:
- Field Required vs. Optional:
- You can set certain fields as mandatory, ensuring that users cannot complete an issue or request without filling them out.
- For example, a field like “Priority” might be required to ensure issues are properly triaged.
- Default Values:
- You can configure fields to have default values, saving users time and ensuring consistency.
- For instance, the “Assignee” field could default to a specific team member for certain issue types.
- Field Visibility for Different Users:
- You may want to restrict certain fields to specific user roles. For example, “Cost Estimate” might be visible only to project managers, while “Description” is available for all users.
- This can be managed by configuring Field Permissions or Field Configurations, depending on your tool.
Step 5: Testing and Iterating
Once you’ve made your configurations, it’s important to test the changes:
- Create a Test Issue:
- Create a new issue or request in your project to ensure the correct fields appear and behave as expected.
- Solicit Feedback:
- Involve your team in reviewing the field configurations. Their feedback will help identify any missing fields or unnecessary ones that may be cluttering the screen.
- Iterate:
- Based on feedback, continue to refine the field configurations. Flexibility is key, especially as the project evolves.
Step 6: Automating Field Management (Optional)
If you manage a large project with several fields, automating field management can save time. Many project management tools offer automation rules that can:
- Automatically fill in fields based on specific triggers (e.g., setting a default priority when an issue is tagged as “High”).
- Create workflows that adjust field visibility or make fields required at different stages of the issue lifecycle.
Configuring fields on issues and requests in company-managed projects allows you to fine-tune how information is captured and displayed. By strategically selecting, organizing, and customizing fields, you can enhance efficiency, improve data quality, and foster a more user-friendly experience for your project team. Remember to regularly revisit your configurations to ensure they continue meeting your team’s needs as the project evolves.
For further details, you can refer to the Atlassian documentation on how to change a field configuration and explore community discussions on Atlassian Community.
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