Overview
In Jira, custom fields allow you to collect additional information on issues. One such field is the Severity field, which is often used to classify the urgency or impact of issues, particularly bugs. This knowledge base article will guide you through the process of creating a custom Severity field as a Single Dropdown Field, configuring it with predefined options, and making sure it is available for the Bug issue type and visible on the appropriate screens.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure that:
- You have Jira Administrator privileges to create custom fields and manage field configurations.
- You are familiar with Jira’s Field Configuration and Screen Configuration.
Steps to Create and Configure the Severity Field
Step 1: Create the Custom Field
- Navigate to Jira Administration:
- Go to the Jira Dashboard.
- Click on the gear icon (top-right corner) and select Jira Settings.
- Under the Issues section, click on Custom Fields.
- Add a New Custom Field:
- On the Custom Fields page, click Add Custom Field.
- You will be prompted to choose the type of custom field you want to create.
- Select Field Type:
- Choose Select List (single choice) as the field type. This will create a dropdown list where users can select one option.
- Click Next to proceed.
- Configure the Field:
- Field Name: Enter “Severity” as the name of the field.
- Description (optional): You can add a description such as “Indicates the severity or impact of the bug”.
- Click Create to finalize the creation of the custom field.
Step 2: Add Options to the Severity Field
After the custom field is created, you will need to add predefined options (e.g., Low, Medium, High, Critical) to the dropdown.
- Edit Field Options:
- After the field is created, you will be redirected to the Field Configuration screen.
- Click on the “Configure” link next to the “Severity” field.
- You will see an option to Edit Options. Click on it to add values to the dropdown list.
- Add Severity Levels:
- Add the following options for the Severity field:
- Low
- Medium
- High
- Optionally, you can reorder the options based on your preferences (for example, placing “Critical” at the top).
- Save Changes: Once you’ve added the options, click Save to finalize the list.
Step 3: Associate the Custom Field with the Bug Issue Type
Now, you need to associate the Severity field with the Bug issue type so that it appears when creating or editing a bug issue.
- Navigate to Field Configurations:
- Go to Jira Settings > Issues > Field Configurations.
- Find the Field Configuration Scheme associated with your project (or create a new scheme if necessary).
- Click on the “Configure” link next to the Field Configuration.
- Add the Severity Field to the Field Configuration:
- Scroll down to the Field Configuration list and find Severity.
- If the Severity field is not listed, click on Add Field and select Severity from the available list of fields.
- Click Add to associate the field with your field configuration.
- Verify the Field Association:
- Check that the Severity field is now part of the field configuration for the Bug issue type. This ensures that the field is enabled for bug-related issues in your Jira project.
Step 4: Add the Severity Field to the Bug Screens
For the Severity field to be visible when creating, editing, or viewing a bug issue, you need to add it to the appropriate screens in Jira.
- Navigate to Screen Configurations:
- Go to Jira Settings > Screens.
- Find the screen configurations that are used for Bug issues. Common screen names include Default Screen, Bug Create Screen, Bug Edit Screen, and Bug View Screen.
- Configure Bug Screens:
- Click on Configure next to the screen that you want to add the Severity field to (e.g., Create Issue Screen or Edit Issue Screen).
- Scroll down to the list of available fields and look for the Severity field.
- If the Severity field is not listed, click on Add Field.
- Select Severity from the list of available fields and click Add.
- Ensure Field Visibility on Screens:
- Repeat this step for all relevant screens, such as Create Issue Screen, Edit Issue Screen, and View Issue Screen for bugs.
- After adding the field, verify that it appears correctly in the relevant screens.
Step 5: Test the Configuration
Once the custom field has been added and configured, test it to ensure that everything is working as expected.
- Create a Bug Issue:
- Navigate to your project and create a Bug issue.
- On the Create Issue screen, verify that the Severity dropdown field is visible and displays the correct options (Low, Medium, High, Critical).
- Edit a Bug Issue:
- Edit an existing Bug issue and confirm that the Severity field is visible and can be updated with the correct severity value.
- Verify Field on View Issue Screen:
- Go to the View Issue screen of the Bug issue to ensure the Severity field is displayed as expected.
Step 6: Customize Field Permissions and Workflow (Optional)
You may want to customize the field’s permissions (who can see or edit it) or its behavior in specific workflows:
- Field Permissions: Use Field Configuration Schemes to specify who can see or edit the Severity field based on user roles or other criteria.
- Workflow Automation: You can automate actions based on the Severity field, such as creating different transition paths based on severity or sending notifications.
Conclusion
By following the steps in this article, you have successfully created a Severity custom field as a Single Dropdown Field and made it available for the Bug issue type in Jira. This field allows users to classify the severity of a bug, ensuring that your team can better prioritize and manage issues.
With the field added to the appropriate screens and associated with your project’s field configuration, users can now easily select the severity level when working on bug-related tasks. This configuration enhances the flexibility and efficiency of issue tracking within your project.