The tables below present the primary fields used to create work items in Jira Align, along with their meanings, field types, and allowable values. Select a work item type to view its fields:
* - field can be managed using Details Panels Settings
Themes
| Data Field | Required/Optional | Description/Purpose | Field Type | Values/Validations |
| Title | Required | The theme's name. | Text | Free-form |
| Programs | Optional* | Ties the theme to available programs. | Multi-select | Programs that exist in the system, are assigned to a PI, and belong to a portfolio. User must be assigned to program. |
| Program Increments | Optional* | Ties the theme to available PIs. | Multi-select | PIs that exist in system, are assigned to a portfolio, and have at least one program assigned to it. User must be assigned to PI. |
| Description | Optional | The theme's description. | Text | Free-form |
| State | Required | Indicates where in the development process the theme is. | Dropdown | System-defined: -Not Started -In Progress -Complete |
| Active | Required | Indicates if theme is active or inactive. | Dropdown | Yes or No |
| Strategic Initiative | Optional* | Connects the theme to strategic initiative. | Dropdown | User-defined in the Administration module |
| Yearly Goals | Optional* | Connects the theme to a business strategy. | Dropdown | User-defined at enterprise level |
| Theme Group | Optional* | Provides categories/buckets to group themes. | Dropdown | User-defined at enterprise level |
| Theme Planned Budget | Optional | Budget before the estimation process. This enables organizations who budget at the theme level to set a high-level budget, and then compare that budget to the lower-level budgets being set on the epic to see if the initial plans and expectations are met. | Number entry | Any number |
| Dates: Portfolio Ask | Optional* | The estimated completion date set during the business case definition of the theme. | Date | Any date |
| Dates: Start/Initiation | Optional* | The planned start date for the work associated with the theme. | Date | Must be before Target Completion date |
| Dates: Target Completion | Optional* | The estimated completion date for the theme, set during the planning/estimation process. | Date | Must be after Start/Initiation date |
| Developmental Step | Optional* | Part of a process flow and is used to provide a continuous flow of value through the agile process. It depends on the program you select. | Dropdown | User-defined at the process flow level |
| Major Theme | Optional* | Identifies the theme as a major theme. This identification is used in the Theme Rank report. | Toggle | Yes or No |
| Report Color | Optional | Color for reporting purposes. | Palette | Standard color palette with RGB settings |
Epics
| Data Field | Required/Optional | Description/Purpose | Field Type | Values/Validations |
| Title | Required | The epic's name. | Text | Free-form- 256 Ch var/char |
| Description | Required | The epic's description. | Text | Free-form - 2000 ch var/char |
| State | Required | Indicates where in the development process the epic is. Rigid hierarchy is required as this drives many reports and workflows in Jira Align. | Dropdown | System-defined: -Not Started -In Progress -Accepted |
| Type | Required | Used to indicate the "type" of requirement (business, architecture, enabler, non-functional). | Dropdown |
System-defined: |
| MVP | Optional* | Indicates if the epic is a part of the minimum viable product. This option is critical for optimal flow and impact. | Dropdown | Yes or No |
| Contained In | Optional | Shows the parent theme of the epic. Clicking the parent theme opens its slide-out details panel. | Link | Link to parent theme |
| Primary Program | Required | Primary program responsible for the delivery of the epic. Primary program is required to drive most reports in Jira Align. Click the plus sign to add additional programs to the epic. | Dropdown | Programs listed by their associated portfolios |
| Owner | Optional* | The person ultimately responsible for the end delivery of the epic. | Dropdown | Users in system |
| Theme | Required if configured to use themes* | Associates the epic with a higher-level work object that is intended to span many epics and Pis, if not years. | Dropdown | Themes are added at portfolio level. To be included in the dropdown, the theme must be created. |
| Program Increments | Optional* | Assigns the epic to the program increment(s) that it is intended for development in. Eligible PIs appear for selection after the user selects a primary program. | Multi-select | All available PIs that are associated with the selected program are included |
| Dates: Portfolio Ask | Required* | The date that the requestor (business) would like the epic to be delivered. Not related to the planned or target delivery date by the development organization. | Date | Any date |
| Dates: Start/Initiation | Required* | The target date that the development team intends to begin work on the project. Primarily used for waterfall-style projects. Not tied to the actual work objects and the sprints/PIs they are associated to. | Date | Must be before Target Completion date |
| Dates: Target Completion | Optional* | The target date that the development team intends to complete work on the project. Primarily used for waterfall-style projects. Not tied to the actual work objects and the sprints/PIs they are associated to. | Date | Must be after Start/Initiation date |
| Lock/Reset | Optional | When you click Lock next to the dates, the dates are saved. | Links | When locked, dates are saved; click Unlock to set new dates |
| Report Color | Optional | Color for reporting purposes. | Palette | Standard color palette with RGB settings |
| Developmental Step | Optional* | Populated from the process flow for the relevant PI. Appears only after a PI is selected (so system knows which process steps to fill in). | Dropdown | Process steps defined in the process flow associated with the relevant portfolio |
| Team Week Estimate / T-Shirt / WSJF/ Points | Optional* | User-defined estimate of the effort required to complete the epic. | Varies | Varies |
| Estimated Story Points | Optional* | Estimated story points total required to complete the epic. | Number entry | Any number |
| Tags | Optional* | When desired categorization is not provided, allows the user to tag/label epic with any free form item for use in filtering reports. | Text | Any |
| Member Week Budget | Optional* | The number of member weeks allotted for the epic to be completed. | Number entry | Any number |
Capabilities
| Data Field | Required/Optional | Description/Purpose | Field Type | Values/Validations |
| Title | Required | The capability's name. | Text | Free-form- 256 Ch var/char |
| Description | Required | The capability's description. | Text | Free-form - 2000 ch var/char |
| State | Required | Indicates where in the development process the capabilities is. Rigid hierarchy is required as this drives many reports and workflows in Jira Align. | Dropdown | System-defined: - Not Started - In Progress - Accepted |
| Type | Required | Used to indicate the "type" of requirement (business, architecture, enabler, non-functional). | Dropdown | System-defined: - Business - Enabler - Non Functional - Architectural - Supporting |
| MVP | Optional* | Indicates if the capability is a part of the minimum viable product. This option is critical for optimal flow and impact. | Dropdown | Yes or No |
| Contained In | Optional | Shows the parent epic of the capability. Clicking the parent theme opens its slide-out details panel. | Link | Link to parent epic |
| Primary Program | Required | Primary program responsible for the delivery of the capability. Primary program is required to drive most reports in Jira Align. Click the plus sign to add additional programs to the capability. | Dropdown | Programs listed by their associated portfolios |
| Owner | Optional* | The person ultimately responsible for the end delivery of the capability. | Dropdown | Users in system |
| Program Increments | Optional* | Assigns the epic to the program increment(s) that it is intended for development in. Eligible PIs appear for selection after the user selects a primary program. | Multi-select | All available PIs that are associated with the selected program are included |
| Dates: Portfolio Ask | Required* | The date that the requestor (business) would like the epic to be delivered. Not related to the planned or target delivery date by the development organization. | Date | Any date |
| Dates: Start/Initiation | Required* | The target date that the development team intends to begin work on the project. Primarily used for waterfall-style projects. Not tied to the actual work objects and the sprints/PIs they are associated to. | Date | Must be before Target Completion date |
| Dates: Target Completion | Optional* | The target date that the development team intends to complete work on the project. Primarily used for waterfall-style projects. Not tied to the actual work objects and the sprints/PIs they are associated to. | Date | Must be after Start/Initiation date |
| Lock/Reset | Optional | When you click Lock next to the dates, the dates are saved. | Links | When locked, dates are saved; click Unlock to set new dates |
| Report Color | Optional | Color for reporting purposes. | Palette | Standard color palette with RGB settings |
| Team Week Estimate / T-Shirt / WSJF/ Points | Optional* | User-defined estimate of the effort required to complete the capability. | Varies | Varies |
| Estimated Story Points | Optional* | Estimated story points total required to complete the capability. | Number entry | Any number |
| Member Week Budget | Optional* | The number of member weeks allotted for the capability to be completed. | Number entry | Any number |
Features
| Data Field | Required/Optional | Description/Purpose | Field Type | Values/Validations |
| Title | Required | The feature's title. | Text | Free-form |
| Description | Optional | The feature's description. | Text | Free-form |
| State | Required | Indicates where in the development process the feature is. Rigid hierarchy is required, as this drives many reports and workflows in Jira Align. | Dropdown | System-defined: -Pending Approval -Ready to Start -In Progress -Dev Complete -Test Complete -Accepted |
| Type | Optional* | Type of feature being developed. For example, a feature may be architecture-related, or it can deliver direct business value. | Dropdown | System-defined: -Not set -Business -Enabler -Non Functional -Architectural |
| MMF | Optional* | Shows whether the feature is a part of the minimum marketable feature. This option is critical for optimal flow and impact. | Dropdown | Yes or No |
| Blocked | Optional* | Blocked status alerts stakeholders that the development of this feature is currently blocked. | Dropdown | Yes or No |
| Priority | Optional* | Rank the priority of the feature vs. other features. | Dropdown | System-defined: -Low -Medium -High -Critical |
| Primary Program | Required | Assigns the feature to a primary program. | Dropdown | All programs in the system that the user is a member of are available for selection. |
| Approach | Required* | Defines whether a feature is assigned to only a single program, or if the work for the feature will span across multiple features. | Dropdown | Single Program Feature Multi-Program Feature |
| Theme | Optional* | Associates the feature with a higher-level work object that is intended to span many PIs if not years. | Dropdown | If enabled, themes are added at the enterprise level. To be included in the dropdown, the theme must be created and must already be associated with the selected primary program and PI. |
| Owner | Optional* | The person ultimately responsible for the end delivery of the feature. | Dropdown | Users in system |
| Parent Epic | Optional | Defines the epic to which the feature is contributing. | Dropdown | System-defined list based on the selected primary program |
| Program Increments | Optional* | Assigns a feature to the PIs that it is intended for development in. A feature always inherits the parent's PI. If a feature has a capability or an epic, then the feature can only be assigned to the program increments assigned to the parent. If no parent is assigned, then all PIs based on the selected program are shown. If a parent has no PIs selected, then the feature has Unassigned Backlog as an option. | Dropdown | All available program increments that are associated with the selected program are included. Unlike epics, features must belong to a single PI |
| Release Vehicle | Optional* | Associates the feature with a release vehicle (e.g., a market-facing release that represents code getting pushed to a production environment). | Multi-select | Any available release vehicle in the system that is associated with the selected PI |
| Target Sprint: Target Start | Optional* | The target date that the development team intends to begin work on the feature. Primarily used for waterfall-style projects. Not tied to the actual work objects and the sprints/PIs they are associated to. | Date | Must be before Target Completion Date |
| Target Sprint: Target Completion | Optional* | The target date that the development team intends to complete work on the project. Primarily used for waterfall-style projects. Not tied to the actual work objects and the sprints / PIs they are associated to. | Date | Must be after Target Start Date |
| Team Week Estimate / T-Shirt / WSJF/ Points | Optional* | User-defined estimate of the effort required to complete the feature. | Varies | Varies |
| Tags | Optional* | When desired categorization is not provided, allows the user to tag/label feature with any free form item for use in filtering reports. | Text | Any |
| Report Color | Optional | Color for reporting puposes. | Palette | Standard color palette with RGB settings |
| Product | Required (if enabled) | Associates a feature to a specific product / product family for roadmapping and reporting purposes. | Dropdown | All available products that have been added to system |
| Dates: Portfolio Ask | Optional* | This date is set early in the process by the portfolio groups when they do their planning to request the delivery date for a feature. | Calendar | Any date |
| Dates: Start/Initiation | Optional* | This date indicates when the feature will start. It is used to do the strategic planning activities more effectively. | Calendar | This is not the actual start date of the feature based on when the first story is done. This is the target start date based on intentions of the person submitting the feature. |
| Dates: Target Completion | Optional* | This date indicates what the target completion date is. It is used to do the strategic planning activities more effectively. | Calendar | Reflects the date the scheduler believes the feature can actually be completed (versus the Portfolio Ask date which is the date the business wants the feature to be delivered). |
| Lock/Reset | Optional | When you click Lock next to the dates, the dates are saved. | Links | When locked, the following additional fields are saved: story estimate and feature estimate. You can view this data together with the history of changes by clicking the information icon. Click Unlock to set new dates. |
| Category | Optional* | Enables user to categorize feature by the genericized reason a feature is under development (e.g., R&D, Growth, Tech Debt). | Dropdown | Dropdown options are created by administrator. All defined values are available for selection. |
| Business Driver | Optional* | The underlying reason (e.g., market driver) for the feature being developed | Dropdown | Dropdown options are created by administrator. All defined values are available for selection. |
| Developmental Step | Optional* | Ties the story to a process flow process step; used to provide a continuous flow of value through the agile process. | Dropdown | Available flow process steps tied to the selected program |
| Affected Countries | Optional* | Associates the feature with a selected market/country that it is being developed for. | Multi-select | Standard country list |
| Business Unit | Optional | The associated business unit of the organizational structure, created at the enterprise level. | Dropdown | Business Unit is added at the enterprise level |
| Capitalized | Optional* | Used to indicate if the feature is eligible for capitalization. When selected, stories within the feature (and the underlying stories/tasks) become eligible for captilization and the data for those tasks/stories/features are rolled up as capitalized on relevant reports. | Dropdown | Yes or No |
| Source | Optional* | Associates the feature with the type of requirement that triggered the need for the feature. | Dropdown | User-defined values, created via Configuration page of Administration module |
| Customers | Optional* | Associates the feature with customers available in the system. | Multi-select | Dropdown options are created by administrator. All defined values are available for selection. |
| Requester | *Optional | Ties the feature to the person that requested it, such as a customer or product owner. | Dropdown | List of Jira Align users |
| Associated Ticket | Optional* | Associates the feature with a Support ticket. | Text | Free-form |
| Benefits | Optional* | Describes the value of this feature, answering the question "what's in it for the customer?" | Text | Free-form |
Stories
| Data Field | Required/Optional | Description/Purpose | Field Type | Values/Validations |
| Story Template | Optional | Lists the available templates that can be used to create the given story. | Link | This option is only available for newly created stories. Selecting the link allows you to search for existing templates. New templates are created if you set the story's Type field to Template. |
| Story Name | Required | The story's title. | Text | Free-form |
| Story | Required | The story's description or purpose. | HTML/Text | Free-form |
| Program | Required | Assigns story to a primary program. | Dropdown | All programs in the system that the user is a member of are available for selection |
| State | Required | Indicates where in the development process the story is. Rigid hierarchy is required as this drives many reports and workflows in Jira Align. The system defaults to 0-Pending Approval. | Dropdown | System-defined: -0-Pending Approval -1-Ready To Start -2-In Progress -3-Dev Complete -4-Test Complete |
| Type | Optional* | Indicates the type of the story; most stories should be User type stories. | Dropdown | System-defined: -Automation -Database -Defect -Design spike -Enablement -Template -User |
| MMF | Optional* | Shows whether the story is a part of the minimum marketable feature. This is typically determined during story mapping and is critical for optimal flow and impact. | Dropdown | Yes or No |
| Automation | Optional* | Identifies the level of automation related to the story. | Dropdown | System-defined: -Not Reviewed -Not Automated -Partially Automated -Fully Automated |
| Program | Required | Assigns a story to a primary program. | Dropdown | Available programs created by your administrator |
| Assigned | Optional* | The person ultimately responsible for the end delivery of the story. | Dropdown | This field is enabled once the program is selected. Only users within the program will show up in this dropdown. |
| Find Feature | Optional | Find a feature you want to make a parent of this story. | Search box | Features tied to the selected program are included |
| Feature | Optional* | The parent feature of this story. If a story belongs to a completed sprint, only a Super Admin can change its parent feature. | Display/Remove Selection | Features tied to the selected program are included |
| Program Increment | Optional* | Assigns the story to the planning increment(s) that it is intended for development in. Eligible PIs appear for selection after the user selects a primary program. | Dropdown | Program increments tied to the selected program are included |
| Release Vehicle | Optional* | Assigns story to the value delivery construct the story will be delivered in. | Selection box | Available when the associated program increment is selected |
| Team | Optional | Assigns the story to a team. | Dropdown | Available when the associated program is selected |
| Sprint | Optional | Assigns the story to a sprint that the development team intends to work on. | Dropdown | Available when the associated program is selected. Defaults to Unassigned Backlog |
| Value Points | Optional* | Used to assign value to the story. | Dropdown | Defined by Admin. Defaults to Fibonacci |
| Effort Points | Optional* | Used to assign a relative size to the story. | Dropdown | Defined by Admin. Defaults to Fibonacci |
| Tags | Optional | When desired categorization is not provided, allows the user to tag/label story with any free-form item for use in filtering reports. | Text | Any |
| Developmental Step | Optional* | Ties the story to a process flow process step; used to provide a continuous flow of value through the agile process. | Dropdown | Available process flow steps tied to the selected program |
| Design Assumptions and Notes | Optional* | Used to add information about assumptions, along with any additional notes. | Text | Free-form |
| Persona | Optional* | Used to assign a persona (system user) to a story | Dropdown | Personas associated with the program are displayed in the dropdown for selection |
Print 
PDF
Join the Atlassian Community!
The Atlassian Community is a unique, highly collaborative space where customers and Atlassians come together. Ask questions and get answers, start discussions, and collaborate with thousands of other Jira Align customers. Visit the Jira Align Community Collection today.
Need to contact Jira Align Support? Please open a support request.