Field dictionary

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
Process Step Optional* Part of a developmental 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
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
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
Process Step Optional* Populated from the developmental 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
Type Required Used to indicate the "type" of requirement (business, architecture, enabler, non-functional). Dropdown

System-defined:
-Business
-Enabler
-Non Functional
-Architectural
-Supporting
-Debt
-Defect
-Risk

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
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

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
Process Flow Optional Ties the capability to a developmental 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
Type Required Used to indicate the "type" of requirement (business, architecture, enabler, non-functional). Dropdown System-defined:
- Business
- Enabler
- Non Functional
- Architectural
- Supporting
-Debt
-Defect
-Risk
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

 

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
Process Step Optional* Ties the story to a developmental 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
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
-Debt
-Defect
-Risk

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.
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
Process Step Optional* Ties the story to a developmental 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
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.  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
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

Objectives

Data Field Required/Optional Tier Description/Purpose Field Type Values/Validations
Tier Required All The level of objective. An objective's tier limits which types of objectives the objective can be directly related to. The tier also limits the work item types (themes, epics, capabilities, features, risks, impediments, and/or dependencies) that can be associated with the objective, according to the instance's objective mappings. Dropdown

System-defined:

-Team
-Program
-Solution
-Portfolio

Name Required

All

The objective's name. Text Free-form- 250 Ch var/char
Description Required

All

The objective's description. Text Free-form 3000 Ch var/char
Portfolio Required Portfolio A single portfolio that will contribute to the objective. Dropdown All portfolios in the system that the user is a member of are available for selection
Solution Required Solution A single solution that will contribute to the objective. Dropdown All solutions in the system that the user is a member of are available for selection

Programs

Required

Portfolio and solution

One or more programs that will contribute to the objective. When a user selects a portfolio or solution and the objective is saved, the field displays and automatically populates with all programs in the portfolio or solution. Multi-select All programs in the system that the user is a member of are available for selection

Program

Required Program and team On program objectives, a single program that willl contribute to the objective. On team objectives, a higher-level program to narrow selection of the delivery team that will work on the objective. Dropdown All programs in the system that the user is a member of are available for selection

Program Increment

Optional* All The program increment that an objective is intended for completion in. Eligible PIs appear for selection after the user selects a program. Dropdown All available PIs that are associated with the selected program are included

Owner

Required All The person ultimately accountable for the achievement of the desired outcome. Dropdown Users in system

Team(s)

Optional Program One or more agile or kanban delivery teams that will contribute to the objective. Eligible teams appear for selection after the user selects a program. Multi-select All teams available for the program

Primary Team

Required Team A single agile or kanban delivery team that will work on the objective. Dropdown All teams available for the program

Target Sync Sprint

Optional* Solution and program The sync sprint that the objective is intended to be completed by. Dropdown All sprints available for the program increment

Parent Objective

Optional Solution, program, and team Links a parent and child objective. Links All objectives tied to the selected program, solution, or portfolio

Parent Key Result

Optional Solution, program, and team Links the objective to a single key result of the selected parent objective. This field appears only after a user selects a parent objective and then selects Expand. Links All key results from parent objective

Dates: Portfolio Ask

Optional* All The estimated completion date that is set during business case definition. Date Any date

Dates: Start/Initiation

Optional* All The planned start date for the work associated with the objective. Date Any date before target completion

Dates: Target Completion

Optional* All The estimated completion date for the objective, set during the planning/estimation process. Date Any date after start/initiation

Lock/Reset

Optional All When you click Lock next to the dates, the dates are saved. Select the info (i) icon to view a history of date locks and unlocks. Links When locked, dates are saved; click Unlock to set new dates; click Reset to clear dates

Status

Optional* All Indicates where in the objective completion process the objective is. Status is displayed on a number of reports, such as the the Program Board. Dropdown

System-defined:
-Not Started
-In Progress
-On Track
-At Risk
-Off Track
-Deferred
-Cancelled
-Missed
-Done

Health

Optional* All Color which represents the health of the objective and its deliverables on the organizational level. This differs from an objective's Red, Yellow, Green scoring/grading color. For example, users might assign a color code based upon information provided during an OKR check-in, versus an OKR score-driven color assigned by the system during the end-of-cycle OKR scoring. Dropdown System-defined:
-Red
-Orange
-Green
-Yellow
-Gray
-Blue

Blocked

Optional* All Alerts stakeholders that the progress of this objective is currently blocked. Dropdown Yes/No

Category

Optional* All Used to indicate if an objective is critical path (i.e. Committed) or stretch goal (i.e. Aspirational). Dropdown System-defined:
-Critical Path
-Stretch Goal

Theme

Optional* All Associates an objective with a high-level work object that is intended to span multiple PIs. Dropdown All themes available for the portfolio

Strategy

Optional* Portfolio Associates the lowest-level goal with Jira Align's highest-level work item, which is intended to span multiple quarters or beyond a year. The theme acts as the parent to the lower-level work items on the portfolio objective that will be executed in support of that goal. Dropdown All yearly goals available

Type

Optional* All Classifies an objective as one of the following: feature finsher, architectural delivery, non-code, or roadmap milestone. When objectives are tied to work items, ensure that the objective type agrees with the corresponding options on the work items. Dropdown System-defined:
-Feature Finisher
-Incremental Delivery
-Non-Code
-Roadmap Milestone

Planned Value

Optional* All Captures the quantified (1-10) planned business value of the objective, as determined by the objective's owner, typically when the objective is finalized. When using planned value on both objectives and work items, ensure a consistent approach. For example, an objective with a planned value of 10 shouldn't have features with a planned value of 1. Dropdown System-defined values of 0-10

Delivered Value

Optional* All Captures the quantified (1-10) delivered business value of the objective, as determined by the objective's owner, typically when the objective is finalized. When using delivered value on both objectives and work items, ensure a consistent approach. For example, an objective with a delivered value of 10 shouldn't have features with a delivered value of 1. Dropdown System-defined values of 0-10

Notes

Optional* All Users can add additional information about the objective. For example, users can add information from check-ins here. Text Free-form

Risks

Data Field Required/Optional Description/Purpose Field Type Values/Validations
Title Required The risk's title. Risks are influencing factors that can adversely affect the outcome of your delivery. Text Free-form 100 Ch var/char
Status Required Indicates the overall status of the risk (Open or Closed). Open risks should be actively addressed. Dropdown System-defined:
-Open
-Closed
Description Required The risk's description. Sufficient detail should be added to enable appropriate management activities of the risk. Text Free-form 400,000 Ch var/char
Occurrence Optional* The probability level that the risk will occur. Used for classification and analysis purposes. Dropdown System-defined:
-Low
-Medium
-High
-Critical
Impact Optional* The impact level if the risk were to occur. Dropdown System-defined:
-Low
-Medium
-High
-Critical
Critical Path Optional* Identifies if the risk impacts a critical path project. Used as a basic classifier. Dropdown Yes/No
Program Required Identifies the program the risk relates to. Dropdown All programs in the system that the user is a member of are available for selection
Program Increment Required Assigns the risk to a single program increment that it occurs in. Eligible PIs appear for selection after the user selects a program. Dropdown All program increments in the system that the user is a member of are available for selection
Owner Required The person ultimately responsible for the risk's management. Dropdown Users in system
Relationship Required Identifies the work item type the risk is associated with. Additional fields will activate based on relationship selected, which will allow you to search for and select the associated work item (for example, Find Feature and Feature). Dropdown System-defined:
-Theme
-Epic
-Capability
-Feature
-Program Increment
Resolution Method Required Indicates which ROAM resolution method will be used to manage the risk (Resolved, Owned, Accepted, or Mitigated). As this field is required upon entry, select Owned and choose Program lead initially if not yet determined. Dropdown System-defined:
-Resolved
-Owned
-Accepted
-Mitigated
Target Resolution Date Optional* The date by which the risk is intended to be resolved. Date Any date
Notify Optional* Email addresses of colleagues to be notified if the risk is not resolved by the Target Resolution Date. Jira Align will automatically send an email notification to the people in the Notify Section if the risk is not resolved by then. Text Free-form 2,000 Ch var/char, each email 200 Ch var/char
Consequence Optional* Notes about what will happen if the risk is not resolved. Text Free-form 2,000 Ch var/char
Contingency Optional* The plan for how to handle the risk if it occurs. Text Free-form 2,000 Ch var/char
Mitigation Optional; becomes required if the Resolution Method is set to Mitigated The mitigation plan for setting the risk at acceptable levels. Text Free-form 2,000 Ch var/char
Resolution Status Optional; becomes required if the Resolution Method is set to Resolved Explanation of how the risk is being resolved. Text Free-form 2,000 Ch var/char
Tags Optional* When desired categorization is not provided, allows the user to tag/label risk with any free-form item for use in filtering reports. Text Free-form 2,000 Ch var/char
Created By Optional The person who created the risk in Jira Align. Text User who created the risk (read-only)
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