Configure fields for company-managed spaces with field schemes
10 min
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:
- Create a field scheme
- Associate a field scheme with spaces
Create a field scheme
Field schemes define how fields behave in the spaces they're associated with. Only Jira admins can configure them.
In a field scheme, you can:
- Choose which fields are available in the space
- Add a description, or help text, that appears under the field when people create or edit a work item
- Set whether a field is required or optional
- Customize these settings for specific work types
👉 For example: You want the Description field to be required for Bugs but optional for Tasks, with help text that tells people what to include when reporting a bug.
To create a field scheme:
- In the upper-right corner of Jira, select Settings (represented by a gear icon).
- Under Jira admin settings, select Work items.
- In the sidebar, under Fields, select Field schemes.
- Select Create field scheme.
- Enter a clear name and detailed description, then select Create.
- Add the fields the scheme needs. For each field, you can:
- Set custom description for different work types
- Make it required or optional
- Customize its settings for specific work types
- Remove it from the scheme
Some system fields can't be removed or made optional.
👇 This is where you create a field scheme.
Associate a field scheme with a space
To apply a field scheme, you need to associate it with one or more company-managed spaces. Only Jira admins can associate field schemes with spaces.
When you create a company-managed space, it uses the default field scheme. You can change which field scheme a space uses after you create the space. If a field scheme is shared by several spaces, any changes you make to it apply to all of them.
To associate a field scheme with a space:
- Open the space in Jira.
- Next to the space name, select More actions (represented by ···), then Space settings.
- In the space settings sidebar, under Work Items, select Fields.
- In the upper-right, select Actions, then Use a different scheme.
- Choose your field scheme, then select Save.
You can also associate spaces from the field scheme in the Jira Settings.
Let’s explore an example!
Rory, a Jira admin, has a request from the space admin of the DEV space. The space admin says that her team needs two different due date fields: one for bugs and one for tasks. Rory asks about her specific needs and discovers that the DEV space needs different behavior for the Due Date field, but not two separate fields.
To meet this requirement:
- Create a new field scheme or modify the one the DEV space already uses. If Rory modifies an existing field scheme, his changes will apply to all spaces associated with it.
- In the field scheme, customize the Due Date field for the Bug work type. Make it required and add a description of Requested fix date.
- Customize the Due Date field for the Task work type. Make it optional and add a description of Completion target date.
- If Rory created a new field scheme, associate it with the DEV space.