How to Create Jira Product Discovery Ideas from External Form Submissions

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Capturing valuable product ideas and feedback is essential for any successful product development strategy. Jira Product Discovery (JPD) provides a structured way to manage and prioritize ideas. However, gathering insights from external users and stakeholders without Jira access can be challenging. This article walks you through the steps to automate the creation of JPD ideas from external form submissions using Smart Forms for Jira.

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Benefits of Integrating JPD with Smart Forms

Integrating Jira Product Discovery with Smart Forms for Jira enables teams to:

• 💡 Seamlessly gather ideas from customers, stakeholders, and partners without Jira access.
• 🔄 Automate idea creation directly in JPD from external feedback forms.
• ⏱️ Save time by eliminating manual data entry.
• 📊 Enhance organization with mapped fields, allowing data to populate specific JPD idea fields.

Smart Forms for Jira bridges the gap between external feedback and product teams by creating idea collection workflow.

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Step 1: Setting Up the Smart Form

Creating a New Form in Smart Forms for Jira

To collect ideas from external submissions, set up a form in Smart Forms for Jira that will automatically create entries in JPD:

• Navigate to Smart Forms in Jira: Open Smart Forms in your Jira workspace.
• Design Your Form: Include fields to capture essential details, like:
  • Idea Title (maps to JPD’s Summary field)
  • Goal or Purpose
  • Product Area (specifies affected area)
  • Detailed Description

💡 Add Instructions and Labels: Use clear labels and instructions to help users understand each field, leading to better-quality submissions.

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Step 2: Configuring Form Actions to Create New Ideas in JPD

To ensure each form submission creates a new idea in Jira Product Discovery:

1. Open Form Settings: Access the settings of the form.
2. Choose “Create New Issue” as the Action Type: Select "Create New Issue" and set Jira Product Discovery as the project.
3. Define the Issue Type as “Idea”: Set the issue type to "Idea" to match the JPD structure.

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Step 3: Mapping Form Fields to JPD Idea Fields

To make data transfer seamless, map each form field to the corresponding JPD field. This ensures that every form response automatically appears in the correct field in JPD.

Examples of Key Field Mapping

Form Field	Mapped to JPD Field
“Your Idea”	Summary
“Detailed Description”	Description
“Goal”	Objective (if applicable)
“Product Area”	Category or Product Area

Mapping these fields maintains a consistent structure in JPD, simplifying sorting and analyzing ideas.

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Step 4: Enabling Pre-Fill Options for Consistency

Enable pre-fill options if you want users to choose from pre-defined choices. This feature in Smart Forms for Jira pulls data directly from JPD fields.

Linking Form Fields to Existing JPD Data: For example, if JPD has a Product Area field with options like "UI," "Backend," and "API Integrations," pre-fill dynamically pulls these values to your form element, helping users submit consistent, easily categorized ideas.

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Step 5: Tracking Submissions in the Responses Tab

Once your form is set up, all submissions are accessible in the Responses tab of Smart Forms for Jira:

• 🕒 Review Submission History: Access past submissions anytime.
• 📋 See Unmapped Fields: Unmapped fields are available here, ensuring complete data visibility.
• 📊 Organize and Analyze Responses: The Responses tab provides a clear record of external input, even though Smart Forms data isn’t directly viewable in JPD.

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Step 6: Understanding Mapped and Unmapped Field Limitations

Only mapped fields appear in JPD ideas created from a submission. Unmapped fields will not display automatically, which may leave ideas incomplete.

💡 Alternative Mapping Option: To view all form data in the JPD idea, map all fields to a single JPD field, like the Description field. This lets you view all submitted information in one place, though it may reduce precise categorization.

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Step 7: Viewing JPD Ideas with Mapped Form Data

When form submissions create ideas in JPD, mapped fields populate with the submitted data, making it easy for product teams to categorize ideas by fields like Summary, Product Area, and Description.

Accessing Full Submission Data: While only mapped fields appear in JPD, the Responses tab stores a full submission history, ensuring all data is accessible.

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Step 8: Managing Form Submissions Efficiently in JPD

To maximize the value of submissions in JPD, set up a workflow for managing and reviewing ideas. Consider categorizing ideas by priority, product area, or goal to make prioritization easier.

Best Practices for Idea Organization

• Set up custom filters in JPD to view ideas by category.
• Use labels or tags to group related ideas.
• Review submissions regularly to ensure nothing is overlooked.

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Common Challenges and Solutions

Challenge	Solution
Field Mapping Issues	Double-check field mappings to ensure every form field corresponds to the correct JPD field.
Duplicate Submissions	Implement a review process in JPD to identify and merge duplicates.
Missing Data Due to Unmapped Fields	Use the Responses tab to access all data, including unmapped fields, or map key data to the Description field.

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Conclusion

Automating idea creation from external form submissions in Jira Product Discovery with Smart Forms for Jira provides an effective solution for gathering insights from all stakeholders. With careful field mapping, pre-fill options, and centralized submission tracking, Smart Forms for Jira enables efficient data organization and streamlined workflows. By following these steps, product teams can ensure they capture every valuable idea to support informed decision-making.

FAQs

Question	Answer
How can I fix blank fields in JPD ideas?	Check your field mapping setup to ensure each essential form field is mapped to a JPD field.
Can I update field mapping after the form is set up?	Yes, you can edit mappings in the form settings. Changes apply to future submissions.
What happens to unmapped fields?	Unmapped fields don’t appear in JPD ideas but are stored in the Responses tab inside add-on for reference.
How do I access historical form submission data?	Use the Responses tab in Smart Forms for Jira, where all submissions are stored.
Are Smart Forms visible within JPD project views?	No, Smart Forms are not visible in JPD project views, because add-on are not avaliable for JPD. However, mapped data will populate JPD idea fields.
What are best practices for field mapping?	Map key fields like Summary and Description to relevant JPD fields, and consider mapping less critical data to the Description field for full visibility.