ProForma vs Smart Forms for Jira: Choosing the Right Approach for Form-Driven Workflows

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What's different, and what it means if you're thinking about moving to Cloud

ProForma has been the go-to form solution for Jira Service Management teams on Data Center for years. It's well-integrated, well-documented, and many teams have built real workflows on top of it. So when organizations start thinking about a move to Jira Cloud, one of the first questions that comes up is a practical one: what happens to forms?

Forms in Jira are rarely just about collecting data.

In most organizations, forms are the entry point to workflows — they trigger issue creation, route work between teams, collect approvals, and capture structured data for reporting.

Two tools that often come up in this space are ProForma (now part of Jira Service Management) and Smart Forms for Jira (developed by our team at SaaSJet).

Both allow teams to build structured forms inside Jira, but they take different approaches to how forms interact with workflows.

Instead of comparing them feature by feature, it’s often more useful to look at how they support different workflow patterns.

1. Service desk workflows vs cross-team intake workflows

ProForma was originally designed as a service management form solution.

Most teams use it to extend JSM request types, adding structured data collection to service desk tickets. The workflow typically looks like this:

Customer portal request
→ ProForma form filled
→ Jira issue created
→ Agents process the request

This model works very well when:

• the process happens inside Jira Service Management

• requesters use the customer portal

• workflows are tied to ITSM or support operations

Smart Forms was designed with a slightly different model.

Instead of being tied to a single service project, forms can be used across Jira Software, Work Management, and Service Management projects.

This enables workflows like:

Marketing campaign request form
→ Jira issue created in Software project
→ Automation assigns to design team
→ Follow-up form collects approvals

or

Vendor onboarding form
→ Issue created in Business project
→ Finance approval form added automatically
→ Workflow progresses

So while ProForma often powers service desk workflows, Smart Forms is often used for cross-team intake workflows across Jira projects.

2. Internal portal forms vs external submission forms

Another workflow difference is who fills the form.

With ProForma, form submission is typically tied to authenticated Jira users or JSM customers.

That works well when workflows happen inside the Jira ecosystem.

Smart Forms introduces another workflow pattern: external data collection.

Forms can be shared via link and filled by users outside Jira, then automatically create issues.

This opens additional workflow scenarios such as:

• vendor onboarding questionnaires

• customer feedback surveys

• bug reports from external testers

• marketing campaign requests from partners

• compliance or audit submissions

For organizations that collect information from many external stakeholders, this form-to-workflow model becomes important.

3. Project-specific forms vs reusable intake forms

Form reuse is another factor when workflows scale across teams.

In ProForma, forms are typically created per project, which means organizations sometimes manage multiple copies of the same form when several teams need it.  

This fits well when workflows are tightly coupled to a specific service desk.

Smart Forms uses a different model where a form can be available across multiple projects, allowing teams to reuse a single intake form across different workflows.  

For example:

One Employee Onboarding Form

can trigger workflows in:

• HR project

• IT provisioning project

• Finance setup project

without maintaining multiple form copies.

4. Workflow-driven form automation

Forms rarely live alone — they are usually triggered by workflow events.

Both tools support form-based automation patterns.

Typical examples include:

Workflow-triggered forms

When issue status changes to Waiting for approval
→ Add approval form to the issue

Post-submission automation

Form submitted
→ Create Jira issue
→ Set issue status automatically

In ProForma this is usually handled through Jira automation and service workflows.

Smart Forms also supports automation patterns like:

• automatically attaching forms to issues

• linking form fields to Jira fields

• triggering issue creation from form submissions

These patterns turn forms into workflow control points rather than just data entry screens.

5. Reporting and response visibility

Another workflow consideration is how form data is reviewed later.

In ProForma, form responses are typically stored within the Jira issue and accessed through fields.

Smart Forms also includes a responses layer, where teams can review submissions, export responses, or analyze form data across issues.

This is often used in workflows like:

• compliance reviews

• quality audits

• feedback programs

• operational reporting

where the form responses themselves become important data.

When each approach works best

From what we see working with Jira admins, both tools fit different workflow needs.

ProForma works well when

• workflows live inside Jira Service Management

• requests come through the customer portal

• governance and structured service processes are key

Smart Forms tends to fit better when

• workflows span multiple Jira project types

• teams collect information from external users

• forms act as cross-team intake mechanisms

Curious how other teams design form-driven workflows

Forms are becoming one of the main ways organizations standardize how work enters Jira.

I’m curious how others in the community are using them:

• Are your forms mostly service desk requests, or broader team intake?

• Do you collect data only from Jira users, or also from external stakeholders?

• How many forms do you manage across projects?

We're collecting feature requests from teams moving from ProForma

If your team is planning — or already going through — a move from ProForma on Data Center to Cloud, you might have noticed that rebuilding the same form-based workflows isn’t always straightforward.

In some cases, teams start exploring alternative approaches. One option you might consider is Smart Forms for Jira on Cloud, especially if you’re looking to recreate or rethink how forms support your workflows outside of JSM.

If you're migrating from ProForma on Data Center to Cloud and need a way to recreate your forms and workflows, we’re working on making that possible in Smart Forms for Jira.

To guide this, we’re collecting feature requests directly from teams going through this transition.

👉 If you’re in this situation, what features or capabilities would you need to successfully recreate your ProForma forms on Cloud?

[Roberta Antonini]

A very interesting article! 😃