Can different Work Type Schemes use different Work Type Hierarchies in Jira?

Yes and no, you cannot specify a specific work item hierarchy for each work item scheme, it is global for you instance. But you can have multiple work items associated with each level so you could make it specific for a project if your work item scheme only include the work items that the space should use. At my previous job I had multiple work items on each level, I had one project that use strategy, initiative, theme, and project if I remember correctly.

Hi @Faustina Eadie

As far as I'm aware, the Work Type Hierarchy is configured at the site level, not per Work Type Scheme. This means you can't have different hierarchies assigned to different schemes within the same Jira Cloud site, even on Jira Premium. Changes to the hierarchy apply to all company-managed projects in the site.

https://support.atlassian.com/jira-cloud-administration/docs/configure-the-issue-type-hierarchy

Jira work type hierarchy is global and shared across work type schemes.

However you can have more than one work type on each hierarchy level, therefore it should not be an issue to have both teams with different work types schemes that refer to one hierarchy.

Greetings @Faustina Eadie !

To answer your follow-up: in Jira Cloud Premium, "more than one work type per hierarchy level" is configured at the instance level, not per Work Type Scheme.

Under Settings > Issues > Issue type hierarchy (the screen Gor linked), you can add multiple work types to the same level (for example, both "Objective" and "Initiative" on Level 3).

Once both are registered on that level, each project's Work Type Scheme simply decides which of those types it actually uses, so Team A's scheme could surface Initiative there while Team B's scheme surfaces Objective, even though both technically sit on the same shared Level 3. That gives you some flexibility, but as Mikael and Marc noted, the hierarchy's shape (how many levels, what sits above what) stays global, i.e. you can't give Team A a 5-level hierarchy and Team B a 3-level one.

If what you're actually trying to reconcile is two genuinely different operating models (say, a SAFe®-style structure for Team A alongside Team B's simpler Program / Project / Deliverable model), that's usually beyond what Work Type Schemes alone can stretch to, and it's the kind of thing people reach for a Marketplace app for.

If you're open to a Marketplace app, one option worth looking at is Agile Hive, which layers a full SAFe hierarchy (Portfolio, ART/Program, Team) on top of Jira and Confluence (Epics, Capabilities, Features, and Enablers wired end-to-end) instead of forcing two hierarchies into one global Jira setting.

One caveat: Agile Hive is built around the SAFe hierarchy specifically, not a "define any hierarchy per team" tool, so if Team B's Programme/Project/Deliverable naming needs to stay exactly as-is rather than mapping to SAFe-style levels, it may not be a clean fit out of the box. It tends to work best when at least one side of the split is, or could become, SAFe-flavored.

A few things relevant to your situation:

• Agile Hive provides SAFe-aligned views for ARTs, including Program Boards and Planning Boards, rather than requiring teams to force everything into Jira's native global hierarchy.
• Dependencies, risks, and planning information can be managed across teams and levels in a SAFe context.

If your goal is a fully custom hierarchy model unrelated to SAFe, Agile Hive may not be the right fit.

You can find more information here on our website as well: https://www.agile-hive.com

Disclosure: I work at Seibert Group GmbH, the team behind Agile Hive.

Hope this helps!

Joshua
Content Writer & US Representative
Agile Hive and Aura Apps (products of Seibert Group GmbH)

Hi @Faustina Eadie 

No this is not possible within Jira work type hierarchy is global in relation to Plans.

You would need to look at 3rd party app. like Structure or BigPicture