How do I create an Initiative as a parent above the EPIC

[Abin Das]

I am not able to create Initiative as a parent above EPIC

[Rohit Utukuri]

Hi @Abin Das ,

Depending on tier(Free and Standard) the ability to create an additional hierarchy might not be possible. Premium and Enterprise plans provide the ability to create additional levels and adjust your hierarchy. 

[Abin Das]

thanks @rohit

[sai chinamuthevi]

Jira cloud typically follows this Hierarchy

Epic->story/task/bug->subtask

If you want to change hierarchy like want to add additional issue above epic you need to make changes at global level

click on settings--> Work Items--> 1st option at sidebar(Work Type Hierarchy)


Here create Initiative above epic, in that way you can create an issue type above Standard Epic.

But Remember, if you change the Hierarchy here it will impact all the projects in entire instance. Not only your single project.

[Olga Cheban _TitanApps_]

Hi @Abin Das ! welcome to the Community!

The reason Initiative isn't available out of the box is that hierarchy levels above Epic are gated behind the Premium and Enterprise plans. On Free and Standard, the hierarchy stops at Epic, which is exactly what others have flagged here.

Once you're on Premium or Enterprise, the fastest route is through Jira Plans. Initiative comes pre-configured there as a parent level above Epic, so you can start grouping your Epics under Initiatives right away without any extra setup. If you later need additional layers like Themes, OKRs, or strategic goals, those can be added manually as custom work types in the hierarchy settings.

A quick heads-up that hasn't been mentioned yet: the Work Type Hierarchy is a global setting, so any new level you add will apply across your whole Jira instance, not just one project. Worth aligning with your admin before rolling it out.

I put together a step-by-step walkthrough on configuring Initiatives and other custom hierarchy levels here, in case it's useful: Advanced Roadmaps Hierarchy Configuration Guide 2026.

Hope this helps - happy to answer any follow-up questions.

[Rahul_RVS]

Hi @Abin Das 

Welcome to the community !!

With Jira premium you can create hierarchies above Epic. Or you can create a custom hierarchy using issue links. However you would nee a mktplace app to view/manage this links hierarchy. If you are open to try out one to view linked issues (cross project as well) take a look at,

Agile Tools

The app allows you to view your issues in a list view along with the linked issues shown as child issue. Also you can filter your child issues with multiple criteria.

Do give it a try.

Disclaimer : I am one of the app team member

[Lukas Maczejka _Appfire_]

Hi @Abin Das and welcome to the community,

@sai chinamuthevi and @Rohit Utukuri already covered the native path well — Premium/Enterprise required, and changes to Work Type Hierarchy apply across the whole instance.

If neither a Premium upgrade nor a global hierarchy change is viable, one more option from the Atlassian Marketplace: the app my team and I are working on, JXL for Jira, lets you model Initiative → Epic → Story in a spreadsheet view via issue links — no work type scheme change and no plan upgrade required. 

Disclosure: I work on the team behind JXL.

Cheers, Lukas

[Joshua Brock _ Seibert Group_ GmbH]

Hi @Abin Das and welcome!

The two answers provided cover the Jira-native path: you'll need Jira Premium or Enterprise to unlock the Work Type Hierarchy settings, then go to Settings > Work Items > Work Type Hierarchy to add Initiative as a level above Epic.

One practical thing to be aware of before you make that change: the Work Type Hierarchy setting is global across your entire Jira instance. Adding Initiative above Epic affects every project and every team on the instance, not just your own. Worth a conversation with your Jira admin and other project owners before flipping that switch, especially if other teams don't expect or want an extra hierarchy level.

Once it's in place, Jira's Plans feature can display Initiatives with their child Epics on a timeline. That works well for a single-team view, but if your reason for wanting Initiatives is to coordinate across multiple teams or ARTs, the native tools will give you the hierarchy without much governance support on top of it.

If that multi-team coordination use case applies to you — particularly if you're working in or toward a Scaled Agile (SAFe) environment — it's worth knowing there's a more structured path:

• Agile Hive enforces the full SAFe hierarchy (Portfolio Epics → Solution Trains → ARTs → Teams) natively in Jira, without requiring global instance changes that affect unrelated teams
• Portfolio Epics (Agile Hive's equivalent of Initiatives) carry funding, priority, and Lean Portfolio Management context alongside their structural role
• Cross-team dependency tracking and ART-level planning are built in, not bolted on

You can learn more at agile-hive.com — there's a free trial available on the Atlassian Marketplace if you want to explore it against your setup.

In full, total disclosure, I work at Seibert Group, the team behind Agile Hive.

Hope some of this helps...best of luck!

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