Hierarchy in Advanced Roadmap (Plans)

Hai Ha_ueru7t

We're using Jira Server.

I've noticed that the only way to have hierarchy in Advanced Roadmap (Plans) as below:

1. "New Feature" as the parent of Epics
2. "Portfolio Epics" is the parent of "New Feature"
3. "Initiative" is the parent of "Portfolio Epics". 

I was told that its not possible to change this because we're using Server.

Still my question is any chance we can link the parent as we want without following the logic above please? (for example: Portfolio Epics can be parent of Epics, etc...)

Thanks in advance.

Trudy P Claspill

Hello @Hai Ha 

Have you added an advanced roadmaps or portfolio management app to your Jira Server to support extending the hierarchy as you want?

It is true that Jira Server natively does not support extending the hierarchy in the manner you describe and does not give you any tools for visualizing that hierarchy. But other apps can.

If you don't already have such an app then it is also true that you cannot get such an app for Jira Server (vs. Jira Data Center) at this point in time. Vendors are no longer selling licenses for Jira Server apps.

If you don't have such an app already, you have two options.

1. Upgrade to a Data Center license or migrate to Jira Cloud so that you can continue to get new apps, and get such an app.

2. Use generic issue linking to artificially create the hierarchy you want.

With generic issue linking you could create a link type called "Parent-Child" with an Outward Description of "is parent of" and an Inward Description of "is child of". They you would also create new issue types at the same level as Story for "New Feature", "Portfolio Epics", and "Initiative". Lastly you would use your new link type of Parent-Child to link Initiatives to Portfolio Epics, Portfolio Epics to New Features, and New Features to Epics.

Jira would not recognize these links as actual parent/child relationships and would not present you a hierarchical view of the issues. It also would not prevent you from making one issue have multiple parents, or linking children to parents at the wrong level. But that is the best you can do without getting an app to properly support an extended issue hierarchy.