∑ original estimate

Question

Hi,

When I am in an Epic and take a look at the information of the tasks in the columns the ∑ original estimate is always empty. I always need to remove the column and add it again every time to populate it. When I leave the epic to go back to the board and open the epic later again, it's again empty. How to fix this?

Fatma Uzundemir from The Starware · Answer

Hi  @An-Sofie Smet 👋,

As you mentioned, this is a known issue with the Child Issues panel in Jira Cloud. The column selection is saved, but aggregate values often don’t refresh when the page loads. There is currently no native Jira setting to fix this.

As a temporary workaround, you can use this JQL instead of the panel:

key = "EPIC-KEY" or parent = "EPIC-KEY"

This also ensures the Epic itself appears alongside its child issues.

Also, Σ Original Estimate only sums a Task and its direct Sub-tasks. Estimates from deeper hierarchy levels aren’t automatically rolled up to the Epic, so unestimated or deeper-level values may appear empty by design.

🌱 If you are open to using a third-party app, you might want to check out Sum-up Custom Field.
Instead of relying on temporary panel calculations that break on page load, it creates standard custom fields that calculate and store estimate values directly on your issues—level-independently, from the deepest Sub-task all the way up to the Epic.

⚙️ 1. Highly Configurable Settings
You can easily aggregate any numeric Jira field using flexible calculation methods (Sum, Average, Min, Max, Count) along with custom units and positioning.

📌 2. Search & Filter Views
You can run a query like key = EPIC-KEY or parent = EPIC-KEY to see both the parent issue and its children in one place. You can add both Jira's native Σ Original Estimate column and the Sum up - Custom field side-by-side in your search and filter results.

📊 3. Issue View & List/Board Views
Calculated totals remain reliably stored and visible across Issue Views, Child Work Items panels, List views, and Boards without disappearing on page reloads.

🍀 To learn more, feel free to contact me or explore the application through the Atlassian Marketplace link I’ve provided.

Disclaimer: I work for the vendor who developed this application.

Sami Shaik · Answer

Hello @An-Sofie Smet ,

@Habib__Plugio__ has given you the right picture of what is happening today, so let me add the two pieces that complete it.

First: what you are describing deserves a bug report, not just workarounds. A column that only populates when removed and re-added is load-order behaviour, not intended design, and it is reproducible from your steps. Since you are on a paid plan, raise it with Atlassian Support (support.atlassian.com) with exactly the description you wrote here, and search jira.atlassian.com for an existing public bug on the child issues panel aggregates first: if one exists, vote and watch it rather than filing new, because votes are what move these. Workarounds keep you moving this week; the report is what makes the column just work next quarter.

Second, so the blanks do not mislead you meanwhile: as Habib noted, the Σ fields aggregate a task with its own sub-tasks. So on tasks without sub-tasks, Σ Original Estimate simply mirrors the task's own Original Estimate, and stays empty when the task itself has no estimate. Worth knowing before concluding a blank is the bug rather than a missing estimate.

And one small extension to Habib's filter suggestion, since it is the workaround I would also use: after saving that parent = EPIC-123 search as a filter, star it and share it with the team, and it quietly becomes the estimate view everyone opens instead of the panel, until the panel earns its trust back.

Habib__Plugio__ · Answer

Hi @An-Sofie Smet ,

This is a known quirk of the child issues panel: the column choice is saved, but the Σ aggregate values aren't re-fetched when the panel loads — removing/re-adding the column just forces a fresh fetch.

There's no setting that fixes it. (Also note Σ Original Estimate only sums a task plus its own sub-tasks, so unestimated children show empty by design.)

The reliable workaround: in issue search, use parent = EPIC-123, switch to list view, and add the Σ Original Estimate column there — values load every time, and you can save it as a filter.

If you want this on the epic itself, one option is an app — full transparency, I'm part of the team behind it: Plugio Panels adds a child issues panel to the issue view showing the children with their estimates and progress, independent of the native panel's behavior.