Jira description templates: pre-filling the Description field on create

Paul Clark [Redmoon Software]

"Can new work items open with a description template already filled in?" Whether Jira can do that natively depends on the type of space.

Team-managed spaces: built in. Go to Space settings → Work types and pick the work type. Then expand the Description field, fill in Default description and save. Every new work item of that type starts with that text. Tables can't be added to this template.

Company-managed spaces: not built in. The system Description field has no default value on Cloud. This is Atlassian feature request JRACLOUD-42197. The usual native workaround:

1. Create a Paragraph custom field (for example "Description template") with your template as its default value (Settings → Work items → Fields → ••• → Contexts and default value).
2. Put it on the Create screen only.
3. Add an automation rule or a post function on the Create transition that copies it into Description and then clears the template field.

This works, but users see the template in a second field while they create the work item. Marketplace apps can set the Description default directly if that matters to you.

What to put in the template. Use the same four headings every time so tickets can be handed over:

Context
What's happening now, who it affects, and why it matters now.

Expected outcome
What will be true when this is done. Describe the end state, not the implementation.

Acceptance criteria
- [ ] Something someone other than the assignee can check
- [ ] Anything that must NOT change

Links
- Original request:
- Related work items:

Keep it short. A template that takes longer to fill in than the work itself gets deleted.

Ready-to-paste templates for tickets, bugs, stories, epics, test cases and 60+ other types are here: Jira ticket template · full template library

Disclosure: I'm with Redmoon Software, a Marketplace vendor. The templates are free to copy.