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How to allow a Bug work item be created under a Task work item in JIRA Cloud Team Managed Projects?

Tim Ma

Our project is started in a way that Bug work item can be created under Epic items. Only item was allowed to created under the Task item is Sub Task item. How to change the project into that a Task item can have Bug items underneath it?

Accepted answers

All comments

Matthew Sinclair

It requires a change of Hierarchy.
Task and Bug are likely at the same rank.

Be warned - changing the ranking of an Issue/Work Type will likely disrupt/damage/make life very hard for you in your Jira Site. It's a global change.

Do so at your own risk and peril.

Also making a new issue type while better - adds to configuration sprawl.

You may want to consider using "Sub-Task" instead to keep things consistent - but that has its own drawbacks.

Read the fine print - carefully. Jira-Admin required.

Also notify your users if you make these changes. Check everything.

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

Martin Runge

Hi @Tim Ma,

I would not try to nest a Bug under a Task, because team-managed projects only have three levels: Epic, then standard work types like Task, Story, and Bug, then Subtask. Bug and Task sit on the same level, so a Bug can only live under an Epic or become a Subtask.

I see two practical options:

Keep the Bug as a standard work item under the same Epic and link it to the Task with a link like “relates to” or “blocks”. This keeps Bug reporting and filtering clean.
If you really want the Bug nested under the Task, create a custom Subtask type in Project settings > Work types, name it something like “Sub bug” and use it under the Task.

The first option is usually better for reporting: real bugs stay visible on boards and in filters, while subtasks may be hidden or grouped under their parent. Subtasks can still organize bug fixes and assign work to different people.

Martin Runge

Hi Matthew, I guess from the title Tim Ma is in a team-managed space and changing the issue hierarchy is not global.

The work type hierarchy is set site-wide for company-managed projects, and only lets you add levels above Epic. In team-managed projects, the hierarchy is fixed per project (Epic, standard work types, Subtask), cannot be changed, and does not touch the rest of the site.

Matthew Sinclair

Ah - yeah Team Managed changes things.

To a point as you already pointed out.

Tim Ma

Hi All, Thanks a lot for the responses.

Hi Martin, thanks for the suggestions. For first one, when there is no common Epic, it would seem messy. For second, when you create a new type, it is automatically placed in the same rank as "Bug, Task, …". It still could not be used under Task item. Could you further explain? Thanks.

Matthew Sinclair

Now that I've bothered to open my eyes a little wider - sorry about that - dug this up

https://support.atlassian.com/search-results/?searchTerm=team+managed+jira+heiarchy

It's limited - far more than I thought in comparison to Company Managed schemes.

But you may find answers.

Sadly it goes back to the same rough suggestion I gave - that you may want to consider using sub-tasks (-1 rank) to solve this.

However- sub tasks do have drawbacks in terms of what they can/can't do - but then again - it may fit the bill?

Trudy P Claspill

@Martin Runge

In a Team Managed project only one issue type is allowed at the Subtask level. TM projects don't support having multiple types at that level.

Trudy P Claspill

Hello @Tim Ma

Because you are using a TM project you won't be able to have multiple work types at the Subtask level. If you are not using Subtasks for other types of work you can use them directly to bugs.

If you already use Subtasks for other types of work then you could add a custom field to the Subtask work type and use that to categorize the Subtasks. Categorize some as Bug and others as whatever other type of work you use Subtasks to track.

Note that if you choose this path a limitation of Subtasks is that the are considered inherently part of their parent item. You can't assign them to Sprints separately from their parent item, for instance.

Mertcan Karabaş (WERARE)

Hi,
In a team-managed project, Bug and Task sit at the same level (level 0), under Epic and above Subtask. Work items on the same level can't be parent and child, so there's no setting that lets you create a Bug under a Task. Team-managed projects also allow only one subtask-level work type. You can rename it, but you can't add a second subtask type like "Bug sub-task". Atlassian tracks that limitation as a feature request.

Your options:

Keep Bug as its own work item and link it to the Task (for example "relates to" or "blocks"). It won't show as a child, but the link shows on both items and you can search for it.
Use the existing Subtask type for defects found while working on the Task, and mark them with a label or field (for example a "bug" label).
If bugs really need to be children of Tasks, move the work to a company-managed project. There a Jira admin can create an extra subtask-type work type (for example "Bug Sub-task") under Settings > Work items > Work types and add it to the project's work type scheme.

Reference: https://support.atlassian.com/jira-cloud-administration/docs/what-are-issue-types/

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