How to Create a Custom Jira Project Template Triggerable by API with Dynamic Content/Config/Issues

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Introduction:

Creating custom Jira project templates without extensions can present certain limitations that may hinder you from fully achieving your project setup goals. If you're interested in understanding the capabilities available without extensions, a recent article provides an in-depth exploration of this approach.

In this article, we will delve into what you can accomplish with our specialized extension, designed specifically to overcome these limitations and streamline the creation of custom Jira project templates.

Project Templates & Issue Templates for Jira | Concept Video

Key Topics Covered:

1. Creating Custom Jira Project Templates and Specifying Project Configurations

2. Extending Custom Jira Project Templates with Advanced Features and Dynamic Placeholders

   • Add Cloned Project Role Assignments & Predefined Dynamic Project Role Assignments

   • Add Cloned Components/Versions & Predefined Dynamic Components/Versions

   • Add Cloned Hierarchical Issues & Predefined Dynamic Hierarchical Issues

3. Empowering Non-Admins to Create Specific Jira Projects Based on Custom Templates

4. Triggering Project Creation Based on Custom Templates via API and Jira Automation Rules

➕ Creating Custom Jira Project Templates and Specifying Project Configurations

Start by creating a custom project template based on an existing project. The app will automatically fill in all settings to match the selected project, providing a baseline that you can fully customize to meet specific needs.

While adding templates to Jira's native list isn't possible, the extension provides a dedicated page within the "Apps" section for easy access and management, following Jira's native design.  Read more

Once the template is created, you can easily customize intended project configuration in the template settings. Beyond the options available with Jira’s native “Create with shared settings” feature, this extension provides additional project configuration options, including:

Project Description | Project URL | Project Lead | Project Category | Project Default Assignee

⚙️ Extending Custom Jira Project Templates with Additional Dynamic Content

In addition to core project configurations, you can enrich templates with dynamic content, making new projects even more customizable.

To achieve this, custom placeholders can be added throughout the template. When a user creates a project, they will be prompted to provide values for these placeholders, which the app then replaces automatically in all instances across the template.

This approach combines the consistency of a unified template configuration with the flexibility of dynamic content, empowering teams to launch projects that are both standardized and adaptable to specific needs. Read more

🦺 Add cloned project role assignments, as well as predefined dynamic project role assignment

Streamline project onboarding by assigning the correct users and groups to project roles right from the start. Clone role assignments from an existing project or predefine them within the template. You can also combine both options if you want to extend the cloned project role assignment. Predefined project role assignments can be made dynamic by defining a user picker placeholder for a project role. Read more

🧱Add cloned components/versions, as well as predefined dynamic components/versions

Save time by cloning components & versions from an existing project or create a set of predefined components & versions within the template. You can use dynamic features of our app to

• assign the component lead to the individual project creator.

• specify that the version ‘Proof of Concept’ should be finished 14 days after individual project creation.

• use the project name as placeholder inside the components name.

Read more

🎫 Add Cloned Hierarchical Issues & Predefined Dynamic Hierarchical Issues

The app’s standout feature is its ability to clone Jira issues from a source project or custom JQL filter directly into new projects. Alternatively, you can specify a predefined set of issues within the template. Set up an issue hierarchy, assign the dynamic versions & components you just created in 2.3, and set due dates relative to project creation. Again placeholders can be used to make issue content more dynamic, giving project creators more options to tailor the project to their specific needs. Read more

🔒 Allow non-admins to create projects based on the enhanced project template

Creating projects in Jira is natively tied to the powerful 'Jira Administrator' global permission. This has led to many discussions, as teams often want to be independent in their project creation. However, granting users without extensive Jira experience the global Jira administrator permission is a recipe for disaster. Avoid this by granting specific user groups template-specific project creation permissions. This approach maintains security and control while enabling non-admin users to create projects based on custom templates. Read more

🚀 Trigger project creation based on custom templates via API and Jira automation rules

Now that the custom project template is ready, creating projects manually based on it is straightforward with a "Create" button and a form to fill out the project name, key, and specified placeholders. But what if you want to integrate project creation based on custom templates with your company’s specific project approval process in JSM or external tools?

With our app, that’s not a problem. When enabled by an admin, templates can be triggered via a web request and easily integrated with Jira automation rules or external services that support POST requests. Read more

Once enabled, the template will provide a draft API body that you can copy and paste into Jira automation's "Send web request" component. All you need to do is replace the values for project name and key (and custom placeholders) with the intended (smart) values. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions

— we love to automate!

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can create custom Jira project templates with dynamic project content and issues, streamlining project initiation and improving administrative efficiency.

The same process can also be applied to create project content and issue templates. While these issue templates don't create new projects, they allow you to add content to existing projects, retaining all the capabilities of cloning and predefining dynamic content mentioned above.

🔒 Security Notes

Project Templates & Issue Templates for Jira is built on Forge (hosted by Atlassian) with no data leaving your instance and no sensitive data stored. It is part of the bug bounty program and has achieved the cloud fortified certification while offering native data residency support. Read more

Only Jira administrators can create and modify project templates, unless you promote users to power users within the app. Templates keep a history of who used them and it is possible to customize the information displayed to non-admin users.

👉 Try Project Templates & Issue Templates for Jira for free without feature limitations

👉 Support and app documentation