How to Let Users Choose an Issue Type in Jira When Submitting a Form (+ video instruction)

[#1]

Imagine you're a Jira administrator responsible for streamlining the way users submit requests. Your team handles a variety of issues—bugs, feature requests, tasks, incidents, and improvements—and every department needs a different issue type.

You initially set up a Smart Forms for Jira  to collect structured data, but there’s a problem:

• Some users submit feature requests as tasks because the issue type is fixed.
• QA testers report bugs as generic tasks instead of categorizing them correctly.
• Stakeholders don't know where their request fits, and you end up manually adjusting issue types.

As a result, your backlog becomes a mess, and your team spends too much time fixing misclassified issues instead of solving them.

Instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all issue type, you can let users choose the correct issue type at the moment of submission.

Smart Forms for Jira allows you to:

✅ Give users a pre-filled dropdown with real Jira issue types.
✅ Ensure issue creation is automated and categorized properly.
✅ Eliminate manual adjustments after submission.

Let’s set it up step by step! 🚀

👇Video instructions below👇

---

Step 1: Add an Issue Type Selection Field to Your Form

To allow users to pick an issue type, you need a dropdown field that pulls available Jira issue types dynamically.

Instructions:

1️⃣ Open the Smart Forms builder and create or edit an existing form.
2️⃣ Add a Dropdown Field to the form.

• Name it "Select Issue Type" so users know its purpose.

3️⃣ Enable Pre-Fill Options:

• Click the Pre-fill options toggle.
• Select "Issue Type" from Jira issue fields.

✅ Now, when users fill out the form, they’ll see a dropdown with real Jira issue types—Task, Bug, Story, Incident, etc.—ensuring they categorize their request correctly.

---

Step 2: Map the Selection to Create Issues with the Chosen Type

Once users can select the issue type, you need to map that selection so Jira automatically assigns the correct category.

Instructions:

1️⃣ Go to the "Settings" tab of your form.
2️⃣ Enable "Create New Issue".
3️⃣ Map the "Select Issue Type" field to Jira’s Issue Type field.
4️⃣ Map other fields for structured issue creation:

• Summary → Short text input
• Description → Long text input
• Priority → Pre-filled dropdown (High, Medium, Low)

5️⃣ Save the form settings.

✅ Now, when a user selects "Bug" in the form, a Jira Bug is created. If they select "Feature Request," Jira logs it accordingly—no manual intervention needed!

---

Step 3: Test and Validate the Setup

Before rolling it out to your team, test it to ensure it works as expected.

How to Test:

1️⃣ Share the form.
2️⃣ Select different issue types (e.g., Task, Bug, Story) and fill in other fields.
3️⃣ Submit the form and check Jira.
4️⃣ Open the created issue and confirm:

• • The Issue Type matches the user’s selection.
  • Other fields are filled correctly.

Use Cases: Where This Works Best

🔹 1. QA & Bug Reporting
💡 Problem: QA testers log all issues as tasks, making it hard to filter real bugs from general feedback.
✅ Solution: With a Smart Form, testers can choose between Bug, Task, or Improvement, ensuring proper tracking.

🔹 2. Feature Requests & Product Feedback
💡 Problem: Users submit feature requests as support tickets, causing confusion for the development team.
✅ Solution: A dedicated feature request form lets users select "Feature Request" as the issue type, automatically routing it to the product team.

🔹 3. HR & Employee Requests
💡 Problem: HR receives mixed requests (vacation approvals, equipment requests, policy inquiries), making sorting difficult.
✅ Solution: A form with different issue types (e.g., Leave Request, Equipment Request, HR Inquiry) helps direct submissions to the right workflow.

Final Thoughts: Empower Users, Reduce Admin Work

By allowing users to choose the issue type dynamically, Smart Forms ensures:

✔ Jira issues are automatically categorized correctly.
✔ The team doesn’t have to fix submissions manually.
✔ Issue creation is seamless and structured.

🔹 Ready to implement this in your workflow? Set up your Smart Form today and let your users submit the right issues from the start! 🚀