Can issue collector forms be large and very detailed?

[Heidi Boyce]

We currently use a very detailed Excel document to collect information needed for new program implementations.  To streamline what is now a very inefficient process, I'm curious whether JIRA's Issue Collector would allow the following:

• I'd like a link on our intranet that opens a form
• The form would collect the same information that appears on our current Excel document
  • Some fields would be mandatory  - preventing submission if not filled out
• I'd like the form to become an Issue in our Implementation workflow board
• It would be nice if ... as we move our JIRA card from one project stage to another - additional fields on the original form would become mandatory  (To ensure all dependencies for the next stage were addressed)

Are there limitations to how detailed an Issue Collector form can be?

Can that form become the main issue JIRA card?

Consider a workflow with catagories of: Define, Configure, Build, Activate.  Assuming the original form can become the JIRA project card, would it be possible to flag fields as mandatory based upon which project stage the card is being moved to? (i.e. I can't move the card from Configure to Build without filling out the form field that indicates whether the product will be print / web / or both.)

Is there another tool that integrates with JIRA that would work better?

Please let me know if you have suggestions, or need more information in order to offer suggestions ... and thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

[Rachel Wright]

Hi Heidi,

Short answser: Yes!  Long answer:

I always consider an issue collector to be a secondary information collection method.  A user logging into JIRA, and clicking the blue "Create" button, is alway the primary (and best way) to get data into JIRA.  Instead of a link to your issue collector in your intranet, I'd post a link to the JIRA login page!  (But of course, I don't know your use case.)

That said, you can create an issue collector, and choose the "Custom" option in the "Template" field.  That will allow you to add any of the custom fields available in the project to your form.

Regardless of how entry occurs (in JIRA or via the issue collector form) a new issue, with a unique ID will be created.  After creation, that's the end of the use for the issue collector.  You'll interact with the issue like any other within JIRA, on your board, etc.

You're right - it's best to only collect the information you need up front and collect additional details later, along the way.  Data collection later would be accomplished using your workflow and transition screens.  It's a good web development principle (in general, not just for JIRA) to keep web forms as short as possible.  You can have mandatory fields at the time the issue is created and again later on, as the issue passes through different workflow statuses.

A tip:  Don't turn every field in your Excel file into a custom field in JIRA. Only create custom fields for data you will query (search for) and report on.  Too many custom fields impact performance and too much customization in general leads you down a path that's hard (but not impossible) to undo later.

Hope this helps!

Rachel Wright