Tip of the week: How to organize multiple work types in one Jira business project

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Quick note before we dive into this juicy content: if you're a startup and want to get more from Atlassian, I highly recommend you engage our Startups-dedicated CSMs @Peggy Graham and @Rachel Fischer. I get to see them in action every. single. week... and let's just say I've learned more about our tools in the last few months than I have in the previous 2 years. Experience their expertise and dedication to your success for yourself: Join their office hours or post a question in the September AMA.  

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Tip of the week 🪄

Q: If I'm tracking multiple types of work in one Jira business project, how can I view those types separately? For example, I want to separate investor opportunities from customer prospects but still keep them in the same project.

A: If you're tracking multiple types of work in one Jira business project and want to view them separately, you can use the Category field to filter and organize your issues. Here's how you can do it:

Some context 🕵️

The board in Jira business projects (formerly JWM) is more limited compared to software projects.

• In software projects, you can create custom filters based on any JQL query, allowing you to filter the board by anything you want.
• However, in business projects, you can only filter by a few preset options: Assignee, Due this week, Issue type, Labels, Reporter, Priority, Status, or Category.

This approach applies to both company-managed and team-managed business projects. Just in case there's any confusion, there are two types of Categories in Jira:

• Project Category: Found under Project Settings > Details.
• Category Field on an Issue: This is the one you'll use for filtering on the board.

For more detailed instructions, you can refer to the support page: Categorize issues in your list view.

How to use categories in Jira business projects

1. Add the Category field:

• Navigate to Project Settings > Issue types.
• Select the issue type you want to add the Category field to and add it.

2. Set Category values:

• Go to the List view in your project.
• Add Category as a column.
• Set values for the Category field for each type you want to track (e.g., "Investor Opportunity" and "Customer Prospect").

3. Filter by Category:

• Once the Category field is set, you can filter your board by this field to view different types of work separately.

Tah-dah! ✨ Now you can view your Investor Opportunities / Customer Prospects separately but keep them on the same board.

Why not use Labels?

While you could use labels, they can be cumbersome because it's easy to create duplicates and end up with too many. Categories provide a more structured way to organize and filter your issues.

What about Team-Managed Software Projects?

For team-managed software projects, you can't use the built-in Category field. However, you can create any custom field and add that field as a quick filter on the board. This way, it works similarly, just using any field you'd like.

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Peggy’s Picks 🎁

Our very own @Peggy Graham has handpicked some fantastic resources to help you on your startup journey:

• This awesome community FAQ on Jira Product Discovery

• More JPD love: This Jira Product Discovery handbook
• A Peggy Original: What you need to know about Jira Plans

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Have questions? 🙋

Join me, @Peggy Graham, and @Rachel Fischer for Startups office hours or post a comment on the September AMA for Startups! This is your chance to connect, ask questions, and get the most out of your Atlassian tools. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to optimize your setup, we're here to help.