Creating issue templates

Two paths: simple templates and advanced templates

Process Templates for Jira supports two creation flows. Simple templates capture the shape of an existing issue with no variables and no special configuration. They are the right starting point for the most common ticket shapes your team launches. Advanced templates expose variables (text, dropdown, date), smart values, sub-task chaining and per-field configuration, and are the right choice when the template needs to adapt at create time.

Both flows produce templates that live in the same library, respect the same permissions, and can be launched from the same places (the issue menu, the dashboard gadget, the create-issue screen, or a Jira Automation rule).

Save any existing issue as a template

The fastest way to build a template is to start from an issue that already looks the way you want every future ticket to look.

Open the source issue in Jira

Any project, any issue type. The template inherits the issue type and project of the source by default, but both can be overridden later.

Open the actions menu on the issue and pick Save as new template. The template editor opens with every field from the source pre-populated.

Choose which fields to persist

The editor shows every field present on the source issue. Toggle each on or off. Fields you toggle off are dropped from the template entirely. Fields you keep can later be turned into variables or smart values.

Save the template

Give the template a clear name (the name is what your team will see in the template picker), then click Save template. The template is now in your library and can be launched from anywhere in Jira.

What gets copied into the template

By default, a template captures:

The summary, description and all standard issue fields.
Every custom field with a value, including text, single-select, multi-select, cascading select, date, datetime, user picker, group picker and labels.
Components, fix versions and the affected versions list.
The attachments on the source issue (templates store references; attachments are re-uploaded when the template is launched).
The sub-task list, if the source issue has children. Each sub-task is captured as its own nested template.
Issue links to other Jira issues, if you enable link preservation.

The reporter, assignee and security level fields can be carried over, set per template, or replaced with smart values so they resolve dynamically at create time.

When to switch to an advanced template

Pick the advanced editor when the template needs:

Variables your users fill in at create time (text, dropdown, date).
Smart values that resolve at create time, like the current user as the reporter or now() + 7 days as a due date.
A custom security level on the created issue.
Sub-task templates that share variables with the parent.

You can convert a simple template to advanced at any time without re-creating it.

Where to go next

Add variables so the same template adapts at create time.
Preserve issue links between templated parent and child issues.
Manage existing templates once you have a few in the library.