Jira project management template

A Jira project management template is a reusable issue structure for a recurring project type: the project is an epic, its phases are stories, and the steps within each phase are sub-tasks. You build that hierarchy once, save it as a template, and launch the whole tree whenever you run that kind of project again, with the client name, dates and owners filled in as variables. Jira has native project templates for creating a project, but no native way to save and reuse a project’s issue structure, which is the gap this fills. Copy the outline below by hand, or import it in seconds.

What this is, and what it is not

Two different things both get called a “project template” in Jira, and it matters which one you need. Jira ships with native project templates: starting points for creating a new project, with a preset board, workflow and issue types. What Jira does not give you is a way to save the actual work structure of a recurring project, the epic, its phases and the tasks beneath them, and bring that whole structure back for the next project of the same kind.

This page is about the second one. We template the reusable issue hierarchy that runs a project, not the project container itself. We do not clone projects, boards or spaces; that is a different job served by other tools. If what you need is to spin up a new Jira project with its schemes and boards, that is native project creation (and a project-cloning app), and we will point you to an honest comparison rather than pretend we do it. What we do, and do well, is make a recurring project type start with the same consistent set of issues every time.

A project as a Jira issue hierarchy

The model is simple and it is the heart of what the app does. A recurring project is a tree: an epic for the project, a story for each phase, and sub-tasks for the steps inside a phase. Saved as a template, that whole tree relaunches in one action with its links intact.

Epic (Project): <<recurring project type>>
  - Story (Phase 1): <<e.g. Kickoff & discovery>>
      - Sub-task: <<step>>
      - Sub-task: <<step>>
  - Story (Phase 2): <<e.g. Build & configure>>
      - Sub-task: <<step>>
      - Sub-task: <<step>>
  - Story (Phase 3): <<e.g. Launch & handover>>
      - Sub-task: <<step>>
      - Sub-task: <<step>>

A filled example, a client onboarding project run by a services team:

Epic (Project): Client onboarding for <<client>>
  - Phase 1: Kickoff & discovery
      - Schedule kickoff call
      - Collect requirements and access
      - Confirm scope and timeline
  - Phase 2: Build & configure
      - Provision the environment
      - Configure to the client's spec
      - Internal QA pass
  - Phase 3: Launch & handover
      - Go-live checklist
      - Train the client team
      - Handover and first-week check-in

A client onboarding project, by phase

1. 1

   Kickoff & discovery

   Schedule kickoff, collect requirements, confirm scope.

3. 2

   Build & configure

   Provision, configure to spec, internal QA pass.

5. 3

   Launch & handover

   Go-live, train the client team, first-week check-in.

The same shape works for a site launch, an event, a marketing program, or any project your team runs more than once. The phases change per template; the mechanic does not.

This page stays at the project level. For the building blocks, the epic template covers the project epic itself and the story template covers the phase stories; defer to those for the field-level detail.

Native Jira project templates vs a reusable issue structure

It is worth being precise so you pick the right tool. Native Jira project templates create the project: the board, the workflow, the issue-type scheme. They do not pre-populate the work. A reusable issue structure does the opposite: it does not create the project, it fills an existing project with the consistent epic-and-sub-task tree your process needs. Most teams running a recurring project type already have the project; what they rebuild by hand each time is the structure of work inside it, and that is what a template removes.

Make it repeatable

With Process Templates for Jira, you save the project’s issue hierarchy once and launch it per project, with the client, dates and owners prompted as variables so a value entered once flows down the whole tree.

1. Build the project as an epic, phases and sub-tasks. Create one epic for the project, a story for each phase, and sub-tasks for the steps inside each phase.
2. Save the whole hierarchy as a template. The parent-child links return intact, so the structure relaunches exactly as you built it.
3. Add variables for the client, dates and owners. A value entered once flows down the whole tree, so the structure stays consistent and the specifics stay fresh each time.
4. Launch the project tree for each new project. A dashboard gadget creates and surfaces the structure in a click, and Jira Automation can launch the project tree from a trigger.

It is issue-level by design, free for up to 10 users, needs no admin rights, and requires no scripting, so the person who runs the project owns the template. The how-to guide covers the setup.

Frequently asked questions

Does Jira have project templates? Yes, for creating a project: Jira’s native project templates set up a new project with a board, workflow and issue types. What Jira does not have natively is a way to save and reuse a project’s issue structure, the epic with its phases and tasks. An issue-template app fills that gap by templating the work hierarchy, not the project container.

How do I reuse a project structure in Jira? Build the project’s issue hierarchy once (an epic for the project, stories for the phases, sub-tasks for the steps), save it as a template, and launch the whole tree for each new project of that type. Variables fill the client, dates and owners at launch, so the structure is consistent and the specifics are fresh each time.

What is the difference between a project template and an issue template? A native project template creates the project container (board, workflow, schemes). An issue template (the reusable issue hierarchy) fills a project with the consistent set of issues your process needs. For a recurring project type, you usually want the issue hierarchy templated, since the container already exists and it is the work structure you keep rebuilding.

Related templates

Build the project out of its parts: the epic template for the project epic, the story template for each phase, and the task template for the work beneath them. Or browse the full template library for ready-made structures across software, ITSM, HR and planning work.