We explain this process in detail further in the article.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Please note that you must have a company-managed project and Jira Premium or Enterprise plan to access this functionality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jira initiative<\/strong> is a custom work type that can be configured in Jira Plans. It consists of a set of epics united by a common goal. Initiatives often include epics from multiple teams and can take months to complete. In the work hierarchy, initiatives are located above epics. They are typically used to organize work on large or long-term goals. To use initiatives, you need to create this work type in Jira and manually map it to the hierarchy level above an epic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jira theme <\/strong>is another custom work type that can be added in Jira Plans. Its place in the hierarchy is not fixed and can be defined according to your needs. A Jira theme can be located above initiatives, goals, or strategic priorities, as well as other custom work types above an epic. Jira themes are useful for cross-team planning and working on strategic goals. Like initiatives, themes must be configured manually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is an example. In the image below, you can see a custom hierarchical structure that contains Jira themes, initiatives, epics, and tasks. The overarching theme is \u201cIncrease Customer Lifetime Value Across Platforms\u201d. It contains two large initiatives: <\/p>\n\n\n\n They, in turn, contain multiple epics and tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Using Jira themes and initiatives allows you to organize work items more transparently. Stakeholders can easily track progress on large goals, while teams can gain a deeper understanding of the business objectives behind their daily tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The answer depends on which Jira plan you use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With Jira Premium and Enterprise plans, you will have access to the Jira Plans feature. It allows you to build roadmaps and add custom hierarchy levels, including themes and initiatives. So if you have one of these plans from the start, then yes, you will be able to add Jira themes and initiatives. However, you will still need to configure them. We\u2019ll explain how to do this a bit later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the Free and Standard plans, this functionality is unavailable. While you can create themes and initiatives as custom work types, you won\u2019t be able to place them above epics in the hierarchy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As another option, you can consider using various add-ons that offer similar features. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The regular work hierarchy in Jira is: Epic -> Task \/ Story \/ Bug -> Subtask.<\/strong> So, epic is the largest work item available out of the box. It sits on the top of the default hierarchy, and you don\u2019t have a work type that could group multiple epics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While this allows you to create clear and focused work item structures, there are some limitations. For example, it can be challenging to organize cross-team collaboration, scale projects, or establish effective reporting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you configure Jira themes and initiatives with Plans, you will get an expanded work hierarchy: Theme -> Initiative -> Epic -> Task \/ Story \/ Bug -> Subtask. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, it\u2019s possible to include other custom hierarchy levels and rearrange the subordination between them according to your goals. For example, you can include Goals or OKRs, Programs, Strategic Priorities, and other custom work types. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This can be accomplished in three steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll provide detailed instructions for each step in a minute. Before you begin, ensure that you have all the necessary components to set up your custom Jira hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you haven\u2019t used Jira Plans yet and want to set up a new Jira project, you can quickly start with Jira\u2019s Planning template<\/a>. Then, select the relevant projects and boards from each team to include in your Plan. This template already has the initiative work type pre-configured; however, you\u2019ll need to add themes and other work types yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To use Jira Plans with an existing project, navigate to the main menu bar on the left. If you have a Jira Premium or Enterprise plan (or are subscribed to a trial), you will see Plans in the menu. From there, you can create a new Plan and populate it with work from existing projects (spaces) in your Jira instance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you have created a Jira Plan to work with, you can proceed with configuring custom hierarchy levels. Don\u2019t forget to save changes in your plan every time you edit it. In Plans, changes are not saved automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Navigate to the Settings <\/strong>(the gear icon in the upper right corner) and select Work items -> Work types -> Add work type.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, enter the name and, optionally, a description for the new work type. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose the type format: Standard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once done, click Add<\/strong>. Then, repeat these actions to add the second work type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go to the global Settings -> Work Items -> Work type schemes. <\/strong>Find the scheme used by your project and click Edit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You will see work types grouped into two columns: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Find the theme and initiative types in the right column and drag them to the column on the left. Once done, save changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, the new work types you created are already part of your scheme, but they have not yet been included in the work item hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the global Settings -> Work Items -><\/strong> Work types<\/strong>, select Work type hierarchy -> + Create level. <\/strong>Alternatively, you can access the same menu via Plans -> Admin Configuration -> Hierarchy Configuration + Create level. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Name the new level and choose its position in the hierarchy. Assign the corresponding work type to each of the new levels (select Theme or Initiative in the dropdown). Then, save changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once this is complete, themes and initiatives will be available in your work item hierarchy. This will enable your team to group epics under initiatives, add overarching themes, and organize your work in a manner that aligns with your processes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Implementing these custom work types helps you bring order to complexity. When you\u2019re managing multiple projects, features in development, or cross-department efforts, it becomes difficult to understand how all the moving parts connect. Jira themes and initiatives provide a structure for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Themes<\/strong> act as broad long-term focus areas, helping you group work by overarching goals. Initiatives<\/strong> are the mid-level layer between strategy and execution. They connect multiple epics that are oriented toward a shared outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Agile teams typically use themes and initiatives to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, themes and initiatives make your plans easier to follow, manage, and communicate. All this greatly improves efficiency and alignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It often happens that you may need to reuse a set of tasks. For example, you have a large initiative with epics, multiple tasks, and subtasks created for one product, and you need to prepare the same initiative for another product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Recreating every work item manually, one by one, wouldn\u2019t be feasible. Cloning is also not the best option as it can\u2019t handle such complex hierarchies, among other limitations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can manage this efficiently with the help of Smart Templates<\/a> for Jira. This solution allows you to save any set of work items as a reusable template. Then, it\u2019s easy to generate a complete hierarchy of tasks from that template whenever you need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s see an example to illustrate this idea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a set of work items for a company-wide marketing initiative, \u201cBuilding a strong brand\u201d. The marketing team needs to create an identical initiative for another brand they manage. They can save this initiative as a template and then generate the complete set of tasks in just a few clicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The details of each work item in the structure will be preserved: task descriptions, assignees, custom fields, parent links, child work items and their details, checklists, and other information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, Smart Templates support Smart Values<\/a>, which enable you to use dynamic variables. In our example, this can be a variable {{brand_name}} or {{campaign_name}}. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you generate a new set of work items from the template, you will be prompted to provide specific values for these placeholders. Then, the actual brand and campaign names will be inserted throughout the template – wherever you have the smart values. This allows you to quickly adapt a single template for multiple uses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from this, Smart Templates feature built-in automation that allows you to generate work items on a schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To turn a theme, initiative, or another set of tasks into a template, install Smart Templates<\/a> from the Atlassian Marketplace. The app works with Jira Cloud (including Jira Service Management) and Jira Data Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When dealing with high-level work items such as goals, themes, and initiatives, you can end up creating quite complex structures. For example, a strategic business goal can have several themes, each consisting of multiple epics with dozens of tasks and subtasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For large-scale projects, navigating these complex structures can quickly become overwhelming, especially if there are five or more levels of hierarchy. At the same time, to use Jira themes and initiatives effectively, it\u2019s important to maintain clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We recommend using Smart Hierarchy<\/a> by TitanApps. This helpful solution addresses the gap by providing a visual, easy-to-follow representation of your work structure. It enables you to monitor progress at a glance, manage dependencies, and keep teams aligned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what it can look like. Smart Hierarchy clearly displays all the work levels in an easy-to-follow chart, which also shows task progress:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using this tool also reduces context switching. Smart Hierarchy enables you to easily navigate across work items with fewer clicks, eliminating the need to switch screens or tools. Apart from that, it helps your team members better understand how their individual contributions move your company towards achieving broader business goals. All this provides stakeholders with the big picture and helps you make project management more efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key features of Smart Hierarchy include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Install Smart Hierarchy<\/a> from the Atlassian Marketplace to see how it works for your team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The standard work hierarchy in Jira includes three levels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, with Jira Plans, you can add virtually any number of custom hierarchy levels, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To access Jira Plans functionality, you must have a Jira Premium or Enterprise plan, or an active trial for one of these plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Create an \u201cInitiative\u201d work type, add it to your work type scheme, and assign it to a new hierarchy level. After this, you will be able to add initiatives to your Plan. For more detailed step-by-step instructions, please see one of the previous sections of this article, How to Add Jira Themes and Initiatives to Your Jira Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are Jira Themes and Initiatives?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Jira](\"https:\/\/titanapps.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/11-1024x774.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAre Themes and Initiatives Available in Jira Out of the Box?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do Themes and Initiatives Fit Into the Default Jira Hierarchy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Limitations](\"https:\/\/titanapps.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/unnamed-8-966x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow to Add Themes and Initiatives to Your Jira Plan?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Prerequisites for Configuring Jira Themes & Initiatives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to Create a Jira Plan (Formerly Advanced Roadmaps)?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/titanapps.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/33-850x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 1. Create Custom Work Types for Jira Themes and Initiatives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Step](\"https:\/\/titanapps.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/44-1024x774.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 2. Add Jira Themes and Initiatives to Your Schemes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Step](\"https:\/\/titanapps.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/55-1024x629.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 3. Assign Themes and Initiatives to Hierarchy Levels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why do Agile Teams Use Jira Themes & Initiatives?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How to Manage Custom Hierarchies With Jira Themes and Initiatives More Efficiently<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Replicate Complex Hierarchies Automatically With Smart Templates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Replicate](\"https:\/\/titanapps.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/66-1024x629.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOptimize processes with Smart Templates<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/titanapps.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Smart-Templates_Jira___.svg\")
\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\nEasily View Jira Themes and Initiatives with Smart Hierarchy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"View](\"https:\/\/titanapps.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/77-1024x774.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
Frequently Asked Questions About Jira Themes & Initiatives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Many Hierarchy Levels are There in Jira?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to Configure Initiatives in Jira?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Configure Themes in Jira?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Jira](\"https:\/\/titanapps.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/11-1-1024x774.png\")
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