How to Create a Project in Jira: 7 Steps for a Clean Setup
Want a cleaner Jira setup? Learn how to create a project in Jira in 7 steps and avoid confusion. Read now to give your team a solid start.
Creating a Jira project is quick. Creating one your team can use without confusion takes a little more planning. A rushed setup can leave you with unclear permissions, mismatched workflows, and issue types that do not fit the work.
Those problems grow as more people join. A team may track bugs and requests in the same project, while managers struggle to see progress or find the right owner. Fixing the setup later can disrupt active work.
But here's the truth: you do not need a complicated configuration to start well. In this guide, I’ll walk you through seven practical steps to create a Jira project, choose the right settings, and check that your team can use it confidently.
How to create a project in Jira: 7 steps
Quick answer: Open Jira’s project creation area, choose a template and project type, enter a name and key, then configure access, workflows, and team membership. Finish by testing a sample issue.
Exact menu labels can vary slightly by Jira version and permissions. If you cannot see a project creation option, ask a Jira administrator to check your access.
- Open the project creation screen. In Jira, go to the project area and select the option to create a project. Depending on your interface, this may appear under Projects or a similar navigation menu.
- Choose a template that fits the work. Select a template for the work your team does. A software team may choose Scrum or Kanban; a service team may need a service management template. Templates provide a starting point for issue types and workflows.
- Select a project type. Jira commonly offers team-managed and company-managed projects. Team-managed projects let a team control many settings within its project. Company-managed projects use configurations administered across projects, which can help when teams need shared standards.
- Enter a project name and key. Use a name people will recognize, such as “Mobile App Delivery.” Jira creates a short project key, often used in issue IDs. Keep it readable and distinct, such as “MAD,” and check that it will still make sense if the team’s scope grows.
- Set access and project roles. Decide who can view, create, edit, and manage work. Add only the people who need access, then assign suitable roles. For example, developers may create and update issues, while project administrators manage configuration.
- Review issue types and workflows. Confirm that the project has the work items your team needs, such as tasks, bugs, or stories. Check the status path as well. A simple workflow might move an issue from To Do to In Progress and then Done.
- Add team members and test the setup. Invite or assign the people who will use the project. Create a sample issue, move it through the workflow, and check that the right people can see and update it. Adjust any confusing settings before regular work begins.
The best part? A short test catches many setup problems before they affect a full sprint or work queue.
Choose the right project type before you configure details
The project type affects how much control a team has and how settings are managed. Choose it with the people responsible for Jira configuration, especially if several teams share workflows or permissions.
When a team-managed project makes sense
A team-managed project can suit a small team that wants to adjust its own issue types and workflow. For example, a six-person marketing team may want a simple path from request to review to completion without coordinating every change with a Jira administrator.
When a company-managed project makes sense
A company-managed project can be a better fit when several teams need consistent settings. A product organization might use shared issue types and workflows so teams can follow common practices while reporting across projects.
Here's why: the choice can shape later administration. If your team needs shared standards, discuss those needs before creating several separate projects with different configurations.
Plan names, keys, and project boundaries
A clear name tells people what belongs in the project. “Customer Portal Improvements” gives a more useful signal than “Team 2 Work,” especially when people browse several Jira projects.
Keep the project key short and easy to recognize in issue references. For example, a key such as “CPI” makes an issue like CPI-42 easier to identify in a conversation or status update.
Let me explain: a project should have a clear boundary. If a team handles product development and customer support requests, consider whether those activities need different workflows, permissions, or reporting before placing everything together.
Set permissions and workflows around real work
Start with the smallest set of permissions that lets people do their jobs. A contributor who needs to update issues may not need permission to change project settings or manage access.
Then compare the workflow with the team’s actual process. If an approval is required before work begins, add a review status or decision point. If work moves directly from assignment to completion, extra statuses may slow people down.
For example, a design team might use Backlog, In Progress, Review, and Done. A team handling simple internal requests may need only Open, In Progress, and Closed.
Check the project with a realistic test
Before inviting the whole team, create a sample issue that resembles real work. Assign it, add a description, change its status, and confirm the expected people can view and update it.
Next, check the project’s board or work view. Does it show the statuses your team uses? Can a teammate quickly see who owns an issue and what happens next? A practical test reveals more than a quick glance at the settings.
You might be wondering: should you add every possible issue type now? Usually, start with the types the team will use immediately. Add more when a real need appears, rather than making the first screen harder to navigate.
Value proposition: ONES.com brings project management and knowledge management together in one platform powered by ONES Assistant. ONES Project provides project management, while ONES Wiki provides knowledge management; the products are sold separately.
For teams considering a Jira alternative, ONES Project offers familiar project structures alongside configurable workflows. The goal is to support practical project setup without requiring a growing collection of add-ons for common needs.
Core capabilities
- Scattered project work: ONES Project combines planning and issue tracking in a project management workspace, helping teams follow work in one place.
- Different team processes: Custom workflows and fields let teams reflect their actual work, giving each project relevant steps and details.
- Unclear sprint progress: Sprint management helps teams organize planned work and review progress during a delivery cycle.
- Manual status updates: Automation can handle repeatable actions, reducing routine work when issues meet defined conditions.
- Limited visibility: Built-in reporting helps teams review project progress without assembling a separate reporting process.
- Jira migration concerns: Jira-compatible workflows can make it easier for teams to recognize familiar project patterns while evaluating an alternative.
- Dependence on extra plugins: Native capabilities can reduce the need for plugins when teams need workflows, fields, sprint tools, automation, or reporting.
- Deployment restrictions: ONES.com supports Cloud, On-Premise, Private Cloud, and Air-gapped deployments, giving organizations options for different hosting requirements.
ONES.com offers a free plan for up to 30 seats. Its cloud and self-hosted versions have full feature parity, which can help teams compare deployment choices without giving up product capabilities.
Application scenarios
A software team moving from Jira can review ONES Project’s compatible workflows, sprint management, and reporting. It can map a familiar process, test representative issues, and decide whether the setup fits its delivery needs.
An organization with strict hosting requirements can evaluate an On-Premise, Private Cloud, or Air-gapped deployment. A separate product team may use ONES Wiki for knowledge management, while another team adopts ONES Project for project tracking.
Common project setup challenges
- People cannot create projects. Jira project creation may be restricted to particular roles. Ask an administrator to grant the appropriate access or create the project with your team’s agreed settings.
- The workflow has too many statuses. Remove steps that do not represent a meaningful decision or handoff. For instance, avoid adding separate statuses for every small task if the team only needs to track progress at a broad level.
- Team members cannot see or update issues. Review project access, roles, and permissions with an administrator. Test the issue using an account with the same role as the affected teammate.
- Reports do not match team needs. Check whether the project uses consistent statuses, issue types, and ownership practices. Reporting becomes harder to interpret when people use the same fields differently.
FAQs about creating a Jira project
What do I need to create a project in Jira?
You need access to a Jira account and permission to create projects. You should also know the team’s purpose, the kind of work it tracks, and who needs access. If your organization uses shared workflows or tightly controlled permissions, consult a Jira administrator first. Having those decisions ready can make project creation faster and prevent avoidable configuration changes later.
Should I choose a team-managed or company-managed project?
Choose team-managed when a team needs to control many project settings independently. Consider company-managed when administrators need consistent configurations across multiple projects. The right option depends on how your organization manages workflows, issue types, and permissions. If you are unsure, ask your Jira administrator how the choice affects existing standards before creating the project.
Can I change a project key after creating the project?
Jira may allow project key changes in some configurations, but the option and effects can depend on your setup and permissions. Issue references may also appear in links, messages, and integrations. Choose a key that is clear and likely to remain relevant. If you need to change one later, check with your Jira administrator and test any connected tools.
What should I test after creating the project?
Create a representative issue, assign it, move it through the workflow, and confirm that the intended people can view and update it. Check the board or work view too. If the project supports sprints, verify that the team can plan and review a sprint. These checks help reveal access gaps and confusing settings before the team relies on the project for active work.
Conclusion
A clean Jira project starts with a clear purpose, a suitable template, and the right project type. Set a readable name and key, configure access and workflows around real work, then test the setup with a sample issue.
That small amount of planning can prevent confusing permissions, cluttered workflows, and unhelpful reports later. If Jira’s structure does not fit your team’s needs, compare alternatives such as ONES Project and assess their capabilities and deployment options against your requirements.