How can I prefill the "Description" Field with a structured template in JSM based on request type?

[Mario Breitenmoser]

Hello Atlassian Community,

We use Jira Service Management for our internal service desk to handle stakeholder feature requests, bugs etc.

To improve the quality and structure of the information we receive, I would like to automatically prefill the "Description" field with a text template based on the request type.

For example, for a Feature Request, I would like the description to include a set of predefined questions like:

• What problem does this solve? 
• How much time / resources does it currently consume to do this task manually?
• What factual data or evidence supports this request?

Stakeholders should be able to see these prefilled questions in the "Description" field and respond directly beneath them.

Here's what I’ve tried and discovered so far:

1. I checked Jira Service Management settings but couldn't find an option to prefill or auto-insert text templates into the "Description" field.
2. I understand the "Display Description" setting allows adding static text below the field, but this isn't suitable because it doesn't let users directly edit or reply beneath the questions. And I fear that nobody will ready the instructions
3. I tried to create a dedicated automation but this also didn't seem to work. 

My question:

How can I automatically prefill the "Description" field with a template based on the request type (one for bugs, one for feature requests) in Jira Service Management? Are there any settings, workarounds, or marketplace apps that can achieve this?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Tomislav Tobijas · Accepted solution]

Hi @Mario Breitenmoser ,

You might want to check JSM forms regarding default/pre-filled field options.

However, even with those, rich text fields are quite limited when it comes to these default answer options. I would suggest voting on the following JAC suggestion: JSDCLOUD-10711: Form Field: Paragraph - support multiline and rich default response (hopefully this will be developed soon).

Cheers,
Tom

[Mario Breitenmoser]

Thanks for your help @Tomislav Tobijas !

I'll try it with the JSM forms for now. 

Best, 

Mario

[Nikola Perisic · Accepted solution]

Welcome @Mario Breitenmoser 

You can use Issue Templates for Jira app by Deviniti which is free, and you can apply the templates to your request types.

[Mario Breitenmoser]

Hey @Nikola Perisic thanks so much for your response! I'll try it with the free trial. Seems like you need a subscription to use it after 30 days. 

[Nikola Perisic]

Ah yes @Mario Breitenmoser , my bad. You can leverage the usage of JSM forms.

[Kai Becker · Accepted solution]

Hi @Mario Breitenmoser 

welcome to the community and thank you for your question.

Currently this is not possible using standard request types. What you could do instead is configuring a form and attach it to a request type. This solution offers more flexibility and the option to add dynamic content or prefill fields with templates.

To add on that, the data from the form fields can then be mapped to regular Jira fields to work with them as usal.

Documentation on form usage can be found here

[Mario Breitenmoser]

Thank you for your quick response @Kai Becker

I first wanted to quickly check if there is a possible solution to add predefined text to the description that I might have missed. In the meantime, I'll give the form solution a try now! :)