It's here: 'Work' is the new collective term for all items you track in Jira

[__ Jimi Wikman]

@Nicole JacksonYes, they will still be called that.

What you are referring to is the name of the work type, which will still be whatever you named them before. So you will still have your stories, tasks, epics, bugs and so on.

It is only the references to the type of items those are (not their actual name) that is changing form for example Issue Types to Work Types.

I hope that explain things, otherwise I have an article detailing the changes a bit more here: https://jimiwikman.se/writings/my-articles/atlassian/atlassian-products/jira/the-renaming-of-issues-and-making-work-as-the-new-collective-term-for-all-items-tracked-in-jira-r253/

[__ Jimi Wikman]

@Terri Jensen 

We pull reports by using "Issue" classification. If we do that using "Work" going forward, will it pull the previous "Issue" items as well?

Yes, it is added to the FAQ that this will not affect API or Automation variables.

@Sussi ÅströmThere are many reasons behind this change, and the other changes Atlassian is making when it comes to naming things. Jira has confused people for almost two decades with terms that make no sense for the work that is being done in the tool. This is Atlassian correcting that linguistic debt.

I just hope "Project" for naming Jira configuration containers will be next as that makes absolutely no sense and never really has. Most people do not work in project form in Jira as most teams work in continuous delivery based on OpEx funding and not in CapEx investment forms as Projects are.

That will be a more disruptive change though, and I can't wait to get that term out of Jira and into the Goals and Projects where it belongs...

@Sameer Kamat 

The issue is that replacing 'issue' with something else does not help solve much. Hoping that you prioritize your backlog to focus on real issues

That depends on if you believe that words matter and that clear communication using correct words improve understanding or not. Referring to work to build new functionality in amazing products as an "issue" has never made sense to me. Many of the teams and stakeholders I have trained over the year also reacts poorly to using that term for what is clearly not an issue, but work towards better products.

I like that your use of the term in your post as well as it illustrates the correct use of the term :)

[Mohana Sundar J]

In the cloud, Change is constant :)

[Tapiwa Samkange]

Thanks for the update @Josh Sherwood . Question: when will Jira certifications and the related course materials be updated?

[Edith]

Does this change also affect the API call? 
https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/jira/platform/rest/v3/api-group-issues/#api-group-issues

[Dave Liao]

I don't have a major issue with this change, just a minor quibble - I wish the name was replaced with a single word, and not two words. 😬

EDIT: That said, I'm happy to see the tool evolve beyond bug tracking!

[Greg D]

Hey @Josh Sherwood, I also asked this here on your other post, but are you all also addressing "project" along this journey of change?

• That has always been the weirder term since a "project" would have an end (and most Jira projects never end). Atlas uses the term project and that has been folded into Atlassian Home/Platform Experiences, so now there are two concepts of projects (with Atlas actually having the more accurate usage... but it is newer, so maybe that one will be re-termed? They probably both should have a new name and I made some suggestions for the Atlassian Home side)
• Feels like "workspace" could replace "project" in Jira since that is more accurate... I can even see how just "work" might fit better at that project level instead of the issue level (although there is more than work in there and it still falls down in places such as "We should create a Jira work for that.".... "We should create a Jira workspace for that." :)
• If you are altering a bunch of things with renaming issue (less need for this change), you could tackle project at the same time (sorry for opening up a can of worms everyone)... the word issue can have multiple meanings and is less confusing/troublesome

[Jason Rogers]

This is the problem with being on the cloud, we are a at the mercy of these wacky changes that no one asked for. You know there is a backlog of suggested 'work items' that your user base have logged? 

Anyway, I am looking forward to going through and renaming all my smart values in the future! 

[Kara Sheil]

How does this affect the CSV bulk upload of cases that seemingly is never complete and continues to change?

[__ Jimi Wikman]

@EdithNope. It does not affect API's or automations.

@Greg DI also think Workspaces is an appropriate replacement for Project.

@Kara SheilThis has no effect on CSV uploads.

[Bill Sheboy]

Greetings, community!

The information about automation rule impacts is incorrect: 

In my free license test site, automation rule components have already been renamed from "issue" to "work item" terminology, even though neither the documentation nor the smart values (or underlying REST API endpoints) do so.  This change inconsistency will lead to confusion and errors.  After the completion of the rollout, all license level sites will be impacted in this way.

Kind regards,
Bill

[__ Jimi Wikman]

@Bill SheboyThat would be the language string that has been changed, but the underlying code has not. All aspects of the language in Jira WILL change, but it will not affect existing automations that use the old smart values.

I would expect that all new automations use the new smart values though, but are you saying that is not the case?

[Anton Shiroky]

@__ Jimi Wikman 

From the perspective of actual users, you're changing rather ineffective things, while ignoring problems that have been hanging in discussions and backlogs for years. It's not entirely clear on whom you conduct your research, and how often your test subjects deal with your products in their daily work.

I don't recall a single comprehensive survey about the proposed changes in which I was invited to participate. And often, all your changes steal companies' time, time that teams need to get used to them and readjust.

And it's not very nice to call people who buy your product 'monkeys.' Perhaps these 'monkeys' don't need a new interface design or new names because employees will spend time searching for menus and buttons, and we will incur time costs. Maybe you should make changes that are of interest to customers, rather than nitpicking about the word 'issue.'

Your link https://jimiwikman.se/writings/my-articles/atlassian/atlassian-products/jira/the-renaming-of-issues-and-making-work-as-the-new-collective-term-for-all-items-tracked-in-jira-r253/

[__ Jimi Wikman]

@Anton ShirokyI am sorry Anton, but Atlassian do not need to invite you to discuss the changes they want to make in their SaaS solutions. This is true for all SaaS solution, and it is why moving to a SaaS needs to be considered carefully.

There were two polls if I am not mistaken for this change, but you are right that it was not advertised and was more of a finding it yourself, which is not very good.

Don't get me wrong, I share your frustration over things that has been unaddressed for years that absolutely should be getting more attention, but Atlassian seem to be more interested in making new things than fixing what is broken.

That being said I do appreciate them fixing this mess with using a very inappropriate word, even if it should have been done 15 years ago when Jira stopped being just a bugtracker. I hope they continue revision language as there are still other areas that need to be changed.

I did not refer to the users as monkeys, I referred to a made up study of monkeys where the behavior was inherited based on what "had always been".

This is the actual paragraph:
"It is both sad and a bit funny to see people's objections to this change as they are clear signs of personal preference and have little basis in actual logic. It reminds me a bit of the hypothetical experiment where a number of monkeys was conditioned over time to prevent anyone from climbing a stepladder to get the banana. If you have not seen it, you can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkT0BtfOB-M"

[Carlos Andres Lopez Ayala]

Good morning,

Since the change to the term "Work" was officially published, the change has been identified in the Jira for Sheets connector. However, today I'm returning to the original Issue definition.

Is this a temporary error, or what will the actual name of key fields like "Issue Type/WorkType" be in these types of connectors?

[James]

Is it documented anywhere what this change will mean exactly for languages other than English? I have users who use German and Spanish and need to communicate this change to them. 

[Bill Pruett]

Really hate this terminology change; is there a place to vote on this?

[Josh Sherwood]

Hi @James Our team conducted research to determine how best to implement these changes across the various markets supported by Jira and to assess whether updates to the language were necessary.

As a result, the following languages will have updated terminology to reflect this change: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dutch, Finnish, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

All other supported languages will retain their current terms.

For your specific users:

• Spanish will change from 'incidencia' to 'actividad'
• German will remain 'Vorgang'

[Josh Sherwood]

@Bill Pruett I'm sorry you're unhappy with the new terminology. As this is currently rolling out, there's no way to opt out or vote on this change.

In the future, we'll be moving towards using the language you use for your work types more prominently within Jira, which should provide a more tailored experience for you and your teams.

[JT]

I think the comments that this change is 'useless' are unfair.

As the use-cases for Jira broaden, it makes sense to broaden the "domain language".

This is a vision change, not a feature change.

For those who are only looking at features, try to see the bigger picture!

[JT]

I never liked the word 'issue' anyway. It sounds negative.

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi @Josh Sherwood 

FYI regarding changes for JQL -- It appears the documentation for JQL functions has already changed for things like linkedIssues() to linkedWorkItems() but the app does not support the new / aliased functions yet.  This may lead to support requests.

https://support.atlassian.com/jira-software-cloud/docs/jql-functions/#linkedWorkItems--

Kind regards,
Bill

[Kythera of Anevern]

@JT Broadening the domain language is an excellent point!

[Haddon Fisher]

First, the obvious questions....why this, why now, why bother. The "issue" isn't really an issue, hasn't really been an issue in literally the entire history of Jira, and it's potentially the least of the issues Jira has. Lots of people have asked these questions; it is telling that we're still asking.

Second, why this solution?

First you say:

Our goal is to make Jira the place of work for all teams, ensuring that the language in our tools is accessible and supportive of this vision.

Then you say:

Q: Can admins choose what term replaces 'issue'? Will this be a site or project-level setting?

No, admins will not have the option to decide what term replaces ‘issue.’ By default, ‘issue’ will be replaced with ‘work item’ for all Jira customers at the site level.

Q: Can admins opt out of this terminology change?

As this update is being implemented across all our Atlassian products, we’re unable to provide the option to opt out of this change.

I am not sure how these aren't mutually exclusive; if the intention was to "make Jira the place of work for all teams" then shifting the group the term used doesn't fit from one to another is pretty obviously not the right solution. 

I can't even be frustrated about this stuff anymore...it's just depressing.

EDIT: I hear the people saying "this is the start of Atlassian caring about word choice! This is great!". Word choice is important...and...I would argue:

1. People also use Jira to track things that aren't "work". 
2. If Atlassian put out a poll asking people what they wanted, this would not make the top 100.
3. Jira is 23 years old now; it seems a little late to start caring about words.
4. As so many others have pointed out, if the goal is to make nomenclature make sense, "Project" seems like the extremely obvious choice.

[Josh Sherwood]

@Carlos Andres Lopez Ayala apologies, this was an error. Connectors will continue to use "Issue Type" for the moment. We will provide updates for any changes in the future.