Epic above Feature.

[Eric Roetenberg]

Hi,

By default, the Epic work type is linked to the Epic hierarchy level (level 1). However, we now also have Feature at this level 1 and want to place Epic above Feature. Is this possible?
So:
2 Epic
1 Feature
0 Story
-1 subtask

What alternatives are there to create this situation? We have already replaced all epics with features.

[Michael Yaroshefsky - Visor for Jira · Accepted solution]

HI @Eric Roetenberg I think you will need to create a custom issue type (call it Super Epic, or Real Epic) and add this above Feature in the heirarchy.

I guess whether or not this will be pain is whether anyone already has lots of Epics (using the default epic issue type)?

[Olga Cheban _TitanApps_]

hi @Eric Roetenberg !

yes, this is possible with Jira Plans (formerly Advanced Roadmaps) - the functionality that is available with Jira Premium and Enterprise plans. it allows you to add custom work types above Epics (or anywhere else) and build entirely custom hierarchies. 

As for how exactly this can be done, I wrote an article Advanced Roadmaps Hierarchy Configuration Guide. Please see it for more details.

If you have a plan below Jira Premium, you won't have access to this feature. In this case, you can consider third-party solutions from the marketplace. 

I hope this helps!

[Hannes Obweger - JXL for Jira]

Hi @Eric Roetenberg,

Jira built-in work item (issue) hierarchy configuration allows additional hierarchy levels in its Premium and Enterprise plans, however these can always only on top of epics. 

It has been suggested in a previous answer that you can simply rename issue types to "mimic" your hierarchy. This is generally possible, but please mind that there are certain semantics associated with work item level #1 (by default called "Epic"), e.g. in how such work items are displayed in the Jira Software backlog view, etc. So while it is possible to rename level #1, just be mindful that it may become confusing to others if you create another hierarchy level - e.g. a level #2 - and call this other hierarchy level "Epic".

Just as food for thought, another way to implement the exact hierarchy you are looking for is via work item linking. Work item links can be established between any pairs of issues and therefore give you full flexibility in how you can model your hierarchy.

The downside is that work item links aren't natively recognized as parent/child relationships, so you won't get a lot of hierarchy-related features out of the box. This being said, if you are open to solutions from the Atlassian Marketplace, there's a number of apps available that can help with this.

E.g., this is how your hierarchy could look in the app that my team and I are working on: JXL for Jira:

In this example, Features and Stories are connected to each other via "is parent of" / "is child of" work item links.

Any questions just let me know.

Best,
Daniel