Configure attachment options, linking, and time tracking globally in Jira
10 min
Advanced
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:
- Configure settings for attachments, work item links, app links, and time tracking globally
- Diagnose problems by checking the audit log
Configure attachment settings
Attachments can play an important part in providing more context for the information provided in work items. Attachments are always enabled by default in Jira and can’t be disabled. Jira admins can edit attachment settings to limit the attachment size and enable ZIP support. This allows users to download all of the attachments on a work item in a single ZIP file.
To edit attachment settings:
- In the top-right corner of Jira, select Settings (represented by a cog icon).
- Under Jira admin settings, select System.
- In the sidebar, under Advanced, select Attachments.
- Select Edit Settings.
👇 Here’s the Attachments settings screen.
To add attachments to work items in a project, users must have Create Attachments permission in that project.
Configure work linking
Jira users can link work items to keep track of duplicate or related work. To allow work item linking, a Jira admin must enable this globally.
To access the work linking settings:
- In the top-right corner of Jira, select Settings (represented by a cog icon).
- Under Jira admin settings, select Work items.
- In the sidebar, under Work item features, select Work item linking.
👇 Work item linking is enabled in the screen below.
After you enable linking, you can create new link types. You can also edit or delete existing link types. Be sure that you understand how the naming of inward and outward links displays for Jira users.
👇 Jira admins can edit or delete existing link types or add new link types.
Users must have the Link Work Items permission in a project in order to use linking.
Create application links
The application navigator is located in the upper left-hand corner of Jira. The Jira admin can add links here to other Atlassian products, such as Confluence or Jira Service Management. This allows users to quickly navigate to other Atlassian tools. It is also possible to link separate Atlassian Cloud instances of those products.
👇 The application navigator lets users navigate to other Atlassian products.
To add an application link:
- In the top-right corner of Jira, select Settings (represented by a cog icon).
- Under Jira admin settings, select Products.
- In the sidebar, under Integrations, select Application links.
- Select Create link.
👇 Create links to other Atlassian products or external applications from the Applications links screen.
The applications you link here will automatically appear in the application navigator. Once you create the links, users can link Jira work between instances. This assumes that work item linking is globally enabled in both instances and that users have the correct Link Work Items permission in the relevant projects.
Time tracking in Jira
Time tracking lets your team record the time they spend on work items. Time tracking is enabled by default in Jira. You won’t lose any existing data if you disable or re-enable it.
To configure time tracking:
- In the top-right corner of Jira, select Settings (represented by a cog icon).
- Under Jira admin settings, select Work items.
- In the sidebar, under Work item features, select Time tracking.
- Select Edit global settings.
👇 Select the icons below to learn about the global time tracking settings.
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It’s a best practice to communicate the number of hours in a work day and week to your team. That way, when users enter time using “d” or “w,” it aligns with what they understand to be a work day.
👉 For example: Jerome is a Jira admin for an organization that operates in several countries. He set the work day to 6.5 hours in Time Tracking. He makes sure to communicate this to his users in case some enter an estimate of one day and expect it to translate to eight hours.
Users need the Work On Work Items permission in each project to be able to enter estimates and log time worked.
Let's explore an example
Lin has been assigned to a work item with an original estimate of 24 hours. Lin logs work by entering the value “18” and adds the remark that she fixed most of the problem.
👉 How will this information display in Jira? Take a look at the instance below. Then, see if you can answer the following questions:
- How is the original estimate displayed?
- What is displayed as the remaining estimate after Lin logs work?
- Will Lin’s remarks be displayed in the comments?
👇 First, take a look below at the global time-tracking configuration in Lin’s instance.
Now, see if you can answer the following questions about how Lin’s information is displayed in Jira. Use the configuration image above for reference.
👇 See if you can answer each question before expanding the box to reveal the answer.
Use the audit log to troubleshoot
The audit log tracks key activities and configuration changes that can impact users and projects in Jira. This is helpful for diagnosing problems in Jira products. The audit log isn’t intended to record all activity in Jira. For example, it doesn’t track work item updates or pages that are viewed by a user.
Here are some of the changes that the audit log tracks:
- Projects
- Permissions
- Workflows
- Notification schemes
- Screens
- Custom fields
👉 For example: Ava is working in the Acme, Inc. project in Jira. Her typical workflow is to select the “Completed” status once she’s completed a work item. However, one day she discovers this status is no longer available to select. Her Jira admin uses the audit log to diagnose the problem and finds out that another Jira admin removed the workflow.
👇Watch the video below to see how to configure auditing in Jira.
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next lesson
Restore data using system backup and import in Jira
- Create a backup for Jira
- Restore from a backup
- Import work