Create and edit team-managed projects

By default, anyone can create team-managed projects. Out of the box, a software project gives end users the Create team-managed projects global permission. Jira admins can prevent users from creating team-managed projects by managing which groups are granted this permission. Read more about global permissions

To find out if you can create your own project, choose Projects in the navigation bar. If you see the Create project option, then you're all set. If not, check with your Jira admin for help creating a project.

Create a team-managed software project

To create a new, team-managed software project:

1. Select Projects > Create project in the navigation.

2. Select a project template, then select Use template.

3. Choose Select a team-managed project.

4. Enter a name for your project (a project key is generated for you, you can change it if you like) and select Next.

Depending on the tools connected to your site, you can also connect existing code repositories, security containers, and Confluence spaces to your new project.

Edit your team-managed software project's details

In team-managed projects, you can edit the following project details:

• icon, which helps teams across your Jira site visually identify your project

• name, which appears when people in your Jira site search, browse directories, or use the project switcher

• key, which is typically the shorthand version of the project's name

• category, which helps larger organizations label and filter similar projects in directories

• project lead, who is usually the project administrator for your team-managed project

• default assignee, which is a role to which all issues created in the project are assigned to

To change these details: From your project's sidebar, select Project settings > Details.

Change your team-managed software project's icon

Project icons help give a face to your project's name. They appear in the project sidebar and in your site's list of all projects.

To change your project's icon:

1. From your project's sidebar, select Project settings > Details.

2. Under the current icon, select Change icon.

3. Choose from a default icon or upload your own.

4. Select Save details.

Change your team-managed project's key

Project keys provide a shorthand for the issues in a project. Together with a sequential number, they form a unique identifier called an “issue key”. This ID is the foundation of how work is tracked and referred to in Jira.

You’ll find an issue key:

• on issues themselves, as a label

• in search results and saved filters

• on cards on your board or in a backlog

• in links connecting pieces of work

• in the issue's URL

• ...anywhere you need to reference the work you're tracking!

If you have project permissions, this is how to change the project's key:

1. From your project's sidebar, select Project settings > Details.

2. In the Key field, enter your desired key. Your project's key must:

   • be at least two characters long

   • start with an uppercase letter

   • and, contain only uppercase letters or numbers

3. Select Save details.

4. Check the change was applied correctly. It can take up to 10 minutes for the updated key to appear on your board — so communicate the change to your team in advance. 

You have the option to delete the old key from Previous keys, however, this restricts access to the issues that refer to that old key. If you struggle to open an issue with a changed project key, change the project key back to its old name and try again.

Assign or change your team-managed project's category

Project categories help group similar software, service, and business projects across your Jira site. They can be used in advanced search, filters, reports, and more. Your Jira admin creates and manages the categories that are available. Read about adding and deleting project categories

To assign or change your project's category:

1. From your project's sidebar, select Project settings > Details.

2. Under Category, use the dropdown to assign your project a category.

3. Select Save details.

Change your team-managed project lead

The project lead in a team-managed project is usually the project administrator, who controls and manages a project's settings.

You may want to change the project lead as people move in and out of your team in a longer-term project.

To change your project's lead:

1. From your project's sidebar, select Project settings > Details.

2. In the Project lead field, set a new person to lead the project.

3. Select Save.

Add or change your team-managed project's default assignee

When issues are created in your project, you can set a default assignee. This is useful for open projects where everyone on the site can report tasks to your project.

The default assignee is typically a team member who prioritizes or validates that reported issues are meant for their team and distributes these tasks to their team members accordingly. By default, they receive a notification when someone creates an issue in the project.