Custom Fields are here for better categorization, structure, and organization of work
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Custom Fields are here for better categorization, structure, and organization of work

Tiffany Go
Head of Product Marketing
February 22, 2022

Basic Custom Fields are here to help with the categorization of work and to help organizations transition away from Projects.

The basic Custom Fields release is the next step in evolving our Data Model that elevates the Shortcut experience. Our goal is to provide enough structure to organize and flexibility to let you represent your work and processes in Shortcut the way you like to work in real life.

The initial Custom Fields release allows you to add the following Fields to Stories:

  • Technical Area
  • Skill Set
  • Product Area

Next, we’ll add Severity and Priority. More on that later in the post.

An Intro to Custom Fields

Watch this video to get started with basic Custom Fields!

<iframe title="vimeo-player" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/679363985?h=ee09077d0e" width="640" height="355" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Start using basic Custom Fields to replace Projects

Projects provided some level of organization within Shortcut, but it was often unclear how to exactly use Projects. Hearing from customers that Projects were confusing, we decided to begin the journey of removing Projects and improve the Data Model.

Eventually, we will allow you to toggle Projects off for your workspace before finally removing them completely from Shortcut. We want to get basic Custom Fields in your hands as soon as possible to enable you to begin thinking about what your Workspace could be without Projects. We're eager to hear your feedback as you start this transition and learn what improvements need to be made before you would be comfortable removing Projects.

Start using basic Custom Fields to replace Projects

Coming soon…improvements to Bulk Editing

We plan on releasing updates to Bulk Editing to support massive volume at once to help make the transition even easier! At this time we recommend limiting bulk editing up to 500 Stories at a time.

What you can do with basic Custom Fields

All basic Custom Fields are single-select drop-downs. Fields are set at the Workspace level and will be enabled by default for all new customers. For existing users (as of February 23, 2022) only Admins will have the ability to enable or disable them, as well as configure the values and colors.

Where it appears in the app:

  • Story Cards
  • Individual Stories

Filter by Fields on the:

  • Stories Page
  • Report Page
  • Epic Detail Page
  • Teams Page
  • Status Page

Note: We're working to add these columns to Story Tables throughout the app.

Basic Custom Field Definitions and Default Field Values

Field Definitions and Default Field Values

Advancing the Shortcut Data Model

As we transition away from Projects to improve the Data Model the introduction of Fields helps replace the Project use cases. Check out this article for a step-by-step guide on How to Transition from Projects.

During our research, we found that Projects are being used for 2 main use cases:

  • Teams
  • Categorization

The first step to removing Projects was to build a first-class Teams feature (you can read more here.) The second step is to solve for the Categorization use case, and we’re beginning with Fields.

Basic Custom Fields allow you to categorize Stories by common, Shortcut defined, dimensions: Technical Area, Skill Set, or Product Area. We found that these are the most common categorization use cases and wanted to solve for them first. An important difference (and improvement) over Projects is that you can apply as few or as many Custom Fields to each Story, which allows for more complex and nuanced Story data. While basic Custom Field names can’t be changed, you can adjust the values to fit your need. We understand that your Team and process might not align with these 3 fields, so we’re also building advanced Custom Fields so you can truly customize Shortcut to fit your process.

Basic Custom Fields will enable you to denote the dimensions and details that are most important to your Team's processes. With the control Fields in the hands of Admins, you’ll be able to create and enforce more consistent processes to make sure Stories have the data they need. Now Stories can be more nuanced and have multiple Custom Fields to represent the true complexity of your work.

Coming soon… Severity and Priority Fields and advanced Custom Fields

Severity and Priority will be our next Fields release.

Advanced Custom Fields will allow you to define Fields names and values to fit your process.

Stay tuned for more details and attend our February Release on 2/23 for more information.

Fields FAQs

What is the difference between basic Custom Fields and advanced Custom Fields?

Basic Custom Fields are Shortcut defined and the Field name and description cannot be changed. The values associated with all Custom Fields can be changed. Basic Custom Fields have been initially developed to help our customers move away from Projects.

Advanced Custom Fields will allow you to define Field names and values to fit your process.

Who will have access to basic Custom Fields?

All plans will have access to the following Custom Fields:

  • Technical Area
  • Skill Set
  • Product Area
  • Severity
  • Priority

Who will have access to advanced Custom Fields?

Business and Enterprise Plan customers have access to advanced Custom Fields.

How are Custom Fields different than Labels?

Custom Fields help you establish a more structured process in your Workspace. Because Custom Fields are set at the Workspace level there is more structure to Custom Fields over Labels.

Labels are great because anyone in your Organization can create them, but they lack the structure of Fields. You should use Labels as a lightweight but unstructured way to organize your work.

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