Most product teams begin their JPD journey with a "brain dump" phase. It’s a low-friction way to capture ideas, but for operations leaders, this lack of structure quickly becomes a bottleneck. Without a standardized taxonomy, comparing a "low effort" idea from one squad to a "high impact" idea from another is impossible. You aren't comparing apples to apples; you’re comparing fruit to furniture.
The transition from a basic list to an operational engine requires a deliberate field architecture. This isn't about adding more data for the sake of it—it’s about creating a common language that allows the organization to prioritize with precision. Before you can effectively communicate your roadmap to stakeholders, you must first ensure the data behind it is sound.
Should you use Space-Scoped or Global fields?
The first architectural decision involves visibility and control. In JPD, fields exist in two tiers: Space-scoped and Global. Choosing the wrong one early on can lead to a significant manual migration later when leadership asks for a cross-departmental roadmap. Understanding the differences between JPD and Jira Software is critical here, as the way data flows between discovery and delivery depends on these field definitions.
Space-scoped fields are the laboratory. They are managed by the individual Space Creator and are perfect for a single squad’s specific nuances or experimental workflows.
Global fields are the infrastructure. Managed at the site level, these ensure that a field like "Strategic Alignment" means the same thing for the mobile team as it does for the infrastructure team.
Comparing Field Scopes
Feature | Space-Scoped Fields | Global Fields |
Control | Space Admins | Jira Site Administrators |
Visibility | Restricted to one project | Available across all Discovery spaces |
Alignment | High team flexibility | High organizational consistency |
Best For | Squad-specific triage or unique metrics | Executive reporting and themes |
Think of it like this: Space-scoped fields are the internal notes a chef keeps in their personal notebook. Global fields are the standardized menu items printed for the customers and the restaurant owner. You need both, but you shouldn't confuse them.
Which field types drive the best data?
Field types in JPD are more than UI choices. If you want to calculate a RICE score, a "Rating" field (stars) might not work because it lacks the necessary granularity for formulas. When you eventually use these custom fields in your release notes, the type you choose will dictate how the data is presented to your audience.
Select fields: Best for discrete categories (e.g., "Squad," "Target Persona"). JPD allows you to assign weights to these options, turning a label like "Critical" into a numerical value for scoring.
Number fields: Essential for any data-driven prioritization. If you are tracking "Estimated Revenue" or "Reach," use raw numbers.
Rating/Slider fields: Use these for subjective sentiment. They are visually high-signal but mathematically low-resolution.
How do you implement an advanced triage status?
A common mistake is using the system "Status" field to manage everything from a raw idea to a delivery-ready Epic. Mature operations require a separate "Triage Status" to manage the discovery lifecycle itself. This allows for clearer product updates later, as you can differentiate between what is merely being considered and what is actively being built.
The Triage Taxonomy
To build a functional triage board, create a Select field named "Triage Status" with the following options:
Inbox: The landing zone for all new insights and ideas.
Awaiting Review: Ideas that have been fleshed out but haven't been vetted by a PM.
Under Research: Ideas currently undergoing customer interviews or data validation.
Backlogged: Validated ideas that don't fit the current strategic window.
Ready for Planning: Ideas with high confidence scores ready to be pushed to Jira Software.
By using this custom field as the columns in your Board view, you create a visual pipeline of your discovery velocity.
How do you align discovery with Strategic Themes?
Operations leaders need to ensure that the work being discovered actually matters to the business. This is where "Strategic Themes" come in. These should always be Global Select fields to ensure cross-departmental alignment.
Instead of naming them after features (e.g., "Mobile App Updates"), name them after business outcomes:
Operational Excellence: Efficiency and tech debt.
Expansion: New market acquisition.
Retention: Reducing churn and increasing LTV.
When you plot these Themes on the X-axis of a Matrix view against an "Impact" score on the Y-axis, you can instantly see if your team is wasting time on high-effort ideas that don't move the needle on your primary objectives. This is a core component of a successful product roadmap strategy.
Can you use math to remove "gut feel"?
The hallmark of a mature product organization is the move from subjective "Impact" scores to evidence-based confidence modeling. This is best achieved through a precision Confidence Score using the RICE method.
To do this, you must move beyond the 1-5 star rating. Create a Number field (decimals allowed) for "Confidence %" and define clear evidentiary standards:
1.0 (100%): Validated by A/B testing and direct user data.
0.8 (80%): Validated by high-fidelity prototype testing.
0.5 (50%): Based on market trends and qualitative interviews.
0.2 (20%): Internal assumption or vision-driven.
Using a Custom Formula field, you can then calculate your priority automatically:
This formula ensures that an idea with "High Impact" but "Low Confidence" (a guess) doesn't accidentally leapfrog a "Medium Impact" idea that is 100% validated.
How do visual cues improve stakeholder alignment?
Data integrity is the priority, but scannability is what makes your JPD space usable for stakeholders. Operations leaders should use JPD’s formatting tools to create a "visual heat map."
Emoji Strategy: Use emojis at the end of field options (e.g., "Customer Growth 🚀"). This aids in rapid visual identification without breaking screen reader accessibility.
Card Highlighting: Toggle the "Highlight rows and cards with this color" setting for your Strategic Theme field. This allows stakeholders to see the "flavor" of the roadmap at a glance—blue cards might be security, while green cards are growth. This visual clarity is essential when writing release notes that people actually want to read.
How do you maintain a clean taxonomy?
A taxonomy that is never pruned will eventually fail. Operations leaders should conduct a "Field Audit" every quarter. Organizations looking for a Productboard alternative often find that JPD’s flexibility is a double-edged sword; without governance, it becomes just as cluttered.
Identify "Ghost Fields": Look for fields that are populated in less than 10% of ideas. They are likely creating cognitive load without providing value.
Standardize Naming: Ensure that "Value" in one space isn't "Business Impact" in another. Use the migration utility to move these into a single Global field.
Manage Permissions: Limit the ability to create new global fields to a small group of "Discovery Admins" to prevent field bloat.
Moving from discovery to communication
Once you have a sophisticated taxonomy, the next challenge is communicating it. While JPD is excellent for internal prioritization, stakeholders (like Sales or Customers) often find raw Jira views overwhelming. This is a common hurdle in stakeholder communication.
This is where Released comes in. Once you have moved an idea through your custom triage and into a "Ready for Planning" state, the data is already there. Released takes that internal Jira data and transforms it into polished, public-facing roadmaps and release notes. Instead of manually writing updates, you can automate your release notes with AI, leveraging the taxonomy you've built to automatically generate stakeholder-ready communications that reflect your actual progress.
Specifically, for those using Jira Product Discovery, Released acts as the essential bridge. It allows you to:
Turn JPD ideas into a beautiful, public Product Hub.
Automatically generate release notes from completed work items.
Close the loop by feeding customer feedback back into JPD via the Insights integration.
Your taxonomy is the bridge between raw ideas and strategic execution. If you don't define the criteria for "good," your team will default to prioritizing whatever is loudest.
