Working with Specifications
Working with Specifications
What are Specifications and Folders?
Folders are containers you use to organise your specifications — similar to folders on your computer. You can nest folders inside other folders to build a hierarchy that reflects your project structure (for example: by product area, release, or document type).
Specifications are the documents that live inside folders. Each specification holds an ordered, hierarchical list of requirements. You can think of a specification as a single chapter or document in your requirements library.
The Folder Navigator
Click Specifications in the left sidebar to open the Folder Navigator.
The screen is split into two panels:
Left panel — Folder Tree: A collapsible tree of all your folders. Click the arrow next to a folder to expand it. Click a folder name to select it and view its contents on the right.
Right panel — Folder Contents: Shows what is inside the currently selected folder — either sub-folders or specification documents.
Click a specification name in the right panel to open it.
Right-Click Menu in the Folder Navigator
Right-clicking on an item in the folder contents panel (or on the background of the panel) opens a context menu with the following actions:
Action | What it does |
|---|---|
Open | Opens the selected folder (navigates into it) or opens the selected specification |
Create Specification | Creates a new Jira issue and registers it as a specification in the current folder |
Add Existing Specification | Links an already-existing Jira issue as a specification in this folder — no new issue is created |
Create Folder | Creates a new sub-folder inside the current folder |
Refresh | Reloads the folder contents |
Open in Issue Navigator | Opens Jira's issue list filtered to all requirements in this folder's path |
Cut | Marks the selected item for moving |
Copy | Marks the selected specification for copying |
Paste | Pastes a previously cut or copied item into the current folder |
Rename | Renames the selected folder or specification |
Delete | Deletes the selected item |
ℹ️ Note: Cut then Paste moves an item to a new location. Copy then Paste creates a duplicate of the specification in the target folder.
Opening a Specification
To open a specification, either:
Double-click its name in the folder contents panel, or
Right-click it and choose Open
The specification opens in the main area, replacing the folder navigator view. A breadcrumb at the top of the page shows the full folder path to where this specification lives (for example: Root > Product Area > Release 1 > My Specification). Click any segment of the breadcrumb to navigate back up to that folder.
The Requirements Table
Once a specification is open, the main area shows the requirements table — a list of all requirements in this specification.
Layout
Left sidebar: Shows the specification hierarchy and your list of saved views (column presets).
Main area: The requirements table with all rows and columns.
Top bar: Breadcrumb navigation and a search field.
What the Columns Show
Each row in the table is one requirement (a Jira issue). Rows are indented to show parent-child relationships within the specification.
Column | Description |
|---|---|
# | The requirement's position number within the specification |
Issue Key | The Jira issue key (e.g. |
Summary | The issue title |
Custom fields | Any custom fields configured for this artifact type in Settings |
System fields | Standard Jira fields such as Assignee, Status, or Priority (if added to the current view) |
Link fields | Columns showing issues linked via specific link types (configurable per view) |
Inline Editing
Click on any editable cell in the table to edit its value directly — no need to open the Jira issue. Press Enter or click outside the cell to save your change.