Governance shows which site rules and which template bind a board. Here you see each kind of setting’s level, give the reason a save asks for, and learn why a setting cannot be changed.

Read the Governance card #

On the Advanced edition, a Governance entry joins the Configure list when site rules bind the board and at least one kind of setting is not “Allowed”. Its line under the name reads “Site rules that bind changes to this board”. The other groups are in Source and scope.

The card reads “Site rules bind this board.” It names the template, its version and when it was applied, or says “No template has been applied to this board.” Select Open the rollout to see that rollout (Roll out a template). The card’s (i) says: “A template may strengthen any of these and weaken none.”

One row follows for each kind of setting: Flow definition, Calendar, Layout, WIP policies and Saved views. Each gives a level and its source, for example “Allowed with a reason · Site rule” or “Locked · Template rule”. The last row, Approval, says who may approve a template: “An approver other than the author” or “Any approver, the author included”.

If the site’s rules got stricter after the template was applied, a line says so: the stricter site rule is what binds. Administrators set the rules (Governance).

Give a reason for a change #

Where a level reads “Allowed with a reason”, set by a site rule or by the template that governs the board, saves of that kind show a required field, Reason for the change. It goes to the audit trail, which Jira administrators read. A policy’s reason is also shown with its version on Work, to everyone who can read the board.

The field appears when you:

• publish a flow version;
• save the calendar, columns, swimlanes or cards;
• save, delete or make private a shared work view;
• save or delete a policy or a stakeholder view;
• restore a backup.

Changing the source never asks for a reason.

For example, the Calendar row of Payments reads “Allowed with a reason · Site rule”. Dana Whitfield changes the working hours in Flow & time. A required field, Reason for the change, stands above Save, and Save waits until she types a reason, such as “Team moved to a four-day week”. She selects Save and confirms. The reason is kept in the audit trail with the change.

A locked setting #

A “Locked” level holds the save and says why: “A site governance rule makes this setting read-only on this board.” A template rule says “The template that governs this board makes this setting read-only.” A Board owner cannot change a locked setting. For example, where the Layout row reads “Locked · Template rule”, Save in Layout & cards stays held, and its tooltip gives the template sentence. The levels a template can set are in Templates.

On the Standard edition #

On Standard, the site rules still bind the boards they govern. A save still asks for its reason, and a locked setting stays locked, as described above. Configure lists no Governance entry on Standard. A Jira administrator can only lift those rules, and stricter rules need the Advanced edition (Governance).

If something looks off #

• “Enter the reason this board’s governance asks for.” on a held Save: type a reason in Reason for the change.
• “This board’s governance rules are still being read.” on a held Save: wait a moment, and the save is released or asks for its reason.
• “The rules binding on this board could not be read.” on the Governance card: select Try again.