Where can i learn more about a strategic initiative in Jira Align
Asked by Walt Adams:

Where can i learn more about a strategic initiative in Jira Align


Answers:
author: Tom O'Connor
body: [@Walt Adams](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/3848324) what specifically are you wanting to know? The Strategic Initiative is configured on the Platform Dropdown settings and is related the Themes as a drop down setting (meta data). <https://help.jiraalign.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002757433-10X-Manage-Themes>

Many of the reports in Jira Align do require the Theme to have the Strategic Initiative set.

![Screen Shot 2021-04-05 at 7.31.58 AM.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/137407i39ABC4555F88B831/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "Screen Shot 2021-04-05 at 7.31.58 AM.png")

comments: author: Walt Adams
body: Thanks Tom! Just what i needed.


author: Walt Adams
body: Hey Tom. When i go to my instance of JA, I do not see that as an option. Only one i see is Strategy. Is that because our sandbox might not be the most current view?


author: Walt Adams
body: ![image.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/137779i1899B5FF62039D39/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "image.png")


author: Tom O'Connor
body: Based on order of dropdown items it looks like in your instance, the Strategic Initiative field was renamed to Strategy. Check the Platform Terminology to see if this is the case.

![Screen Shot 2021-04-07 at 8.37.21 AM.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/137805iC881C7C4D4B25CEF/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "Screen Shot 2021-04-07 at 8.37.21 AM.png")


author: Shaimaa Azzam
body: [@Tom O_Connor](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/3078478) Looking to know more about reports associated to "Strategic Initiative", could you please share reports? Along could you please highlight how's the following statement applies

* **"Strategic Initiative**connects a theme to a strategic initiative."

comments: author: Tom O'Connor
body: * **Technically**, it is a drop-down-field which can be

  * renamed (see: [![](https://theme.zdassets.com/theme_assets/982013/44614c41da1a5bf7c3fd1568516b3807e2c54c79.png)Configure terminology](https://help.jiraalign.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000371513-10X-Configure-Terminology) ),

  * activated or deactivated and made required or optional (see: [![](https://theme.zdassets.com/theme_assets/982013/44614c41da1a5bf7c3fd1568516b3807e2c54c79.png)Configure default and custom fields](https://help.jiraalign.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041832653-10X-Configure-Default-and-Custom-Fields) ).

  * Its dropdown values can be changed entirely (see: [![](https://theme.zdassets.com/theme_assets/982013/44614c41da1a5bf7c3fd1568516b3807e2c54c79.png)Dropdown settings](https://help.jiraalign.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000373614-10X-Dropdown-Settings) ).

* **Functionally** , it can be used to categorize Theme work items. Often we see it being used to create visibility of how Themes support strategic horizons. Please find an example of how it might be used to a variation of three strategic horizons below ![Screenshot 2022-02-17 at 10.42.29.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/324837i93EE1C31585E4491/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "Screenshot 2022-02-17 at 10.42.29.png")

* In regards to **Reporting**, the biggest value the usage of this field provides is the enrichment of Theme data in Enterprise Insights. Within Jira Align, it can be used to filter in some views like the Theme grid. Not using it will not break any major reporting within Jira Align. Unfortunately there isn't much in the way of reporting available for this field.

* To address the use case of categorizing Themes for enhanced visibility and reporting, there is an **alternative solution within Jira Align** which is called Theme Groups ([![](https://theme.zdassets.com/theme_assets/982013/44614c41da1a5bf7c3fd1568516b3807e2c54c79.png)Create theme groups](https://help.jiraalign.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000694814-10X-Create-Theme-Groups#:~:text=To%20add%20a%20theme%20group,the%20new%20theme%20group%27s%20name.)). Theme Groups offer enhanced functionality both in the Roadmap view and the Worktree view while adding a little bit more complexity to Jira Align. From our experience, many customers decide to use either Theme Groups or the Strategic Initiatives field.


author: Wech, Jenine
body: [@Tom O_Connor](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/3078478) Can you tell me which reports use Strategic Initiative field? We would like to use the field but cannot figure out how to report on it.

comments: author: Tom O'Connor
body: [@Wech, Jenine](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/4962059) I apologize I missed your question/ask. See above.


Tags: cloud