Skip to main content
Version: 5.0.0

Using the Percentage field

This guide describes how to work with a Percentage Field custom field that your administrator has already configured. If you don't see the field on your issue screens yet, check with your administrator: most likely it just needs to be added to the right screen.

Capture a value on the field​

When the Percentage field is part of the Create, Edit or Transition screen, it appears as a numeric input.

  1. Open the create, edit or transition form.
  2. Locate the field (the exact name is set by your administrator, for example "Progress" or "Compliance").
  3. Enter a number between 0 and 100.
  4. Save your changes.

If the value is out of range, Jira shows "Value must be between 0 and 100." and blocks the save until you fix it.

You can leave it blank

If the field is not marked required in your project, you can leave it empty. The issue saves with no value and the issue view shows no bar.

Reading the progress bar​

Once saved, the value is shown as a horizontal bar that fills proportionally to the percentage (0% to 100%). The bar colour reflects the situation:

  • 🟢 Green: on-track value — the percentage reaches the desirable level your administrator defined.
  • 🟡 Yellow: at-risk value — between the risk threshold and the on-track threshold.
  • 🔴 Red: value below the risk threshold — critical situation.
Which thresholds apply?

Colours aren't fixed: they depend on the thresholds your administrator configured for the project and issue type. The same value (65) can show in yellow in one project and in green in another, if thresholds differ. If you're unsure why a value is in a given colour, check with your administrator.

Searching issues by percentage​

You can use JQL to find issues by the field's numeric value:

"Progress" < 40
"Progress" >= 70 AND project = "ACME"
"Progress" is not EMPTY

Replace Progress with the exact name your administrator gave the field.

JQL operates on the numeric value, not the colour

To list, for example, "all issues in red", combine the JQL operators with the same thresholds the context uses: "Progress" < 40. The JQL engine doesn't know about the colour — it always operates on the stored number.