Create Your Own Issue Management System

Create Your Own Issue Management System

Effective issue management is a cornerstone of project success. Every bug or issue, no matter how small, needs to be tracked and resolved in time to maintain project momentum. In this post, we’ll explore how an issue management system in Zoho Projects is used to manage issues in our own product management process.

Real-time Example:

During the software testing process, when the tester identifies an issue impacting the Global Web Tab feature task where the alignment breaks in certain browsers, it follows a predefined process for resolution. Here’s how the issue management system handles this end-to-end.

Submit Issues using Custom Fields

Custom fields are created within the Issue Layout, allowing testers to submit issues with key details like severity, module, browser type, and font family. In the case of the Global Web Tab alignment issue, the browser type field helps pinpoint which environment is affected.
Info
How Other Industries Can Use Issue Layouts In This Process:  
Construction: Track issues like material defects or design flaws using custom fields such as location, material type, grade, etc.
Manufacturing: Track production line breakdowns or machine malfunctions issues with custom fields like product phase, machine type, location, etc.


SLAs Based on Issue Type

SLAs are configured based on the issue type, such as Support, Security, Privacy, or Performance, to set resolution deadlines. If the issue is categorized as one of these types, the SLA triggers a resolution within 24 hours. If the issue remains unresolved, it escalates through Levels 1–4.
Info
How Other Industries Can Use SLAs In This Process:
Construction: Set SLAs to resolve critical issues like safety violations or structural failures quickly.
Manufacturing: Set SLAs for issues like production line stoppages to minimize downtime.

Automate Assigning Issues

A tag is created using the feature name and is associated with the issue when it is submitted. Business rules are created using the tags as criteria to automatically assign the issue to the relevant developers, designers, managers, and project managers (PMs).
Info
How Other Industries Can Use Tags In This Process:
Construction: Automatically assign issues using the issue type as tags, such as plumbing or electrical, to the appropriate contractors or subcontractors.
Manufacturing: Use tags like machinery or production to assign issues to maintenance teams or shift managers automatically.


Bulk Update Issues

A custom view is created to track and bulk update all issues related to the feature using the tag as a criteria.
Info
How Other Industries Can Use Custom Views In This Process:
Construction: Create custom views to track and update issues related to electrical work.
Manufacturing: Create custom views to track and update production-related issues.


Manage Duplicate Issues

If a duplicate issue is submitted, the developer can link it to the original issue using the is duplicate of link type for identification. A custom function is created to ensure that duplicate issues are closed only when the original issue is closed ensuring no redundancy in the issue tracking process.
Info
How Other Industries Can Use Link Issues In This Process:
Construction: Link duplicate issues like multiple reports of the same electrical fault.
Manufacturing: Link duplicate maintenance issues to the original issue to ensure a single resolution.

Associate Tasks to Issues

The Global Web Tab task is associated with the issue, allowing both the development and QA teams to monitor the progress of the work item from a single place. When a tester opens the task, they can view all associated issues, and when opening an issue, they can easily track the associated task.
Info
How Other Industries Can Use Task Association In This Process:
Construction: Associate tasks like Foundation to issues like Cracked Foundation for easy tracking.
Manufacturing: Associate maintenance tasks to machinery issues to track progress.

Automating Status Updates

A custom function is created to automate the update of issue statuses. when the tester updates the task status to Started Testing, the associated issue status is automatically updated to In QA Process. Similarly, when a developer resolves the issue and updates the task status to Resubmit for QA, the associated issue status is updated to To be tested. Issue Tracker Notifications are used to send notifications to all team members to keep everyone informed about such status updates.
Info
How Other Industries Can Use Custom Functions In This Process:
Construction: When the Electrical Safety Check issue status is updated to Passed, the associated task, such as Wiring Installation, will automatically update its status to Inspection Complete.
Manufacturing: When the Material Shortage issue is updated to Resolved, the task status for Electrical Installation will automatically update to Work Completed.

Automate Adding Followers

Sometimes issues need further validation before they are resolved. Developers can update the issue status, such as Intentionally Done or Discuss with the PM. Business rules are created to automatically add relevant product managers (PMs) and other team members as followers with such statuses as criteria. This ensures that decisions are validated and any necessary inputs are added through comments before moving forward.
Info
How Other Industries Can Use Business Rules In This Process:
Construction: Automate adding followers to validate electrical safety checks or structural issues before moving forward.
Manufacturing: Automate adding followers to validate machine repair statuses before completing maintenance tasks.

Checklist for Testers

Once the feature is reviewed and tested, the Checklist Extension is used for the associated task. The tester is required to complete a predefined checklist within the task to verify that all relevant testing scenarios have been covered. This checklist ensures that no critical testing aspects are missed.
Info
How Other Industries Can Use Checklist Extension In This Process:
Construction: Use checklist to create a punch list to ensure all inspections, tests, and final verifications are completed before a task  issue is marked as completed.
Manufacturing: Create a compliance checklist to ensure product assembly and quality control steps are completed before a task  issue is marked as completed.
Note: Checklist extension can be used for both tasks and issues.


Resolve Issues

Upon resolving the issue, the developer can resolve the issue from the issue details page with the context.

Custom Notifications

Custom email templates in Issue Tracker Notifications are used to automate communication. Developers and the relevant team members are automatically notified about reopened issues. This helps prevent delays in the project.
Info
How Other Industries Can Use Email Templates In This Process:
Construction: Create customized email template and use it in issue tracker notifications for critical issues like safety violation when reopened.
Manufacturing: Create customized email template and use it in issue tracker notifications for maintenance issues when reopened.

If you have any questions, do leave a comment below or mail to us at: support@zohoprojects.com.

    Access your files securely from anywhere

        All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.






                              Zoho Developer Community




                                                    • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                    • Digest


                                                    • Functions


                                                    • Meetups


                                                    • Kbase


                                                    • Resources


                                                    • Glossary


                                                    • Desk Marketplace


                                                    • MVP Corner


                                                    • Word of the Day


                                                    • Ask the Experts



                                                              • Sticky Posts

                                                              • CodeX Scripts for Enforcing Custom Project Logic

                                                                Every organization has a defined way of executing projects. There are clear expectations around how tasks should move, when projects should progress, and which actions require validation. When these rules are consistently followed, projects remain structured
                                                              • Automation Series: Auto-create Dependent Task on Status Change

                                                                In Zoho Projects, you can automatically create and assign a dependent task when a task’s status is updated. This helps teams stay aligned, ensures reviews happen on time, and reduces manual effort. In this post, we’ll walk through an easy setup using
                                                              • Time Log Reminder

                                                                Tracking the time spent on tasks and issues is one of the most important functions of a timesheet. However, users may forget to update the time logs because they have their own goals to achieve. But, time logs must be updated at regular intervals to keep
                                                              • Introducing the Zoho Projects Learning Space

                                                                Every product has its learning curve, and sometimes having a guided path makes the learning experience smoother. With that goal, we introduce a dedicated learning space for Zoho Projects, a platform where you can explore lessons, learn at your own pace,
                                                              • Update on V2 API End-of-Life Timeline

                                                                Dear Users, Earlier this year, we shared the launch of the V3 APIs and requested users to migrate from the older V2 APIs by December 2025. We have received valuable feedback from our users and partners regarding their migration timelines. We are happy


                                                              Manage your brands on social media



                                                                    Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                        Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                                          Zoho Books Resources


                                                                            Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                              Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                                Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                                  Qntrl Resources


                                                                                    Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                                        Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                                        • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                          CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                        • Kaizen

                                                                                          Kaizen

                                                                                        • Functions

                                                                                          Functions

                                                                                        • Meetups

                                                                                          Meetups

                                                                                        • Kbase

                                                                                          Kbase

                                                                                        • Resources

                                                                                          Resources

                                                                                        • Digest

                                                                                          Digest

                                                                                        • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                          CRM Marketplace

                                                                                        • MVP Corner

                                                                                          MVP Corner







                                                                                            Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                            Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                            Get Started Now


                                                                                              Zoho Show Resources

                                                                                                Zoho Writer

                                                                                                Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                                Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                  Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                                                                                    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                        ご検討中の方




                                                                                                                • Recent Topics

                                                                                                                • [Webinar] Live demos and user Q&A with Zoho Writer product experts

                                                                                                                  Join us on June 12, 2025 for live demos based on your use cases and real-world scenarios raised via form. This is also an opportunity to get your questions answered directly by product experts from the Zoho Writer team. Webinar agenda Live demos based
                                                                                                                • Zoho Writer's built-in citation and bibliography generator

                                                                                                                  Hey researchers and writers! Do you manually format citations and bibliographies, spending hours jumping between apps and tabs? If so, then check out Zoho Writer's built-in "Citations and Bibliography" feature. Imagine you're writing a thesis on the future
                                                                                                                • Single and group checkboxes in Zoho Writer's fillable forms

                                                                                                                  Hey Writer Fam, Are you making the most out of single and group checkboxes in fillable forms in Zoho Writer? Here is a handy tip to optimize your use of checkboxes, both single and group, and enhance your data collection process. Single checkboxes: Single
                                                                                                                • Collaborate efficiently with Zoho Writer's track changes feature

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho Writer Community, Zoho Writer's track changes feature is a simple, built-in solution that helps you and your team work together efficiently. Instead of juggling multiple versions of a document or building up a long email chain of comments, each
                                                                                                                • Zoho Writer's WordPress extensions

                                                                                                                  Hey Zoho Writer users! Say goodbye to all your WordPress content publishing woes with Zoho Writer's WordPress extensions. Publish content with all your formatting and images, republish content when you update a document, and more—from a single window
                                                                                                                • Time-saving table hacks

                                                                                                                  Hey Zoho Writer Community, Do you find yourself using a lot of tables in your documents? We're here to share some of our time-saving hacks that will help you work more efficiently, organize your data, and make your documents look neat and professional.
                                                                                                                • Automating document approval and signing with Zoho Writer and Zoho Sign

                                                                                                                  Hey Zoho Writer Community! Here's another automation tip to make your processes more efficient! Question: Can I send a document for client approval first, then automatically send it for signing with Zoho Sign if they approve? Since it's the same person
                                                                                                                • Customization hacks in Zoho Writer - Part 2

                                                                                                                  Hey community, We're back with some more tricks to personalize your documents, save time, and get in the zone when you work in Writer. Check out part 1 of this post if you haven't already. Let's dive right in! Document ruler units Imagine you're creating
                                                                                                                • Simplify your tax calculations with Zoho Writer

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Writer Community! Tax season can be stressful, but with Zoho Writer, managing your income tax calculations becomes straightforward and efficient. Here’s an example of how you can use the tables and formulae of Zoho Writer to calculate income
                                                                                                                • Enhance document navigation with headings and TOC

                                                                                                                  Hey Zoho Writer Community! We're back with some useful features in Zoho Writer that can simplify your document creation and navigation process. Let's dive right in! Check out our video on how to make the most of Zoho Writer's heading and table of contents
                                                                                                                • Use and download in PDF format of Zoho wirter Merge template using deluge

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Developers. Here is some information about Zoho Writer. Writer is not just another online word processor, it's a powerful tool for editing, collaboration, and publishing. Even with its wide range of features, Writer's pared-down user interface
                                                                                                                • Customization hacks in Zoho Writer - Part 3

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone, Welcome back to Part 3 of our customization tips in Zoho Writer! In this third installment, we'll be diving into some essential customization settings that can enhance your document creation experience. Sender email address in mail merge
                                                                                                                • Daytime saving timezones messing up writer pdf

                                                                                                                  Hi, I need help for something I can't figure out. I created a Form to collect data and it is set up with my current Daylight Saving Time (GMT-3). This form is used to generate a contract (pdf Writer) with dates from an event that is being held in 4 months
                                                                                                                • Issue with locked content in Writer

                                                                                                                  Hi, I have seen the documentation which outlines how to lock specific content within a Writer document so that it can't be modified by collaborators, but I have come across an issue. When the editor locks a paragraph for example, then a collaborator can't
                                                                                                                • Deprecation of certain URL patterns for published Zoho Writer documents

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho Writer users! We'd like to let you know that we have deprecated certain URL patterns for published and embedded documents in Zoho Writer due to security reasons. If the published or embedded documents are in any of these URL patterns, then their
                                                                                                                • Using Mail Merge Template to Print Documents with One Subform Record's Fields per Document

                                                                                                                  Hello, We have a Mail Merge template created in Zoho Writer which is not able to perform the functionality which is currently required to automate the documentation task portion of our process. The CRM module we are primarily using is based on a "Loans"
                                                                                                                • Problem with Writer and Workdrive

                                                                                                                  Hi team, I’m the super admin for our Zoho One org. WorkDrive is active, and Zoho Docs is deprecated for our org. However, Zoho Writer cannot connect to WorkDrive at all — we’ve cleared cache, tried incognito, and restarted several times. I was able to
                                                                                                                • Set to Review for all

                                                                                                                  We are testing the use of Writer as part of an internal review process for statement of work documents and have found that when the document is changed from Compose to Review by one person, that is not reflected for all others who view the document. Is
                                                                                                                • I’ve noticed that Zoho Sheet currently doesn’t have a feature similar to the QUERY formula in Google Sheets or Power Query in Microsoft Excel.

                                                                                                                  These tools are extremely helpful for: Filtering and extracting data using simple SQL-like queries Combining or transforming data from multiple sheets or tables Creating dynamic reports without using complex formulas Having a Query-like function in Zoho
                                                                                                                • stock

                                                                                                                  bom/bse : stock details or price =STOCK(C14;"price") not showing issue is #N/A! kindly resolve this problem
                                                                                                                • SOME FEATURES ARE NOT IN THE ZOHO SHEET IN COMPARISION TO ZOHO SHEET

                                                                                                                  TO ZOHO sir/maam with due to respect i want to say that i am using ZOHO tool which is spreadsheet i want to say that some features are not there in zoho sheet as comparison to MS EXCEL like advance filter and other Features which should be there in ZOHO
                                                                                                                • Zoho sheet for desktop

                                                                                                                  Hi is zoho sheets available for desktop version for windows
                                                                                                                • Tip #18: 6 Trendlines and when to use them in your spreadsheet data?

                                                                                                                  Charts are a great tool for visualizing and interpreting large chunks of data in spreadsheets. Zoho Sheet offers you 35+ chart options, along with AI-powered chart recommendations based on the data set you select. There are various chart elements that
                                                                                                                • Perform customized calculations with the new LAMBDA functions!

                                                                                                                  We released the LAMBDA function in Zoho Sheet in 2021, enabling customized calculations inside predefined functions. Now, we're extending LAMBDA's capabilities with six new functions. Each of these functions applies LAMBDA to the given input, performs
                                                                                                                • Tip #17: Easily share spreadsheets with non-Zoho account users

                                                                                                                  With efficient, collaboration-friendly options, Zoho Sheet is a popular choice among users. Sheet's external share links help you collaborate more effectively by sharing your spreadsheets with anyone outside your organization, including users who do not
                                                                                                                • Work seamlessly with Sheet's shortcuts without affecting the browser

                                                                                                                  Navigating your worksheets and performing specific actions should be a quick and easy process. That's where keyboard shortcuts come in. Shortcut keys help you accomplish tasks more efficiently, eliminating the need to move away from the keyboard. What
                                                                                                                • Zoho Sheet for iPad: Improved UI, external keyboard support, and more!

                                                                                                                  The portability and capabilities of the iPad have made it an essential device in the business world. With this in mind, we had launched an exclusive Zoho Sheet app for iPad, with device-specific improvements and enhanced usability. Now, we're improving
                                                                                                                • The new Zoho Sheet for Android: Seamless UI and advanced features

                                                                                                                  At Zoho Sheet, we know mobile apps have become the go-to platforms for creating, sharing, and storing information. And we understand the importance of an efficient and seamless app experience. We've been working hard on improving the overall user experience
                                                                                                                • Zia in Zoho Sheet now makes suggestions on conditional formats, picklists, and checkboxes

                                                                                                                  Zia, Zoho's popular AI assistant, has been helping users succeed across Zoho applications since inception. In Zoho Sheet, Zia helps users efficiently build reports and analyze data with recommendations about data cleaning, charts, and pivot table. Also,
                                                                                                                • VBA attached to button no longer works on external shared sheet

                                                                                                                  Hi - we have a Sheet that our clients use, which requires them to press a button once they've entered data. The button then triggers a flow via a webhook. The button works fine when editing within Zoho Sheet - however when shared externally it no longer
                                                                                                                • can I use zoho sheet for survey?

                                                                                                                  Hi I wanna use zoho sheet for my ARY to know consumer better so i wanna have permission to do so
                                                                                                                • How to Avoid Impacting Other Users When Hiding Columns in Zoho Sheet

                                                                                                                  Hi Team, We’re experiencing a challenge with the column-hiding feature on Zoho Sheet during collaborative sessions. When one user hides a column, it becomes hidden for all users working on the file, which disrupts others' workflows. In comparison, Excel
                                                                                                                • What are the benefits of procurement software in a growing business setup?

                                                                                                                  I’ve been exploring tools that can help automate purchasing and vendor-related tasks. I keep hearing about the benefits of procurement software, especially for businesses that are scaling. I want to understand how it helps in streamlining operations,
                                                                                                                • What formula to use in computing total hrs and decimal hrss

                                                                                                                  So , my data includes log im column , 2 breaks with 2 columns that says back and lunch and 1 column that says back and logged out. What formula should i use to be able to automatically have my total hours as I input time in each column? Thankyou
                                                                                                                • Replacing email ID,

                                                                                                                  In zoho sheets If I am sending it as an email attachments can I replace sender email ID from notifications to my email ID.
                                                                                                                • Latest Enhancements and Bug Fixes in Zoho Meeting

                                                                                                                  Hello there, We hope you're doing well. The latest updates from Zoho Meeting include enhancements like adding names for instant meetings, renaming participants, enabling text notifications for participant entry/exit, viewing details of bandwidth optimization,
                                                                                                                • Multi-video feed in webinars, custom domain options, and our integration with MS Outlook

                                                                                                                  Hi there, We hope you're doing well. With your help, we have been able to release many useful features and enhancements in 2020. We, the Zoho Meeting team, would like to thank you all for the feedback, support, and encouragement you've given as we worked
                                                                                                                • Add co-hosts in meetings, manage webinar registration and other enhancements

                                                                                                                  Hello all, This month's updates allow you to add co-hosts while scheduling meetings. You can also control your webinar registrations better by allowing or blocking registrations from the domain or country of your choice. Read on to learn more. Meeting
                                                                                                                • A new UI for distraction-free engagement in online meetings and webinars that scale up for 3000 attendees

                                                                                                                  Hello all, We're excited to share our new, refined UI for online meetings.  Here's how the new UI will improve your experience during online meetings: We've re-designed Zoho Meeting's online meeting UI to enable users to fully engage in conversations
                                                                                                                • I Can't Clone Webinar that I Co-Organize

                                                                                                                  How do i get our account admin to give me permission to clone our webinars? I am a co-organizer
                                                                                                                • Next Page