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

                                                                                                                • Unwrapping the best practices for the Zoho Desk mobile app: Part 1

                                                                                                                  In focus: Empowering the field and frontline customer support representatives Imagine having to carry your computer everywhere to respond to customers, handle escalations, and update your process. This series presents you with efficient tips to handle
                                                                                                                • dealing with post dated cheques

                                                                                                                  Hi, can you help me please the best way to deal with this We sell an item of three months duration that is paid for with post dated cheques in monthly stages example - item is sold £3000 Cheque 1 is for £1000 due at time of sale (say Sept) cheque 2 is dated 25th of next month (Oct) cheque 3 is dated 25th of next month +1 (Nov) Now, with invoice number one it's simple - i send a standard invoice as usual But with the other two here's what i want zoho to do next month i want it to send an invoice on
                                                                                                                • Is there a way to sell in a practical method multiple subscriptions of the same product? i.e. domain names

                                                                                                                  In evaluating Zoho Billing, a hurdle to adopting it is that Zoho Billing does not seem designed to support businesses that sell multiple subscriptions of the same product. In our case, we need to sell and manage several domain names per client. Am I right
                                                                                                                • Bug Report: "Name A-Z" sorting fails when Note titles start with an Emoji

                                                                                                                  Hello, I recently migrated from Evernote (~2600 notes across 23 notebooks). I use emojis at the start of my note titles for visual organization. The Issue: When I set the view to Sort by: Name (A to Z), the sorting logic breaks for any note starting with
                                                                                                                • Copy & Paste not working

                                                                                                                  I could create and save 10 new documents but when I go to copy and paste content (just text) into them, only 1 of 10 would save the content. It would appear to save the content but when I go back into the documents, they are empty.
                                                                                                                • Currency for Petty Cash

                                                                                                                  Currencies for Petty Cash should be available
                                                                                                                • editing/applying online payments

                                                                                                                  We have customers who pay part or all of an invoice and then cancel their service and want the payment as a credit to future work. It would be ideal if we could make it an excess payment and then void the invoice. I can't make it an excess payment because
                                                                                                                • Contacts per department

                                                                                                                  Hello, Is it possible to limit Contacts to a Department? Thanks
                                                                                                                • This site can’t be reached mail.zoho.com took too long to respond

                                                                                                                  In my office at any system, we couldnt able to login zoho email. it shows " This site can’t be reached mail.zoho.com took too long to respond". please fix it soon.
                                                                                                                • Can send email from zoho mail, but can't receive any.

                                                                                                                  Hi, My domain is sattvameditationresort.com. I've updated MX records with those of Zoho. But i can't send any mails to this email id from gmail. I have checked the MX status with MXTOOLS, its showing the correct entry either. The error is as shown below:
                                                                                                                • My domain did not activate

                                                                                                                  Hi, my domain (apsaindustrial.com.ar) did not activate, and the phone verification message never arrived. Please would you solve this problem? Thanks.
                                                                                                                • Host not found?

                                                                                                                  Howdy! So i'm trying to add my custom domain for with the mail server. I have 100% control of my DNS and have tried every single option (TXT, CNAME, and even HTML) multiple times, ensuring i did it properly, to no luck. I get the same error message every
                                                                                                                • Auto End Chats After Customer Inactivity

                                                                                                                  Hello Everyone, I may be missing something, but is there a way to auto-end chats when a customer has been inactive for an amount of time? I have several operators (we use a shared set of account with schedules for people... that's another story) but at
                                                                                                                • Report on opportunities showing only the last note added.

                                                                                                                  Hi I need to create a report that shows the most recent note added to each opportunity. This is so management can see what the latest update is according to the assigned salesperson. One workaround is to use the status field but this implies added manual work and mistakes as the salesperson would have to copy the existing status to a note before adding the latest status... otherwise the activity history would be lost. My current workaround is a report on Notes with Opportunities as the related module.
                                                                                                                • Please add Zelle as an online payment option

                                                                                                                  Hello, I would like to request Zelle be added to the online payment service providers for Zoho Invoice. Considering how ubiquitous Zelle has become as a way to pay people via the major banking institutions, I feel like many freelancers would benefit from
                                                                                                                • Getting Project Template List using the REST API

                                                                                                                  I am trying to confirm that I can use the REST API to create a project using a project template. The API documentation indicates this is possible by providing the Template ID, but it is not clear at all how to get a list of available Project Templates
                                                                                                                • How to display the CONTACT ID in the Contact page

                                                                                                                  Hi, I've seen this conversation below and it is exactly the same question I'm raising now, but unfortunately the last message is not solved https://help.zoho.com/portal/community/topic/show-contact-id-while-editing-contact-form I need to show the ContactId and I don't know how to do this. The last message included in the conversaton shows the way but not it is not completed. "I am sorry by default we do not have the option to show the record ID for the contacts in the field in a record. When you
                                                                                                                • How to change margins in templates

                                                                                                                  Hi, I'm new to Zoho Campaigns, and am trying to figure out how to adjust the margins within an email template.  The default margins make the text go all the way to the edges of the page.  Please advise.
                                                                                                                • Create Canvas list view templates from images powered by Zia

                                                                                                                  Currently available for all paid editions of Zoho CRM in the US, EU, IN, JP & CN DCs. Designing a personalized CRM interface just got even easier. In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, AI is transforming the way we work by automating complex tasks
                                                                                                                • Painfully Slow Zoho mail

                                                                                                                  Since yesterday Zoho Mail seems to have starting functioning very slowly and having a few bugs. It's slow to open mails, slow to send, slow to change between email accounts. Sometimes clicking on a particular folder (eg Sent folder) stops working and
                                                                                                                • "Wrong password or login" Problem to configure Zoho on MAIL App on my Macbook

                                                                                                                  Hi, I'm having problems to configure my e-mail on my MAIL App(Macbook pro). My e-mail is hari@trespontoum.net Actually was working perfectly, and still working on my Iphone. My MAIL App prompt me that my login or password is wrong. I tried to change 3
                                                                                                                • "User already exist in your org"

                                                                                                                  Hello, I've just read a discussion about this issue, which didn't solve my problem. I'm trying to add the following emails: sales@kiss-my-boutique.co.uk returns@kiss-my-boutique.co.uk orders@kiss-my-boutique.co.uk I'm getting an error message each time I try and add them. None of them are primary or secondary emails and none of them have been created as users before. I know this as when I try and login and do 'forgot my password' all I get is an error message saying 'user invalid'. Please advise.
                                                                                                                • Operation Not Permitted

                                                                                                                  Hi, I have problem in adding user after verifying the domain but it seems like error appeared which is "operation not permitted". For your information, I had delete other domain before did it.
                                                                                                                • Email forwarding setup fails

                                                                                                                  I'm trying to set up email forwarding from my Zoho email to my gmail address. I followed the directions to set up email forwarding here: https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/email-forwarding.html. I did only steps 1-6. After doing this, rather than setting
                                                                                                                • Shopify store email issues- Not getting emails

                                                                                                                  Hi We have migrated from Microsoft outlook to Zoho back in March, we have a shopify store, the domain is hosted on namesilo, not shopify, I have seen some people here complaining about not getting emails from customers who fill out the contact form on
                                                                                                                • Invoice Discount Account

                                                                                                                  Is there a way to change the account used for Discounts applied to an invoice? The current Discount account (ZB native account) type is an "Income" type. I would like to change it to "Other Income", but that is not possible, I am assuming because it contains
                                                                                                                • Need Inactive accounts to be visible in Reports in Zoho Books

                                                                                                                  I N=need Inactive accounts to be visible in Reports in Zoho Books to do recons of the accounts but when i see the same they are not visible in the Accountant - Account Transactions report
                                                                                                                • javax.mail.authenticationfailedexception 535 authentication failed

                                                                                                                  Hi, I am facing 535 authentication failed error when trying to send email from zoho desktop as well as in webmail. Can you suggest to fix this issue,. Regards, Rekha
                                                                                                                • Phantom Opening Balance

                                                                                                                  While experimenting w/ creating a composite item, Zoho added funds to Petty Cash and added Bank Account equal to previous day's balance. I'm unable to undo the adding of funds. Attaching screenshots of both bank account and petty cash transactions.
                                                                                                                • Importing customer comments and multiple shipto addresses

                                                                                                                  I am evaluating Zoho Books and have most of my data imported with two exceptions: (1) Import customer comments - in my current system I have several comments of different types, and I need to bring these into Zoho. Preferably Books customer records, but
                                                                                                                • Detailed Account Reports - Add Running Balance

                                                                                                                  When one clicks into an account from a report (say P/L or Balance Sheet), the default reports have the Debit, Credit, and then the Amount. The Amount column (last one) is duplicate information. It would be far better and fit more peoples' use cases if
                                                                                                                • How to Billed from two different GST Numbers

                                                                                                                  How to Billed from two different GST Numbers. Suppose ABC & Co had GST registration in Delhi and Haryana and Zoho account is created with Delhi GST Registration number. Now i also want to issue invoice from Haryana GST Registration number. How can i proceed ?
                                                                                                                • Zoho IP blocked by SpamHaus

                                                                                                                  ERROR CODE :550 - 5.7.0 Your server IP address is in the SpamHaus SBL-XBL database, bye
                                                                                                                • IMAP Communication Problems - IMAP Down Again

                                                                                                                  We are experiencing the same problems over the last week or so that were supposedly 'solved' according to this thread. Zoho Imap Down Again This is affecting attempts to use IMAP on multiple ISPs and users so is definitely narrowed down to Zoho problems.
                                                                                                                • Make the Flexible User Pricing actually flexible - allow bundled apps to be licensed individually

                                                                                                                  The 'Flexible User Pricing' is not flexible! Please make it flexible. Allow bundled apps to be licensed individually. Although Zoho One offers nearly all Zoho apps, one has to choose which apps to include in the bundle when joining Zoho One. Any included app is forced into Zoho One licensing. The unfortunate implication of this is that one cannot add an individual app user license for any of the bundled apps. If you try to add a user in any bundled app, it will redirect you to Zoho One licensing
                                                                                                                • Can't login to Zoho mail

                                                                                                                  I'm logged into Zoho but when I try to go in zoho mail I get: Invalid request! The input passed is invalid or the URL is invoked without valid parameters. Please check your input and try again. I just set up my mx records and stuff with namecheap a few
                                                                                                                • Hotmail is STILL blocking the zoho mail IP

                                                                                                                  Greetings, as I already mentioned in my last message, my Zoho IP has been blocked by Hotmail for more than 15 days. Although someone said that the issue was "solved," it still isn't, and this amount of time seems neither normal for a "serious" company,
                                                                                                                • Keyboard shortcut M key

                                                                                                                  I'm trying to customize my keyboard shortcuts and assign the "m" key. But it says the key is already assigned. I've looked through all my shortcuts and can't see any assigned "m". When I select an email and press the M key, nothing happens. What is the
                                                                                                                • Manage customer access across multi-brand help centers

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! Managing customer's access across multiple brands has been streamlined with the ability to invite, reinvite, approve, reject, and deactivate contacts individually for each help center brand . This enhancement gives administrators precise
                                                                                                                • White Label certificate

                                                                                                                  Hi all, About 72 hours ago, we fulfilled all steps for white labeling (CNAME to point to mail.cs.zohohost.eu), but since then the configuration page is now stuck at "generating certificate" since 3 days. When I execute an NSLOOKUP mail.webfoundry.be it
                                                                                                                • Next Page