Spotlight #2 - Part 1: 5 Custom Features you shouldn't miss in Zoho Sprints

Spotlight #2 - Part 1: 5 Custom Features you shouldn't miss in Zoho Sprints

Welcome back to our next spotlight on ' Customization'.

The product's reach is determined by how well it is customized for the end user. When customization is the key element in a product's growth, a scrum project requires tailor-made features to deliver outcomes in iterations effectively. Here is the list of five custom features that will be covered in part 1 of this spotlight. 

Let's see how these custom features in Zoho Sprints can help Helen solve her business problems. 

 

Business background

Helen is the 'Technical Lead' of a software sector 'Yards'. Her team is developing a new e-shopping website. They handle work across different teams and as the work items pile up they require an organized way of handling things. Let's see how the custom features can help the team. 

Work Item Type and Priority

Case
Solution
Helen wants to add all the requirements in specific types. Instead of using the default work item types (Story, Task, and Bug), she can customize the types.       

Helen can use  CUSTOM WORK ITEM TYPE   and add new work items type. She can create all the categories in her website as the work item types: 

  • Electronics - Requirements related to gadgets are added to this type.  
  • Fashion  - Requirements related to men and women clothing are added to this type.  
  • Decors  - Requirements related to home decors are added to this type.   


This works similar for priority. She can access CUSTOM PRIORITY  and set new priorities for her team.  

Custom Layouts and Fields

Case
Solution
The default work item form has general fields for work items across domains. However, Helen would like to specify specific fields related to every department of her team. For example, she likes to have a specific layout for clothing related work items, shipping etc.  

Helen can create CUSTOM LAYOUTS and FIELDS  for every department. These layouts can be associated with specific projects and the work becomes organized.    

  • Shipping Layout - It has all the work item fields right from customer ordering the material to the shipping team working on the delivery.   

  • Decoration Layout - It has the custom fields related to user requests for interior and exterior decors.   

  • Textiles Layout - All the clothing related work items across categories (Men, Women, and Kids) are included in this layout.  

Each of these layouts are associated with the relevant projects and the work is made easy for Helen. 

Project Templates

Case
Solution  
Helen and her team have enrolled in a new project that is similar to the current project they are working on. They have a similar request from the customers for creating a new category for  'KIDS - CLOTHING '. How can they recreate all the items and sprints? 
The new project will have sections and layouts similar to the existing project.

  • Helen can create a TEMPLATE by importing all the work items and sprints. She can now associate it to the KIDS - CLOTHING project. This will break the hurdle of recreating the same set of work items multiple times. 
 

Custom Status on Scrum Board 

Case  
Solution  
Since, Helen handles work across different teams, she can track a clear progress of each stage in the sprint. Working with default three statuses: To do, In progress, and Done will work for projects with small goals. However, Helen works for deliverables across different domains. For example, she has to categorize the progress of the work items based on the users purchase order.   

Helen's constraint is resolved by creating  CUSTOM STATUS . She can create different statuses that are specific to her departments. This can help her in managing deliverables in an organized way across sprints. Every stage is added as a status. For instance, the initial work will be added to To Do and later moved on to any of the following status: 

  • Orders Placed 
  • Items packed in Dispatch warehouse 
  • Shipped  
  • Orders delivered 
  • Orders returned 
  • Redelivery  

Work Item Linking

Case   
Solution   
Helen has got a bulk order for 'Denim Jeans' and this work item is passed on to the warehouse team. Unfortunately, they found a bug in the delivered materials. Now, the warehouse team has to order a new box of materials from the company. The team calls Helen and asks the shipping team to hold back the order. How can she handle this situation?
The customer's order is now dependent on the issue. Only when the issue is resolved the team can ship the product. Helen can now use the WORK ITEM LINKING  feature and link work item with the issue.   
  • Work item A - Customer Order - Denim Jeans   
  • Work Item B - Bug in the material 
  • Work Item C - Redispatch materials to the company and place an order for the new box  
  • Work Item D - Ship the new material to the customers  

Helen can now set the  ‘Depends on’  link type for Item A and select all the depending items (B, C, and D).   


A detailed walk-through on linking work items is published in our previous spotlight. Read more .      

That's how customization helps Helen and her team to organize and manage their project requirements. In the second part, we will discuss the next five custom features and how Helen uses them to manage her team.

PS: If you got any queries comment here or contact support@zohosprints.com  
  
Happy customizing!   

    Access your files securely from anywhere








                            Zoho Developer Community



                                Bootcamp
                                Community
                                Pricing
                                Webinars
                                What's New
                                Integrations
                                Contact Support
                                Contact Sales
                                  Zoho Survey Resources
                                    Features
                                    Survey Templates
                                    Integrations
                                    Community
                                    iOS Mobile Surveys
                                    Pricing
                                    Android Mobile Surveys
                                    Insurvey Blogs
                                    Insight Blogs
                                    Tips & Tricks





                                                Latest Feature Updates

                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                  • Ask the Experts




                                                      Zoho SalesIQ Resources

                                                            • Sticky Posts

                                                            • Ask the experts - Live Q and A on the latest releases from Jan-Apr 2019

                                                              Hello all,   We are excited to kick-start the 'Ask the experts' community series for Zoho Sprints. This series is user-centric and we will focus more on the latest releases and queries that are frequently discussed in our customer support tickets. The first version will cover all the features released in the first quarter of 2019.    What's in the first half?   The first half of this year has been successful with some feature releases and enhancements. Take a look at the list below: Custom layouts

                                                            • Focus Group #1 - Epics in Zoho Sprints

                                                              Hello, everyone! As a part of our community learning series, we kick-start "Focus Groups" where you'll get a chance to have a look at a feature that's in its beta phase. "Epic" has been one of the most requested features of late. So, our first focus is on epics.  Our engineering team has developed a module for Epic in Zoho Sprints and the feature is in its testing phase now. We've planned to show a small demo to the folks who register with us through this post. You can also evaluate this feature


                                                            Manage your brands on social media
                                                            Access Zoho Social

                                                              Zoho Pagesense Resources


                                                                  Zoho TeamInbox Resources

                                                                    Zoho DataPrep 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

                                                                                                              • Formula working in MS Excel , is not working in Zoho Sheets, Filter fuction which is working in MS sheets per the attached workbook / Daily update.

                                                                                                                Filter function , which is working in MS Excel is not working in Zoho sheets. Please help on function of filter of particular class sheets and extract students name who has more than 3.5 hours of study hours on particular day depending on date in D7 cell.

                                                                                                              • New in Smart Prompt: Record Assistant for contextual assistance, and support for new AI models

                                                                                                                Smart Prompt helps teams stay informed and move faster by providing relevant suggestions where work happens in CRM. With this update, Smart Prompt becomes more adaptable to your organization’s AI preferences. You can now choose which Large Language Model

                                                                                                              • Improved Integration Failure Information (And Notification Options)

                                                                                                                Hi, When an attachment service for example fails, you just get "Field x - Error", I can check the field it is failing on and find nothing wrong, same file size, type, dimensions, etc. so more information as to the actual issue would be helpful. And an

                                                                                                              • Create static subforms in Zoho CRM: streamline data entry with pre-defined values

                                                                                                                Last modified on (9 July, 2025): This feature was available in early access and is currently being rolled out to customers in phases. Currently available for users in the the AU, CA, and SA DCs. It will be enabled for the remaining DCs in the next couple

                                                                                                              • Change User Role in a Form

                                                                                                                Hi, When in a form, it would be good (And consistent) to be able to change the user role/permission like you can with Shared Reports, All Entries or the actual User itself, rather than having to delete the users permission and then add it back again with

                                                                                                              • Reassign Partially Saved Entries

                                                                                                                Hi, I would like to be able to go to Partially Saved Entries and like the option to delete them I would like the option to multi-select and be able to reassign them to another user to complete (Such as when a user has left the company). Thanks Dan

                                                                                                              • Increase the "Maximum Saved Entries per User" Options Limit

                                                                                                                Hi, You can create lots of saved entries, yet the Limit when you apply one is 25, we may often expect 32 to be in draft, and therefore want to enforce that, can we increase the limit of this field from 25 to 100 (As you can just turn it off and have more

                                                                                                              • Dynamic Field Folders in OneDrive

                                                                                                                Hi, With the 2 options today we have either a Dynamic Parent Folder and lots of attachments all in that one folder with only the ability to set the file name (Which is also not incremented so if I upload 5 photos to one field they are all named the same

                                                                                                              • Product Updates in Zoho Workplace applications | December 2025

                                                                                                                Hello Workplace Community, Let’s take a look at the new features and enhancements that went live across all Workplace applications this December. Zoho Mail Block emails without notifying the sender Block emails without sending a rejection notification

                                                                                                              • Zoho CRM for Gmail Extension Not Working in Brave Browser?

                                                                                                                Is anyone able to get the Zoho CRM Chrome Extension working in the Brave browser? They're both built on the Chromium platform and every other Chrome Extension works with the exception of Zoho CRM for Gmail so any ideas here?

                                                                                                              • Set Frozen Cells in the Report Settings

                                                                                                                Hi, It would be nice to be able to set the frozen cells in the report Settings, and have an option if this is fixed or can be changed after loading (On the next load it still goes back to the Settings). Thanks Dan

                                                                                                              • Microsoft Teams now available as an online meeting provider

                                                                                                                Hello everyone, We're pleased to announce that Zoho CRM now supports Microsoft Teams as an online meeting provider—alongside the other providers already available. Admins can enable Microsoft Teams directly from the Preferences tab under the Meetings

                                                                                                              • Tip of the week #26: Import/ Export calendars in Zoho Calendar.

                                                                                                                Any calendar on the web or calendars that you create in any other calendar application can be imported in to Zoho Calendar. This will help you to add the events from the calendars that you import to your Zoho Calendar. You also have the option to export

                                                                                                              • Add Zoho Forms to Zoho CRM Plus bundle

                                                                                                                Great Zoho apps like CRM and Desk have very limited form builders when it comes to form and field rules, design, integration and deployment options. Many of my clients who use Zoho CRM Plus often hit limitations with the built in forms in CRM or Desk and are then disappointed to hear that they have to additionally pay for Zoho Forms to get all these great forms functionalities. Please consider adding Zoho Forms in the Zoho CRM Plus bundle. Best regards, Mladen Svraka Zoho Certified Consultant and

                                                                                                              • Blocklist candidates in Zoho Recruit

                                                                                                                We’re introducing Block Candidate, which helps recruiters to permanently restrict a candidate from applying to current/future job openings. Once the candidate is blocked, they will no longer be able to participate in the recruitment process. This will

                                                                                                              • What is the safest way to convert OST to PST files?

                                                                                                                The safest way to convert OST to PST files is by using a reliable and professional OST to PST Converter tool. Manual methods often risk data loss, corruption, or dependency on Exchange Server connectivity. A trusted converter Aryson OST to PST Converter

                                                                                                              • Zoho CRM for Everyone's NextGen UI Gets an Upgrade

                                                                                                                Hello Everyone We've made improvements to Zoho CRM for Everyone's Nextgen UI. These changes are the result of valuable feedback from you where we’ve focused on improving usability, providing wider screen space, and making navigation smoother so everything

                                                                                                              • Social icons, open in new tab?

                                                                                                                Hello, I have two social icons on my footer, Facebook and Psychology Today. Clicking on the Facebook icon opens a new tab, the Psychology Today icon does not. I would like them both to open a new tab. Am I missing a setting somewhere?

                                                                                                              • Introducing Connected Records to bring business context to every aspect of your work in Zoho CRM for Everyone

                                                                                                                Hello Everyone, We are excited to unveil phase one of a powerful enhancement to CRM for Everyone - Connected Records, available only in CRM's Nextgen UI. With CRM for Everyone, businesses can onboard all customer-facing teams onto the CRM platform to

                                                                                                              • Real-Time Screen Annotation During Zoho Cliq Screen Sharing

                                                                                                                Hi Zoho Support Team, Hope you're doing well. We’d like to request the addition of real-time screen annotation tools during screen sharing sessions in Zoho Cliq video calls. 🔍 What We're Looking For: The ability for the presenter—and optionally, other

                                                                                                              • encountering an error when attempting to associate an email with a Deal using the Zoho CRM extension in Zoho Mail.

                                                                                                                When I click "Yes, associate," the system displays an "Oops!! Something went wrong" error message. I have attached a screenshot of the issue for reference.

                                                                                                              • Autofill address using smart fields mapped over the pdf document

                                                                                                                Hi, I'm using mail merge to map smart fields onto PDF documents I plan to distribute for signing. I already have a Zoho Sign subscription. When mapping smart fields from the Employee form, I only see the permanent and current addresses which include the

                                                                                                              • Live Chat for user

                                                                                                                Hi everyone, I’m new to Zoho Creator and wanted to ask if it’s possible to add a live chat option for all logged-in portal users so they can chat internally. I’m trying to create a customer portal similar to a service desk, but for vehicle breakdowns,

                                                                                                              • How do I cap employee leave accrual

                                                                                                                HI there, How do I cap an employee's leave accrual? The policy is that you accrue 15 days leave annually (1.25 days a month) and once you reach 15 days, you wont accrue more until you take leave. Thank you!

                                                                                                              • Open sub form from a button as a popup form

                                                                                                                Is there a way within a form to use similar code as below to show a button in the form when clicked opens the subform for data to be added to the record being viewed in the form OpenUrl("#Form:<Customer_Delivery_Address>?<Delivery_Address>=" + input.ID,"popup

                                                                                                              • Dont have backup option in setting

                                                                                                                Hi guys. I started using zoho book a week ago. I bought premium package yet I don't have backup option in setting. I hope anyone can help me find a solution. Thanks in advance

                                                                                                              • Making Tags Mandatory

                                                                                                                When creating an expense, is it possible to make the Tags field mandatory?  I see the option in settings to make other fields mandatory, like Merchant, Description, Customer, etc, but nothing about Tags. Thanks! Kevin

                                                                                                              • Is there a plan to integrate zoho voice with zoho books?

                                                                                                                Hello, Is there a plan to integrate zoho voice with zoho books? Right now we are using the Twilio SMS integration into zoho books, but have recently decided to switch to zoho voice for calls and sms. Is there a plan to integrate zoho voice natively into

                                                                                                              • Pass variables to Zoho Desk via URL to create a fast new ticket landing page

                                                                                                                We are integrating our phone system into Zoho Desk. Currently when a helpdesk agent answers the phone, a soft client opens a new tab with zoho desk at the new case page. https://desk.zoho.com/support/companyname/ShowHomePage.do#Cases/new We would like

                                                                                                              • Zoho Books Extension: What Happens If Custom Fields Already Exist?

                                                                                                                When developing Zoho Books extensions, what happens if the target Zoho Books organization already has a custom field with the same API name as one defined in the extension? I’m asking because we originally created an on-Books version of this functionality,

                                                                                                              • Modular Permission Levels

                                                                                                                We need more modular Permissions per module in Books we have 2 use cases that are creating problems We need per module export permission we have a use case where users should be able to view the sales orders but not export it, but they can export other

                                                                                                              • ¡Vuelven los Workshops Certificados de Zoho a España!

                                                                                                                ¡Hola usuarios de Español Zoho Community! Hace ya unos días que hemos dado la bienvenida al 2026, y promete ser un año de lo más emocionante. Y es que nos gustaría haceros nuestro particular regalo de Reyes, aunque lleguemos un poco tarde. 🎁 ¡Nos gustaría

                                                                                                              • Free Webinar on 21 January: Looking back at Zoho Mail in 2025

                                                                                                                Hello Zoho Community! Curious about how Zoho Mail evolved in 2025? Wondering how these updates can make your everyday email work simpler? We’ve got a session you won’t want to miss. In our Zoho Mail 2025 recap webinar, we’ll walk you through the key features

                                                                                                              • Cliq Networks users can see all other network users contact information

                                                                                                                Is there a way to hide user contact information from each user in networks? I would only like the users to see the admin's contact information, not other users. Network users information shared by default

                                                                                                              • Zoho Sheet - Printing - Page Breaks and Printing Customization

                                                                                                                I think the title is descriptive enough in that I cannot find help documentation on a simple task of adding in page brakes for separating pages on print. Thanks

                                                                                                              • Missing the "Find & Merge Duplicates" choice

                                                                                                                Hi, I am missing the "Find & Merge Duplicates" choice. I looked under the "More Actions" menu in Contacts, Accounts, Vendors, and Leads and it is not there. I have full permissions. Please assist me on finding this feature. Thanks!

                                                                                                              • OAuth integration issues

                                                                                                                I'm experiencing persistent OAuth errors when trying to connect Make with Zoho API. I've tried multiple approaches but keep encountering the following issues: First error: 'Invalid Redirect Uri - Redirect URI passed does not match with the one configured'

                                                                                                              • Marketing Tip #16: Ideal sizes and formats for adding images to your online store

                                                                                                                Images can make (or break) your storefront experience. When your banners and product photos follow the right sizes and aspect ratios, your store looks cleaner, loads faster, and feels more trustworthy—especially on mobile. Here are recommended image sizes

                                                                                                              • Improve WhatsApp Module in Zoho CRM

                                                                                                                The current WhatsApp module UI in Zoho CRM feels cluttered and complex, especially when handling high volumes of conversations. It would be great to enhance the WhatsApp module UI/UX by adopting a clean and simplified interface similar to Bigin CRM’s

                                                                                                              • Blueprint transitions on locked records

                                                                                                                We use the ability to automatically lock records (quotes, sales orders, etc.) based on criteria, such as stage. For instance, if a quote has been sent to a client, the quote is then locked for further edits. Our ideal quote stage process is: Draft>Sent>Won.

                                                                                                              • Next Page