System fields are the built-in planning fields that every Craft.io workspace or portfolio includes from the start. They provide the core data points your team uses to plan, prioritize, and track work - status, assignee, importance, dates, dependencies, and time-based planning fields like quarter and sprint.
Unlike custom fields, system fields are permanent, and are not created or deleted. What workspace admins control is which ones appear in the item panel and whether any of them are required before an item can be closed.
Each portfolio also has its own set of system fields, managed separately in Portfolio Settings > System Fields.
Accessing your field settings
To access field settings:
Access your Workspace settings (click the cog in the top right hand side of your workspace). Note, only Workspace Admins will have access to this.
Select system fields in the left hand navigation
Workspace system fields
Every workspace includes the following system fields by default:
Core fields
Title - the item name. Always visible and always required.
Description - a long-form text field for detail, context, and spec content.
Status - the item's current workflow stage. Status values are configured per workspace under Workflow and Statuses.
Assignee - the team member or team responsible for the item.
Importance - the item's priority level. To customize importance options (add, rename, or remove values), add Importance as a column in any table view and click the column header.
Dates - the start and end date for the item.
Dependencies - tracks which items this item blocks or is blocked by.
Initiative - connects the item to its parent initiative in the portfolio
Persona - assigns the item to a customer persona
Story points - a numeric field for effort estimation in story point units
Estimated time - a numeric field for estimated hours or days
Note: Story points and Estimated time are separate from the Value/Effort/Kano prioritization fields. They appear in the item panel by default (blue checkmark in the screenshot), whereas Value, Effort, and Kano are hidden from the item panel by default.
Time-based planning fields
Quarter - assigns the item to a planning quarter. Quarter values are created and managed within each workspace.
Sprint - assigns the item to a sprint. Sprint values are created and managed within each workspace.
Quarter and Sprint are the default time-cadence fields. Teams adopting a Timeframe custom field can hide Quarter and Sprint entirely once the transition is complete.
Prioritization fields
Value - an estimate of customer or business value.
Effort - an estimate of the work required to deliver the item.
Kano - classifies the item using the Kano satisfaction model
OKR connection
Objectives and Key Results - links the item to one or more OKRs, enabling progress rollup from work items to strategic goals.
When a dev tool is connected (Jira, Azure DevOps, or Linear), integration-specific fields appear alongside your workspace system fields. These include fields like Dev Status, Dev Status Category, and Jira Component. You manage their visibility in the same place as other system fields.
Editing system field values
Some system fields can be edited directly from the System Fields settings page. A pencil icon next to the field name indicates that its values or options can be configured. Fields with this option include:
Status - opens the workflow status editor where you can add, rename, reorder, or remove status values
Importance - add, rename, or remove importance levels to match your team's language
Assignee - edit team configurations
Persona - add or rename persona values
Fields without a pencil icon are fixed - their labels and values cannot be changed from within system field settings.
Managing system fields
To manage system fields, go to Workspace Settings and select System Fields. Each field has up to three controls:
Visible on workspace - controls whether the field is available across workspace views, including as a column, group-by option, sort, or filter. Turning this off removes the field from all view controls across the workspace.
Visible in item panel - controls whether the field appears in the item panel. Turning this off removes the field from the item panel and from view controls including Group By, Sort By, and Filter. The field's existing data is not deleted.
Required field - makes the field required. If a team member tries to close an item without filling in a required field, it will prompt them to complete it before continuing (this is optional, not enforced).
Title and Status are always visible and always required in the item panel. Their toggles are not editable.
Note: Only workspace admins can change system field settings. Non-admin members can view the settings page in read-only mode.
Hiding Quarter and Sprint
Quarter and Sprint can be hidden from all views, panels, and controls across the workspace. This is useful when your team has fully moved to a Timeframe custom field and no longer uses the built-in cadence fields.
When hidden, Quarter and Sprint are removed from grouping, sorting, filtering, and the item panel. The underlying data is preserved and can be recovered by toggling visibility back on.
What comes next?
Custom field management - create and configure the fields your team needs beyond the built-in defaults
Custom field categories - organize your system and custom fields into categories in the item panel
Required fields - set up mandatory fields to enforce data quality across your backlog
Timeframe custom field - replace Quarter and Sprint with a more flexible, portfolio-governed planning cadence
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