Overview
Fields are the data attributes on an item. Every item carries a set of built-in system fields, and you can extend items with custom fields defined by your organization. Together, they capture everything you need to track about a piece of work.
Processes control which fields appear on items of a given type, the order they appear in, and whether they are required or optional.
System fields
System fields are built into every item. They cover the core attributes needed for work management, planning, time tracking, and auditing.
Item fields
These fields capture the primary data about a work item.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| Name | Text | The item title or summary |
| Description | Rich text | Detailed description content |
| Priority | List | Work priority level (Low, Medium, High) |
| Severity | List | Impact level (Trivial, Minor, Major, Showstopper) |
| Status | List | Current workflow status (Open, Unassigned, Accepted, Approved, Assigned, In Backlog, In Sprint, In Progress, On Hold, Ready, Pending, Closed, Blocked) |
| Resolution | List | Final outcome (Unresolved, Resolved, Rejected, Ignored, Duplicate) |
| Approved | Toggle | Simple approval capture |
| Points | Integer | Work estimation — more points equals more effort |
| Restricted to | Picker | Which user groups can see certain data |
| Container | Picker | The container the item belongs to |
| Area | Picker | Sub-grouping within the container (supports multi-select) |
| Owned by | Picker | Who reported or owns the item |
| Start date | Date | When work is due to start |
| Due date | Date | When work is due to finish |
| Percent complete | Percent | Completion percentage (0–100%) |
| Work estimate | Time | Estimated effort (days and hours) |
| Cost center | Picker | Cost center for the item |
| CRM | Picker | Linked customer record |
| SKU | Picker | Linked stock unit |
| Job role | Picker | Job role associated with the item |
| Process | Picker | The business process the item follows |
| Resource | Picker | The person currently working on the item |
Board and cycle fields
These fields connect items to the planning system.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| Board | Picker | The board the item is planned on |
| Cycle | Picker | The cycle the item is assigned to |
Clock fields
These fields track SLA clock state for the item.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| Clock start | Date | When the item was placed on the clock |
| Clock finish | Date | When the item should be completed by |
| Clock delta | Integer | Difference in hours between start and finish |
| Clock hours | Integer | Expected duration of the clock in hours |
| Clock status | List | Clock state (Green, Amber, Red) |
Audit fields
These fields are set automatically by the system.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| Sequence | Integer | Item sequence number within its container |
| Create date | Date | When the item was created |
| Created by | Picker | Who created the item |
| Change date | Date | When the item was last modified |
| Changed by | Picker | Who last modified the item |
| Email GUID | Text | Unique ID for items created via email (system-only) |
| Record source | Text | Where the item originated (user, email, API) |
Feature fields
These fields support specific Ekso features.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| Link type | List | Relationship type for linked items (Duplicate, Related) |
| Time type | List | Category of time entry (Internal, Development, QA, R&D, PMO, Sales, Marketing) |
Configuring system list fields
System fields that use the List type (Priority, Severity, Status, Resolution, Clock status) ship with default values, but you can configure them to match your workflow. For each value you can set:
| Property | Description |
|---|
| Active | Toggle a value on or off. Inactive values are hidden from new items but preserved on existing ones. |
| Value | The display name shown to users |
| Image | An icon or visual indicator for the value |
| Metadata | Optional metadata string for integrations or reporting |
| Default value | Which value is pre-selected when a new item is created |
Retire obsolete list values by toggling them inactive rather than deleting and re-creating them. This preserves referential integrity on existing items. Inactive values that are no longer in use on any item are deleted automatically.
Default field values
System list fields ship with default values that cover common workflows. Admins can add, rename, or remove values to match their organization’s needs.
Priority
Default: Medium
| Value | Icon |
|---|
| Low | Priority 3 |
| Medium | Priority 2 |
| High | Priority 1 |
Severity
Default: Minor
| Value | Icon |
|---|
| Trivial | Signal Fair |
| Minor | Signal Good |
| Major | Signal Strong |
| Showstopper | Signal Best |
Status
Default: Unassigned
Statuses are grouped into workflow phases that determine how items behave in boards, cycles, and reports.
| Value | Workflow phase |
|---|
| Open | Open |
| Unassigned | Open |
| Accepted | Open |
| Approved | Open |
| In Backlog | Open |
| In Sprint | Open |
| Ready | Open |
| Pending | Open |
| Assigned | Working |
| In Progress | Working |
| On Hold | Working |
| Closed | Closed |
| Blocked | Blocked |
Resolution
Default: Resolved
| Value |
|---|
| Unresolved |
| Resolved |
| Rejected |
| Ignored |
| Duplicate |
Link types
Default: Related
Billable time types
| Value |
|---|
| Internal |
| Development |
| QA |
| R&D |
| PMO |
| Sales |
| Marketing |
All list field values are fully editable. Add values that match your workflow, retire values you do not use, and set the default to the value your team selects most often.
Custom field types
Beyond system fields, you can create custom fields to capture data specific to your organization. Ekso supports nine custom field types:
| Type | What it stores | Example use |
|---|
| Text | Free-form text | Customer reference, external ID |
| Integer | Whole numbers | Story points, item count |
| Decimal | Numbers with fractional precision | Cost estimate, hourly rate |
| Percent | Percentage values | Completion percentage, discount |
| Date | Calendar dates | Target date, review date |
| Time | Duration values | Estimated hours, time spent |
| Toggle | On/off boolean | Requires approval, is external |
| List | Single selection from predefined values | Environment, category, region |
| Picker | Lookup reference to related data | Related user, container, cost center |
Custom field properties
When you create a custom field, you configure the following properties:
| Property | Description |
|---|
| Field | The unique field name. Reserved field names (used by system fields) are not allowed. |
| Prompt | Maps to a localization string in language files — this is the label users see. |
| Type | The data collection method (one of the nine types above). Set at creation and cannot be changed. |
| Notes | A description or help text for the field. |
| Content type | How the input is rendered (e.g., plain text, rich text). Applies to text fields. |
| Maximum length | Character limit for text input. Set to zero for no limit. |
| Default value | The value pre-filled when a new item is created. |
How processes use fields
A process determines which fields appear on items of that type, their display order, and whether each field is required or optional. The same field can behave differently across processes — required in one, optional in another, or absent entirely.
Some fields are always present on every process and cannot be removed: the audit fields (CreateDate, ChangeDate, CreateBy, ChangeBy, RecordSource, EmailGuid) plus Name and Status. All other fields can be added, removed, reordered, and marked as required through the process Field tab.
To change which fields appear on an item type, update the process configuration under Settings > Process > Field. Processes are the single place that controls field visibility and requirements.
