Project teams need flexibility to organize their work in a way that suits their needs. Sometimes, this means grouping work packages by topics such as customer requests, security issues, or specific initiatives. In OpenProject, teams can use custom fields for additional classifications, but these need to be configured by a global administrator.
With the upcoming release of OpenProject 18.0, we are introducing a simpler way for project members to organize their work independently: labels for work packages.
Labels work like tags and can be created and assigned directly by anyone with permission to edit work packages. They allow teams to introduce new classifications whenever they need them, without changing their existing project structure or requesting additional configuration from an administrator. In this article, we’ll give you a first look at how labels will work in OpenProject.
Importante
Please note that most of the features described in this article are currently still in development. The screenshots show preliminary designs, and the final implementation may differ from what is presented here.
Create labels directly in your work packages
Imagine a software development team receiving customer requests related to different parts of its product. Some requests concern accessibility, others relate to performance or security. The team wants to identify these topics across its work packages, but doesn’t necessarily need a separate custom field for each one. With labels, team members will be able to add tags such as Customer request, Accessibility, or Security directly to the relevant work packages.
Nota
We’re also happy to share that labels will be available in the free Community edition of OpenProject, giving all project teams more flexibility to organize their work independently.
The new Labels will be active by default in all work package types and available in the work package details. Users who have the right to edit a work package will be able to select existing labels or create new ones simply by typing a name. They can also assign multiple labels to the same work package, making it easy to categorize work by different topics without changing its type, status, or other existing attributes.
Preview of the new Labels field in OpenProject 18.0. Project members will be able to select existing labels or create new ones directly in a work package.
Unlike custom fields, which require global configuration, labels can be created by project members as they work. This gives teams more freedom to adapt their classifications to changing requirements, without having to involve an administrator every time a new topic comes up.
Use labels across different projects
Labels will be available globally in OpenProject, even though they can be created by individual project members. This means that a label created in one project can also be reused by other teams, helping them organize work around common topics and maintain consistent terminology across projects.
To make existing labels easier to find, OpenProject will suggest the labels used most often in your project first and highlight the part that matches what you type, followed by frequently used labels. Users can also search for labels directly in the selection field, making it easier to find and reuse existing tags.
Manage and organize labels centrally
As teams start using labels, the number of available tags may grow. To help keep them organized, OpenProject 18.0 will also introduce a central Labels administration page. Administrators will be able to search for labels, see how many work packages use each one, and manage existing labels by renaming or deleting them. In a later version, archiving labels will also be possible.
Preview of the new Labels administration page, including an overview of existing labels and their usage. Archiving and merging labels will not be part of 18.0.
Another useful option that is planned to be implemented later will be merging labels. Imagine that one team uses Machine Learning while another has created Neural Learning for a similar topic. Instead of changing the labels in individual work packages, an administrator will be able to merge them and choose which name to keep. The resulting label will replace both original labels wherever they were assigned.
Disclaimer: Merging labels will not be part of 18.0 yet.
In a later version, administrators will be able to merge two labels and keep their preferred name, without manually updating the affected work packages.
This way, anyone who can edit a work package can create and assign labels independently. Removing a label from a work package only affects that work package. A label that is no longer used on any work package disappears from the list automatically. Only administrators can delete a label that is still in use, which removes it from all work packages that use it. Labels are shared globally, and project-specific labels are not part of OpenProject 18.0.
More flexibility for project teams with OpenProject 18.0
Labels will complement existing work package attributes such as types, statuses, priorities, and custom fields. While these remain important for defining workflows and capturing structured project information, labels will offer a simple way to organize work around topics that emerge during everyday project work.
We look forward to introducing labels with OpenProject 18.0 and giving project teams more flexibility to structure their work according to their own needs. Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming features and improvements, and mark December 2, 2026, in your calendar.
