Project Configuration and Project Types
Two project models
Company-managed projects are built from shared schemes: issue type scheme, workflow scheme, field configuration scheme, issue type screen scheme, permission scheme and notification scheme can all be shared across many projects, and only a Jira administrator can edit them. Team-managed projects are self-contained: the project administrator edits their own workflow, fields, types and access, and those settings cannot be shared or reused elsewhere.
Choosing the model is the most consequential decision in many questions. Team-managed is fast and delegated; company-managed is required for shared schemes, complex permission schemes, issue-level security, and advanced workflow features. Team-managed projects cannot be converted to company-managed.
Schemes are independent objects
Changing which scheme a project uses does not modify the scheme itself. Editing a shared scheme changes every project attached to it - that is the classic "why did another project change?" trap. Project categories are just grouping and filtering; they grant nothing. Deleting a project moves it to trash for a limited window; archiving makes it read-only and keeps it available for reporting.
Templates and types
The project type (Software, Service management, Business) determines which templates and features are offered, not what the project can do afterwards - issue types and workflows come from the template's schemes.
Rule of thumb: if the requirement mentions shared schemes, issue-level security, or configuration controlled centrally by an administrator, the answer is a company-managed project.