10 GitLab Labels Best Practices

GitLab labels are a great way to organize and categorize your issues and merge requests. By using labels, you can quickly and easily filter and search for issues and merge requests that are relevant to you.

However, labels can also be a bit of a pain to manage if they’re not used properly. In this article, we’ll share 10 GitLab labels best practices that will help you get the most out of your labels and keep your project organized.

1. Use labels to categorize issues

When you have a lot of issues, it can be difficult to keep track of them all. By categorizing your issues with labels, you can easily filter and search for specific issues. For example, you could label all bugs with the “bug” label, all feature requests with the “feature request” label, and all questions with the “question” label.

Categorizing issues also makes it easier for other people to collaborate on your project. When someone knows what type of issue they are looking at, they can more easily decide if they want to help out or not.

Finally, categorizing issues can help you prioritize which issues to work on first. For example, you might want to prioritize bugs over feature requests, or features that are already in development over those that are not.

2. Label your issue with a priority label

When you have a lot of issues, it can be difficult to know which ones are the most important. By labeling your issue with a priority label, you can ensure that everyone on your team knows which issues need to be addressed first.

Not only will this help you prioritize your work, but it will also help you communicate better with your team. If someone asks you what the most important issue is, you can quickly and easily point them to the issue with the priority label.

GitLab offers a few different ways to label your issues. You can use the built-in labels, or you can create your own custom labels.

If you’re using the built-in labels, there are a few different options for priority labels. The most common option is to use the “P1” label, which indicates that an issue is a top priority.

You can also use the “P2” label, which indicates that an issue is a high priority. Or, you can use the “P3” label, which indicates that an issue is a medium priority.

Finally, you can use the “P4” label, which indicates that an issue is a low priority.

If you want more control over your labels, you can always create your own custom labels. To do this, go to the “Labels” page in GitLab and click the “New Label” button.

From here, you can give your label a name and a description. You can also choose whether or not to make the label a priority label. If you do make it a priority label, you can choose which priority level it should be.

Once you’ve created your label, you can add it to any issue by going to the issue and clicking the “Labels” button. From here, you can select the label from the list and click the “Add Label” button.

3. Label your issue with an effort label

When you’re looking at a list of issues, it’s helpful to know at a glance how much effort each one is going to take to fix. That way, you can prioritize the most important ones.

GitLab has a set of built-in labels for this purpose: “Effort: Low”, “Effort: Medium”, and “Effort: High”. You can also create your own custom labels with different names and colors.

To add an effort label to an issue, simply click on the “Labels” button and select the appropriate label from the list.

4. Add a milestone label

When you’re working on a project with multiple people, it can be difficult to keep track of who is working on what. By adding a milestone label, you can quickly and easily see which issues are being worked on by which person.

Not only does this help with organization, but it also helps with communication. If someone is working on an issue that you need to be aware of, you can quickly see that by looking at the milestone label.

To add a milestone label, simply go to the “Labels” page in your GitLab project and click on the “New Label” button. Then, enter the name of the milestone and select the “Milestone” label type.

5. Assign the appropriate team member(s)

When a new issue or merge request is created, it’s automatically assigned to the team member who created it. However, if the issue or merge request is related to something that another team member is working on, they should be the one assigned to it.

This is important for two reasons. First, it ensures that the right team member is working on the issue or merge request. Second, it helps to keep track of who is working on what.

If you’re not sure who to assign an issue or merge request to, you can always ask in the #gitlab channel on Slack.

6. Add a due date if needed

If you’re working on a project with a team, it’s important to have some way to track which tasks are due when. By adding a due date to your labels, you can ensure that everyone is on the same page and knows when a task needs to be completed by.

This is especially important for larger projects with multiple deadlines. By keeping track of due dates, you can avoid any last-minute scrambling to get things done.

To add a due date to a label, simply click on the label in the sidebar and then select “Edit.” From there, you’ll see a field where you can enter the date. Once you’ve entered the date, simply click “Save Changes” and you’re all set.

7. Set up automation for common tasks

When you have a lot of issues and merge requests, it can be difficult to keep track of all the labels. This is especially true if you’re working on a team where multiple people are adding and removing labels.

Automation can help solve this problem by automatically adding and removing labels based on certain conditions. For example, you could set up a rule that adds the “bug” label to any issue that’s been tagged with the “help wanted” label.

Not only does automation save you time, but it also helps to ensure that your labels are accurate and up-to-date.

8. Create custom labels as you need them

When you first start using GitLab, the default labels are fine. But as your project grows, you’ll quickly realize that the default labels don’t cover everything. That’s when custom labels come in handy.

Creating custom labels allows you to be more specific about the types of issues you’re dealing with. For example, let’s say you have a label for “bug.” But what if you want to differentiate between major and minor bugs? That’s where creating a custom label for “major bug” and “minor bug” comes in.

Not only does this make it easier for you to find and track specific issues, but it also makes it easier for others to understand the issue at hand. So next time you’re thinking about adding a label to an issue, ask yourself if a custom label would be more appropriate.

9. Don’t overuse labels

If you have too many labels, it will be hard to find the one you’re looking for. This is especially true if you have a lot of similar labels. For example, if you have a “bug” label and a “feature request” label, it might be hard to tell them apart.

It’s also important to keep your labels organized. You can do this by using different colors for different types of labels, or by using prefixes or suffixes. For example, you could use the “bug: ” prefix for all of your bug labels.

Finally, don’t forget to delete unused labels. If you have a label that’s no longer needed, delete it so it doesn’t clutter up your project.

10. Keep it simple, stupid (KISS)

When you have too many labels, it becomes hard to keep track of them all. This is especially true if you have a lot of people working on the same project. Also, when you have too many labels, it can clutter up the interface and make it harder to find the information you’re looking for.

It’s important to find a balance between having too many labels and not having enough. A good rule of thumb is to start with a small set of labels and then add more as needed. You can always delete labels that you don’t need anymore.

Also, try to use descriptive names for your labels. This will make it easier for everyone to understand what they’re for. For example, instead of using “bug,” use “bug: title of the issue.”