Automatically Sync Statuses of Related Work Items

Learn how to automatically sync statuses between related work items in Jira using the Transition Work Items post-function and loop transitions in the new workflow editor

Have you ever wondered how to keep parent and child issue statuses in sync? Consider the following workflow requirements:

• When the last child of an Epic is closed → automatically close the parent.

• When the parent is closed → close all its children.

• When the first child is transitioned to In Progress → move the parent to In Progress as well.

• Sync statuses of linked items

With the Transition work items post-function from Workflow Building Blocks, achieving this is easier than you might think.

Perform actions in new workflow editor

First, some basics (skip this part if you’re already an experienced administrator):

In the new workflow editor, all workflow blocks — conditions, validators, and post-functions — are now called Rules, grouped into sections:

• Post-functions -> Perform actions

• Validators → Validate details

• Conditions → Restrict transitions

New workflow editor showing post functions listed under the Perform action section

Setting up actions during a transition

1. In the workflow editor, click on the transition (the line with arrows) → the sidebar will appear.

2. In the sidebar, click the + icon in the Rules section → the Add rule dialog opens.

3. From the Rule Types, select Perform actions.

4. Choose the action you want to configure and complete the setup.

If you have the Workflow Building Blocks for Jira app already installed, you’ll also see Transition work items (WBB) available as an action.

Close parent when the last child work item is closed

You can configure the Transition work items rule in just three steps:

1. Define preconditions to decide whether the action should be executed or skipped.

2. Select which related work item should be transitioned.

3. Choose the next available status to transition to.

Transition work items configuration for closing the parent when the last child is closed, using Preconditions with the Sibling source

Siblings preconditions

Our powerful preconditions module allows you to refine when an action should run.

In this example, we want the rule to execute only when the last child issue is being closed. To achieve this, we’ll use the Sibling source, which lets you check the status of all issues under the same parent, excluding the current issue.

If all the siblings are already closed → the parent issue can be closed.

Prevent closing the parent

To achieve the opposite behavior — preventing an issue from being closed until all of its children or blocking linked issues are resolved — check out Linked Issues Condition & Validator. This validator greatly simplifies the task and ensures workflow rules are enforced automatically.

Close all children when the parent is closed

You can configure this behavior by adding a Transition Work Items rule on the transition to the Done status.

If your parent issue type shares a workflow with its children, make sure to add preconditions so the rule executes only for the parent issue type.

Preconditions configuration example that is fulfilled when the issue type is Epic

To learn more about how preconditions in WBB work, read Ultimate Condition & Validator.

Within the rule setup, select:

1. Children - for work items to transition

   1. Issue types: Any - if you want to transition all children

2. Done - as the destination status

3. If the transition includes a screen, you can provide field values:

   1. You can either set new values or copy them from the parent.

Transition work items rule configuration for closing all children when the parent is closed, with options to set field values or copy them from the parent if a transition screen is used

Sync statuses of linked items

When you have linked items across different projects — for example, a Feature Request in JSM and a Story in Jira Software — you may want to keep their statuses in sync automatically. This way, customers are notified right away about progress without extra manual updates.

To achieve this, add a Transition Work Items rule on the relevant transition in your development project and within the rule setup, select:

1. Linked work → to transition the related item in JSM.

2. Select link type → choose the appropriate link if multiple link types exist in the project.

3. Choose matching status → define the status in the JSM project that should reflect the change.

Transitioning linked items configuration example

Loop transitions - Automation from workflow

What is a loop transition?

A loop transition is a transition that starts and ends in the same status. You can create one in the workflow editor simply by connecting the dots on the same status.

Loop transition configuration example in the new workflow editor

Just like regular transitions, you can add conditions to control when the action is available and for whom. For example, you can add a Restrict who can move an issue rule.

On the issue view, loop transitions appear when you click the Automation button at the top of the screen. The transition name you provide will be displayed in the From Workflow section.

Loop transitions on the issue view, accessible from the Automation button, with the transition name shown in the From Workflow section

Bulk Approve linked required items

Configuration steps:

1. Create a loop transition from/to Approved status

2. Add conditions - e.g restrict to Release Managers role

3. Add Transition work items (WBB) rule, and select:

   1. Linked work - for items to transition

   2. Choose “requires“ link type

   3. Approved - as destination status

Configuration example for bulk approving linked required items

As a result, the Bulk Approve Required Items action appears on the Issue View. This allows Release Managers to approve up to 100 linked items at once, significantly speeding up the entire process.