How to automate recurring Epics and tasks in Jira without duplication?

[Renee Canlas]

Our current Jira setup has:

• Monthly Epics (for month-end work)
• Tasks inside those Epics
• Other recurring tasks outside of month-end (annual, biweekly, weekly, adhoc)

The issues we’re running into:

•  Automation keeps duplicating tasks multiple times, so we have to delete extras every week.
• If I create a monthly Epic for October, the next one (November) doesn’t auto-generate, I’d like it to copy all the tasks under it.
• Some weekly tasks keep getting cloned into the Epic that existed when the automation was first created, instead of attaching to the new month’s Epic.

Is there a way to configure Jira so that:

• Monthly Epics are automatically created for each new month with their tasks copied under them, and
• Recurring tasks (weekly, biweekly, annual, adhoc) generate independently and always link to the correct Epic, without duplication?

Plz drop some tips and lmk if my question was clear or not! Have a nice day!

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi @Renee Canlas 

For the symptoms you describe, the rules likely have errors in the scheduled trigger, rule branches, and condition checks.

To provide context for the community to offer better suggestions, please post the following:

• what version of Jira are you using: Cloud, Server, or Data Center
• for Cloud, what type of project(s) are you using: company-managed, team-managed, JPD, etc.
• for one example rule...
  • what is the purpose of the rule
  • an image of the complete rule
  • an image of the audit log details showing the rule execution
  • explain what is not working as expected

After we resolve the challenge with the first rule, you may discover how to fix the others.  If not, we can examine the others.  Thank you!

Kind regards,
Bill

[Akhand Pratap Singh]

Hello @Renee Canlas ,

Good day Welcome to Atlassian Community

For 

1. Monthly Epics are automatically created for each new month with their tasks copied under them

• Use Automation rule, with Trigger to run on the 1st day of every month.
• First Action Create Epic, in summary add Monthly Epic for {{now.format("MMM/yyyy")}} and in labels add Monthly_Epic (create this label first)
• Add Branch rule / related work items and select Most Recently created work items.
• Within Branch add all your tasks for that Epic, make sure you fill all the fields and select Parent in which select Current work item.
  

This way it will automatically create these Epic with tasks every month

2. Recurring tasks (weekly, biweekly, annual, adhoc) generate independently and always link to the correct Epic, without duplication?

• Assuming these monthly Epics are closed every month, at the time of creation, use trigger as Scheduled once every week or twice every week.
• Select Branch rule / related work items and the in it select JQL, give JQL as type = Epic and labels = Monthly_Epic and status is not Resolved 
• with Branch add action create task and select parent as current work item similar to what you did in first case.

Try, and let me know if you face any issue.

Best Regards,
Akhand