Automate Project Plan due dates based on decencies, start date adjusts based on dependencies enddate

[Joseph Khalil]

Hi Team,

If I am trying to automate a due date to start when dependencies finish then add an extra 5-business days, how do I do that?

I know that the below allocates due date to be from now + 5 business days.

{{now.plusBusinessDays(5)}}

However, if I have 3 tasks, where task 3 begins when tasks 1 & 2 complete, how do I then arrange that the due date begins from task 1&2 completion + 5 days.

EG: Task 1 completed on 1/01/2025, task 2 completes on 15/01/2025. Then on 15/01/2025 task 3 distributes, and I want it to be from the 15/01/2025 + 5 business days

(however, the timeframe for tasks 1 and 2 are not defined as they can take a few more days than expected) so if task 2 completes on 17/01/2025 then task 3 will use the 17/01 as the baseline day + 5 business days for completion to allow the project timeline to automatically update to use the start date as 17/01 for task 3.

Hope the above makes sense. 

Kind Regards.

[Bill Sheboy · Accepted solution]

Hi @Joseph Khalil 

What have you tried thus far to solve this need?

If you have a rule that is not working as expected, context is important for the community to help.  Please post the following:

• what type of project is this (e.g., company-managed, team-managed, etc.), 
• an image of your complete automation rule in a single image for continuity,
• images of any relevant actions / conditions / branches,
• an image of the audit log details showing the rule execution, and
• explain what is not working as expected and why you believe that to be the case.

If you have not started a rule, I encourage you to try to do so; then it will better align to your specific needs.

To help you get started, consider what is the exact relationship between the issues involved and how would you determine that?  For example, perhaps by issue linking.  With that information, the rule could be triggered on Issue Transitioned and use the Related Issues Condition to determine when to set the dates for the next issue.

Kind regards,
Bill

[Joseph Khalil]

Thanks for clarification.

I am using a company-managed project type.

I currently use the JQL as seen below.

{{now.converToTimeZone("Australia/Melbourne")}} --> this will then allocate a timeframe when the issue is converted from Backlog -- To Do.

However, my overall goal is to show in the timeline, when the issues are all populated in the backlog to show the links and automatically update the due dates of each task based on when issues have changed their due dates. See image two of what the Backlog looks like with the grey tasks, not aligning based on due dates of their linked issues. 

However in image 3 when issues distribute you can see the link, but the start date does not begin when the dependencies have all completed, rather it distributes at any given time which could lead to the project schedule being incorrect.

In terms of the automation log, it would not be relevant in my opinion at this stage if the JQL is incorrect. Once the JQL is defined correctly that is possibly when the automation log would be relevant. In saying so, the last image displays where I may be going wrong too, where it links the issue only when the decencies are completed, rather than when the issues are created in the backlog.

And if that is the case, this then opens another issue for me, as how do I automate to link the issues based on the specific issues (as per the last image) if the trigger issue for all tasks creating is when the Epic is transitioned into the In Progress category.

[Bill Sheboy]

First to clarify some Jira terminology, JQL (Jira Query Language) is used to search for issues and smart values are attributes of issues (and functions) used in automation rules.  You seem to be confusing those terms.

Next, the smart value expression you show with the convertToTimeZone() function only changes the time zone; the date / time value is not actually changed.  This does not seem to match your original question.  Please review the available functions to learn more: https://support.atlassian.com/cloud-automation/docs/jira-smart-values-date-and-time/

Next, the scenario you seem to be describing is likely not possibly based solely on the dates and issue types.  As written, the rule you show will update all issues from the branch with the issue types shown, regardless of their current status or other attributes...even already completed issues!

Normally for scenarios of dependent issues, there is already some form of issue link: parent / child, or other link types.  But those are neither defined nor set by the rule you show, and as I first noted: understanding the issue relationships is key before trying to change the date fields for dependent issues.

Finally, I recommend pausing to meet with your Jira Site Admin and explain the problem you are trying to solve and ask for their help.  If they are unable to help, please work with them to contact the Atlassian Support team: https://support.atlassian.com/contact/#/