How can I set up a custom workflow in Jira Software for my project?

When working with Jira workflows, the behavior you’re seeing is quite common. Here are some best practices and key things to check: 

Best practices for creating custom workflows 

• Copy the default workflow instead of editing it directly. This avoids unexpected side effects, especially if it’s shared across projects.
• Keep workflows as simple as possible—too many statuses or transitions can confuse users.
• Name statuses clearly and consistently (e.g., In Review, QA Testing, Ready for Release).
• Use transition screens only when needed (for required fields, approvals, etc.). 

Ensuring transitions are visible to all team members

If transitions are not appearing, check the following:

• Transition conditions: If a transition has conditions (e.g., “Only users in role X”), users who don’t meet them won’t see the transition.
• Workflow status category: Make sure custom statuses are mapped correctly to To Do, In Progress, or Done.
• Issue type workflow scheme: Confirm the issue type you’re testing is actually using the workflow you modified.
• Permissions: Users must have Transition Issues permission (usually included by default, but worth verifying). 

Limitations and things to be aware of 

• Active workflows cannot be fully edited. Structural changes require creating a draft and publishing it, which may affect existing issues.
• If the workflow is shared across projects, changes will impact all of them.
• Publishing workflow changes may require re-mapping statuses for existing issues.
• Some transitions may appear hidden simply because they are not valid from the current status. 

Pro tip

If a transition doesn’t show up: 

• If you’re an admin. Log in as a user who can’t see it and inspect the transition’s conditions, validators, and post-functions.
• Temporarily remove conditions to confirm whether visibility is the issue.