How can i set a condition that a user cannot close a Task until the sub-tasks are closed?

[al_bayer]

Assume I can set this in the Workflow edit within my Space settings for Done status update?  I read a previous post in this community from 2023 but said to click Conditions which no longer exists as an option in the current system?  Any ideas? 

[Trudy Claspill · Accepted solution]

Hello @al_bayer 

In the new Workflow Editor the section named "Restrict Transition" is the replacement for Conditions.

Click the "+" in that box to open the dialog for adding rules. You can use the Search field to find ones related to subtasks.

[al_bayer]

You rock Trudy! Thank you!  

[Olga Cheban _TitanApps_]

hi @al_bayer !

I see you've already found the answer you needed, but I wanted to add one more tip. It's also worth knowing there is another option for more granular control inside a single work item. You can set such a restriction not only on the subtask level, but also on the level of checklist steps within a subtask or within any other work item.

This can easily be done with our solution Smart Checklist for Jira. It lets you add feature-rich checklists to any work item and save them as reusable templates. In addition, it allows you to mark the most important steps as mandatory. Once you set up the workflow validator, the users will only be able to move the ticket to Done when all mandatory checklist items are marked as completed. This helps your team set priorities and make sure nothing is forgotten.

This is useful when you want to add a checklist of criteria or steps that don't need to be separate subtasks (for example, the Definition of Done).

Mandatory items can be applied through checklist templates, so the rules can stay consistent across the team.

I hope this information will be useful to you!

[Sergey Polyanin]

Glad you found the Restrict Transition setting - that's the cleanest path if a hard block is what you want.
Worth flagging a complementary pattern in case the strict block becomes noisy later. Some teams use a continuous DoD score instead of a binary block - the score shows what fraction of subtasks (and any other criteria you want to add: PR linked, AC verified, no blocking bugs) are still open. The transition stays unblocked, but the gap is visible, so the team self-polices instead of fighting a workflow rule. Useful when you want to see "this story is 8/10 done" rather than "you can't close this."
Disclosure - I build ReDo for Jira which does this. Free tier handles the subtasks-done check plus a few more. Not pitching as a replacement for the workflow rule (which is the right tool for a strict gate) - more as a parallel pattern if "show progress" fits the team better than "block transition." Longer write-up of the pattern in our Definition of Done template post.