JIRA global priority change - Will removed priority values take the new default?

[Mike Rathwell]

We are going to change the global priority list (including removing a couple of values) in our JIRA instance and I am wondering if, during the change, will issues with a removed priority will take the new default?

Currently the choices in the “Priority” field are:

• Emergency
• Highest
• High
• Medium
• Low (current default value)
• Lowest

This will change to:

• Emergency
• High
• Medium
• Low
• No Priority Assigned (new default value)

My question is, to avoid a massive bulk change (or at least to mitigate it), will issues currently with a Priority value being removed, change to the new default? If so, my order of operation would be:

1. Add new value (but not remove any)
2. Do a bulk change of "Highest" to "High"
3. Remove "Lowest" and "Highest" values and re-index. The hope is that this will make the part of the bulk change from "Lowest "to "Low" as part of the re-index.
4. Set the new "No Priority Assigned" to the new default.

Let me know your thoughts. If JIRA doesn't behave in the manner of assigning removed priority values to the new default, I'll just do two massive bulk changes before removing the "-est" values.

[Alexey Matveev · Accepted solution]

If you delete a priority, Jira will ask you to what priority you want to move issues, which are set to this priority. You will have to choose the required priority yourself. 

[Mike Rathwell]

Thanks Alexey. So... For each one that I delete, it'll ask and is there the expected churn time while it goes through and makes the alterations? (just want to know for the scheduling of the system maintenance window).

So... I delete "Lowest", it asks what I want, I tell it "Low" and then the wait for the alteration? Same again for deleting "Highest" where I tell it "High" and wait for the db change?

[Alexey Matveev]

That is right. You will have to wait until the new priority will be changed. But it does not mean that users will not be able to use Jira. Users will be able to use Jira.

[Deleted user]

If I delete priority values, will JIRA send email notifications on that change?

Is it the same with Resolutions?

Do you recommend to minimise the number of Resolution values?

[Mike Rathwell]

@[deleted] if you use bulk change, make SURE you scroll all the way to the bottom of the list of fields. There is a tick box there to NOT send emails for the changes.

As to minimizing the number of Resolutions, YMMV. In my world where I have both all of dev, devops, AND all the creatives and admin running processes, the list of statuses, custom fields, and resolutions is... long.