Restrictions on editing

[Narsha Bac]

Hello Team,

I have a query regarding editing issues. I have a project which is meant to be on a 'read-only' view with very little access.

For e.g. I need to restrict the editing of the issues but only a group of people must be able to edit only 2-3 custom fields and be able to link an issue with this restricted one. When I remove the edit permissions, the users cannot link the issue and cannot edit any fields (which make sense because of the editing permission). Kindly note that I cannot use the transition screen as a solution because they are not supposed to transition any issue.

Is there a way I can achieve this? I looked up on several places but apparently there is no direct way of doing this? 

Thanks.

[Ignacio Aredez GenAI Expert · Accepted solution]

To achieve the goal of restricting issue editing while still allowing a specific group of people to edit only a few custom fields and link issues, despite Jira Cloud's default permission schemes not supporting this granularity out-of-the-box, you can consider a combination of Jira's permission scheme, issue security levels, and possibly leveraging Jira apps for more granular field-level permissions. Here’s a step-by-step approach to tackle this:

Update Permission Scheme: Remove Edit Issues permission for all except essential personnel. Ensure Link Issues permission is given to those who need to link issues.

Use Jira Apps for Field-Level Permissions: Since Jira Cloud doesn't natively support field-level permissions, use marketplace apps like ScriptRunner for Jira, JMWE (Jira Misc Workflow Extensions), or Jira Workflow Toolbox. These can enable conditional field visibility or editing based on user roles or groups.

Consider Workarounds: If absolutely necessary, create a "loopback" transition in your workflow for issues to move from a status back to the same status but through a screen that shows only the editable fields. This is not ideal but can be a workaround if no transitions are needed.

Document and Train: Ensure all users are aware of these configurations and understand the limitations and capabilities they have within the project.

[Narsha Bac]

Thanks for the reply. I will definitely try this.