Workflow definition and how affects the new tickets

[Alberto Bourdon]

Hello,

I'm new in Jira environment, and I face the challenge to make the transition from my project to Jira. I have the workflow very well defined, and the Backlog in an Excel file with several areas to discuss on it.

I've been looking at some videos on how to create workflows, but I don´t have any idea on how the designed workflow affects the open tickets, and what do I have to do to let the tickets progress through the workflow to the end.

I'll appreciate any information on this.

Kind regards.

[Tony Rossiter]

@Alberto Bourdon 

Here's a high-level document on Jira workflows: https://confluence.atlassian.com/jiracorecloud/how-do-i-build-the-workflow-i-want-765593066.html

A few questions: 

1. Are you on Cloud or Server?
2. Do you have any Admin access to your Jira environment (System or Project)?  

In general, there is impact to existing tickets when you change the workflow they are associated with.  This post is a little old but outlines the basics of that impact: 

https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-questions/how-to-migrate-issues-to-a-new-custom-workflow/qaq-p/68037

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

There are two classes of changes to an issue if you change its workflow. 

1. The data.  Not a huge impact, but the issues cannot have no status.  So if your old and new workflows share status, existing issues will not actually change at all.  Where an issue is in a status that the new one does not have, you will be asked to change the status (A history item of "change of workflow" will be written)
2. The workflow.  Workflow choice is a function of project and issue type, so any change you make to, or of, a workflow affects all issues of that type in every project it is used in.  All your old issues will now follow the new workflow