Status of the issue is not changed when I switch back to the current workflow from new workflow

Rajesh R

As an admin, I am using a simple workflow which has suggested by jira - Now I want to change the workflow - so I go to projects--> workflow - change it - all the issues got migrated to the new workflow - Now I switch back to the previous workflow - In this scenario, all the issues got migrated to the previous workflow, but all the issue's status shows 'Backlog' with the label 'Done' even it got done earlier.

I will share the screenshot

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-

Jira can only take a minimal approach to migrating data on workflow changes.  It can't know what we might be doing when we are changing them, and asking for every last possible alternative would be massive.  So when you change a workflow, it does the minimum.  

For each status in the old and new workflow, there are only two possibilities

• The status exists in the target workflow.  Jira does not need to do anything, as the status can be carried over.
• The status does not exist in the target.  Jira needs to ask you what status to use in the new workflow.

Now, when you go "back", Jira has no way to know what status you might want to take on, so it does the same routine.  Although the previous-workflow status is recorded in the history, the issue may have moved on, and there is no way that Jira can know whether you want to go back to the original status, retain the current one (assuming it is in both workflows) or keep the latest.  It can't work out what you need, so it does the same simple non-historical minimal change - retains the status when it can, and asks you if the current status is not in the target workflow.