I try to add a transition to a workflow (new) and this error message appears. What do i do?
Hi @Florence M ,
Pls refer to this KB from atlassian team.
https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-articles/Editing-a-workflow-when-it-shows-You-cannot-perform-this/ba-p/1854392
Hello all,
I had the same problem, but when I switched to the New Workflow Editor, it worked without any issues.
BR o/
Hi Florence,
You need to copy the current workflow, make your changes in the copied inactive one and save it.
Then you need to add your new workflow to the same/current workflow scheme to replace the active one. But sure to publish it.
In my eyes it makes no sense. In the DC version it is possible. Why do we have the Draft mode?
This is the dumbest thing ever. I can't believe how horrible Jira and Confluence have become.
100
This is truly horrible UX.
Can't believe it is still like this.
There is a team working on this with Atlassian. This is not new for Cloud, it has been there since the beginning.
This is STILL super annoying and I'm a consultant trying to teach Jira to customers. They get mad at things like this and want to keep their old systems. I just nod and agree that Atlassian may be crap and profoundly inept at UX design but it's the best crap available right now. I'm tired of making excuses and trying to make light of how shit this software is.
Is there any rational explanation for this? I just made this state and created a transition in. Now I want to edit and add a transition out. What is the possible reason for disabling this?
My guess is that it was prone to causing errors on Server and so they removed/disabled it in the Cloud, but then prioritized other things for development instead of working on a replacement.
I am tasked today with modifying an existing workflow that has been in use for years. In the past I was able to simply click the three dots next to my active workflow and edit. I am using the cloud version. Now I am being instructed to make a copy and then associate my new workflow to the project. I am so apprehensive because this is not what I have done in the past and hundreds of requests will need to be reassigned to this new workflow, such a risk. Is this truly the only solution?
2023 — this is still awful
WTF! what a crappy UX for a billion dollar company
+1 on the feedback here on page. I'm a huge Jira advocate, but baffled that this feature works in such a backwards way.
Is there a fix roadmapped for this? I'd suggest:
"As a Jira admin, I'd like to be able to directly edit then publish drafts to active workflows on company-managed projects"
Is there still no solution to this? By making a copy of the workflow in order to be able to edit it, I then can't set all the approval steps as this is only possible in an active workflow. Also how do you then rename workflows? Now have copy of a copy of a copy etc...
It's almost 2024 and it's still like this! Unreal.Jira and Confluence are the worst software I've ever had to deal with.
Absolute retardation.
I can't believe this is a thing. What an unbelievably terrible workflow editing experience! Please fix this as soon as possible.
I have been trying to edit the workflow 2 hours, searched every document, watched every youtube video, AND I AM taking an exam soon while following training videos presented by atlassian! nothing matches with the course! I hope they can at least change the content for their training because for newbies like me, it is very frustrating!
in the course it is said that a project admin can delete a status if not used by an issue, can can change a status name, can create a new status, can edit the description.. on an active workflow.
BUT I am a Jira admin and I can't perform any of these!
Atlassian, please fix this ASAP. Last fall I was still able to edit a draft, which was great, but now having to create a copy, just to add a new transition is absolute BS. I know you guys can do better, so let's see that happen.
2024 and still the same.
Agreed. What is the purpose of the draft mode? Allow us to modify workflows that are in use on the fly.
Hi Jovan, how did you switch to the the new editor?
Same question. I can't currently see a way to switch over.
Hi @MTurner I found that you have a "Switch editor" select box on the right side of workflow configuration. Then you can select it.
Incredibly bad.
1 more vote for allowing admins to edit workflows!
But this is wired thing, cause I definitely had the ability to update for an existing workflow (active) the transitions, remove or add without the need to copy the workflow. Only deleting statuses required to copy, and suddenly I can't edit even transitions. Any idea why? The only thing I can think of is that I removed my Jira Service Management app, could it be the reason?
@Bill Sheboy maybe you know?
Not great UX! Hope they turn some attention to this.
I have not tried it myself, but there seems to be a workaround now by switching to the new workflow editor.
See comment: https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-Software-questions/Re-You-cannot-perform-this-operation-on-a-draft-workflow/qaq-p/2645062/comment-id/932653#M932653
"There is a team working on this with Atlassian. This is not new for Cloud, it has been there since the beginning."
Unfortunately I cannot agree with this.Until very recently, I was able to modify the very same workflow I have tried to modify today, when I got this absolutely senseless message: "You cannot perform this operation on a draft workflow".Wow, on what workflow can I perform an operation of adding a transition? On a working non-draft one?Fortunately, I used the advice from this page and switched to the new editor. The new editor was able to add the new transition without any issue.Then, I saved my workflow and switched back to the old editor, because the new one is a total UI/UX disaster.And I had a real trouble even posting this comment. UI/UX disaster here, too...
It depends on what you are doing when you modify the workflow as to whether you have to do the copy or not.
That's what I (and many other here) would mark as a part of the aforementioned UI/UX disaster.
And I was not speaking of copying and not copying the workflow as you can just see.
Experiencing this issue. And there's no real explanation as to why it can't "perform this operation."
I updated the workflow in the new workflow editor and it works. No explanation as to the difference in functionality.
Hi @Jennifer Bader - Typically it is because the status has no outflow from it or if you are trying to delete a status from the workflow.
Can we just scrub the workflows feature and start over? I keep trying to learn how to work with them and it's difficult to understand what it needs from me to function.
It's really not that difficult. I imagine 90% of the time you can edit it without getting that message. And if you do, just make a copy of the workflow, make your changes and then add it to the workflow scheme. For the power you get with the workflows, that's not a lot of trouble to have to go through.
It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
