Parent field is not required, but configuration says otherwise

Question

Use case - I need to mark to which client issue belongs. Every issue is required to have one and only one customer assigned.

I tried do it with custom fields - but in team-managed project you are limited only to 55 options.
This field change to frequently to do it as global custom field.

So I tried Epics. One Epic = One client.
In team - managed project I have created configuration where parent field is required for all issue types other than Epic.

But this doesn't work. On create or edit screen parent field is not marked as required and the Jira allows to create issues without parent link.

There is no validator in rules, automations fails to..

Have anyone ever had similar problem and found a solution for that?

PFR · Answer

Thank you for your response and warm welcome :)

I checked the field type and it's strange:

Jira blocked me only Name editing, Required checkbox is free to edit!

And I checked Create Issue screen - red dot is still missing on parent field, and I have "Select parent" phrase... so I guess I picked up and "configured" the right field.
(I have tested this field and you can pick epics from it.)

Sooo maybe these field can't be required, but somehow Jira Cloud doesn't lock me this Required checkbox?

Thank you for the automation tips It is always better to have more options :) .

I think that you made mistake crating the rule. Parent field is in "Related issue condition" not in "Issue field condition" but after tunning up this detail the whole idea is fine.

Trudy P Claspill · Answer

Hello @PFR

Welcome to the Atlassian community.

When I add the built in Parent field to a Team Managed project issue, I am not able to set it as required.

However I was able to define a second URL type field and call it "Parent" and mark that field as required. Notice that it has the same symbol to the left of the label "Parent" as does the built in Parent field below it.

When I open the Create Issue dialog the two fields display as shown. The URL field I created and named "Parent" is marked as required. The built in field appears below it and notice the helper text displayed in that field that says "Select Parent".

Are you sure that you used the built-in Parent field rather than a custom URL field that you named "Parent"?

It is true that the Create transition in the workflow does not support adding a rule/validator to ensure that any field is filled in, so that is not an option.

You cannot use an Automation Rule to prevent creation of an issue. You could create an Automation Rule triggered on Issue Creation that would check if the built in Parent field had been left empty, and send an email to somebody if it was. That person would then need to follow up.

Or if the Client name is typically specified in the Summary of the issue in a consistent manner, you could develop an automation to find the right Epic based on that information and make the new issue a child of that Epic.