Worst Jira Admin Contest: Can’t Create Issues

Rachel Wright

Mistake 14

Here’s a recent one that I’m not proud of. I was helping a client delete unneeded custom fields from their Jira Cloud application. We followed my usual custom field clean-up procedure which is:

Step 1: Audit

• Make a list of all fields

• Note whether they are:

  • Created by Jira

  • Created by an app

  • Created by an admin

• For fields created by an admin, determine field usage. Check the following locations:

  • Screens

  • Workflow conditions, validators, and post functions

  • Filters and user objects

  • Automation rules

  • Etc.

Step 2: Backup

• Take a snapshot, export, or database backup (for restoration purposes)

• Take a screenshot backup (for informational purposes)

Step 3: Move Data

• Move or map any data to retain to other fields

Step 4: Final Steps

• Remove unneeded fields

• Re-index (Server or Data Center)

• Update documentation

• Repeat this clean-up procedure periodically

I thought I had checked all workflow transitions, but evidently I missed one. Specifically, I missed a post function in the initial “create” action.

A sub-task workflow had a post function that automatically copied a field value in parent issues down to child issues.

When we removed the custom field, we broke the workflow and the ability to create sub-tasks!

Tip: When checking workflows for embedded behaviors, don’t just look at the settings in Jira. Always download workflows in XML format. Had I reviewed the XML, I wouldn’t have missed the post function hiding in the “create” action.

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Laurie Sciutti

Don't beat yourself up, @Rachel Wright !  We've all been there ~ I know I have!