Automation: Create task in new sprint if task does not exist

Question

I want to create a new issue when a sprint starts, but I want to check if we do not have an issue with the same name already (e.g. we have an ops ticket from the previous sprint coming along, then do not create it. If we do not, then create it after it starts).

However, I can't get the automation to stop complaining about the warning. It seems like the "if" does not know on what issues to run the JQL, even though I specified the related issues.

(I have not actually tried the automation yet, because we haven't started a new sprint yet.)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jack Brickey · Answer

Ugh! Yes indeed, how sloppy of me! 😣

Bill Sheboy · Answer

Hi @Jack Brickey

I believe the rule you show would try to match to each issue in the sprint, and so repeatedly add the new issue, rather than checking and adding it one time.

Did I misunderstand the original question or your solution approach?  Thanks!

Kind regards,
Bill

Bill Sheboy · Answer

Hi @Sjoerd Hemels -- Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

With the sprint-related triggers, the issues in the sprint are not provided to the rule, and so...

* When you want to do something to each issue in the sprint, you may branch to it
* When you want to check something for the issues in the sprint, you could use the Lookup Issues action with JQL to gather the issues and then use conditions to check them

For your scenario, you probably want to do the second one, checking with JQL that no issues exist that meet your criteria.

As a process note: adding these issues after the sprint start will show as a scope change, and so make it more difficult to quickly check for other scope changes in the sprint.  Have you instead considered checking for this missing issue and adding it when the team conducts sprint planning?

Kind regards,
Bill