whether we can systematically block a child being added to a parent

Sudarsana G

Investigate Jira functionality to determine whether we can systematically block a child being added to a parent (e.g epic being added to initiative) when parent is in a particular state or status

Its like Jira Hierarchy We have Initiative under Initiative we have Epic and Discovery since its a Jira cloud i cant use Properties Can some one help   

Trudy P Claspill

Hello @Sudarsana G 

I think there is not a simple solution for this. I have read that there is a property that can be set on a Workflow status to deny the Create permission, and that is supposed to hide the Create Child Issue option. I have not actually tested that. 

If that doesn't work then there are only more complicated work arounds available. For instance and Automation rule could be used to detect that a child issue was added to an parent where you wouldn't want it added. That would only detect it after it happened, though, so you would have to disconnect the child issue after the fact and decide what you would do about that orphaned issue.

The following is what the AI from Google provided when I used it to search for "jira cloud prevent creation of child issues". There were also several links presented to this same topic being discussed in this community.

 

To prevent users from creating child issues under specific parent issues (like a completed epic) in Jira Cloud, you can use workflow properties and automation rules to restrict the "Create Child Issues" button and automatically remove any linked child issues. 

Here's a breakdown of the approach:

1. Restrict the "Create Child Issues" Button:

• Workflow Properties:
  • Navigate to the workflow of the parent issue type (e.g., Epic).
  • Go to the status that represents a completed or closed state (e.g., "Done").
  • Add a workflow property:
    • Property Key: jira.permission.create.denied
    • Property Value: denied
  • This will hide the "Create Child Issues" button for issues in that status. 

2. Automatically Remove Linked Child Issues (if needed):

• Automation Rule:
  • Create an automation rule that triggers when an issue is linked as a child of a parent issue in the restricted status.
  • Trigger: "Issue Linked".
  • Condition: Check if the parent issue is in the restricted status.
  • Action: Remove the child issue from the parent issue (clear the "Parent" field).
  • You can also send an email notification to inform users that the child issue was removed. 

3. Alternative Method: Restrict Issue Type Creation:

• Restrict Issue Types:

  You can restrict which issue types can be created as children of a specific issue type.

  • Navigate to Project Settings > Issue Types.
  • Select the issue type that you want to restrict.
  • Use the lock icon to restrict access to that issue type.
• Subtask Approach:

  Consider making the issue type a subtask of the parent issue instead of a child issue. 

Important Considerations:

• User Training:

  Inform users about the restrictions and how to create issues appropriately. 
• Automation Rule Notifications:

  Consider sending notifications to users when an automation rule removes a child issue. 
• Custom Fields:

  You can use custom fields to track whether an issue has open child issues and use automation rules to update those fields. 
• Workflow Transition Conditions:

  You can use workflow transition conditions to prevent users from closing a parent issue if it has open child issues.