How to execute automation rules before workflow properties?

Question

Hello community! I have a team-managed Jira project. In the project, I have a lot of automation rules. Taking one example, I have an automation rule whereby when the issue moves from In Progress status to Done status, the custom field "Date of Task Completion" will be auto-populated as of today's date.

I also have workflow properties set, whereby when the issue transits to Done status, it will be "locked" - meaning no users can edit or comment (add / edit / delete) on the issue. I have used these two key for the properties (screenshot attached as well):

1. key: jira.issue.editable / value: false
2. key: jira.permission.comment.denied / value: true

When I tested this out, the Date of Task Completion field is not auto-populated (it is blank - the field is not there in the issue) and the issue is "locked". From my understanding, the workflow properties execute first and then the automation rule. Is this understanding correct?

If so, is there a way to make the automation rule execute first then the workflow properties?

Thanks in advance.

Mathew Lederman · Answer

Alternatively, you could add a status like Closed on which you set the desired properties and the automation rule transitions the issue to Closed after the desired changes are made.

Manon Soubies-Camy · Answer

Hi @Nur Fatin,

Do you know the date of task completion is already stored in the Resolved field? You can see it at the bottom of the work item:

That said, you may have a good use case for needing another field. When you say you created an automation rule that is triggered when you go from In Progress to Done, do you mean an actual automation rule or a workflow rule like the one below?

Hope this helps!

- Manon

Evgenii · Answer

Hi, @Nur Fatin

If you're asking about running automation before transition post-functions — unfortunately, that’s not possible. The order of execution is fixed, and automation will always run after post-functions.

However, you can achieve your goal (restricting editing) in another way. Simply modify the property you're setting — add a property that allows editing only by a specific role or user. This way, you still control who can make changes, even if you can't adjust the automation timing.

https://confluence.atlassian.com/jirakb/restrict-editing-of-work-items-to-specific-users-roles-or-groups-in-jira-1388151751.html