Can rule run for both subtasks and tasks?

Question

I have a simple rule that says to transition a work item parent to In Progress when the child is transitioned to In Progress. This works great when a subtask is moved to In Progress. However, I would also like the Task that is transitioned to In Progress to trigger the rule so the Epic is put In Progress. So, I want the subtask being put into In Progress to move the Task to move to In Progress AND the Task to move the Epic to In Progress. Is this possible?

Marshall Walker Lee · Accepted Answer

Yes, this is possible by creating a Jira automation rule that uses a "Branch rule" and the "Issue transitioned" trigger. The rule can be set up to trigger when any sub-task or task is transitioned to "In Progress," and then a separate branch will handle the parent issue by checking its linked sub-tasks and transitioning the parent accordingly. This creates a chain reaction: the sub-task's transition triggers the rule, which moves the parent Task to "In Progress," and this action then triggers the same rule again, which moves the Epic to "In Progress".