User added Status without Edit Workflow Permission - Simplified WFs as cause?

Rebekka Heilmann (viadee)

Today we did some maintanance on our Jira Site and noticed something weird: A regular user added new Statuses

• No user (apart from Jira Admins) has the Edit Workflow permission
• The user is only Space Admin and has never been Jira Admin
• The Workflow is a Simplified Workflow

My theory: The "Edit Workflow" Permission has nothing to do with the ability to add statuses to a Simplified Workflow?

Is that correct?

If so:

1. Why?!
2. How can I stop Simplified Workflows to be created - create a Space with shared Configs and give them a new WF that is customized afterwards? That should stop it from being created as SW automatically?
3. Can I find all Simplified Workflows on my Site?
4. Is there *any* way to deactivate Simplified Workflows alltogether?

Walter Buggenhout

Hi @Rebekka Heilmann _viadee_ ,

Those are great questions and quite niche, to some extent. Simplified workflows are those with global transitions allowing transitions from any status into any other status of the workflow. Adding to that they are only used in a single space creates the situation where non admin users do get power to manipulate the workflow.

Such workflows can only be created by Administrators and it usually happens by using an Atlassian template rather than creating a space with shared configuration.

Unfortunately, you cannot disable that. If you don't have too many admins or you know who they are, the best you can do is develop some governance and working agreements on the topic.

Finding all simplified workflows is not going to be straightforward, but they initially get created with the keyword Simplified Workflow for ... in the workflow title. As long as people don't rename them or create copies under different names, you should have a good starting point. That, or having a reference to the space they were created for may also be a pointer towards candidates. As soon as workflows are shared with more than one space, they also do not allow direct editing by non admin users anymore.

Hope this helps!