Disclosure: I build Approval Nudge at Quietmill.
You can open the request in Jira. Its approval still says pending. But Approval Nudge cannot read the approval details, so nobody gets a reminder.
On some migrated or integration-created requests, the missing piece is the request type. The work item exists, but the JSM field that identifies the kind of customer request is empty.
Earlier in this series, I wrote about approvals that look pending but should not be chased. This is the practical follow-up: finding the requests with no request type and deciding which ones to bring back into the reminder process.
Find the requests that need a decision
Approval Nudge 3.19 added the Missing request types tab to Approvals Overview in the Advanced edition. It lists affected open requests by project, with their summary, status and waiting date.
Open Apps → Approvals Overview → Missing request types. For each work type, Open in Jira takes you to a search already filtered to requests waiting for approval with no request type.
Approval Nudge finds them and provides the route to repair. It does not choose a request type or change it for you.
Decide what still needs approval first
A laptop request from last week and a migration leftover from two years ago can have the same missing field. They need different decisions.
If the request still needs an approval, assign the correct request type. If the work no longer matters, resolve it in Jira through your normal process. Repairing every old request simply to clear the list can make an obsolete backlog eligible for reminders again.
If your team only wants reminders for work created from a particular date, set Ignore requests created before in the project’s Approval Nudge settings, under Reminders, and save it before repairing the backlog.
This date setting is available in Standard and Advanced. It also hides older requests from the Overview and the Missing request types list, so review the affected work before applying the cutoff.
Repair the requests in Jira
- Select Open in Jira for the work type you want to repair. Review the results and select only requests that belong together.
- Use Jira’s Bulk change action and choose Edit issues. Select Change Customer Request Type and pick the appropriate request type. Jira’s wording may vary slightly.
- Review Jira’s confirmation screen before applying the change. You need the relevant Jira permissions for bulk editing.
- Reload Approvals Overview. Repaired requests should leave the missing-type list. They can return to normal scanning if they meet the project’s other scan rules.
The grouping by work type matters: Jira’s bulk-edit guidance uses requests with the same work type so an appropriate request type can be selected. A work type and a request type are related, but they are not interchangeable.
Fix the field, then check the result
Adding a request type does not approve the request, reset its age or guarantee an immediate reminder. The project must be enabled, and its filters, reminder timing and other checks still apply.
The useful outcome is a list your team has actually reviewed: live requests can receive reminders, and old work stays out for a deliberate reason.
Earlier in the series: The Approvals Nobody Should Be Reminded About
Approval Nudge on the Atlassian Marketplace
After a migration, how does your team decide which pending approvals still need an answer?
