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How to know whether my workflow is simplified?

Mandarine Miss

Hello there,

I have just polished our product development workflow in Jira Server 7.4, and (just after that) saw the description:

Generated by JIRA Software version 7.4.0-xxxxxxxx. This workflow is managed internally by JIRA Software. Do not manually modify this workflow.

Next to my workflow I have found a dozen of other ones with the same description. Looks like the creator just copied them from the default workflow and didn't bother to update the description... or not?

I cannot understand how exactly using simplified workflows is bad, but as it is, I would avoid it if possible, copy this workflow and assign the new one to my project. But first I need to know if my workflow is simplified indeed. How can I find this out?

Accepted answers

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-

When you "simplify" a workflow, Jira simply creates a workflow with the current status and using an "all" into every status. This is actually just a standard workflow, there's no flag against it to say it is simplified.

Once created, it is possible to de-simplify a workflow, which makes no changes at all to the workflow, and leaves it looking like a simplified one, even though it is not.

So, you can't really tell if a workflow is truly simplified from the workflow. You have to go look at a board that uses it, and see if you have the option to add status to the workflow.

Please though, heed the warning about editing simplified workflows and don't do it until they've been de-simplified.

Two reasons - they can do very odd things if you use anything but the off-the-shelf conditions, validators and post-functions in them, and more "fun" - your users can easily destroy any changes you make to them.

All comments

Jack Brickey

one of the key attributes of a truly simplified workflow is that there are no transitions between statuses 'directly'. rather each status transitions from "All". Example below.

Simplified WF.png

Mandarine Miss

Thanks Jack,

to be on the same side: do you mean „simplified“ from the logical perspective or as Jira defines it?

As you can see, I have a warning saying that the workflow is simplified and should not be configured manually. However the purpose of my manual setup is exactly to get rid of such transitions (from Any status to a single one).

May I configure and use my workflow or should I create another one?

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-

Once created, it is possible to de-simplify a workflow, which makes no changes at all to the workflow, and leaves it looking like a simplified one, even though it is not.

So, you can't really tell if a workflow is truly simplified from the workflow. You have to go look at a board that uses it, and see if you have the option to add status to the workflow.

Please though, heed the warning about editing simplified workflows and don't do it until they've been de-simplified.

Mandarine Miss

Screen Shot 2018-02-16 at 18.55.51.png

Mandarine Miss

Screen Shot 2018-02-16 at 22.13.44.png

Mandarine Miss

Hi Nic,

thanks for your detailed answer. So I get that "simplified" is rather a set of statuses and not really a workflow.

But I cannot really understand what you mean by following:

Once created, it is possible to de-simplify a workflow, which makes no changes at all to the workflow, and leaves it looking like a simplified one, even though it is not.

Please though, heed the warning about editing simplified workflows and don't do it until they've been de-simplified.

How can I de-simplify my workflow without editing it?

I've attached several screenshots above that illustrate the warning (which you of course know) and my workflow.

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-

To de-simplify a workflow, you create a new "workflow scheme", put the workflow into it (either as the default for all, or along with others you might want to use), and then apply it to one of the projects the board uses. That tells Jira that the board is to no longer use a simplified workflow, so your workflow now becomes a standard one, despite still being called a simplified workflow.

Mandarine Miss

This is even more confusing. I have quite a number of workflow schemes already, and they are all called [projectname] Software Simplified Workflow Scheme. Are there simplified schemes at all?..

Anyway, before we dive deeper here, I would go a step back.

You say:

You have to go look at a board that uses it, and see if you have the option to add status to the workflow.

Could you kindly describe the sequence of the steps required?

I appreciate your support.

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