Is there a way to auto-populate an approver based on the requestor?

Question

I would like to set up Jira Service Desk so that if someone puts in a request (e.g., for new software), it automatically populates the approver field with their manager. Is this at all possible?

All the answers I've read on the subject seem to suggest using scripting (such as Power Scripts or ScriptRunner); however, this does not scale and would get complex very quickly. I would essentially have to manually script the entire organization. Is there a better solution than this?

Qu3ntin · Answer

Hi,

The standard solution for this, is to have a correct database (mostly an HRIS) where each employee knows its manager.

Your script will only use the manager field to fill your Jira approvers field. The update of this field should be in the HR process of the company. There is no need to update the script at all, the main work is how do you fill and update the manager information.

You could do this thanks to a script or by API.

Eric Lebolt · Answer

Thank you for the speedy response! My concern with this solution is that I would have to update my scripts or automation rules every time an employee joins / leaves the company, changes roles, gets promoted, etc. This does not seem like a scalable solution. Not sure how I would go about this!

Matthias Gaiser _K15t_ · Answer

Hi @Eric Lebolt,

scripting or automation would be the answer for your requirement.

I understand that you don't want to program your entire company hierarchy, the question for me would be - do you have this information already somewhere? In a database or user directory?
You could then use this data as basis for your scripts and develop a solution based on that.

Cheers,
Matthias.