How to setup a sub-task to a step in workflow?

[Vanae Van Weigel]

JIRA newbie here - I have a workflow that manages a full process, involving different team members at each step in the workflow. I've been creating sub-tasks to the parent task but want to know if there's a better way.

Two questions:

1. Is it possible to setup a sub-task to a workflow step (instead of the parent issue level)?
2. What is the best way to create a workflow that has sub-tasks with more than one user responsible for it?

Thanks!

[Nic Brough [Adaptavist]]

I am really sorry about this one.  I always try to allow for the different uses of English grammar we see when trying to explain problems, but this one has me stumped.

I don't know what "setup a sub-task to a step" means.  I think the problem is the "to", not because of the relation between parent and subtask, but because it does not explain it actively.  Do you mean you want sub-tasks to be created when you move from one step to another?  Or that the sub tasks should not be available until you reach a certain step in the workflow? Something else?

[Vanae Van Weigel]

Hey @Nic Brough [Adaptavist], thanks for trying to decipher and helping out here.

Yes, I would like 'sub-tasks to be created when moving from one step to another', relating a sub-task with particular step instead of the parent issue (since there is a different assignee for each step)

Hope that's more clear. Appreciate your help.

[Nic Brough [Adaptavist]]

Ok, that does make sense.  There's a couple of things here

First, you need code to create sub-tasks like that.  There are add-ons you can get that will create one or many sub-tasks as a transition happens, although I usually have access to the script-runner add-on which can also do it (and be very flexible about it). 

The second point is about process, rather than an answer.  I'm not sure that creating sub-tasks is going to do what you want.  You can't "replace a step" with a sub-task.  A sub-task is an issue in its own right, with its own workflow.  If you create one on each transtion in a workflow, that's fine, but the parent still goes through the steps you've set up.  You just now have sub-tasks as well as the parent to deal with.  This is very useful in some situations, I just want to make sure you understand the impact of having sub-tasks created and the parent carrying on through the steps.